Just Another Frugal Pixie

2010-05-07T08:31:00.001-07:00

Not reading or writing blogs right now. Our house flooded & we lost it all. I'm going to have to try and rebuild without insurance and with little FEMA help.

My Experiences with ZipFizz

2010-04-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

While in Costco in June, my husband and I came across a display and demo for ZipFizz. I wasn't so sure it would work but after trying the mini-sample and reading the paperwork, we put back the case of gatorade we had in the card and got a box of ZipFizz instead. We thought it would be good for Jack since he works in HOTHOTHOT attics all summer in the HVAC industry. We were given full sized samples by the rep and we drank those while shopping. Before we left Costco, I was sold. I felt about 50% better! For someone with Fibromyalgia, Lupus, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 50% is a godsend!

I was religiously taking ZipFizz all summer. They helped with my energy levels and really made me feel better. (You can check out their ingredients at www.zipfizz.com. ) I loved the extra zip I was getting and it really seemed to help with my symptoms. Now, I'm not saying each day was “perfect” but at least I was making it to my Tuesday night meetings and was not taking tons of extra pain or muscle medications.

In November, I stopped taking them daily. It was winter and Jack's checks were significantly decreased. Perhaps because I did have a few left for super busy days or whatever, I did not attribute anything to the fact that I stopped my daily “fix”. I just felt progressively worse. Each week I battled myself to get out of bed. Where I used to have maybe one down day per week, I was having three or more. I just thought it was the cooler weather and moved on. I've only been to 2 of my weekly meetings this year. Friends wonder if I've dropped off of the planet.

Today, nearly 6 months later, I found a lone purple tube in the bottom of a tote. I picked it up, expecting another empty container (you mail in 100 empties for recycling and get a bottle in return). Imagine my joy as I found it still had the clear plastic seal around the top! I felt like I won the lottery!

I opened it up and dropped the powder into a water bottle, shook it up, and drank it. Within 15 minutes I was feeling a lot better. Within an hour I knew that no matter what, even if I have to dig change out of the couch cushions or beg money from friends, I would go buy another box of ZipFizz TODAY.

My husband, the saint that he is, agreed to take the last $40 in his pocket to buy me a box of ZipFizz. He loves them himself and in the summer months, sells single tubes to the guys at work (at cost) because he believes in the product that much.

I'm not endorsed by the ZipFizz company. I simply love the product and what it can do for a person's body. I highly recommend checking out the site. Feel free to ask Jack or me any questions. We love this stuff!

Posting Hiatus

2009-12-22T07:48:00.000-08:00

"What's for Dinner" posts stopped last week because I was very ill. They will start back soon so watch this space!

2010 is the year of art and creativity on a budget. We're going to be making gifts all year long as well as working on items to sell at local festivals. These will be over on my Gypsy Crafts blog.

It is also going to be the year of sticking with a food budget, eating out only at pre-approved intervals, and just having a great time at home as a family. Lots of tips and ideas will be posted here.

I'm hoping to build up my reader base and share some knowledge with each of you.

Happy Holidays!

What's For Dinner - Tuesday & Wednesday December 8 & 9, 2009

2009-12-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this by saying that our meals this week have not exactly been well rounded. Hubby is working and I’m battling some personal issues so our meals are piecemeal at best.

Tuesday evening we had grilled cheese sandwiches.

Bread = 43 cents
Cheese = FREE (my mom bought Kraft singles but did not like them)
TOTAL = 43 cents

I need to add here that I had hubby go buy me a Bolthouse Green Goodness drink because I was feeling a little bit veggie deprived. This was $3.25 and will be added to our weekly total.

Wednesday we had soft tacos since I had seasoned cooked ground beef already in the freezer.

Ground Chuck & onion $1.39
Refried Beans – 1 can = 75 cents
Taco seasoning mix = 33 cents
Tortillas = 77 cents
Cheese = 41 cents
Salsa = 15 cents
Frank’s Red Hott & Sour Cream = 50 cents
TOTAL = $4.30

WEEKLY TOTAL = $10.00

What’s for Dinner – Monday December 7, 2009

2009-12-08T09:46:00.001-08:00

Tonight was a spaghetti night. It is a weekly staple around here, usually made on the days when I am under the weather or we’re in a rush for a quick meal. No veggies with dinner, except for the tomatoes in the sauce and I guess they are more technically a fruit. Oh well, we’ll do better next time.

1/3 of a box of thin spaghetti = 58 cents

1 jar of sauce = $1.19

Parmesan Cheese = 25 cents

TOTAL = $2.02

Weekly Total = $2.02

Obviously we won’t be able to eat that cheaply most days. Of course, one day per week with spaghetti is always a budget stretcher for us.

How about you? Do you have any super cheap meals you toss in each week? If you do, please comment and let me know!

What’s for Dinner – Saturday & Sunday, December 5 & 6 , 2009

2009-12-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

Jack wanted a yummy dinner and was talking about going out for dinner. This was not what I wanted to do so I suggested that he pick something up at Costco while he was there. He got a big bag of Tequila Lime Hot Wings and fries. This allowed us to have a “restaurant” dinner at home without the restaurant cost.

2/3 bag of a wings (the bag was $15) = $10
French Fries (1/4 of a bag) = $1.05

TOTAL = $11.05

Sunday was shopping day. On our big shopping day (Aldi got me for $179.43) we get on “splurge” type item for that day’s meal. This time it was a bag of tamales. The bag contains 6 beef tamales in husk that we steamed for dinner. There are 2 left for my lunches but since they all were cooked, they are counted in the meal price.

Total = $5.45

Weekly Total = $35.47

What's for Dinner? Friday December 4, 2009

2009-12-04T18:58:00.001-08:00

Tonight we’re doing breakfast for dinner. Jack has wanted to do this for some time and since I’ve been feeling bad the last few days, he is cooking. Tonight is Breakfast Bowls. We saw something similar on a commercial for Denny’s several years ago. Their bowls started at $5.99. We knew we could make something just as good or better for less.

10 ounces of Kroger brand hash browns (1/3 of a bag) = 74 cents
6 eggs = .53 cents (Yay for Aldi’s eggs!)
Bacon Ends & Pieces box - 4 ounces = 28 cents
Frozen spinach & Green Peppers – 2 ounces of each = 50 cents
Shredded Cheese = 50 cents
Spray olive oil, salt, pepper, Frank’s Redd Hot = 25 cents
Canned biscuits = $1.37
B&B and Jelly = 50 cents
32 ounces of milk = 66 cents

TOTAL = $5.08

Weekly Total = $18.97

What’s for Dinner – Thursday December 3, 2009

2009-12-03T16:43:00.001-08:00

What’s for Dinner – Thursday, December, 3, 2009

Tonight’s dinner is a bit of a Jack concoction. Bless him, he is willing to cook tonight since I’ve been having a bad day. I don’t know what to call it – except dinner. LOL! It isn’t the cheapest meal but I’m sure there will be some leftovers.

