Fall's Not Here, but the Decorations Are!

For some reason I've spent the past couple of days  reflecting on the past.  Not on purpose, but things are popping in and out in a rather random manner.  Not things that happened, but the things and people who have shaped who I am.  Things I consider gifts from God.  At this very moment I am so thankful for the good things that my heart is bursting and tears of joy are flowing.  Thank you, Father, for always taking care of me and protecting me.

This week has been a quiet one, but I did get out a couple of times.  Dinner with family on Wednesday evening at Smokey Bones to celebrate little miss's fourth birthday, then a party on Saturday with friends and family.

One of the families that came to the party are foster parents.  They currently are caring for a beautiful one year old girl who warmed my heart when she put her arms out for me to hold her.  I love babies and puppies.  It's nice they like me, too.

A local grocery was offering a 10.00 off 50.00 purchase coupon.  Since I seldom spend over 28.00 a week on groceries my first thought was the offer was not for me.  Immediately afterwards my mind went in a different direction.  I could purchase long term items such as coffee and sugar to bring up the total to meet the requirements.  Not only did this work well, but the items I needed were all on sale.  Here's the breakdown.

The total came to 71.00 and change.
The coupon brought the total down to 61.00 and change.
I then asked what day the military discount applied and was told it was every day on store brand items. (organic items included)
The final total was 58.33.

I have enough food for well over three weeks, including organic fed sausage that was on a manager's special for 1.49 for eight patties.  I bought the two packs that were in the meat case.

Another item I want to rave about is a new to my area yogurt called NOOSA.  It's made in Colorado with a mother from Australia.  What an amazing product.  The container holds close to twice as much as our normal ones do so it will last for two to three servings.  It's so good, though, I may 'pig out' on it and eat it all at once.

I normally eat peach yogurt, but it was
not on the shelf.  Strawberry runs a
close second.

I also stopped in to a local thrift store and found a sweater from The Loft which looks as if it has never been washed or worn.  4.99 later I have something to keep the chill of winter at bay.

The toasty warm thrift store sweater.

This was the week I went through the fall decorations and brought a few down.  In one bin I have fall, Thanksgiving and Halloween decorations.  I only brought out the fall decorations and paired them with a new wreath for the front door and a new pillow that has dogs dressed in costumes that was placed on a living room chair.  I bought that pillow more for the little ones than myself.  The four year old loved it while she described all of the animals and outfits they wore. 

This is one of those items I paid full
price for.  The picture doesn't do it
justice because in reality the
colors are rich and deep.

I can't remember where I got this or
when, I only know it's been around for
a while.  It hangs off the pantry door.

This is the third year this pumpkin
has held a place of honor on the coffee
table.  It's blown glass and is a
heavy pumpkin at that.

The pillow that charmed a four year old!

How has your week been?  Do you have your fall decorations out yet, or perhaps you don't decorate for the fall season.  Let us know in the comment section.

Stay safe.

In The Kitchen With Angie (And Other Things)

I broke a rule and went out on Saturday.  The farm market was smaller than I remember it being last year.  Let me qualify that statement.  We have two locations.  One is close to my house and the other location is between my house and my daughter's house.  Because I was going to my daughter's home, I stopped at the location that was between our homes.

I did find a farmer who was smart enough to offer bruised tomatoes at 4/ 1.00.  I scooped up four big ones to make a couple of sandwiches and use the rest for home made pasta sauce.  Those four tomatoes will provide two sandwiches and at least two pasta dishes.  I guess the cost for each would be .25 cents.  Not bad and makes me happy to use what others would think to be inferior foods.  The perfect tomatoes were selling for 1.00 each.

Also into my bag went five peaches that were priced at 3.00.  Sixty cents a peach is OK.  They were local (state) peaches so I scooped them up.

From the farm market I went to pick up my daughter for a trek to Wal Mart where she had to pick up glasses for her sons.  I returned two items and picked up a box of 12 individual packs of cookies for 4.00.  Each pack was .30 so it was a good deal as far as cookies I didn't need.  The original thought was to have them on hand for the grandchildren, but they may not last that long.

