Grape Juice? Yup! And Other Things in a Simple Life

I'm so happy to say two of my tomato plants have broken through in search of sunlight just this morning.  I planted them on March 16 and today is the 25th.  I eagerly await the other seeds to shine through.  Especially the seeds a friend sent me of heirloom melons.

Last week I prepared a salad in a vacuum packed jar.  It was an experiment to see how long the lettuce would stay fresh.  This is the way to go because I ate the salad for breakfast and the lettuce was still crisp with no signs of deterioration.  I'm now a believer in the benefits of vacuum sealing fresh foods.  Since a friend has been trying to encourage me to try this method, I have to give her credit for being persistent.

I took a trip to the grocery store yesterday to amend my fresh foods.  I found an organic grape juice that is made from fresh grapes with no added ingredients - not even sugar.  I found it after reading a few ingredient labels.  The first I picked up was a national brand totally associated with grape juice.   because the front of the label said all natural.  The word 'natural' could mean anything from nature and there are a number of things from nature I would prefer be left in nature.  The ingredients didn't seem so bad, so in the cart it went.  Then I spotted small bottles of the same juice.  With these there would be no waste.  The last regular sized bottle of grape juice I bought went bad as I only drank half of it.  So I thought going this route would be better economically.  My first thought was there was no need to read the label because it was the same product.  I read it anyway.  Those sneaky little buggars added two things that I couldn't pronounce.  Disgusted, I was willing to walk away without any grape juice - ever.  Then, sitting in all it's quiet glory was a bottle of juice than timidly announced it was organic.  The ingredient label read, 'Made from fresh grapes'.  That was it!  RW Knudsen makes the best grape juice I've ever had.  The company calls it Just Concord. And, true to it's name, that is all the ingredients in the bottle.  If you ever want to treat your family with a small splurge, pick some up and be spoiled.  I feel like the Queen of England drinking this treat.  Just to let everyone know, I have no relationship with this company since I just discovered it yesterday.

In the cart also went two oranges, radishes, distilled water, and a bag of salted peanuts in the shell.  The label read, 'Peanuts, salt'.  A good snack and I can make peanut butter from them.

Dinner was simple as I ate a half can of my favorite local baked beans from my home town.  Grandma Brown's are the best beans, so different from all of the other beans on the market because they have a creamy texture rather than a loose barbeque one.  These were a birthday gift from my son, requested by me.

Today I plan on going to the local mall with two coupons.  Another $10.00 off $10.00 to Penney's and a free $5.00 item from Bath and Body Works.  Most likely, since I don't need anything, these coupons will be used towards gifts.  I had a free undies coupon from VS, but decided to let it expire.  I also have $10.00 Kohl's cash that a friend sent me that is good this week.  Tomorrow is another day.  For this day I'll stay in the mall area.

What have you been up to?  Don't be shy.  Jot down your adventures in the comment section below and share with like minded readers.

Stay safe.

So Much Accomplished, In so Little Time!

Angie's got her groove back.  I had no idea that I had an infection as there was very little pain involved.  There was one time I let a sinus infection go, thinking it would heal itself, and I paid a big price for it.  So when there was a little pain on the right side of my face, the previous ordeal flashed before my eyes and off to the physician I went.

I've been busy re organizing and spring cleaning.  The spice cupboard is now in order as is the pantry.  The refrigerator is sparkling clean and organized and dried food jars are lined up military style.

I call this the spice cupboard, but it also contains baking ingredients
and items.

I purchased a Food Saver cap to seal my jars of dried foods.  I couldn't get that thing to work for anything.  I tried and tried, then got smart and looked at the comments others made about the item.  Many people were having the same problem.  Then the answer was there from a commenter.  Place an upside down lid in the cap then place the lid you want to seal over the jar.  Bingo.  It seems there is a bit of air space in the cap that was preventing the lids from sealing.  The commenter's suggestion came at just the right time as I was ready to spew some rather un-lady like words.

With all of the spring decorations out and a clean house, I got a thought.  I'd like to try to make some Italian bread.  (By hand, not in the bread machine), but I wasn't sure if I had a recipe.  In just purchased a cookbook by Lida Matticchio, 'Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cooking.  To my surprise there was no recipe for Italian bread.  There was one for Focaccia bread.  That will have to do.

The Kitchen Aid came out and the recipe was read a number of times before action was taken.  Flour, yeast, (with a teaspoon of sugar to activate it) salt, and olive oil was all the ingredients called for.   The wetting agent was warm water.  I four minutes the dough was formed with the assistance of the mixer and the dough hook.  The only work I had to do was put the ingredients in a bowl and knead the dough for a few seconds on a floured surface to form a ball.  The dough is currently rising in a cold oven with the light on.

The dough before the first rise.  It doubled in 15 minutes instead of the 30
minutes suggested in the cook book.  It always pays to keep an eye on
what's brewing.

The mess I made for the dough to be kneaded a few times.

