How a Convection Oven Created a Cleaning Spree

This morning I woke up and hit the floor running.  I thought the kitchen counters and sink needed a really detailed cleaning.  Then the stove top got scrubbed.

All of this because the convection oven I bought came in and I had to find a spot for it.

Everything came off the counters and washed down.  Then the counters were happy to be cleansed with the home made vinegar cleaner and rinsed.  The final touch was a bit of Jubilee to protect the surfaces.  For those who have never heard of this product it's an old time product that was used until the early sixties to shine and protect Formica counter tops.  Just a dab on a cloth and applied in an 's' motion and the counters are protected from stains and light scratches.  If you may be interested in researching this product, here's the link to amazon's offering.  I am not affiliated with amazon or the company that produces Jubilee.  I just happen to like the product quite a bit. (It smells good, too)

http://www.amazon.com/Jubilee-Kitchen-Wax-Bottle-15/dp/B00CBSRIWM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1422632668&sr=8-2&keywords=jubilee

With the counters cleaned and protected I figured out where to position the oven.  I moved things around a little to make room for it.  The jar I had powdered sugar in was put in the pantry and the utensil crock was moved where the sugar had been.  Not too much of an uproar to find a spot for the oven.

An up close shot of the oven.  It's not sleek and gorgeous, but it will save me quite a bit of
money on my electric bill.

I thought I would keep all of the appliances I used often in the same area.  I'm
loosing some work space because of the size of the oven, but I can
work on an area I seldom use that's on the right side of the sink.

The sink and drains got cleaned, as well.  I got out the baking soda and dish soap to clean and sterilize the sinks.  Spreading the baking soda around then adding a bit of dish soap to a damp cloth and scrubbing in circular motions works best for me.  I like a shiny and clean sink.  I got down into the drain area and the stoppers were scrubbed, too. 

Next the drains were cleaned out a bit.  Half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of warm vinegar will do the trick.  Pour in the baking soda and let sit for five to ten minutes.  Add the vinegar after the wait time is up and watch the foaming action clean the drains.  Some of the soda may clump so you may need to remove the clumps with a plastic utensil.  Once this is done, the drains will flow freely.  I know some people do this monthly.  I would be concerned the pipes wouldn't be able to take the pressure if the drains are cleaned this way too often.  I do it 3 times a year for that reason.  I have no proof, just a thought to be on the safe side.

The kitchen came with a flat cook top.  To say it would have been my last choice is to say I really have a difficult time accepting this appliance.  Just a bit of water over spill and a stain occurs.  They are extremely troublesome when it comes to cleaning them.  So far the easiest way I found to clean the top is by putting a large drop of dish soap in the palm of my hand then adding a couple of pinches of baking soda and mixing it with my finger.  Then I rub it - in a circular motion- on the burner area.  A quick wipe with a cloth and some boiling water finishes the job.  A microfiber cloth is a great tool to buff the top to a shine.  This sounds like a lot of fuss, but 1) it's frugal as the store bought cleaner can run as high as 12.00 and 2) keeping up with cleaning the top does not allow the stains to settle in to the point that they will be cooked on.  If you want to sell your house some day, a new stove would be a must have purchase to present the kitchen well.

A clean and shiny stove top.

The mixture was applied with my finger in a circular motion, then wiped off with a wrung out cloth.

THINGS I"M THANKFUL FOR (God, family, and friends are a given.)

The ability to keep my environment clean and organized.  I pray the day never comes that I will not be able to do this.

Small, local businesses that have a concern for their customers by producing healthy products.

My computer that keeps me connected with others.

Stay safe.

Just A Few Things

The copies of Witness Protection arrived.  Give me a few days to meet up with the author and the books will fly out the door.


Since the grocery store hasn't seen me in a couple of weeks, I thought a visit was in order today.  I spent a bit over 37.00 and save around thirty dollars.  One of my finds was buy 2 cans of crushed tomatoes, get 3 free.  I use this kind of tomatoes when I make sauce so I'm always on the look out for them.  I paid 3.98 for five cans.  If my math is correct, that's .80 cents a can.  Not too shabby in the world of higher grocery prices.