After dropping my daughter and her sons off I headed home.  Noticing the Intercostal Waterways bridge was up I detoured to the Dollar Tree instead of waiting in traffic while the boats passed through.  I was looking for one more white container for the pantry and was surprised to see only one white one on the shelves.  Snatched up and placed in the cart, I went on my way.  I also picked up two other items - a spool of plaid ribbon to make a bow and sour patch kids for the grandchildren.

Heading home took a few minutes with a total of 11.00 spent.  The items I returned totaled close to 28.00.

The rest of the afternoon was spent eating a tomato sandwich, removing two of the cucumber plants from the garden, watching BBC documentaries and a quick nap.  The evening ended with a daily call from a friend with lots of laughter and a good night call from my daughter.

Remember the flour I canned?  I wanted to test it out in a recipe so I made ginger cookies with it.  The cookies came out delicious, but I will not can flour again.  It became lumpy and difficult to break up.  I'll use what I have so it won't waste, but not repeat the process. I did have fun experimenting though.

Another experiment was making up a small batch of pancake batter that didn't need anything added but water to make the pancakes.  I did add mild and eggs for a good protein source   This experiment was successful.

I did make one other trip to the book store on Thursday.  My daughter and I bought our date books and we each found a cookbook that interested us.  The rest of Thursday was spent with S and her family as I stayed over night with her pup as my sleeping buddy.

How was your week spent?  Did you enjoy at least one thing this week?  Let us know in the comment section.

Stay safe.

A Mash Up of Time Lost

As my readers may have figured out, when there are no posts it's because I'm under the weather.  In this case the antibiotic treatment was ten times worse than the infection.  I have emails to catch up on as well as a million things (figuratively!) I had planned for the blog.  This post will be a mash up of things I've wanted to post.

I'd like to begin with asking if anyone is keeping up with the situation in Venezuela?  My heart is heavy with the suffering currently going on in that country.  The breakdown in the food chain appears to be the end result of socialism.  I'm no expert, thought, so if you have information to contribute to this statement, please feel free to offer it in the comment section.  Politics is not my forte, to say the least.  I have two lady friends that answer all my questions when it comes to me unable to see things clearly in this arena.  Then I think the input over without emotion.  I'm afraid emotion is clouding any judgment to be made in this area.  I hate to see anyone without food.  It was not intended for us to be without sustenance.

Things accomplished before I fell ill:

The vehicle was registered for two years.
Cleaned out the toys in the loft
Vacuumed and cleaned the loft and the office
 Did a minor cleaning of the pantry
Cleaned the master bathtub and shower using my 'swif' type mop.  Beats getting in that monster tub and cleaning it.
Picked a number of beans and ate them all!
Made a stuffed artichoke and enjoyed it to no end
Went to the grocery that carries my favorite water and bought three cases.  They also had lemons on sale for 99 cents so they jumped into my cart right next to the Italian olives and bananas.

Also accomplished was a small dollar store haul.  They now have coupons on the shelves that can only be used at the Dollar Tree stores.  I took advantage of the new large cans of Campbell's pork and beans with the 1.00 off two.  This turned out to be buy one get one free (BOGO) with an expiration date of well into 2017.  Also in the cart was national brand instant coffee, wet floor cleaning pads, and national brand dried cranberries, tissue,

The ibotta * account is up to 56.25 with the addition of butter, mayonnaise, a green pepper, bread, and cheese.

I also bought a pool towel to use in my daughter's new pool.  Pool Party!!!!  yea!

I came up with an idea for a post.  Let me know what you think.  If you are interested in learning the steps in canning with a water bath, I can post a step by step blog for you.  Which brings me to the purchase of the new Ball canning book, " The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving'.  I purchased it to learn about alternative ways of preserving foods such as fermenting, curing and smoking.  The only disappointing information I found was the list of thirteen items they say is needed for water bath canning.  The items are nice to have but not necessary for the novice.

An exciting (to me) thing that happened was I was able to visit a friend's chickens and see the beautiful blue and green eggs they provided.  A bonus for me was I went home with six of those eggs.  What a nice surprise.