After it rises it needs to be punched down.  That's just a way of saying to gently push out the air bubbles the yeast created.  I use to literally punch the dough.  I wouldn't suggest that avenue.  Another short rise and the dough needs dents formed on the top using a finger.  Into the oven and a coat of olive oil after ten minutes and the most gorgeous bread is mine to admire.  Before I can admire it, the topping of olive oil, parm cheese and parsley is spread on top when it's just out of the oven.



Baked and ready to eat.
 



Tonight's dinner.  Created by my own two hands!  LOL

I made cream of mushroom soup yesterday which will be my dinner tonight with a slice of warm bread.  Holy taoly, life doesn't get any better than this!

The Evolution of Holiday Decorating

Since it's raining and quite gloomy this morning I have settled in to watch videos on yoo toob.  There are a few ladies I have been watching because I learn more about decorating - specifically, holiday decorating, from them.  This is something I have just gotten into thinking about.  Christmas has always been a big decorating time for me, but all other holidays pretty much went to the wayside with the exception of window clings or a table center piece.

Today I watched a series of videos about table scapes.  I had no idea there was such a thing before.  A centerpiece on the dining table is all I have ever seen anyone do.  Maybe a candle on each side of the centerpiece.  These ladies go the mile with place settings, center pieces, as well as other small items such as name cards and menus.  I know I won't go the whole mile, but I will travel down the road of tablescaping for maybe half of the mile.

One lady explained the benefits of raising items up on a stand.  I have a springy looking cake stand, so I used it to prop up the wooden bunny I have in the center of the table.  With a place mat under the cake plate there was enough room to put the candy jar and jar of pink polka dotted straws to the side.  I like it.  I don't know if the evolution process will continue, but for now I'm comfortable with what I have done.  I keep reminding myself this is a work in progress.

I took things from around the house to add to this centerpiece. 
The cupcake candles are from the dollar store, as are the candy
and the straws.  The placemat under the display was
on sale (clearance) at Dillard's.  The four placemats surrounding the
center were also from Dillard's clearance section.

Remember the sticker paper I got at the dollar store earlier this week?  I was under the impression it was sticky paper, but soon realized it was paper that can be used to place favorite stickers on to create your own sticker book.  Even with the new information, I went ahead and cut squares out to match the size of the plain card stock ones I made for the Easter tree.  They got glued on top of the plain squares and have added a bit of festive color to the tree project.  The grandchildren can use the backs to write their names or draw a picture.  Again, this may evolve even further, but for now I'm satisfied.

In this photo you can see the evolution of the hanging tags on the Easter tree.
I left some of the tags plain card stock to, hopefully, add interest.  Each
tag has a small doily sticker in the center.  The ribbon is cream and
mint green that I bought at the dollar store.  That store has the
neatest things in it.

 



The tulips were moved onto the counter to finish off this display.

I am evolving.  From using only the scientific portion of my brain into awakening the creative side.  I don't think creativity will be full blown in me, but I'm happy it is being somewhat explored and developed.  Thank you for going on this journey with me.

Small Dollar Tree Haul, After a Visit to the Physician

I had some annual blood tests done on Friday.  When the doctor called me with the results she asked me if I had recently been sick because my white cell count was a little high.  No, not really, just a bit tired and an ear that was difficult to hear from.  She advised me to follow up with my primary doctor, so as a dutiful girl, I did just that.  I'm not really dutiful, as I was looking for ways not to call the doctor.  Until I woke up this morning with a painful face.  Yep, it's time again for the semi annual sinus infection.  So off I went to visit my primary care physician.

I indeed did have a sinus infection on the right side of my face.  The left ear was plugged, not because of the changing barometric pressure, but because it too was infected.  A double whammy!  Off to the drug store to fill the antibiotic prescription, then on to the Dollar Tree.  I couldn't waste the trip out without checking what the dollar store was offering this week.  I spent eight dollars. 

Four of those dollars went to 4 eight pound bags of soil that will go into planters for tomatoes.  This year the plan is to put three pots in the driveway close to the house where the tomatoes will get all of the morning sun light.  It will also be more difficult for predators to find the plants.  I hope!

I also packed in the cart four packs of seeds, two of them being heirloom varieties - carrots and lettuce.  I know these veggies are not expensive in the stores, but they are so tasty fresh from the garden.  The other two packs are not heirloom varieties, but radishes and parsley are two favorites, as well.

They also had well made decorative pots that looked to be mistakes from a high end manufacturer.  The mistakes were in the glaze, inside of the pot where no one can see once the soil and plant are in the pot. 

There were multiple colors of this pot available, but I'm more
of a natural color girl, so black was chosen.

The remaining items are not so exciting.  I picked up a pack of 25 screen cleaners.  If I knew what the cleaner is made from, I'd make my own.  Since I have no clue I bought a pack that should last at least twenty five weeks.  The main reason I needed them is my computer is a touch screen model.  The fingerprints - even if they are my own - bother the hey out of me.  I also invested a dollar in small pieces of sticker paper to see what I can come up with.  I'm thinking of using it on the Easter tree squares I made to add a bit of spring color.  We'll see.

Who knew sticker paper was available? 

The time has come to take a short nap.  These infections are beating my butt!