I’m trying to add some more veggies into our diets. We try and honestly, we tend to eat with the seasons. In the summer, we eat a lot of fresh veggies from our garden and local food markets. In the winter we eat more stews and chilis and stuff of that nature.

I’m going to start adding a weekly total to the end of these posts. My week will start on Monday and end on Sunday.

Bag of frozen Mexican Garden Blend Veggies - $1.10
2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound) - $2
¼ pound of shrimp – $1.37
2 packs of Goya seasoning – Free (we got this from a store that was going out of business – long story) if purchased about 25 cents
1 can of tomatoes - 54 cents
Rest of the pack of tortillas from yesterday - 60 cents
Spray olive oil, salt, pepper, etc – 50 cents
Shredded Cheese, Sour Cream = about 50 cents (cheese was free)

TOTAL = $6.86

Weekly Total = $13.89

What’s for Dinner – Wednesday December, 2, 2009

2009-12-02T17:35:00.001-08:00

Jack is still working so I decided to go ahead and try to cook. I’ve been battling a migraine since 2:00 this morning. Anyway, I had to make something that would hold well in the event that we don’t eat until nearly 8pm.
We’re having soft tacos of a sort. It is basically just filling for tortillas.

Ground Chuck – about 1 pound = $1.39 (sale meat)
Refried Beans – 1 can = 49 cents
Tortillas – Whole pack is $1.19 = half of pack = 60 cents
Cheese – Free from the gift certificate Jack got at work but normal price is about 99 cents
Frank’s Red Hott & Sour Cream = 50 cents

Total = $3.97 if we’d paid for all ingredients/$2.98 at price actually paid

Dinner Pricing - Monday & Tuesday 11/30 & 12/1

2009-12-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

Hubby & I spent the weekend at a friend’s home. We brought some things to her house to eat so that she would not be footing the bill for our food. We took about $15 worth of stuff with us including apples, turkey, cheese, bread, and some other things like chips and granola bars. Had we been at home, we would not have gone through that much stuff, however, we wanted to be good guests. We left the rest of the food with the hostess as a thank you.

Monday night’s dinner was a simple affair of remade leftovers. We had turkey bites – bits of turkey cut into thin strips and dipped into barbecue sauce and ranch/Frank’s Red Hott dip. This was mainly food for my husband. I had a few of the turkey pieces but mainly I ate some leftover pasta topped with a tablespoon of butter & a small amount of shredded cheese.

Turkey – Free (from other meals)

Barbecue sauce, Frank’s Red Hott, & ranch dressing – 50 cents

Elbow macaroni – Free (from other meals)

Butter – 6 cents

Shredded cheese – Free (hubby’s gift certificate from work)

Total = 56 cents

Tuesday’s dinner was not nearly as cheap. We had spaghetti and jar sauce.

Spaghetti (1/2 a package) = 55 cents

Prego Spaghetti Sauce (on sale at Kroger) = $1.10

6 slices of bread = Free (hubby’s gift certificate from work) – good use of stale bread

Shredded cheese – Free (hubby’s gift certificate from work)

Garlic & Brummels & Brown margarine = 35 cents

Total = $2.00

What's for Dinner? Wednesday & Thursday, November 25 & 26

2009-11-27T10:37:00.000-08:00

Dinner Recap for Wednesday & Thursday

It was a little crazy here on Wednesday night since my mom came by so I did not get to write about our meal. I took the ½ of the leftover white beans from the night before & froze them for a later date. The other half was made into a thick and hearty soup.

One thing to note is that I am adding in the sales tax on the food. In my area of the country, sales tax is on groceries (I hate this – I loved living in FL without a food tax). That tax is 9.75%.

White beans – free (part of last night’s meal calculations)

2 cans of tomatoes – 54 cents each = $1.07

2 cans of tomato sauce – 25 cents each = 50 cents

1/2of a box (2lb) of elbow noodles = 92 cents (1/2 of what I cooked was put in the fridge for a quick me lunch or two)

Cornbread – free (leftover from last night)

2 slices of white bread (for the one who did not eat cornbread) = 10 cents

Brummels & Brown margarine, Frank’s Red Hott, Italian Seasoning = 35 cents

TOTAL = $2.94

This served 4 adults with pretty big appetites. We had a small portion left over that I sent home with my mom. The funny thing is that they WERE going to go get $1 burgers from a local fast food chain, spending about $5 to $7 on the meal. High fat, high calories and mystery ingredients are all you get in that stuff. Instead, they got a hearty meal that everyone, including my picky father, enjoyed. I count this as a great success!

Thursday was Thanksgiving. Jack & I planned & saved so that we could go see New Moon. We went to the 1:00 pm showing. There were a total of 9 people in this nice clean theatre. It was really nice. Anyway, tickets were $7 each & then $10 for the popcorn/drink combo we got, so $24 for our treat. It was expensive but still not as bad as a meal out someplace may have been. Besides, the last movie I paid full price (even at matinee pricing) to see in a theatre was probably Hair Spray when I went with my mom.

Dinner was turkey & cranberry sauce. I did not really feel up to eating more as my tummy was full on popcorn & the candy bar I smuggled in. J

Turkey = $4.93

Butter = 40 cents

Lemon juice, salt, pepper = 25 cents

Cranberry Sauce = $1.10

Sweet Potato Pie = Free from Jack’s work gift certificate

Whipped Topping = Free from Jack’s work gift certificate

TOTAL = $6.68

Of course, there are leftovers. Hubby takes the legs & wraps them in foil. He puts the foil pack on the dash in his work truck and by lunch they are warm enough for a meal. Tonight we’ll eat the left over breast meat & then freeze the carcass for the next time we want soup or stew.

What's for Dinner? Tuesday 11-24-09

2009-11-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

Today we had a yummy Southern dinner. It was typical fare for Jack’s family when he was a kid. We had white beans with ham, pan fried potatoes with onion, and cornbread.