I have two last things to talk about.  I went to the mailboxes that are located at the front of our small condo community to grab the mail.  What a gift to smell the beautiful scent of the jasmine growing nearby.  That scent represented all that the South is.

Another thankful moment was on Sunday when I hung clothes in the yard.  I felt a sense of pride to see that even though my yard is tiny it was being utilized in a number of ways.  Basil given to me from my daughter's garden was drying in the hot sun, the wash balls were being revitalized in the sunshine, the plants were growing strong and tall and the clothes were drying in the fresh air.  I was strangely satisfied with the scene.

The pickling cucumber plants now
have male and female flowers.  I
pollinated the three females I have,
hoping the results will be good.

What have you been doing this past week or so?  Inquiring minds want to know. 

Stay safe!

The Garden AND Dollar Tree?

The week flew by quickly as there was a lot going on.  I went to the dollar store to pick up a few items that I needed.  I did come across a couple of wants, but the stock has not been refreshed even though the spring line is in.  Moth balls are a must for spring and summer for the area around the garden.  I use them to keep creepies at bay.  There was two choices of Dawn dish soap, but one of them appeared watered down even though the bottle was larger.  The caulk is for the master bathroom where the counter meets the wall.  Caulking was one thing my husband taught me how to do, so I will fix the small problem this morning.



Moth balls, caulk, and Dawn dish
soap

I ran out of bubbles for the little ones so this time I picked up two large bottles, one with an orange top and the other with a pink top.  These colors are their favorites.  The tape was a want rather than a need and the teeth picks - well - I need to stay clean.  LOL

I already used the yellow starfish tape to cover
a magnet I made from recycled advertising
magnets.  I clipped the magnet in two,
then covered it, then folded it over to
mark the current week in my planner.
I saw the small project on yoo toob, but can't
find the video to share with you.
 

I found the most delicious food item this week.  Made in the USA.  Dried peach slices with nothing added.  I told the three year old it was peach candy and she loved them, eating close to half the bag in one sitting.  Pictured is also a pack of plastic utensils to use during summer picnics with the kiddos, as well as ice cream spoons.

The peach slices are a great addition
to the snack bin.
 

The exciting thing that happened this week happened in the garden.  While shopping for rubber mulch at Lowe's I found huge ferns at the back of the garden center for $5.00.  I purchased two, one for the front porch and one for the back yard.  There was also a large pot of geraniums for the same price that I hung on the Shepard's hook with the pot that I paid full price for.

The fern will go in a holder my
daughter bought for me that sits
on the ground.  Right now it sits
on the glass table to acclimate to
the surroundings.

The back yards plans have been
altered this year.  It's getting difficult
to garden so I decided I would buy food
at the farm market and go for a bit
of color that was easily reached.

 

The biggest and best thing is S and her husband finished the areas that I wanted covered with rubber mulch.  Recycled rubber mulch that has a life time guarantee of seven years.  If a wind comes by, I'll just sweep it back in place.

  

I love the clean lines that the rubber mulch
offers.  No more grass to worry about.
I need about six more bags to cover the
blackberry section.  This area took
12 bag at a cost of a bit over $75.00.
minus military discount of  $7.50.

An over view of the garden so
far.  The blackberries and strawberries
look to be plentiful this year.





I feel the week has been productive.  The yard couldn't have been coming together so nicely if it weren't for my family.  Three stages with three families working on it.  What would I do without you guys.  Love from Mom!

The Dog Treats Are a Bomb!

I watched a video that demonstrated how to make healthy treats for the pup.  It was simple enough -

slice up a sweet potato sprinkle garlic on it and dehydrate it.  Her dogs loved the treat.

Slices of sweet potato in the dehydrator before the
drying process.  I got  32 slices from a medium size
potato.

I had one sweet potato in the fridge and followed the directions, thinking Marley would love these as a treat.  No, she does not.  So I'll be adding sweet potato to my dehydrated veggies I use to make soup.