Stay safe.

Can You Guess What Today's Post is About?

Today's weather in my neck of the woods can simply be described as perfect.  Monday was perfect as well, prompting me to go out to the garden to clean the yard up a bit.  I raked out the leaves and pine needles from the larger portion of the garden yesterday, as well as cleaned up the patio furniture and put out the umbrella.  Then I went into the house and planted seeds in the K cups I saved.

It feels so nice to have the table and umbrella up again.  I
sprayed the umbrella with lavender to discourage bees from creating
nests on it.

The work station for planting seeds.  I have a section of
counter that is far from where I prepare food that is convenient
to use.  The sink is the barrier between the two sections.
Of course I will sterilize the area when the task is completed.
 

Cucumbers, tomatoes, and heirloom melon went into the small receptacles.  Three of each were planted and covered with plastic to create a little greenhouse effect.  I slipped on a large baggie over the seed cups not completely sealing it for air to circulate in it.

The task will be completed this morning so I left the planting equipment on the counter rather than putting it all away just to get it all out again.

This morning I turned the earth in the larger garden and put coffee grounds and egg shell powder in it.  Then raked it over to incorporate the organic material  and level the dirt.  After a short rest the seeds for spinach, lettuce, radishes, carrots, and beets will go in.  The crops will not go in the same areas they were planted in last year.

The garlic is growing nicely as is the strawberries, blackberry bush, and the small rose bush my daughter gave me for Mother's Day last year.  All of these plants have new growth on them.  How exciting it is that they all survived the rough winter we had this year.

This year I will add asparagus and tulips to the mix.  I think both of these plants will go along the fence.  It will be a couple of years before the asparagus comes up, but it's worth the wait to me.

The Swann's man just left.  He was a bit ornery this morning because I asked what ingredients were in the ice cream.  He didn't know each one so I could go online to check for myself.  Well if you don't know and did not offer to grab a carton of vanilla to show me, I can only conclude that there are additives and preservatives.  So, no, I have no need to go online.

I read an article yesterday that was specific about how food items are labeled.  The word 'natural' is often currently used as a draw for a public that is becoming well informed.  Wood pulp is natural.  Shredded cheese is all natural, including the wood pulp that is now used to prevent caking.  I guess the corn starch they use to use is too expensive.

I also came across a video that revealed what the numbers on those tiny stickers on fresh fruit and veggies means.  
1)  Four digits beginning with a 3 or 4 means conventionally grown.
2)  Five digits beginning with a 9 means organic
3)  Five digits beginning with 8 is code for a GMO product.

Please know I'm not pushing for any type of food item.  My goal is to only inform my readers of the information I come across.  Each of you will figure out what fits into your budget and lifestyle. 

Here are a few pictures to confirm that spring is welcomed in my home.

Isn't she a little cutie?  I purchased this last week - at full price. 
There were only two in the store which was an indicator that none
would be available in an after Easter sale.

I tweaked the center piece on the table to include only three items.
I like it better this way

My favorite flower.  They're so happy and care free looking!


 

Time to get back to planting.  How's your weather?  Are you able to clean out the yard and prepare for planting, if you plant?  If you plant, do you start from seed or purchase plants?  When readers share in the comment section, others have an opportunity to learn new things.  Don't be shy, you're among friends here. 

Stay safe!

Easter Crafting

I watched a video this morning on yoo toob that Noreen, of Noreen's Kitchen, put up.  She has started a new channel that's called Noreen's Crafty Corner.  This woman is very gifted in many ways.  The recipes I have tried from her cooking channel have never let me down.  This morning I tried a simple craft that turns a piece of card stock into a bowl. 

I only have small card stock because I'm working on a small project, but since she said this would work with any size card stock, I thought I'd give it a go.  I came up with something that didn't look a thing like the bowl she made, but I'm thrilled with what I did create.

A small box that will hold jelly beans for the grands that I can hang on the
Easter tree.  This one is a prototype so I will make 4 more for
the grands that will be with me on Easter.  The small
cards hanging here are going to be designed by the kids and signed by
them as well.  This activity will be another way to exhibit progress
as they grow.

You can watch the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=serdYK9kOhM

Next time I'm at the craft store I will pick up a couple of sheets of large card stock to make the bowl Noreen demonstrates in her video.

Stay safe.

PS:  I just found a way to improve my images on my camera.  Just in time since the first snarky comment I have gotten showed up on my FB page yesterday.

Has Spring Sprung in My Part of the World? (And some good bargains. Really good bargains.)

Our weather has been gorgeous.  The thermometer hit 73 yesterday and in the upper 60s today.  It's raining right now so it has gotten a bit cooler.  Could this mean spring is here?  I'm not sure, but I think I will begin my seedlings in the morning.  Six weeks in the house then out to the garden at the end of April.  Under normal conditions, April is spring weather in my area.

Yesterday I went to a couple of stores that offered me coupons for free items.  I picked up a pillow and two play shirts for my grandson's birthday at Penney's.  The out of pocket cost was $2.10.  (How could I resist the nice weather?  It was calling me to leave the house.)   The next stop was Victoria's Secret where I turned in a coupon for a free pair of undies.  They will be gifted to my daughter as they were not my style.  They were made more for a younger woman.