White beans (HUGE crock pot full – enough for several meals) = $1.50
Ham = FREE! This was the bone and left over meat from a ham we smoked earlier in the year. The bone was frozen until use.
Potatoes = The last of that 8 pound bag we had. About $1.50 worth
Onion = 25 cents
Oil, Salt, Pepper, Frank’s Red Hot, garlic = 75 cents
Corn meal = 50 cents
Egg = I pay 49 cents per dozen at Aldi (53 cents w/tax) or 4.5 cents for one
Milk = 1.5 cups or 25 cents

Total = $4.35

This is dinner tonight, freezing a huge portion, and the white beans will become a component of tomorrow night’s dinner.

I also made jello (free) and a banana orange bread.

banana (3) = 29 cents
1.5 cups of flour = 30 cents
1 cup of sugar = 22 cents
frozen oj = 1 tsp or about 10 cents
egg = 4.5 cents
baking powder & salt = 10 cents (maybe)
1/2 stick of butter = 50 cents (we use real butter here)

Total = $1.56

I honestly think that less than $6 for dinner and desert for at least two nights is not bad!

Where I Talk About Food

2009-11-23T17:46:00.000-08:00

Jack went to Schnucks today while at work. He got a $25 gift certificate from work so he spent a whole 6 cents above that. He got a big turkey, 2 bags of shredded cheese, a sweet potato pie, a loaf of bread, bologna, margarine, whipped cream, a soda & a donut.

We went to Kroger when Jack got home from work. I had $75 on me and we spent $65 total in two separate orders in order to take advantage of the sale price on turkey.

The first ticket was $19.96. We got 9 pounds of ground chuck on clearance price from $1.99 per pound to 1.49 per pound and a 12.16 pound turkey (sale price was 37 cents per pound).

The second ticket had a lot more stuff on it. We got some reduced price lettuce, some clearance shampoo and conditioner (about 75 cents cheaper than I normally pay), 3 white 7 day candles in red glass, 4 boxes of wild rice, 2 all natural sour cream, cranberry sauce (whole berry), tortilla, sweet potatoes, a 11.44 pound turkey, Abuleta (clearance), egg nog, milk, and beer. Total was $44.70.

For roughly $65 we have enough food to last us quite some time. We now have four turkeys. Three will be frozen for a later time. Generally speaking, we will smoke a bird a few times a year. You cannot beat the price of 37 to 39 cents per pound for meat. The last turkey from our 2008 buying spree was just cooked in September for a large gathering.

What's for Dinner? Monday 11-23-09

2009-11-23T17:19:00.000-08:00

Today for dinner we’re having a huge pot of chicken and rice soup. I will break down ingredients here:

Chicken breasts (3) - $2.90
Carrots ½ bag – 50 cents
Garlic, celery seed, sage, salt, pepper, liquid smoke – about 60 cents total
Riceland Wild Rice - $1
1 cup of Jasmine rice – 50 cents
Total - $5.50

This is a HUGE pot of soup. It will easily feed us tonight and have enough for about 10 or more lunches. Jack says it is about equivalent of 20 cans of soup. I am going to be putting it up into lunch sized portions and freezing it. It is a whole lot better for the microwave meals that Jack suggested I pick up today while we were at the store.

What's for Dinner? Sunday 11-22-09

2009-11-22T18:11:00.000-08:00

Tonight's meal is being cooking now. Hubby is on his way home from hunting (2 hours away) so our meal will be late.

I deboned a few chicken breasts (3) and put them into a marinade of olive oil, garlic, vinegar and Romano cheese. The boobs are lying on top of a potatoes (3) that are cut into bite size pieces.

I got the chicken in a box deal at 1.90 per pound. This is about 2 pounds so $3.80.
The potatoes were a big bag (10 pounds) for $5.00. I used 3 of the 10 potatoes so $1.50.
The marinade was a $1.00 bottle and the cheese was less than 50 cents worth.

We were going to have a veggie but hubby got home late and we just ate the casserole. Not too balanced but better than a burger & fries!

Total meal = $6.80

This yielded 2 huge dinner portions & lunch for me on Monday

What is for dinner at your house???

What's for Dinner? - New Segment

2009-11-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

I've been posting dinner preps on my private journal and just realized that frugal people may be interested in these too.

I am breaking down the prices on our meals. I will be putting the price next to the item. I put the entire price on the meal as cooked that day. If I have leftovers to freeze or use another day, those are then considered "free" to my budget. Since I have FMS and will have good & bad days, it is important to have back up meals in the freezer if necessary. My family is just the two of us (both adults with normal to large appetites) and I plan leftovers for my lunch, if possible, for the next day.

Our meals will vary greatly in price. More than anything, I am posting it so that we can be aware of what we are eating. Prior to this week, we were eating out 2 - 4 times or more per week (either in a restaurant or take away). Our stomachs and intestines were not happy, neither was our wallet.

This is a start. I hope that by posting my meals here, it helps some of you to think outside of the box when it comes to meals.

Changes

2009-10-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

My life has certainly changed quite a bit since I started this blog. I know I've been less than faithful with my posts and that is something I plan to change.

Starting November 1, I am going to be starting a challenge. I've been inspired by Thirty A Week. Hubby & I don't have access to a co-op. In fact, our groceries, for the most part have to come from an expensive neighborhood store (Kroger), the evil empire (Wal-hell) where we refuse to shop, or I have to drive 15 miles to a discount grocery (Aldi). Locally we do have a Save-A-Lot but it is individually owned so their prices are not great.

The first month or so, my goal is to get our food budget down to $25 per week. This is insane but we have a lot of food already in the house that needs to be used. Of course, we won't have as many fresh veggies on this money but it will get the things we need.

I would put this budget at $25 per week but we live in a state which taxes groceries. Our state sales tax is 9.75%.

Our main nemesis is eating out. I won't say we will never eat out, but I will say we'll save it for the weekends when we can properly enjoy it.

Watch this space for recipes, lists, and ideas

CVS Pharmacy

2009-09-24T13:19:00.001-07:00

I just found out that the nearest big city is getting a CVS. I've read all of the great tips on shopping CVS but never got to try them because the nearest one has been about a 45 minute drive (in no traffic). This one is going to be close to the Costco that we use so it won't be that far out of the way. I'm excited to see if I can replicate some of the stuff that I've seen on other blogs.

If you have any tips or tricks, please let me know!

Blogging for the Cure - Final Post

2009-05-31T19:18:00.001-07:00

See the squirrel? He is praying that you will give money to support Penny and her beautiful daughters in Relay for Life. Poor? Even $1 can help. Broke? No excuse, pimp out the cause on your blog, journal, facebook, or twitter. Money does not have to be in today. I will be sending money myself next Friday on payday. Maybe that will work for you too.