The finished product, sprinkled with garlic powder.

The sun was shining through the clouds Saturday morning so I took the opportunity to sweep all the leaves and debris from the patio to put on the soil in the garden.  It looked so neat and clean.  The feeling of pride came over me as I stood back to witness the result of my efforts.  An hour later, a strong wind and pouring rain slid in.  My patio again needs cleaning.  I guess that is the meaning of pride before the fall.

This is quite a pile for the small space I have in my yard.

The last of the blackberries trying to ripen before the frost.

The pile of leaves went into the garden to nourish the soil
over the winter.

I did a small grocery shop at the beginning of the week.   Other than that, I've stayed home the week nursing a cold.  I'm not a true germaphobe, but when I'm sick I make sure the bedding is washed often and the kitchen is free of as many germs as possible.  Re - infecting myself - or others - would not be wise.

The store visit was short as I only picked up tomato soup, bananas, and protein bars.  I chose the bars that were on sale, but I won't be choosing that flavor again.

I like the brand of protein bars, just prefer other flavors.  The
soup is yummy and holds four servings that are very filling.

 

I also made a loaf of bread which I would show you in a picture, but it's all gone!  So good and cheap, cheap, cheap.

As you know, I have a list of yoo toob videos I watch.  This morning I watched a rather crude one that depicted the evils of processed foods. Although I tend to agree with the concept, a video needs to be encouraging to young families and presented in a way that gets them thinking, not feeling inadequate.  There are lots of families in this country that can't afford to purchase all the best foods for their families.  It would be ideal, but this is real life.  These families try to do the best for their children, but can't always buy the best of foods.  It's a balancing act, to say the least.

This is a comment made by a mother that I could feel the pain in her heart when she saw the video.

(Comment removed to delete video)

          

            

I don't often offer the name of my blog on other sites, but I felt like this mom belongs here with us.  I hope she takes me up on my offer.  Even more so, I hope the blog helps her.

Stay safe.

Shopping and Wash Balls -Do They Really Work?

Today was a shopping day.  Daughter number three and I went to Yankee Candle with a buy two, get two free coupon in hand.  We each spent some time sniffing and checking out colors and jar shapes.  After about thirty minutes we made our decisions and walked away with two candles each and a free votive for each of us.

I (and she) chose holiday scents that would warm the atmosphere with cozy scents.  I chose 'winter glow' and ;silver birch'.

Daughter three went home, but I continued on to a thrift shop.  How surprising to see everything in the store was fifty percent off.  I found a Campbell's soup cookie jar from 1999 for 2.50$ that I was hoping daughter 2 would like.  A posted pick and a question to her on Facebook, revealed a 'yes, sir'!  As soon as I can find an appropriate box to ship it, she will have it in her kitchen.



I checked on ebay and there was only one I found that was selling for $34.95.  Daughter two gets excited when I find good deals.  She's impressed with my prowess when it comes to deals.  I thank her for that, it makes me feel I'm still productive - even at my age.

The most exciting part of this post is (drum roll please)  I bought a washing ball.  When they hit the market a few months back they were selling for $40.00.  Not a good deal for someone who only does two to three washes a week.  I figured out that the 1000 washes they're good for would take me about ten years out.  A container of detergent lasts 80 washed which will take me through almost a year. (about twelve weeks short)

The price on amazon has been reduced to $9.95 and since I had credit card points hooked into amazon, I took a chance if for no other reason than to let readers know if they work well.  The reviews were mostly good, but there were a couple that had only one star.  The one star reviews had me a bit apprehensive.  But, it didn't cost me anything, so I went forward and bought them.  (I have prime, so no shipping charges either.)

Here's what happened.  I began a wash, but stopped it on the spin cycle as I was leaving the house.  Murphy's Law would suggest if I let the cycle continue when I wasn't home, I would come home to a disaster of some sort.  When I entered the house by the back door - which is near the laundry room - I smelled something rather pleasant and fresh.  After a couple of sniffs I turned the washer back on and didn't give it another thought.  Wash was done and time to place the clothes in the dryer.  The smell was back.  Could it be the wash ball?  I thought that would not be possible as the contents were natural beads of some sort.  When I smelled the contents, I had to smell it a few more times.  The ball did indeed project a great fresh scent. 