Then being a very naughty girl I wolfed down a huge donut.  This is what's left of the donut.  In my defense, I had a very healthy breakfast.  That should count for something?

As you can see, the doughnut was delicious!  It's been almost a year since I have been this naughty.  It felt so good! Tee hee

This past weekend I made a batch of pizza dough in the food processor.  The recipe makes enough for a super large pizza, so I cut it in quarters.  After rolling out 2 of the sections, the other two went into the freezer to use later.  I put the dough in the door so it didn't get lost.

What left overs were in the refrigerator were cut small and put on the two pizzas I cooked.  There were green peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni, and Italian cheeses.  The pizzas looked mighty fine.  Until I took them out of the oven.  I think the heat was too high at 450 degrees F.  They were only cooked for 15 minutes, but next time the heat will be lowered to 400 degrees F.  The flavor was very good under the browned cheese. 

These pizzas sure looked promising.

A little disappointing, but eaten anyway.

That's it for tonight.  Time to pay attention to the pup and play a game or two on FB.  LOL

Valentine's Day Swag for $1.00!

Can you believe there was an ad for the NRA on this site?  I don't know where the ads come from, but I was very upset with this particular ad that has no place on this blog.  I deleted it - I just figured out how to and told google it was inappropriate.

I have two new readers who have signed up on Angie's House.  A big welcome to Thursday's Child and GIF Images.

I have often thought (and said) that my creativity level is below zero.  And, for the most part it is.  I'm more inclined to experiment with a recipe and call it fun than sit down to do any sort of craft.

This morning, out of the blue I got an image of what I could do with the dollar store paper hearts I bought the other day

I've always had a penchant for paper heart doilies.  As a child I loved them and wished that I could have just one.  I would have taken good care of it, bringing it out every year.  My mom said we couldn't afford them, so they went on my wish list for when I was a 'big' girl.

Then when we had our family, I couldn't afford to spend the $5.00 Hallmark was asking for them.   One day, what I considered  a miracle, I found a package on deep discount.  Every February first those hearts were lovingly separated and hung in the big picture window of our living room.  Year after year, until they couldn't take one more taping.  It would have been nice if the dollar stores were invented back then.

Now there are dollar stores.  I not only got a package of medium sized white ones this year, I bought a package of large pink ones last year to display in my front windows. (at the dollar store)

Now for the creative idea.  I was thinking about how much I like the holiday swags the stores put out.  I didn't see any at the dollar stores I visited last week, so I forgot about them.  Until this morning.  I had twine and the paper heart doilies.  I could make one.

Out came the ruler, hearts, and twine.  I measured twelve inches between the center of each heart and got to taping the hearts to the twine.  Twelve inches, twelve inches, twelve inches - 6 times . (There are seven hearts on the swag.)

When the swag was close to being complete, I remembered I also bought some pink grosgrain ribbon.  It went behind the twine for what I told myself was a means to introduce depth.  The idea was right on.  Imagine me, and how surprised I was, when the completed project ( 20 minutes later) was presented.  I did it!

Now to hang it.  This was a problem so I tried a number of different tactics.  I settled for securing the swag at the corners of the fireplace.  I couldn't get the hang of securing it in three places.

I purchased the hearts and ribbon because I liked them, thinking I would find something to do with them.  The thought that I would create anything with my hands didn't even enter my thought process.

I used seven of the 15 hearts at a cost of approximately .50 cents and half of the ribbon at a cost of .50 cents.  The twine was in the kitchen drawer as was the tape.  So for a dollar, I made a happy project.  I would say that was a frugal hack, wouldn't you?

Pictured here are the materials I used to create the swag. Scissors, tape, ruler, twine, heart doilies,
and ribbon.  The entire project cost $1.00 plus the twine and tape.  If pink or red hearts were used, only the twine would've
been needed.

The finished product.  I can't say how thrilled I am with the results.
Crafters would shrug this off, but to me it's a personal milestone.