I wasn't expecting a top of the line pillow for free, but
I was happy to see they gave me a firm one.

The shirts were priced at $10.00 each.  On sale they were offered for $5.99.
With my coupon I paid $2.10.  The lady behind me told me what a good bargain I
got.  I agree, don't you?

I did a couple more errands then came home instead of going to Kohl's to turn in my two free $5.00 coupons. (On $5.00)  The errands did me in so I thought I'd come home for a rest.  Today I went to Kohl's and the Dollar Tree.

I found an outfit for my grandson for his upcoming birthday.  Pants and a long sleeve top for his next growth cycle.  You know the one.  When a child wakes up one morning and nothing fits because he/she grew during the night.  It's normally a quiet process and takes a mom unaware.

It's a bit difficult to see the color, but the outfit is
in different shades of blue.  Grandma's favorite color.

The Dollar Tree was busy this afternoon, but I took my time anyway, ignoring the hustle around me.  I found a couple of items for the Easter table to add a spark for the grands.  The candy jar was calling for some new treats so I got bubble gum shaped like Easter eggs and Life Savers in spring flavors and colors.  Adding the colorful pink polka dotted straws to the table will create a bit of an excitement.  The religious part of Easter has always been the part of the adults to explain to the children, and the bunny part is the excitement part for the kids.  This way they know the meaning behind the day and have some fun, too.

This was transformed into...

this.    Just a bit of fun for the children.



 

This day ended with a meal shared with my daughters and their children.  The four year old gets so excited when he's with his cousins and big brother. (From a previous marriage.)  I have so many good men in my life that I count this as one of the many blessings bestow on me.  There's nothing that can replace the pure excitement of an innocent child.  I eat it up with a smile.

Have you been spring shopping?  Have you found any bargains.  Do you have children in your family that are getting excited for the bunny's visit?  Let us know in the comments below.  I'd love to hear from you.

Gardening, Family, and the Pup

Sunday in my part of the world reached 63 degrees (F).  This type of weather brings unexplained energy to this body of mine.  The immediate reaction is to go out to the garden to check on it's progress after all of the snow covered my plants.

The garlic looked a bit sad, but this morning is perked up a bit more.  The spinach is small, but still green, which is close to a miracle, while the parsley is holding it's own with a nice green color.  The carrots and beets never made it and the radishes are trying hard to stay alive.  Time will tell.  I now know not to plant a winter garden but rather wait until March to plant.  Something to write in my garden journal so I don't make the same mistake again.

One thing that is new to me is the long needles that fall
from the evergreen trees here.  The parks use them as
mulch.  If they do it, then I use them for the same
reason.  My poor garlic.  They need some TLC.  Winter
was hard on them.

 

Drying in the oven on a cookie sheet were 22 pods from the coffee maker.  The grounds had to go in the garden soil so they were cleaned out.  While performing the task of cleaning the grounds out, I noticed there was a coffee filter inside each pod.  There's also a hole in the bottom of the pods.  Brainstorm!  The pods got washed when they were emptied and dried in the sun.  My seedlings will find a good home in them this year.  I only need to purchase one more spray bottle at the dollar store to spritz them for moisture.  The soil has been purchased (dollar store), so I'm good to go.

Twenty two planting pods recycled from coffee pods.

The coffee grounds were spread over the garden soil then turned in with the dried leaves that were already in there.  In the spring I'll rake up what's left of the leaves and add a bit more organic soil.  Some of the compost is read to use soon as well.  The patio was swept and pots that still had soil in them were cleaned out.  (The soil went into the garden.)  I also gathered the sticks that flew into the yard and dried them in the sun to use on the rocket stove when I can this year.

Preparing to use the rocket stove is an ongoing thing.  I've made fire  starters from toilet paper rolls, dryer lint, and left over wax from the Scency burners.  None of those items will go to the city dump, rather be used in a helpful manner.  I guess I reduced my 'carbon footprint' by making these. 

This is the first time I've made these fire starters to use in the rocket stove.
Time will tell if they will work.

The dog's blanket and bed went into the washer then hung in the sun on a drying rack to dry.  Don't you just love the clean smell of clothes dried in the sun?  Marley may not be too excited by it and will try to put her scent back into it.  This may take a while for her to accomplish.

The beautiful Miss Marley just waking up.  This is my bed, not hers.  She keeps me warm at night!

I found the rooting hormone I thought I lost.  It was right where it was suppose to be - in the garden bin in the garage.  I put some on the olive branch I cut off of the olive tree when it was transplanted in a larger pot.  The best place I could think of to plant it was in the same large pot as the olive tree is.

The day ended with dinner at my daughter's house and play time with the grandchildren.  The four year old likes to play a game I created when my kids were little.  It's called "Stay still pillow".  I lie down on a pillow that's on the child's lap.  Then the child moves his legs and I say, "Pillow, stay still, I'm trying to sleep'.  They laugh their little heart's out with this simple game.  The baby thought this was hilarious and got into the game, too.  I want as much play time as I can get with them when they're little because soon - time flies - they will want to go to movies and be with their friends.