I also noted that the white slippers I washed came out pure white.  I wish I would have taken a before picture of them, with the dirty toes, but I didn't really think the ball would work.

After wondering why the ball didn't work for a few people, I wondered if they crammed clothes in the washer so there was no room for the ball to agitate and do it's thing.  If a person wants a clean load of clothes there must be room in the washer for things to move around so the agitation can remove dirt and grime.

I do not receive any compensation for this post.

This is what the wash ball looks like. The ball is made
from rubber, but I'm not sure what the beads inside are
made from.  The instructions say to place it in the sun
before use and then every thirty days thereafter.

The slippers I wear around the house.  The toes were quite dirty
before I washed them using the wash ball.



Stay safe

 

How to Negotiate

In the position I retired from negotiating contracts was a huge part of my job description.  Even though the contracts were worth -sometimes - millions of dollars, my approach to them was basically how I would haggle for a price for a kitchen appliance or domestic contract.  My technique was so simple that the vendors who were peddling million dollar machines, couldn't see through my approach.  They weren't paying attention to the way their wives / spouse got all those great deals for their home and family.

This is where I should reveal I retired as a Medical Imaging Director.  I exceled in the field and loved the position.  I had freedom with very little over sight once the COO realized I didn't need to be managed.  We met often, I ran things by her and she would get behind me 100%.

I contracted for CT machines, x ray machines, ultrasound, and mammography units.  Added to that were contracts for all consumable items used to support these modalities, such as gowns, film, maintenance contracts, all the way down to band aids and alcohol pads.   My skills saved my employer multiple millions of dollars a year.  All because I used the skills I developed as a home maker.

This information has been held close to my heart since I retired.  What's done is done so I left it behind me.  I admit, however, it's comforting to see this in print to remind me I have offered society quite a bit in this field.  Something I often forget.  I tend to spend most of my days in the here and now.  I am revealing this for a reason.

This morning I negotiated a contract with serius radio.  I reduced the annual bill from 219.00 (fees and tax included) to 119.62 (fees and tax included)

Here's how I negotiate:

1.  Always remain polite, yet firm.  Negotiating is an act of business, it's not personal.  When we make it personal we are giving the opponent the lead before we get started.

2.  Never reveal anything personal until the deal is closed.  Saying I'm retired before then gives the opponent information to work with. 

3.  Be fair, but move the contract in your favor.  Going too far will close negotiations.  Serius offered me a lower price, but I wasn't happy with it so I politely refused the offer.  Following that offer was a better one which I felt was fair for each of the parties involved.  Less than 10.00 a month for commercial free radio is a nice deal.  I also refused to give my credit card number to them and they will bill me through the mail.  This was an important part of my negotiations.   I feel unsafe when a company has my card information in their files.  After all, if I don't protect myself, who will?

4.  Have a notepad, pen and calculator with you so you can quickly figure out amounts.  It is common for companies to hit you with lower costs for shorter terms.  When this happened this morning I was prepared to politely turn down the offer.

Simple tools for simple negotiating tactics.

5.  Be patient.  If you can't reach your goal during the first negotiation encounter, wish them a good day and leave the 'table'.  If they really want your business, they will pursue you.  I once did a contract that took over nine months to complete.  I received the lowest prices in my community and no delivery charges.  On top of that the vendor wrote a letter to my employer saying some delightful
things about me.  This is a good area to learn the art of patience because a person can witness the benefits of the act.

6.  Be prepared to walk away without the item you're asking for.  There's always a small chance that a company has archaic policies and hasn't thought about customer retention.

It's that simple.  I bet if you think about it, you already do most of these things.  I only put the process in black and white.

Stay safe.

HobbyLobby? Oh Yeah!