The Evolution of Grated Cheese

If I owned a cheese company I would make yummo cheese - healthy (within reason) and wholesome.  I would have big vats of cheese, all different kinds.  When I package the cheese in 8 ounce blocks I know there would be left over sizes that didn't weigh the standard 8 ounces.  I don't like waste, so what to do with the left overs?  In days gone by these uneven bits and pieces would go in the employee store and sold for a few pennies on the dollar.

One day, after a good night's sleep, a light bulb goes off.  I could finely shred those small bits and pieces and sell them at a higher price than the block cheeses because it's a convenience food for the consumer.  I could even mix cheeses and call them gourmet.  I'm going to set up an area of my plant to experiment with this thought.

I would rent the equipment for a while until the stats on sales came in - most likely 6 months to a year.  I decide, a year is a good indicator for future sales.

To my surprise, a year is too long.  Sales go through the roof, even after the item is off a buy one get one sale.  Time to manipulate the package size.  But, wait.  There's been lots of talk about companies reducing the amount of food in the same size box.  How do I rise to meet this concern? 

Bingo!  I add other ingredients in the shredded cheese package to be able to reduce the amount of real cheese.  Now what can hide in shredded cheese?  After a few days of thought and a brain storming session with my top management team, the answer comes.  I don't know why I didn't think of it a year ago.  We could add 1) baking powder or flour, and/or 2) cellulose.  We could even market the food as all natural, because after all, cellulose is natural.  The truth - wood shavings- wouldn't sound too appetizing, so cellulose it is.  If cellulose is the cheapest item to use, I think the flour or baking powder doesn't need to be entertained.

And then the price will increase because it's 'all natural'.

In reality if I owned a cheese company there would be strict rules and the cheese would come from organic milk Even if a package says 'natural' we need to look at the ingredients.  Is cellulose an added ingredient?  You may want to think about grating your own cheese.

Dollar Store Hauls (Small)

Wednesday was a day that was used to finish small projects after a little shopping at the Dollar Tree and Dollar General.

Since another candle was used up I cleaned out the jar and thought it would be a nice organizational tool for collecting cough drops for easy access.  It takes a few minutes to melt out the residual wax and clean out the jar.  A paper towel removed the residual melted wax then soap and hot water removed what was left over.

The Dollar General had a few Christmas items left on a clearance cart at the front of the store.  Any item on the cart was priced at .25 cents.  I found a few items, paying 1.75 total.  I bought 2 cards of magnets that were designed as Christmas stockings, a moose to place on the tree where the little one can reach, a pack of 8 Styrofoam trees - all glittery.  I wasn't going to get these until my daughter said I could use them to tie on packages.  A few ornaments for the tree  finished off the purchase.

I'm dating myself, but this moose reminds me of Mr. Moose from Captain Kangaroo show.

On to the Dollar Tree to find Ann Geddes writing pads, gross grain ribbon, candles, and cards.  This is my favorite kind of ribbon because of a couple of reasons.  It's versatile, it can be used to make bows and sew onto clothing.  It's also sturdy and has a nice feel to it.

The pads will be small Valentine gifts for women in my life.  Our family mainly sees this holiday as a couples day where the (fe) male gives sweets or a gift to their female counterpart. 

 The cream and pink ribbon could be used in a number of different ways.

safe.

Look what I found in the garden!  It's difficult to believe the parsley has survived the number of frosts we've had so far.


What did you do this week?  I love to read comments and reply.  It's like having a conversation with an old friend.

Stay safe.
 

 

 

 

Witness Protection Winners

And the winners of the Witness Protection give away are:

Robert T,  NY State

Shawn A.  Arkansas

Elisabeth CG  Mo.

Sarah S  Virginia

Brandi S  NY state

Congrats to all of you.  The book will be in the mail as soon as I receive them and have them signed by the author.

There will be more give aways in the near future since the author has had 2 more books accepted by the publisher.