What was the weather where you live?  What did you accomplish this week?  I'd like to hear from you.  It's a way of learning new frugal hacks or learning about a different culture.  Learning is one of my greatest joys.

Stay safe.

Lots of Surprises in the Mail

There are the days that I know when I go up front to the mail boxes there will be bills in the mail.  I don't have many, just the utilities and one credit card that I use all month to get points on.  I'm careful not to spend more than the money I have to back up the purchases.  If I had to pay interest on the borrowed money, then the points wouldn't mean much.

This week was different.  To my surprise there were a number of free offers in my mailbox.  So many that the excitement to share them is overwhelming.  Kohl's send me two different mailings with two different catalogs.  On each of the mailings was a $5.00 off $5.00 coupon.  JC Penney jumped on the bandwagon and sent a $10.00 off $10.00 purchase plus a free bed pillow.  Before those two offers came in Victoria's Secret sent a coupon for free undies -twice.  I gave one to my daughter and I'll use the other to put away as part of her Christmas gifts.

That's adds up to $27.00 in free merchandise plus the pillow.  I'd call that a good week.

The Dollar Tree had Valentine candy for twenty five cents.  I picked up a package of suckers to put in the grands small Easter basket they get from Grandma.   I also picked up two packs of three small spring colored bins to use as the baskets.  To top it off there was a pack of six Chicklets gum to add to the items I already purchased.

$3.25 cents bought the Easter baskets and half of the items that will go in them. 
The other two items were purchased last week at the dollar store.  I have filler
put away that didn't cost anything from packages that came in
the mail. 

My final trip today was to the Wal Mart grocery store across the street to price match items.  In the basket went two oranges for .50 cents each, two pounds of butter for 1.99 each, iceberg lettuce for .98, grapes at 1.49 a pound and bananas that were their regular price of .67 cents a pound.  The total was $6.67 plus 2.5% tax.  It's not the best thing that tax is on food where I live, but the general tax rate is 6.5% which is 2 percent less than where I lived in the North.

Fruits and veggies are my favorites along with dairy foods.
I know I should eat meat more than I do, but it's tough enough eating it once a week.
I never have enjoyed meat, even as a child.  My favorite meat is meatballs in sauce.
I never get tired of those!

I also pay thousands less in property taxes than I did in the North.  There may be vehicle tax here, but it's low so the savings on property tax is huge.

What did your mail look like this week?  Did you find any good deals at the grocery store? 

As always, stay safe and know I appreciate each of you my dear readers.

A Trip to Michael's Craft Store

My daughter and I went to Michael's so I could pick up a couple things to enhance my creative streak. (The one I just discovered.)  A friend of mine is a teacher who taught religion (Catholic) and history.  Even though my formative years were spent with the nuns from another world, I never heard the Guardian Angel prayer.  I was so enthralled with it that I decided I was going to make something small with the prayer on it for my grandchildren.

After some consideration I decided on a small sturdy envelope in which I could fold card stock paper in with the short prayer on it.  With this technique even the oldest (15) could carry the prayer with them in their wallet.

This envelope is small enough to slip in a wallet or pocket.
The name of each grandchild will go on the white sticker at the bottom
of the envelope.

THE PRAYER:
Angel of God, my guardian dear
To whom His love commits me here,
Ever this day be at my side,
To light and guard,
To rule and guide.
Amen


Also on the buying agenda was a small tube of gold paint.  I had a sponge brush at home, as well as a dollar store tin that was just the right size to fit a roll of tissue paper for the powder room.  I wish I could say I came up with the idea, but I think it will be a while until that much creativity spews forth.  I saw it on a yoo toob video.

After I washed and dried it, I sanded the tin so the paint would adhere to it.  A paper plate was brought out as a hack for a paint palette.  Brush in hand the project began.  The strokes were light and long.  Where ever did I learn to paint?  The story:

My husband was painting the wainscoting in the living room when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Thirty two days later he passed.  After a week or so I decided I needed to finish what he started.  What a mess I was making.  Nothing seemed to work for me and that paint brush.  Very gently - in the depths of my soul - I heard 'Use a light touch, Angie.  Long and light'.  I knew it was him and I sat and cried for a while.  Then I picked up the brush and the brush and I became fast friends. 

The tin with 2 layers of paint.

The only equipment I used was the small bottle
of paint, a paper plate, and a sponge brush.

The tin after 10 fast drying layers of gold paint.


The finished project.

Enjoy the day and stay safe.

 

Just A Bit of 'Jawing'

According to the weather charts we got 6 more inches of snow last night.  Toady it rained and tonight all of it will turn to ice when the sun goes down.

This morning - to keep busy - I washed the bedding and a load of dark clothes.  While the machines were doing all the work I made 5 fire starters.  I clipped tissue paper rolls in half and filled them with the lint from the dryer.  Then I dipped them into a can of melted wax.  I'll use these in the summer when I start my outdoor stove to do the canning.  The stove uses twigs as fuel so it's friendly to the environment and my utility bill. 