My posts may be over but you can still help. Payments can be made until June 7th. You can even mail your check to Penny directly. Just send her an email and she will share her address with you. Her email address is available on her journal.

With this, I will bid you good night. Thanks to those of you who laughed, cried, and smiled along with my posts. You're the greatest. Thanks for taking a trip with me down memory lane. We've visited my Grandma Ake, Emily Bell, Granny Anne, and even my Aunt Quatzey. They all suffered from various forms of Cancer. The goal of this blog-a-thong was to do our part to eradicate the evil C from all of our lives. Thank you for your help.

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - My Hubby!

2009-05-31T18:19:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I love my husband?

He just went to the store and got me some bananas and milk. Those are a few of the things that I seem to be able to eat lately. Well, that and Mylanta!
He planted my gardens today after mowing both the front and back yards.
He works hard every day - sometimes 14 hours a day just to take care of our little family.
He is nice to my parents
He tolerates people for me (not my parents)!
He gets my medications out for me every single night. I honestly don't think I know what exactly I take each night.
He adores me!
He loves our "kids" and even lets me take pictures of him with them.

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - Grandma's Sewing Machine

2009-05-31T13:15:00.001-07:00

There are only a few items that my Grandma Ake left behind. She did not have much that was worth anything significant. Working class poor people rarely have items that can be passed down to children and grandchildren. When her mother died, my mom had some serious problems. These problems went on for years. She finally realized that she would need to get rid of all things that reminded her of her mom. Looking back, it sounds pretty ridiculous but I guess the idea was "out of sight, out of mind". She gave her mother's sewing machine - a 1920's Singer brand treadle machine to Aunt LaQuata (yeah, names in that family were pretty crazy)! Surprisingly the red ladder was allowed to stay in our house.

That is me in front of the machine. That is the ladder too!

When I was 17, the summer after I graduated from high school, my mom, her sister Doris, and I went on a trip to Chattanooga to visit family. While there, I asked Aunt Quatzey (LaQuata's nickname) for the machine. She was battling Cancer at the time and I wanted my wishes known before a time came that she was gone. She promised that upon her death, I would get my grandma's Singer.

When I moved out of my mother's house, the ladder came to live with me. I painted it blue and it still resides in my house. However, I still did not have the Singer.

Aunt Quatzey moved in with Aunt Hazel who helped to take care of her as her Cancer progressed. Aunt Hazel claimed the machine as her own when her sister died. My mom would not ask for the machine. She was not comfortable asking for it after they had it for so very long.

Flash forward to 2005, my mom and I went to Chattanooga for my Aunt Matt's funeral. Aunt Matt is on the other side of my mom's family, however, while we were there, we attended a birthday party at Aunt Hazel's house. While riding to Hazel's house in my cousin Charlie's car, I reminded my mom that I wanted her to ask about the machine. I did not want to take it out of her house, but I really wanted it when she passed away.

We're at the house and Charlie pipes up with "Hey Hazel! Shirley needs to talk to you!" Well, mom stammers a bit before he says "Shirley's daughter wants her mother's sewing machine!" Hazel insisted that I take it right now so that she would know I was enjoying it. Before we left for home, Mom and I got it wrestled into her minivan which we thankfully had the middle seat removed.

The machine now lovingly resides in my living room where every time I see it, I think of my Grandma. She may not have had much to leave behind but she did leave me with something I love!

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - Let's Talk About Food

2009-05-31T12:02:00.001-07:00

Another hour has passed. Another post needs to be made. I'm pulling one out of a hat here. Let's see...what can I talk about?

Food...that seems to be the topic here. We were thinking about cheeseburgers here a few minutes ago. Or at least we were talking about the way Matty says the word. Of course, that made my stomach growl. Sure, I have food here but it all needs to be cooked. And my messy kitchen is on strike today. I guess I need to get something to eat. Hmmmm...

If you like frugal cooking, you should really check out Depression Cooking on YouTube.

Gramma Clara makes yummy dishes and talks about living through the depression.

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - Let's Get Dirty!

2009-05-31T11:13:00.001-07:00

Hubby got the other part of my garden tilled and asked me if I'd come out and bless this section. Like I said before, it is a tradition for me to go out and stand in the soil before it is planted. I thought I'd share a few pictures with you of the adventure!

If you look closely you can see what remains of the ink on my hands!

We will have two garden spots this year. One is for tomatoes and other veggies. The other, the one pictured here, is our watermelon patch. This was the site of our former pool. The sand was tilled into the ground so we have a nice loamy patch. I'm hoping for a few good melons!

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - Remembering Snow!

2009-05-31T10:13:00.000-07:00

It is hot outside today. Jack is mowing & tilling up the garden. I went out to sink my feet into the dirt (a tradition of sorts) before he plants our lil tomatoes and cukes in the ground. I can't wait!

In thinking of snow right now so I thought I'd share pictures with you!

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - Remembering Granny Anne

2009-05-31T08:58:00.001-07:00

I wish I could come up with a poignant post like the beautiful just posted.

I can tell you Granny Anne. Anne was my mom's friend. Mom has a tendency to make friends that are the age her mother would have been. I think this is her way of coping. Anne came into our lives when I was in 8th grade. My mom started working at Tupperware (the factory) and Anne worked there. They became close. After a time they were on opposite shifts. Anne would routinely bring home cooked meals to the house so that I would not have to make dinner. She would show up and sweep me off to one adventure or another.

I remember once when Anne went with us to Jackson to go shopping. My mom runs in and out of stores. Anne shops! She went and looked at all of the bright and colorful stuff.

She went with me to try out for Governor's School and it made me feel better just knowing she was there.

She took me to Memphis to see Annie at Playhouse on the Square. She took me to Union University to see her granddaughter's performance. She treated me like I was one of her own.

Long time readers of my journal remember me asking people to send cards to Anne back in 2002/2003. She was in a nursing home recovering from her 3rd battle with Cancer.

The last time I was able to talk to Anne was on July 5, 2003. It was the day after her birthday. I took the girls to see her in the hospital. Granny Anne was showing off her newest grandbabies to anyone who would listen; nurses, staff, and passersby. Tegan was camera happy that day (as usual) so we got tons of pictures of Anne and the rest of us.

The next time I saw her she was on day 6 of no food or water. She was ready to go. I massaged her hands and feet with a really nice vanilla sugar lotion that I had in my bag. She and I had a talk. I explained to her that Tegan was turning 14 on Monday so that was not a good day to die. I also told her that Tegan's birthday party was scheduled for Saturday so that day wasn't good either. This was all teasing her. I guess I wanted her to know that I knew she was ready to die and that it was okay. Granny Anne was listening.