To read an exert from the novel you can visit the author's Facebook page.



https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynLaRoche

The cutest 9 year old drew the names of the winners around 3:30 PM on Thursday.

Envelope Budgeting

There are a few yoo toobers I watch that are young families trying to make the best out of what can be described as a less than ideal national economic picture.  They want to get out from under debt and live a life free from the emotional bond debt brings with it.  I give a lot of credit to these young families for their fortitude.  I cheer them on in the comment section and pray for them when they're faced with adversity. 

One of the channels I have recently subscribed to is 'A Family of Four'.  This morning's video is about the 'envelope' system they use to budget their income.  The title caught my eye because that's the system I used when the family was young.  The difference being this yoo toober has a system that is more detailed than mine was.  Mine worked for us, but I see where I could have been more detailed. 

As an example:  She has an envelope for diapering the baby.  She uses cloth diapers, but needs wipes and the such.  The diapers category was in my 'food' envelope.

Take a look if you've been struggling with how to budget for 2015.  You may find a spark that will prompt you into a system of your own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XblPAnvQEHU

Today is the last day of the give away of the new suspense romance, Witness Protection, by author Carolyn LaRoche.  Thursday the 5 winners will be chosen.  The give away is open to USA readers at this time.  The book is available internationally in print and e-book on www.amazon.com or www.breathlesspress.com

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynLaRoche

You can check out the author on her Facebook page.

Witness Protection, A novel Give Away

The time has come to begin the give away I promised at the beginning of December.  Five copies of 'Witness Protection' by author Carolyn LaRoche will be given to five lucky winners.  The give away begins now, Sunday, January 18, 2015 and will close Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 11:59 PM Eastern time.  The names of the winners will be drawn on Thursday, January 22, 2015.  This book is a G rated suspense romance novel.  Good luck to everyone. 


You can enter by leaving a comment on this blog or on Angie's FB page.  That's it!

Unfortunately, at this time, the give away is opened only to  continental USA residents.



Below is the link to the first two chapters profiled on amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Witness.../dp/B00P5N8MRU/ref=sr_1_1...

Busy Homemaker's Day

I'd like to welcome a new reader, Tadia from Australia.  Thanks for joining the blog.  You make number 26. 

Since it has been cold and rainy here, I have been staying home.  I accepted a challenge to organize the pantry, which I finished this morning.  It was much easier than when I started a few months back.  I'm almost satisfied with the way it's organized this time.  The time it took was less than an hour as compared to the few days I focused on it in the fall.  What do you think?

Before.  Not too bad.  Certainly better than when I began the project in the fall.

After.  There was no waste this time, just organizing.

The kitchen counters were cleared and cleaned with home made cleaner of vinegar and citrus peels.  This is easy to make by brining citrus peels covered in vinegar for 2 weeks.  Before using, fill half of a spray bottle with the strained vinegar solution then add water to fill the bottle.  It takes close to no time to make with a little patience to wait for the vinegar to absorb the goodness of the peels.  Since vinegar and citrus has antiseptic properties, my counters were clean with few germs left to multiply.

Bread was in the cold oven drying waiting to turn into bread crumbs.  This morning was the moment chosen to complete that task.  I got 2 full cups of bread crumbs from stale home made bread.  They will get used for fried chicken.

I got a full two cups of bread crumbs from this batch.  All from home made bread.

Two loads of laundry done, but not yet put away.  One of the loads was drying while I made butter from the left over heavy cream that was hanging out in the refrigerator.  I started with 10 ounces of cream, but took two ounces away to make whipped cream for the jello I made.  I'll put the instructions below for anyone who is interested in making whipped cream. 

The rest of the cream went into the stand mixer - after I decided it was better to dirty that than to stand holding the hand mixer for what seemed like forever.  All that butter is, is cream whipped until it separates from the liquid whey.  This can take a while.  I like my butter salted so I put a pinch of salt in the cream before I began to whip it.  The 8 ounces of cream made I/4 pound of butter and 3/4 cup of whey.

The whey enhances things like pancakes and bread.  In place of using water the whey adds vitamins to the meal, not to mention a yummy taste treat.