I've not felt well for two days.  So those days were spent with a box of tissue and my pillow.  I woke up on Wednesday with a new vigor and began to scrub the house of the invisible germs that I could just feel were around me.  The kitchen got a scrub down first, cupboards included, then the floors, living room, powder room, and laundry room.  With those areas complete the bedding went into the wash with tea tree oil to remove any germs.  I ordered in a ravioli dinner because food was sparse and, to be honest, I got lazy after the morning cleaning marathon.

My grand daughter called me from up North and asked me what Marley was doing.  Then, it goes without saying, I had to ask what her dogs were doing.  A giggle escaped when she quite honestly told me they were in the yard pooping.  The conversation continued as she reported details of the family trip to the local zoo.  Her favorite animal was the bear, however she did like the rabbits who were eating carrots.  Her brother asked a zoo keeper where the DNA lab was.   I probably never mentioned my family is full of science nerds with me at the helm!

Nights have been cool, but the days have been sunny and warm.  A nice warm that heals he body from the inside out.  The perfect opportunity to open windows for fresh air to permeate the rooms.

Grocery ads were delivered this morning with nothing much I need in the way of sale items.  Last week was a marathon week for sales so my pantry is stocked well.  I will pick up some grapes at 1.29 a pound and price match at Wal Mart.  Other than that there were no items that interested me.  Chicken legs are on sale, but that's a no go for me. So many years of eating chicken for my husband's diet and I have a hard time even saying the word 'chicken'.  I like stock and chicken salad sandwiches with a load of mayo and lettuce, but that's where it stops for me.

Daughter number three invited me to go to Hobby Lobby.  I was suppose to wash my hair, but saved that for when I got home because I had never been before.  Oh my, they had so much stuff in that store that we both called it quits after an hour of looking around.  Too much stimulus, even for adults.  I did find the most gorgeous woven basket the shape of a large bowl that would make a nice home for my yarn.  The price was reduced to just under six dollars after my daughter pulled up a coupon on her cell phone.

I fell in love with this woven basket.  It'll make a good home for my
yarn and placed under the coffee table on the lower shelf.

I also found what is referred to as 'candle jewelry'.  I've never heard of it before, so number three explained it to me.  Quite simply an embellishment is poked into a cheap candle to make it look decorative.  So when I got home I pulled out a piece of grosgrain ribbon to wrap around a dollar store white candle and held it in place with the jewelry.  The 'jewelry' was 4.20, on sale, the candle was 1.00, and the ribbon was free.  I'm very happy with the results.

How cool is this?  No need to look further for decorative candles.
This piece of jewelry is made from metal and glass and is
extremely sturdy.  Of course, knowing my creative juices popped
to the surface when I thought about putting a ribbon around
the candle was a pls.  There just may be hope for me yet!




That's it for today.  I'm saving the charity shop finds for another post.
Stay safe.

Some Savings and Piddling Around the Kitchen

After a quick appointment yesterday afternoon, I drove across the street to grab a few groceries for the next two weeks.  Even with the organic choices I made the total spent was 56.14.  That breaks down to just a smidge over 28.00 per week.  I did splurge and bought a holiday magazine   I call it a splurge because the cost was just shy of 8.00.  As I've said in a past post, magazines no longer interest me too often.  I'm thinking because I'm having a difficult time waiting for fall, I had a weak moment when I spotted the fall colors on the cover.

The last time I was at Harris Teeter, I bought organic strawberries.  I swear just the top layer was organic to be followed by the other kind.  I politely asked the produce manager if this was a possibility and he explained that there were federal laws against such practices.  He asked if I would like another container.  I replied I didn't bring in the berries. His response was, " So you don't want a pack of berries?"   Confusion set in for a moment, then I realized he was offering to replace my loss.

In another aisle (cookies!) I found one of my favorite baker's cookies.  I was so excited it was difficult to retain my composure.  (I did, though.)  I asked the manager if he could contact the vendor to ask if they could stock a certain cookie that I have been craving for,  He took my name and number and said he would call me when they arrived. 

This store knows how to retain their customer base.  It's also the store that has great buy 2 get three sales.  If you remember, I bought five bags of coffee on such a sale paying a bit over 2.00 a bag for the coffee.