Mom and I left the nursing home in Covington and headed back home. I dropped her off and headed off to get Jack so that we could go get the girls. Just after we picked them up, my mom called and said simply "she's gone".

Even now, nearly 6 years later, I can close my eyes and see her smile. I love you, Granny Anne!

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - I'm Awake

2009-05-31T05:03:00.001-07:00

It's 6:30 in the morning on a Sunday and I'm awake. I only do this for a good cause, for something I believe in. So here I am, blogging again. Pimping out there to let you know that Cancer is a real and is deadly. While treatment has come a long way, there are still people dying.

Remember how I said yesterday that for generations, women in Mom's family have died from Cancer? I thought I'd share with you a bit about that.

These women were the salt of the earth. They were sharecroppers wives. They were poor. I'm sure you've seen the movie Coal Miner's Daughter. Well compared to where they lived, Loretta Lynn's folks had a mansion. Anyway, these mommas would get "pregnant" and then die. One woman (my great grandma?) went out under a tree and her stomach exploded. Always the uterus area, always. These women left behind children, many times babies. They left behind husbands who in their grief would marry (or hook up) with women who were mean to the children. My grandma was raised by one such woman named Arby. Arby took pride in being as mean and as spiteful as possible to the Chapman girls but that is a story for another time.

The American Cancer Society is 92 years old. This means that Cancer has KNOWINGLY been destroying lives, separating families, and damaging children for at least that long.

Think of a cure or even a successful treatment. Wouldn't it be great to be able to see that in YOUR lifetime? Wouldn't it be awesome to know that by its 100th birthday the American Cancer Society was a bit of a relic? This is a possibility but in order to make it happen, we need YOU.

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - This one's for you Mom!

2009-05-30T20:29:00.001-07:00

My mom always warned me against writing on my hands. According to her, it would cause cancer. I'm sure it was just one of those things she told me in order to get me to stop. As you can see, it did not work!

I love my mommy. Even though we've had numerous times when we have not seen eye to eye, she is a good person. She stepped outside of the normal boundaries of her comfort zone to donate today. I'm quite proud of her!

And with this, I bid you adieu. It is time for bed. My medication cocktail is starting to take effect and I am on my way to the land of dreams. I'll be back in the morning posting again. Please take the time to donate if you can. If you're unable to do so, post a link in your journal. Get the word out there!

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - SuziBlueTube!

2009-05-30T19:29:00.001-07:00

I have to tell you that I adore SuziBlue! She tells us that we can all be artists. If I can do it, anyone can do it!

I thought I'd share a page in my art journal with you!

I used to think I could not do an art journal. I was not sure where to start. I wasn't sure that other people would get it. But you know what? I does not matter WHO sees my posts. If they like them, great! If not, that is okay too. My journal is MINE. It is written and drawn and colored FOR me.

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure: Talking About Matty

2009-05-30T17:20:00.001-07:00

Another hour, another post. Aren't you excited?

Matty, the two year old who is visiting me says some of the cutest things. My name & chicken seem to be the same word. Yeah, he is that cute. Here is a picture of him that I took in April. Isn't he a cutie?

Matty loves coming to my house. He loves to come over and take a bath. Yes, a two year old who loves to take a bath. How cool is that?

Matty says "doneee manty" (donate money)!

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - And We're Back!

2009-05-30T16:22:00.001-07:00

Folks ended up coming later than planned. I ate my Mexican food and I feel so much better now. :) They bought our dinner. That was so very nice of them. It wasn't expected and that makes it all the better. Afterwards, we went to Sonic for ice cream cones. Yum.

Now I'm hanging out with a friend and her 2 1/2 year old. He is so incredibly cute. His mom is having to build block houses just so he can knock them down! Oh the joys of being 2.

Another post is coming soon. I promise something of more substance if I could get a prompt or two from my friends!!!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - Soft Paws

2009-05-30T13:52:00.000-07:00

Freyr has a sore by his eye. He keeps scratching it open again and again. Even though we've put meds on it, the spot is not healing right. Solution? Soft paws! We have used these in the past and they are wonderful! I ordered the Soft Paws on Thursday evening and they were in my mail box today! How cool is that?

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - Remembering Emily

2009-05-30T12:32:00.001-07:00

Emily Bell lived across the street from us when I was 15. Her older brothers, Mike and DJ, were in the same grade I was so I saw them often. Emily was 9 years old and was diagnosed with brain cancer. It was very hard for me, watching this young girl fight and lose her battle. I don't want to focus on the sad times but rather on a happy moment.

When Em was sick, everyone did whatever they could in order to make her smile. I remember one time, she asked for a solid white kitten. Solid white, not white and black or white with a little bit of black or anything. Mom, Granny Ann and I went all over Dyersburg, Ripley, and Halls looking for this kitten. We would run off to where someone supposedly had white kittens only to find they were tan or solid black or something. Disappointment settled in and I was near tears myself when we pulled up to this house that was within Halls city limits. There we found three kittens. One was white with a tiny touch of black on his head. We decided to take him and try to convince Emily that he had been touched by a faerie or something.

We took him home and had to give him a bath. The people who had him were leaving the kittens outside and Emily needed him clean for inside her home. Imagine my surprise and delight when I found that little dark spot was nothing but grease! We found a white kitty after all!

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - Hungry

2009-05-30T11:57:00.001-07:00

The squirrels who live in our yard are quite tame. They come and eat on our front porch. Here is a picture of one of the cute ones.

My folks are on their way over so we can go eat. My stomach is pretty upset and I haven't eaten much in the last few days. I hope I can eat lunch because I'm hungry!

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - Posting Early...

2009-05-30T10:03:00.001-07:00

...just to let you know that it is not likely that I will be posting between now and 1:30 pm CT. I hear the bed calling and I'm going to answer. Yes, that means I am going to take a nap.

I have FMS. I am not feeling so great. I nap. Don't mock me. You know you wanna nap too!

I will leave you with a picture that makes me smile.

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure: My Sister's Keeper, St Jude, and More!

2009-05-30T09:26:00.001-07:00

I am 34 years old. There, I've said it. It is likely that I won't, in my lifetime, give birth to children or win the lottery or even see man living on Mars. However, it is possible that I can live to see a cure for Cancer.

Have you read the book My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult? You can read about the book/movie on Jodi Picoult's website. If you haven't, I recommend it HIGHLY. The reason I bring it up is because it is about a girl with cancer. If you're not a reader,I have the audio book available via Mega Upload . If you don't do audiobooks, that is okay too. The movie comes out on June 26th!