Breakfast was a bowl of cereal with lots of milk.  Milk is one of my favorite foods.  Nice and cold, or warmed up before bedtime.  Either way is a good thing to me.

 It seems quite a few of my habits are old time.  My grandmother was a huge influence on me growing up.  She was from central Italy and such a wise woman.  Her marriage was arranged, as most were back then.  I could only say she got the short end of the stick.  She put up with quite a bit in her marriage, so I never saw a tear when her husband passed.  On went the black dress for an entire year, then she broke out and had fun.  Gramma D. wore light colored dresses and traveled all over the country until shortly before she passed.  The last years of her life were what she wanted them to be.

These years for me are also what I want them to be.  I really have no desire to travel like Gramma D did, though.  I thought I should want to and have struggled with this for a couple of years.  I just recently figured out I'm a home body - all the way.  The only travel I have an interest in is to see my grandchildren who live 900 miles away.  That's it for me.  My only interests are family and home.  I guess that makes me a boring soul to most people. 

Keeping with the boring theme I watched a few yoo toob videos today. (Yes, I mis-spell that on purpose.)  I watched three episodes of the show Extreme Counponing.  Then I watched a couple of short videos about the show and some of the tricks they play so the large number of coupons work.  Don't try this at home.  There really are limitations on store policies.
Dinner will be a shrimp bisque made from shrimp stock and saved shells.  I have 4 shrimp to cut up in the soup to add a bit of bulk.  Hopefully it will turn out well.

How was your day?  Anyone else snow bound?  Stay safe.

I've So Much To Talk About Today

Good morning to you dear readers.  I've been a bit busy as Sunday was my birthday.  I am now 'older than dirt', as the saying goes.  Still moving around even if not as fast as I once was.  My career was in heath care and moving fast was half of the job.  Pushing heavy equipment also kept my muscles toned.  The last 10 years weren't as physical as I ended up as a director of a department, so not so much toning going on there.  I do some exercise at home, but it's not my favorite thing to do.  It never was, even in gym class.

It snowed here again last night with about 4 inches.  Today is sunny and bright which is melting the snow.  But, tonight we are expected to get 6 inches more.  Where I'm from in the North that's a walk in the park.  In the South it's sheer madness.  The normal temperatures in this area - for this time of the year - are in the 50s, and have been known to be as high as mid 70s (F).  It appears the term global warming needs to be altered.

Decked out in my 30 degree below jacket, ear muffs, and mittens, I ventured out to grab some milk.  Venturing out to buy one item is something I haven't done in years and years.  The need arose because the milk that was delivered by the milkman was in a glass bottle.  Since I am the first stop on his route of 156 deliveries, the milk froze and the bottle shattered.  I didn't want them to make a special delivery just to me and told them I could wait.  I had no idea all of the snow and ice we were in for.  All's well that ends well.

A trip to the dollar store again this week netted a few good finds.  I picked up Easter cards for the grandchildren who live in the North , as well as stickers to pop inside the card.  Even the 15 year old will get stickers this year!  I'm sure he'll find something constructive to do with them.

They had quite a bit of Easter decorations out in the front of the store.  I was thrilled to see a large violet colored cross that I'll hang on the pantry door.  I also found a large magnet of the Easter Bunny that I put on the dishwasher.  The refrigerator won't hold it up because it's stainless steel.  Since I fell in love with the magnet, I thought the dishwasher would work just as well.  It's in the sight line of the 2 year old.  This should be very interesting.

They also had gardening items on the shelves.  I got soil, a weed mat, and tomato fertilizer spikes for the garden.  The mat is large enough to cover the area behind the blackberry bush so I don't have to crawl back there to weed.

My total came to $12.00.

My birthday went well.  My kids took me out to dinner when we could all be together,  The service was so poor that the manager gave me a load of things to make up for it.  Two meals, a $20.00 gift card, and a dessert at no charge.  Happy birthday!

I received some nice gifts, as well.  Look below for a picture of a couple of them.

I think you may have picked up how obsessed I am with an organized pantry.  My eldest daughter found these 2 quart jars for me.  I have been looking at them for quite a while, but would not pay the shipping charge.  She found them in a local store.

Is this the cutest?  A dress to keep a potted plant warm.  A few giggles escaped when I opened this package.

A friend sent me a pair of mittens she knitted for me.  They came in handy when I popped over to a local store for milk today.

And, of course, you remember the bay plant a friend sent me a
few days earlier.  No name yet, but I am leaning towards Bobby Bay.
 

Something else that I started doing.  I bought a set of 2 journals in the clearance section of TJ Maxx for $2.25 each.  One will become my gardening journal and the other I have next to my computer to jot down notes.  No more pieces of loose paper hanging around waiting to be thrown out.

What have you been up to?  I hope you're keeping warm - or cool - depending on where you live. 