Purchasing sale items, the savings was over seven dollars and the berries were at no charge.  I left with a smile in my heart.

This morning I hit the ground running and cleaned the pantry, dated the cans, and reorganized - not only the pantry - but the cupboard I keep my dehydrated foods in.  Finally realizing this task needs to be a monthly occurrence, I put it in my date book to keep on top of it.  Thankfully, there was no waste with the exception of some cookies that I will give to the pup for treats.  I don't buy dog treats because I can't be sure of the quality.  Besides she likes apples and bland people cookies better.

 

I was excited to find an additional carton of 2 quart jars.
The jars that are still empty have water in them in
 preparation of hurricane season.  Since the jars take
up space, I thought they shpu;d be useful. 

Another acquisition this week was two 40 ounce bottles of Tide detergent for 1.99 each.  I used a dollar coupon on double 1.00 day.  They were 2.99 each with a 1.00 off two.

Some time was put aside to grind bread into crumbs, wiz the dried parsley, and mushroom stems into powder.

When the bread crumbs were done, I sealed the jar with the food saver.
I seal jars that I seldom use to keep things fresh for a longer period of time.
 

If I Had Any Wish to Come True, It Would Be....

Have you ever seen a beauty pageant contestant  asked the question, " If you could have any wish what would it be?'  (Paraphrased)  The answer most likely will have something to do with world peace.  We'd all like to see the world's peoples get along, but as things stand at this moment it appears we have a while to wait. 

If I were asked that question my response would be I'd love to see good healthy foods on every table in the world.  I'm not talking about a huge bounty of food.  I'm talking about good food.  The word organic is a buzz word in this country, but that's exactly what I would like to see -if I had my way.

The American population is so tired of 'enhanced' foods that even an East Coast chain now offers a burger with no hormones or antibiotics.  Of course we don't know the country of origin.  Our food in this country has been desecrated and most of us are in the know.  The only thing is prices can be so overwhelming that young families can not always afford the prices demanded for pure organic foods.  Therein lies my heart. 

I'm saddened when people can't afford food.  I'm a proponent for the food stamp program only because no one should go to bed with an empty stomach.  The numbers say we are an obese nation.  The numbers don't give a glimpse into the reason why.  We do over eat, but it's because we are often hungry because our food has been boxed and chemicalized. (Is that a word?)  If you can pronounced the ingredients on the food package label it simply means you have a master's in chemistry.  We are becoming an unhealthy nation. I'm so glad people are starting to buck the agri - system.  In any way they can.

One of the benefits of being broke when the kids were small was that I couldn't give in to requests for food items that were not basic.  If we had a cake on the table it was made at home.  Potatoes were bought in bulk and milk was always available, but no fruit roll ups or individually packaged
oatmeal with swirls in it were on the list.  Our kids were taught to eat well. 

I will say here that I'm no food Nazi.  I've been known to finish off a box of cheap chocolate covered cherries in two days.  Or enjoy a Hostess snowball with a glass of milk and insist it's a breakfast of high protein content.  Not often, but I get it.  Sometimes we just have to buck the system.

This post has nothing to do with political views.  It is nothing more than the cries from the heart of a mother who wishes nothing but the best for the world's children.

I can't say how blessed I feel to be able to purchase organic
fruits and veggies, along with the minimal success of
my garden this year.  The strawberries were on sale for less than
the 'regular' ones and the bananas were .79 cents a pound.
I only bought two bananas this week to offset the cost of the berries.
The one apple will last for two snacks and supply more potassium.
The cookies have lots of spice in them which contributes to a
healthy diet.  I also bought a block of cheese.


Today's Breakfast
Cheese with crackers
Strawberries
Black coffee
It doesn't get much better than this!
Stay safe

A Busy Week is Now Behind Me

I'm sure my readers are familiar with the weeks that fly by leaving you wondering where they went and what did you do anyway.   That was last week for me.  Nothing profound happened, just, it flew by. I took pictures to prod my memory for the blog.  Thankfully, because I'm shooting mental blanks right now.