When I was just a little girl, I remember sitting in the living room watching the St Jude telethons and crying my eyes out. I even wrote a few poems about cancer. They were typical young kid stuff and not very good. The one thing they showed was my heart. It was in the right place. Once I convinced my mom to call the telethon line for me. Back then, the monthly donation was like $20. Mom convinced them to take a monthly donation of $5 since I was so young. For me, a kid of 8, who got an allowance of $10 a week (half went to my savings account, 10% to church), that was a lot of money! I don't remember how long I donated but I do remember the joy I felt to know I could help others.

You can help today by donating to help find a cure for Cancer. Here are the links:

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - Showing Off

2009-05-30T08:34:00.001-07:00

This is a page I did in my art journal. I pride myself on using mostly found items. The pages you see here were done just last week. I'm always amused when I see the things I create. This is my first art journal and I am so happy to see it getting "thick".

I've become addicted to drawing the little swirly things. They seem to be incorporated into everything I doodle and everything I draw.

I need to find something better to write about. Can anyone help me out with a topic?

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - Remembering

2009-05-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

Grandma & Me, 1976
There are so few photos of my grandma and me out there. Most of them, like this one, have partial images and are candid shots. I am told that I was the apple of her eye, though. It is apparent from the look in her face the amount of joy her first granddaughter brought.

There are few things I remember about her. Considering that I was just 2 when she died, even those memories are fuzzy and faded over time. I remember climbing the stairs to her second floor apartment and yelling that I was "home". Yes, home. I suppose that I felt comfortable there, spoiled by the grandma who loved me so much. I remember going to the hospital on the day she died. I remember the candy that we got in the gift shop. I remember the elevator.

While I have these few memories, I don't remember her. I cannot tell you what it felt like to sit in her lap or to have her smile at me and tell me that she loved me. I cannot remember her smile or the crinkle of her eyes. I cannot remember (though I have been told the stories) about her popping out her dentures to scare us little kids. I simply cannot remember.

I'm sure that some of you who have been around her for a while remember me telling the story of my treadle sewing machine. Well, that machine belonged to her. She used it to sew dresses for her family. It was not just a pretty piece. It was USED. The thread holder was missing so she attached a nail. The wood is worn from hands running across the front piece of wood. I could, in theory, replace the nail she used to hold the thread. They are available and are not expensive. And yet, I don't have the heart to do so. I do plan to get a new belt for it and learn to use it. I want to make a quilt top using that machine. I don't know why but for some reason, it seems like by using it, I will, for just a few moments, have her with me.

If you have your family close to you, take time to tell them that you care. Tell them you love them. Tell them to see doctors regularly so that if something like this ever happens, it can be caught quickly and hopefully won't end in death. Most of all, show everyday that you appreciate what they have done for you.

If you enjoyed my post, please feel free to donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for the Cure - Why?

2009-05-30T06:19:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you're wondering why I stepped up to join Penny & her family in their quest to raise $1, 000 for Relay for Life. I thought I'd share a bit with you here.

In 1977, when I was just 2 years old, my life changed forever. My mother became a stranger who had more bad days than good. My young aunts, ages 9 & 11 were split up. One lived in rural Tennessee for a school year, quite a shock after living in Chicago her whole life and the other was put into foster care. My grandfather gave up caring about himself or his children. All of this happened because of cancer. A form of cancer that has robbed my family of women for generations. It struck my grandmother and by age 47 years old, she was gone.

They say you eventually get over a death. They say life goes on. Well, let me tell you what really happened in our case. My mother never again celebrated a holiday without tears or anguish. Even now, 32 years later, she shuts down. The younger daughters have battled everything from teen pregnancy to anorexia. One dropped out of high school. One tried to change who she was and t become someone else. The family unit was shattered. In the past 32 years, never has the family gotten together for holidays. The close bond they once shared was broken and the family became a dysfunctional mess. None of the girls wants to go to their annual ob/gyn exam. They are all terrified of what might be lurking there unnoticed. The eldest, my mom's older sister, was diagnosed with a form of uterine cancer at age 44. Luckily they were able to remove it. We live in fear of the dreaded C and that is not a life.

We cannot get my grandma back. I cannot give my mom the past 32 years she missed with her mom. I cannot fix the wounded and fractured lives of all of those people around me. But what I can do is help raise the funds needed to find a cure for cancer. I can help save another 2 year old little girl from growing up with a huge hole in her family unit.

This is my grandmother, Mearl, just before her death in 1977. See the "pregnant" stomach? That is cancer. Please help find a cure so that other families are not torn apart!

If you've enjoyed my post, please donate!

Relay for Life donation page

Blogging for a Cure

2009-05-30T05:27:00.001-07:00

A dear friend of mine and her children are Blogging for the Cure - the cure to cancer that is. Please see the initial post here on her Live Journal.

Penny & her oldest two daughters will be posting hourly tomorrow, Sunday, May 31, 2009. In addition, a few of us will be assisting her with public posts on our own Live Journals. Please feel free to visit mine. Since Penny has obligations today, we're stepping up to post today as well.

The goal is to raise a mere $1,000. This can EASILY be accomplished. Just think, if everyone who sees this can donate $1 and then pass the link on in their own journal and/or blog, we can make this BIG. I'm hard pressed to think of one family that has not been touched by cancer in some way.

So stay tuned here for more updates. Check out the posts on the following Live Journals as well:

As soon as I hear back from Penny, I will have the link here for donation. We're working a few kinks out in the link, etc.

I opened a craft blog...

2009-05-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

I opened a creative and craft blog - GypsyCrafts

When Life Gets You Down

2009-05-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

It seems like I'm forever picking myself back up from one pitfall after another. 2009 has been filled with medical issues like crazy. Thankfully nothing serious but I really feel as if I've been pulled through the proverbial ringer a few times.

Instead of letting life get the best of me, I'm going to move forward. I greatly admire those who unschool their children and quite frankly I try to unschool myself most of the time. An unschooling family I know is doing Project 365 where you take a photo per day to chronicle your year. If they miss a day, so what. If they get 50 pictures in one day, great! I'm learning a lesson from this family and learning that whatever happens today is what is meant to happen. My projects and goals for 2009 may have been left by the wayside for a while. That is okay. Life happens. I have to learn to accept the limitations and challenges in my life. I will move forward from here. If it takes me 3 years to get 365 days of photos, that is ok. If my photo blog only gets a challenge once per month, that is perfectly acceptable.