Before I leave may I ask a favor of prayer?  There is a 10 year old boy who lives in my home town who has cancer.  There is nothing more the doctors can do for him, but I know God can.  Would you keep him in your prayers for a while? He's touched my heart in a special way.  Thank you.  His name is Julian.

Stay safe.

Don't Attack My Wallet

Like many women in my age range, I have developed good shopping skills.  I have a sense of what an item's worth is to me and refuse to pay more than the predetermined price.  Looking for a while is not a problem.

Groceries are no different.  Even though we see prices rising steadily, and my predetermined price has to be altered, I won't go over my personal pre set cost.  As an example:  mayonnaise in my area sells for very close to $5.00 a jar.  To me that's highway robbery.  I won't buy it.  To complicate matters, this is one of the couple of items I use that is brand specific.  I'll go without if need be.  I suppose it's a matter of pride.  I'm not sure, I only know I will not buy it at that price.

Last year cream of mushroom soup was $1.29 to $1.59 a can in my area.  I only bought four cans the whole year with a coupon and sale.  I started making my own creamed soups when mushrooms went on sale.  I not only got enough soup for a casserole, there was enough for a side and the stems were dried and crushed to make mushroom powder.  Now all I use is my home made soup.  Don't mess with my generation.  We don't like it.  Especially when you attack what's in our wallets.

I will, however, allocate money in my budget for good meat and dairy products.  Meat comes from a butcher shop.  The smell in the shop could be more alluring, but I recognize the smell as healthy meats.  Most of the time I get my proteins from dairy or nut sources, but about twice a month I eat meat.  Chicken is no longer tolerable as that was the main meat served when my husband was with me for dietary reasons.  One day I looked at the chicken on the plate and said, 'No more'.  I will eat it in a chicken salad sandwich with celery and my favorite mayonnaise, but that's about it.  No more pot pies or chicken and biscuits.  I recently tried the pot pie thing.  Yuk!

The meat I  purchased is to make a pot of red sauce - hamburg for meatballs, pork to flavor the sauce.  That sort of thing.  I will also buy one steak and divide it into 3 meals and freeze them.  It's only been recently that I figured out what to buy to   reduce waste.  It's taken four years to train not to purchase waste.  It's not as easy as you would think to change and - most importantly - hit the target.

Another important item to me is dairy products.  So much can happen to dairy products from the animal to the table that I made a conscious decision to eat less and eat only those things without hormones or additives.  The taste is what I remembered as a child, but the price is quite a bit higher.  So I eat less in a portion than I did before.  The funny thing is, I feel more full than when I ate twice as much of the regular store bought foods.  Who knew?

I'm not advocating that you change out what you are currently doing, or to blow your budget.  My goal is to inform you so when the time comes that you can make adjustments, you'll have a starting point.  No one knows about feeding a large family like I do.  Some things are beyond the ability to institute just now.  Just keep in mind what the changes I've made are so when you want to step forward you'll know where to begin.   Balancing budget and good eats.

The soft boiled egg I was after didn't quite work out.  So I turned it into
an egg on toast rather than an egg I could dip into with the toast.  A
bit of salt and pepper and it was yummy.

Looking For Spring on the Kitchen Table?

In the past couple of days, sometime, I pulled a muscle in my neck.  I'm sure most of my readers have had this experience at one time or another.  It's not very pleasant, to say the least.  Despite this, I have been doing a small task here and there.  Sitting still is not for this woman.  I'm sure the future will bring with it plenty of that non activity.

The wash is done, the floors are swiffered, the counters are cleaned and polished and the Valentine decorations are down.  Dishes are washed and the bed is made.  I never forgot what my mother in law told me years ago, A clean sink and made beds will make it look like you slaved all day.  Brilliant advice! It was a stroke of genius to make the chili a couple of days ago because there's no need to cook dinners.  Of course it wasn't a planned stroke of genius, it just happened that way.

This morning I sat in front of the TV to watch one of my favorite DVDs, 'Purgatory'.  Years ago it was a made for TV movie on TNT.  I've looked for it ever since.  I finally found it a few months back.  I can't remember where, though.

The star is Sam Shepard who is one of my favorite stars.  The blurb says '..The only thing worse than being bad is spending an eternity being good.'  That's all I'm going to say.  It may be on Netflix or even yoo toob if you want to check it out.  You won't be sorry.

Since all this snow has made me yearn for a bit of spring, I made one major adjustment on the kitchen table.  The every day decoration is a set of rectangle place mats that are light in color with a set of round ones over them that are a darker green.  Both sets were purchased on sale.  The lighter ones were bought at Dillard's for 2.29 each, the other, I can't remember.  The round set has been with me for the whole time I've lived here.  It's too far back to remember much about the price or where I found them.

I thought removing the darker round ones would 'spring' up the kitchen area a bit.  A happy face appeared when I saw the results.  It really doesn't take much to make me content.

The centerpiece on the kitchen table went from this....

to this.  Just enough to make me smile.

Trying to figure out how to delete the pictures from my camera on the computer proved fruitless.  The next step was to see if they could be deleted from the camera.  Bingo.  Nearly 600 images disappeared to make room for new ones.  There was even an option to remove all of the images at one time.  Easy Peasy!