Let's get back to the laundry.  I'm putting a picture below of a folded load (Some things were hung up.)  Please notice how neatly the clothes are folded.  Do you know why?  Because I live alone and have the time to take to fold things neatly.  When I had four kids and a husband to take care of it was a totally different story.  These days I do two loads a week.  Back then I did a minimum of three loads a day.  My husband told me to just hang his work clothes in the basement so he could get dressed in the morning without waking anyone.  The rest of us - on many occasions - dressed in front of the dryer, after we fluffed the clothes that sat in it over night.  That's the reality.  Domestic goddesses don't have to worry about large families and blue collar husbands.  They get on TV and tell us what to do, but forget they have people to do their domestic work for them.

This is what folded laundry looks like when the only responsibility a person has is to themselves.  A far cry from when I was caring for a family.

The most important part of family life is interacting and feeding the family in as healthy a manner as your budget allows.  Everything else comes in second, even a spotless toilet.  I'm not advocating a filthy environment.  I'm only saying other things can be done on a schedule.  After all, Martha Stewart will not be visiting your home any time soon.  If she did, you can bet it would be a day when you didn't clean the toilet or fold the laundry.


ORANGE (CITRUS) CLEANER  Found somewhere on the internet.

Fill a quart jar with citrus peel.  You can freeze the peels until you have enough to fill the jar.  Fully cover the peels with white vinegar.  Let stand in a dark spot (cupboard works well) for 2 weeks.  Before use dilute with water in a 50:50 ratio.

I use this on counters, sinks, and bath fixtures.

HOME MADE BUTTER

The amount of cream you use doesn't matter.  I make butter before the expiration date arrives.
Pour the cream in a bowl and add a small pinch of salt.  You can leave the salt out if you like.  Beat on medium until the whey (liquid) separates from the cream (solid).  Pour the whey in a container for use in baking later on.  This can be frozen.  Gather the solid butter left in the bowl and shape into whatever shape you like.  Cover and refrigerate.   The beating takes a few minutes before the butter is formed, so don't get discouraged.

A Visit From Heaven

I'm going out on a limb today to tell you a true story.  I'm not asking anyone to believe it because the story concerns Mary, the mother of Jesus.  It has been said that faith in her is misplaced.  Jesus, himself, asks us to love her as He does.  I do and always will.  I know Jesus is a one third part of the God Head.  I pray to Him.  When I need extra assistance I turn to Our Lady to 'nag' Him into a quick response.  Many people in my life have had prayers answered because of the intersession  of Our Holy Mother's quick action.

The story goes like this:

When our son was in a bone marrow transplant room, so tiny, and so sick I stayed with him nearly every hour of every day.  I couldn't touch him unless I was 'gowned up'.  This meant washing up then putting on a gown, gloves, mask, and booties before going into his room.  I didn't mind doing whatever it took to protect him.  I did mind that I could not feel his frail body with my hands.

Every day I would go into the bathroom and wash his clothes in the tub with a sterile wash, hanging them on hangers and the shower rod.  The gloves stayed in place as did all of the other clothing that supported good health for him.

After watching the same movie every night before bed I would sleep in a chair next to his bed holding his hand through the night.  His movements were minimal, but I would change position when he did just so I could feel his hand.  To say sleep for me was sporadic, is an understatement.  None of this mattered, because our son was going to live and I could rest when he was an adult.

There was one night that I thought I heard the Lord's voice.  I asked, 'Is that you, Lord?'  The response I received was not expected.  'No, it's your mother, Mary.'  Tears were being held back.  For Our Lady to visit such an unknown, often mocked person such as myself didn't make sense to me.  I was not society's choice for the woman of the year award.  I couldn't afford to look 'presentable' and so my small community deemed me a misfit to be talked about and mistreated.  I learned to live with it, praying for God's strength and lifting up my pain for those in need -whoever they may be.