Life happens.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

Contemplating A Second Blog

2009-05-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

I know, I have a hard enough time keeping up with this one. Yet, here I am, thinking about making a crafty and creative blog. I have been reading quite a few artsy blogs and I am not sure that my "frugal" blog is going to attract the people. Heck, for that matter, I'm not sure if I attract readers anyway. Maybe a whole new name, new account, new everything is needed.

What do you think ?

Comfort Dinner - Beef and mushrooms

2009-05-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Last night's dinner was absolutely wonderful. It was a nice comfort meal. It was low in cost and very filling. I thought I'd share the recipe. I concocted it myself after looking over several different ones online.

Beef & Mushrooms

1.5 pounds of some sort of beef - I used ground meat patties from the local meat market.
2 cans of mushrooms, liquid included - I use the small ones from Aldi
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
Soup mix - you can use the packets of onion soup mix (2) or use seasonings - or you can do what I did. We buy wonton soup base from an Asian market. It is a good sized can that makes quite a few quarts of soup and only cost $1.59.
Onion powder (omit if you use onion soup mix)
Black pepper to taste
White rice - we use Jasmine rice here - or Egg noodles

Directions:

Put the mushrooms and their juice, cans of mushroom soup, soup mix, onion powder, and black pepper in the slow cooker. Mix this together a bit.
Toss the meat in the slow cooker and stir it together.
Put it on low for 8 - 10 hours or high for 4 - 6 hours.
Just before serving, make rice or egg noodles
Serve on top of the rice or egg noodles

It was quite good. I had a lot of sauce left but little meat. That was a nice lunch for me today.

If you make this, tell me about it!

Grocery Pictures

2009-05-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

I took pictures of my grocery haul last week. I just cannot post it right now. I had to reinstall everything on my laptop and have not yet gotten the photoshop reinstalled. I will post it soon. I promise!

Hi Ho! Hi Ho! Its off to the Grocers I Go!

2009-05-06T07:31:00.000-07:00

I need to do a big buy at Aldi today. Wednesdays are my day off of work so I go during the day when I'm normally working (between 8 and 1) so that I can, if need be, still take my afternoon nap.
So, I'm convincing myself that I need to get moving. It is time to get going. See you on the flip side. I'll take a picture so we can see what $150 or so worth of groceries looks like. :)

On days like this I wanna throw the towel in...

2009-05-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been pretty rough for me. I made the above icon when I got up yesterday morning. It felt as if I'd been beaten in my lower back region. Today has been no better. This means our meal plan has been off kilter. I did toss stuff in the crockpot yesterday so we had a pretty good dinner last night. Tonight hubby made dinner - however, I hate when he does this because I'm left with a huge mess. I would have been just as happy with a sandwich or something. :)

I'm going to take my meds early tonight and find my way to the bed. Here's to hoping I can sleep tonight.

Clutter Be Gone!

2009-05-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

More and more of the clutter is leaving our house. I'm amazed as how things that used to bring me comfort now bother me. The fiction books I used to almost horde are slowly finding new homes and leaving me with breathing room. I am keeping all of my herbal books, my how to books, and certain fiction books I may actually read again. I used to, as a child, reread books. Now, I only do so with those that are favorites.

I never thought I would see the day when I would be getting rid of books. Yet, here I am, begging the clutter to leave my house. *sigh* I hope hubby is happy when he sees how much cleaner the house has gotten in his absence.

Meal Plan Flushed...

2009-05-01T13:48:00.001-07:00

I haven't given up, per se, but I will be reevaluating our menu next week. Hubby's busy season has started and cooking dinner needs to be something that can be easily reheated. If I'm here alone, there is no reason for me to cook at 5pm only to have dinner dry out.

This week, we've eaten at home each night but dinner Tuesday was leftovers from Monday. Wednesday was spaghetti with sauce I made earlier and froze. Thursday was eggs because they are quick and simple and light at 9:00 at night!

I guess it is back to the drawing board. :)

Menu Plan Week of 4/27/2009

2009-04-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

Monday - Ground Beef Stroganoff
Tuesday - Black Beans & Rice
Wednesday - Chicken tenders, french fries, and salad (an American Idol night tradition)
Thursday - Spaghetti, Salad, and Corn
Friday - Pork steaks, peas, and some sort of potatoes
Saturday - Chicken breast with Mushroom rice and broccoli

Breakfast for hubby is sausage biscuits that I make on the weekend and freeze for quick heating. I generally eat some fruit or cereal or sometimes a pbj.

Lunches are leftovers for me. Hubby has potted meat and other quick foods that he keeps in his vehicle since he drives all over the city.

Thoughts on my meal plan...

2009-04-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

So far, the whole knowing what is supposed to be for dinner is great! We've had to make two changes primarily because we had a few meat items in the freezer that needed to be used. I ended up making a rosemary pork and potato crock pot meal on Monday to use up two smallish pork loins. Today I'm substituting deer sausage chili for dinner. Wednesday is my day off from my part time job so I am able to spend more time cooking. The only problem is that I will have to run to the store and pick up some more canned beans because in a fog of Fibro issues I forgot to soak beans last night. Oh well, FMS is like that.

All in all, I'm happy. I've cooked 4 nights in a row. My kitchen is clean and I am content. If hubby cooks, he makes a mess and will not clean up as he goes. In his defense, he was a professional chef and had a galley hand. He learned to depend on others to clean the kitchen behind him. Since we do not have kids in the house, I end up having to clean and I hate that!

Some People

2009-04-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

How horrible is it that we live in a world where my husband can be working in a gated community, with his work van in the driveway, and have his van broken into and his Tom-Tom stolen?

My beloved husband needs this to navigate his way around town so we will be forced to buy a new one. I'm crushed though as money for this sort of item just is not in the budget. I'm grateful that my dad is going to allow hubby to borrow his TomTom indefinately. I just hope we can find the money for a new one soon.

Even worse, he waited 45 minutes for the police who NEVER showed up. Yeah, I'm feeling a bit bitter right now. However, I'm going to look at the bright side and be happy that his DVD player & MP3 player were both left untouched in the vehicle.

Navajo Fry Bread

2009-04-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

Below is the recipe for the Navajo Fry Bread I made. This was very good but very heavy on the tummy. It did not set well with our bellies! I made a few with cinnamon and sugar and the rest were made traditional style with taco ingredients on top.