Let today be the start of the list of accomplishments for the past week.  First thing I went to pick up my new glasses.  Being older and having a desire to preserve my eyesight as long as possible I opted for transitional lenses.  The sun now bothers my eyes.  The transition is slow and hardly recognizable
But my eyes are thanking me for spending a bit more to help The lady who was fitting my glasses had pity on me and provided me with a cool animal print case that has a hard cover and snaps shut.  Animal print not being my first choice in most things, this case being the exception.  Things really are relative, wouldn't you say?

How cool is this case?  I'm styling!

From there a stop was made at Marshall's.  I picked up a cute container to keep next to the bed to put my night time items in.  It has front pockets, but I have no need for them now.  Maybe in the future they will come in handy.  The clearance section had multiple items in it so I found a journal that I'll use for next year's notes.  I started using a journal this year to jot down any notes as reminders of things not to forget.  The pages on the left, I jot down reminders and on the right, I jot down recipes and projects.  Things I've tried (such as making hand soap) I mark with a small strip of colorful  washi tape as an indicator that I like it and will incorporate the recipe into my life.
I also have a journal that I use to record my gardening dates and tips and outcomes.  This journal will be used until it's full, with the year written before notes are taken.

The bedside organizer holds the remote, tissues, glasses case
and a note pad in the event I remember something I don't
want to forget.  Did that make sense?

'In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different'.
(Coco Chanel)  This described me to a tee.  The being different part.
Seeing the rest of the sentence I consider a gift as I was always under
the impression that being different than the mainstream
population was considered unacceptable.  Something
I struggled with until I was around 50.
 

There's a big movement concerning datebooks.  My daughter and I go to the book store each summer to purchase our date books for the coming year.  We go in the summer because her year begins in September with the start of school.  Both of us are happy to have the books with little to no embellishments.  The trend is to purchase multitude types of stickers to decorate as well as commemorate special dates such as birthdays.  I've never been one to go all out and crazy over anything, so I don't see me getting on board with this trend.  I do put a sticker next to birthdays which helps me to spot them at a glance.  

It appears the two lizards in my garden had a baby.  He is braver than his parents and zips by the pup while she is laying in the sun.  Of course she totally ignores the little guy.  It seems she can't be bothered.  None of the plants have been ravished by bugs, only by too much rain.  Wait, I lied.  The sunflower has huge chomps out of a couple leaves, but doesn't appear to be effected by it as each of the four plants have produced flowers.  One of them must be nine feet tall as it towers well over the top of the six foot fence.

We are never too old to learn new things.  I just learned something this past month.  Let me preface this with letting my readers know that I have never been into fancy makeup or clothes or grooming products.  It's just who I am.  I've secretly looked up to women who knew how to use products to enhance their inert beauty, but I don't know how to, nor do I have a desire to enhance what I am.   I do have a desire to care for what I've been given.  I keep my personal space clean ad free of dirt.  Face always washed and hands washed more times a day than anyone would care to count. (The hand washing came from working in the medical field.)

The feel of moisturizers on my face is unpleasant to me, until recently.  I was become gaunt looking so I increased the water intake.  This helped a bit, but nothing noticeable.  Then I discovered a product from Japan that promised to hydrate the skin.  I was apprehensive, but the promise was I could return the item with no questions asked.  The belief that these types of products were just hype to sell something was still in my mind.  With a mental picture of my friend, Kyoko, I thought it was worth a try.  OMGosh!  The product does indeed hydrate.  I love the face wash so much, I went back this month to purchase the moisturizer.  The gaunt look is gone and my face is plumped up once again.  I'm now a believer.  But, not in all product claims.

I'm not advocating the purchase of this particular
product,  I'm only saying that there are really products on
the market that do indeed follow through on their claims.


 

This week also had a visit to the famer's market at the end of the day with lower prices on tomatoes and peppers along with a free ear of corn. 

I also went to the wholesale flower shop to look for a BOGO deal which I found in some beautiful yellow flowers.

Stay safe.  Feel free to share what you've accomplished (or did not) this week in the comment section.