I welcomed Our Lady then quietly sat in wait for what she had to say.  "Do you see what my Son suffered?" she asked.  Not waiting for a reply she continued, " My son suffered for the sins of this world.  The balance between good and evil must be kept, so there are many who suffer in this world to keep a balance.  If evil is great, suffering of the good becomes great.  He was innocent, as is your son."  She told me she loved me and left me to my thoughts. 

What she said was in contrast to what I thought we were taught - that only Jesus suffered for this world.  I began to see that there was much more about heaven that we don't know.  We ask why so many good people suffer on this earth, but never expect an answer.  This is the answer.  Suffering keeps the balance of good and evil.

Even when society cast me aside, I was favored by heaven.  A ton of confidence was gained by this visitation.  I could face all of the dismay without thought after this visit.  I began to learn other, deeper, things about heaven and Jesus.  I am what I am today because of the love of a mother who never turns her back on her children.  I know it was God who allowed the time we had together.  After all it's He who controls heaven.  But it is He who refuses to control His creations - wanting us to turn to Him in love through free will.  Mary is not the path to salvation, Mary is His emissary.  One of many.

Stay safe.

A Busy Weekend

The weekend was filled with family doings on Sunday.  Number four daughter and her family joined me for a breakfast buffet at 'Triangle Num Num's'.  Translated to big people speak the name would be Golden Corral.  I love their breakfast buffet because there is every breakfast food under the sun.  They'll make a waffle or an omelet to your specifications while you travel down the line pulling up choices to fill the second plate in your hand.  Not only were there eggs, cereal, milk, juice, and other breakfast foods, the salad bar was full of colorful and fresh foods.  Soup was a choice and desserts were there to grab your interest next to the fresh fruit.

As I was leaving an employee was washing the windows on the door.  I would not have seen the sign on the door if she weren't cleaning the windows.  Golden Corral collected over 1.4 million dollars this past year for veteran causes.  They are big into the needs of veterans, something close to my heart.

Before going home I stopped at the new Wal Mart grocery across the street from my community.  I received a gift card for WM at Christmas, so I was pretty elated when I price matched with a total of 9.96 spent.  Popped into the basket was 2 toothpaste, each costing .50 with the price match and a coupon.  Special K was 1.99 each, so buying two ended up costing 3.98.  Organic carrots were .99 cents and a shell of organic greens was 2.48.  There is tax on food where I live at 2.5 %.  It does seem like there was another item, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it is.

I also went to Farm Fresh for clementines.  I made a special trip there because the fruit was from Spain.  There was no problem with rain in Spain this season, plus they grow their food as pure as possible so the fruit promises to be yummo.  I was not let down.  It was like eating candy in it's own wrapper.  I save in other areas so I can grab something like the clementines when I want a treat.  I call it a treat because they were 6.99 for a case of them. 

When all the items were put away the floors were cleaned and the powder room got the once over.  Dishes were put away to make room for the dinner to be made for daughter number one and her family.  We had sauce and macaroni, a nice salad made from the items bought from WM, and a loaf of bread straight from the oven.  The grandchildren each had a clementine for dessert.

This morning was greeted with rain that lasted all day.  No sunshine in the sky in any direction.  Most of the day was spent in front of the fireplace watching Love It or List It.  I talked with a friend for a while on the phone and my baby brother for just a flash. 

I guess I did try to accomplish something because I went through my master bath cupboards and drawers to declutter and reorganize.  There are things that I haven't used for the nearly three years since I've lived here, so out they went.  Mostly make up because I seldom wear it anymore.  If I go out I use blush and mascara.  That's the end of it these days.  When I worked every morning - five days a week - a full face makeup was done before I could even think about leaving the house.  Those days are gone and no longer do I need to spend time doing makeup.

Since we are again expecting rain tomorrow, the day will be spent in the comfort of home.  I so love to be home these days.  Home has always been where I liked to be, but life tended to get in the way until recently.

  Good night to my readers.  I wish you pleasant dreams and a safe day tomorrow.