A post showing the effects of winter is in order.  They say we are getting more snow tonight.

Stay safe.  And warm.

Look what came in the mail for my birthday from my West Coast pal!  My very own bay tree plant.
This plant makes my heart sing.  Thank you, L.

It's not the snow that is holding everyone back.  It's more the ice that formed
with the rain that followed the snow.

Keeping warm though.


 

Clean Sheets and Recipes

To tweezle:  Thank you for the compliment and welcome to the blog.  I love my readers, as well.  I have put this message on the post because , for some reason, BlogSpot did not let me know what post you commented on.  I'll look up the recipe for orange creams for you and post it.  If you don't mind a list of ingredients without exact measurements, that is.  (Check at the end of this post.)

Yesterday morning I went to breakfast with daughter number one and her family.  While we were waiting for our food, who pulls up, but my SIL with the other two grandchildren.  After lots of hugs and kisses, I noticed how well put together the kids were.  I thought maybe my daughter had just gotten off of work and got them ready for daddy to take them out.  Then I started laughing because I noticed the part in my granddaughters pig tails was extremely crooked.  The first indicator that daddy dressed the kids.  Then my daughter pointed out the baby's coat was buttoned crookedly.  ROFL, we had a good chuckle over these things.  No, it was daddy who prepared them for their outing.

This brought back memories of how my husband put a diaper on our eldest when she was a new born.  With one pin (no disposable back then) in the front.  It did the trick, but brought a smile to my soul for the entire day.  If he had used rubber pants with the diaper, I wouldn't have noticed it until I changed her diaper.

Our weather has been unseasonably cold.  We had snow last night, then rain this morning which sealed in the snow and turned surfaces to ice.  I leave the cupboards on the outside walls open at night so the pipes don't freeze.  In the south it is uncommon to have shut off valves for the outdoor spigots.  They may need to rethink that.

This morning I took advantage of the crisp air and opened windows for a few minutes.  The fresh air is cold enough to kill any viruses that may be lurking.  In ten minutes the house temperature dropped 2 degrees (F).  Time to warm up again.

The bedding got washed this morning and the clean sheets were sprayed with lavender essential oil spray.  So nice to smell this when I settle in for a night's sleep.

The window was opened and the pillows were airing out.  I put them in the dryer
on cool air for a few minutes before I let the cold air hit them.

Last night's dinner was made in a few minutes with enough food to last four meals.  I made a quick version of what I call Italian chili.  I had some for breakfast, as well.  Not to go through it, but rather because I felt lazy.  Warmed up in the microwave was all I need to do to have a protein rich breakfast.  Who knows, I may be eating this for all three meals today.

Chili is one of the few foods I can eat over and over again.  Recipe below.

LAVERDER SPRAY
Fill a bottle half way with distilled water.  If you don't have distilled water then you can boil water for three minutes and let it cool.  This will remove any additives in faucet water.

Fill the other half of the bottle with cheapo vodka.  I mean as cheap as you can find.

Add 20 drops of essential oil.

Shake to mix and you will be so happy with the results.

The kit I bought is from KIS OILS is on  www.amazon.com   I don't know them and they don't know me.  I just happen to like the price, reviews, and quality of these oils.  I bought them for 18.95, but I think they went up 1.00 since February 5, 2015.  Still, the price is so much better than other oils on amazon.

I'd take a picture, but my camera is full.  I have to figure out how to empty what's on there to start again.


ORANGE CREAMS

I got this recipe from my husband's grandmother, so it doesn't have exact measurements.  It's fun to make and more fun to eat. (Have a glass of red wine handy!)

Dark chocolate candy pellets
Powdered fondant
Orange extract (The Dollar Tree has real orange extract.)
Candy molds
Water

Melt the pellets in the microwave, 30 seconds.  Remove and stir.  Place back in microwave if not melted.  It's important to stir because the warmed chocolate will help melt the cooler chocolate.  I start out with 1/2 cup of pellets.

Mix about one half a cup of powdered fondant with a couple of drops of water (Or orange liquor') and start with 4 drops of the orange extract.  Taste and add according to your tastes.  If liquor' is used you may not need too much extract.  (I've only used water.)

When the chocolate is melted brush a small amount on the bottom of the mold.  Add the center (fondant) and cover with more chocolate.  You don't want to use too much chocolate, just enough to cover the filling. 

Let the candy sit at least 24 hours so it can become infused and develop a bit of a liquid.

Yummy!

FAST AND EASY ITALIAN CHILI  (Feeds 4)

One pound 85% hamburg (Cooked and Drained)
12 ounces of spaghetti sauce
1 can of light red kidney beans
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

Brown and drain the meat. Add the beans with the liquid.  Add the sauce and seasonings.  Simmer for twenty minutes, then sprinkle the cheese in.  Stir and serve.  I don't make a spicy chili, but you could by adding more spices to the pot.

Serve with a salad and bread.
Cook's choice of seasonings (Bay leaf, parsley, red pepper flakes)