The New Year - Organizing, Cooking, and Shopping

I've been up to lots of different projects.  Like most everyone else, I'm trying to get things organized for the coming year.  The process has been slow, mostly because I have been sleeping quite a bit so far this month.  Yesterday the wind chill was minus one (F) so I put on three tops, long johns, and sweat pants.  Then I wrapped up in a shawl and burrowed in under a blanket - in front of the fireplace.  In minutes I was asleep.  I woke up at 11:00 AM, sleeping close to three hours.  This was followed by a bed time of around 10:00 PM.  Six AM this morning was wake up time.   My energy level is back to normal this morning.

The day before I went shopping to find a few after Christmas bargains, as well as a couple items I needed.  I went to the Coast Guard Exchange only to be a bit disenchanted.  The candy was only 50% off, but holiday items were 70% off.  The only item I found was two packs of stickers.

Since TJ Maxx is in the same shopping center I hopped over there to see what was left.  Another minor disappointment since most of the sale items were not such a good bargain.  I did find small Burt's Bees stockings that were very well made for .50 cents each.  I bought all four for the grandchildren next year.  Also calling my name were a few candles.  Since my weakness for candles is well known, I chose only one to bring home.  Normally I like the spice scents, but this one was sandalwood.  The container was black and matches well with the picture frame on my husband's picture on the fireplace.  I also found a silk plant that I was looking for to soften up the display on the fireplace.

I like this arrangement around my husband's picture.  As I said before, he is 17 or 18 in this picture learning how to play the guitar while on ship in the Navy.  The silk plant and candle were the items I bought at TJ Maxx and the three tier candle holder is from Yankee Candle.  I got that last year after Christmas for $3.49.  The glass globes were on sale, too, but I can't remember what I paid for them.

Next stop was Ross.  I needed shampoo and black tights.  I know Maxx has these items, but Rose would have the same items at a lower cost.  Score!

The tights and shampoo from Ross ended up costing 8.87.  The stickers said the total would have been 30.00 if purchased retail.  The candle came from TJ Maxx at 8.00.

The stocking from TJ Maxx were .50 each and the stickers (from the CGX) were .40 cents each.

This morning's energy has been spent aerating the lemon tree and olive tree.  I ground egg shells for the garden in the spring, but grabbed a couple teaspoons to share with the house plants.  A nice watering, ground up egg shells, and a soil aeration and the plants are good to go.  Later this month the two trees will be transplanted to larger pots with new soil to encourage new growth.  I know they slow down in the winter months, but they need to go in larger pots.  The lemon will occupy the pot the olive tree is currently residing in and the olive will get a new pot.

I had to read a heading from a local grocery ad to a friend on the phone last night.  This was also shared with my daughter.  The heading read, ' A New year, of new savings!'  I laughed out loud because I was pretty sure I could read between the lines.  Sure enough the cost of a pound of hamburg was $4.99.  Up from $3.99 the 'year' before.  There were not many good sale prices in any of the flyers, but I will go to the new Wal Mart grocery across the street and price match a few items.  Special K is $1.99, Colgate is $1.00, - I have a $1.00 off two coupon for this item - Belvita bars are 2/ $4.00, again I have a $1.00 coupon off two, and green peppers are .69 cents each.

Last night's dinner was covered in home made sauce and meatballs.  Lots of parm on top and heaven was formed.    Since I finished the quiche I made earlier in the week it was time to make another entrée.  Enough noodles were cooked to provide lunch today.

One of my favorite meals.

The other thing that needs to get finished is organizing the paper work for 2014 and packing it away.  This is such a sore spot with me as I'm not so good about keeping things organized throughout the year.  I vowed to get a handle on this for 2015.  Let's see how long it takes before I get lazy telling myself I'll do it later.

What have you been up to since the new year rang in?

Welcome new members and Happy New Year to My Readers.

A hearty welcome to Doo, and Winkles as new members of Angie's House. To Doo, It's sad that I found your blog on the very day of your last post.  I do understand, though.  The day will come for all of us when we no longer feel we are a help to others.  Good luck and Happy New Year to you as well as all of my readers.

Stay safe.

Angie