Navajo Fry Bread

4 cups flour
1 Tbsp. powdered milk
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
11/2 cups warm water
Oil for frying
Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly. Add water. Knead until soft, then set aside for one hour. Shape into small balls. Flatten each ball into a circle with or rolling pin or by hand. Fry in a skillet half-full of oil until golden brown on both sides.

Menu Plan Week of 4/19/2009

2009-04-19T18:16:00.001-07:00

This menus is including a few things we may not have eaten in the same week (i.e. pork on Monday and Friday) but I had a few things to get out of the freezer. I think we will be back down to at least 3 bean/rice type meals per week. Of course, all meals will be made with enough for left overs to be frozen using our vac sealer.

Monday - Rosemary Pork loin (crockpot) with apple sauce and a salad
Tuesday - Red Beans & Rice
Wednesday - Chicken tenders, french fries, and salad (an American Idol night tradition)
Thursday - Spaghetti, Salad, and Corn
Friday - Pork steaks, peas, and some sort of potatoes
Saturday - Chicken breast with Mushroom rice and broccolli

More thoughts on Food

2009-04-19T17:20:00.001-07:00

Today I made the trek to Aldi's and spent a whopping $42.48 there. We were down to a small amount of cash so this was the best I could do. It was sad to see that I'm spending about 30% more on food this year. Anyway, this got the needed ingredients for our meals this week but very little stock up foods.

Hubby got an opportunity to help out a neighbor. She paid him $40 for his services. So while he cooked dinner on the grill, I went to Kroger and got a few things. For $42.94, I got a cart full of frozen veggies! I filled one of the huge re-useable Aldi's bags. We now have 2o bags of veggies ranging in size from 1 to 3 pounds. We also have a huge bag of frozen french fries, a few Cadburry eggs (on clearance) and 2 2liters of generic pop (for hubby). Oh yeah, and a big jar of apple sauce for me.

This means we have all of the ingredients for our meals and plenty of extras. This makes me very very happy and much more secure feeling.

Side Jobs = Full Freezers

2009-04-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

Hubby had a side job today that netted a nice chunk of money. Since things have been SO tight for us lately (to the point of having to choose what bills to pay on what payday), we have been scrimping on our groceries. I swear that this has cost us more in the long run. Between running out for one particular item and ending up with 4 or 5 things and eating out because it is quicker than getting what we need. Well, you get the picture. Anyway, today we spent $170 on meat. Yes meat. That was for 50 pounds of beef (steaks, round, chopped, minute steaks, etc). That price includes the nearly 10% sales tax that we Tennesseans must pay on groceries. Broken down, it is roughly $3.15 or so per pound. Now, if it were all ground beef this would not be a good deal but for the cuts of meat we received, it is quite nice. This amount will last our little family of two for about 6 months (I will keep track). Outside of our AngelFood packages, this will be all of the meat products that we purchase.

Since we brought in all of this food, we cleaned out the freezers. I am SO VERY ASHAMED of the amount of food we lost simply by being careless in the past. I am resolved that this is not going to happen again. The silver lining to this sad tale is that my dogs and my friend's dogs will all be eating well for a while.

We have 2 frozen turkeys out there that we bought in November. Those I will be cooking over the summer months, most likely out on the smoker to keep the heat down in the house. We have two upright freezers. One is full of meats. One holds the frozen veggies and the turkeys. The next big payday (hopefully soon if it will get HOT outside), we will buy a big buggy full of frozen vegs. I don't eat many canned vegs because of the sodium and my allergies.

I also want to start making planned left overs and freezing them for a second meal later in the month. Since I have FMS, many times I cannot find the energy to make dinner. I'd like to have a ready amount of heat & eat meals available so that we won't be hitting up the dollar menu at some crappy fast food place.

That said, I am making up a menu plan for each week. I've decided to join in on I'm an Organized Junkie's Menu Plan Monday starting this week. We've got our meal plan all planned out for the week. I will be going to Aldi's tomorrow afternoon to get the few items we will need for the upcoming week's plan. Check back on Monday to see what we're eating for the week!

Thoughts on Simplifying

2009-04-13T06:00:00.001-07:00

This year Project Purge has been more about getting rid of the big things as opposed to the smaller and less noticeable items. Sure, I've had the large amount of bathroom items (41) or movies (26) that have left in one fell swoop but the majority of items are going one at a time in a bigger way that is causing me to stop and take notice.

On the first Saturday in April, we ripped the carpeting out of our bedroom. This was a spur of the moment thing fueled by an obnoxious odor that only got worse the more I shampooed. We discovered that the previous owners may have used the corners as restrooms while being forcefully evicted from the home. My pet had an accident in that area and as soon as I began to shampoo, the odors started.

Anyway, as we removed the carpeting, we also removed items from our bedroom. I gave a dear friend a huge trunk we were using to store blankets and moved the blankets into a tote that fit under the bed. I removed a lot of miscellaneous clutter from our bedroom as well. The eucalyptus swag above the bed and the basket of fake greenery are both gone. They were dust collectors and we have allergies. They had to go! This led to rearranging wall art and purging a few older framed items there as well.

That night as I climbed into bed in my bedroom that actually had wall space visible, I realized how much I liked things simple. The next morning, I cleared all of the stuff off of my dresser except for one lovely faerie. Everything else was gotten rid of or in the case of my large jewlery/chest, moved to another location. Empty space is making me happy.

A few days later, I removed the huge laundry baskets and got one smaller one. This gave us more space. I looked around and realized how nice my bedroom looked. Even with the paint splattered parquet floors, even with the blase paint color, even with my mismatched furniture, the room is calm. I love it!

The attached bathroom got a makeover on this Saturday. We were given a small rolling cart like one would use in a kitchen. One wheel was gone so we removed all 4 casters and made it into a small cabinet for my bathroom. This allowed me to move the larger unit out of the bathroom (an old entertainment center). I was able to reorganize the stuff and actually ended up with more counter space! It's a wonderful thing!

This means two larger pieces have been removed from my home. Two items. That isn't much really but it is HUGE to me!

Wow!

2009-04-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

Today the lovely Bunnykissd gave me an award today. My lonely little blog has NEVER gotten an award. To be honest, I'm not sure how many people actually read it on a regular basis!

“This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.”

Thank you, my friend!

2009-04-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

The recipe for native american flat bread turned out quite well, however, we learned that our family simply does not eat fried foods. These made us sick because of the oil content. Oh, well, on to new and exciting things.

Next up, a post on simplifying life.

Attemping A New Recipe

2009-04-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

I am not a bad cook; far from it actually. I tend to cook items I've made before. I'm quite good with a recipe and will follow it once before adding/subtracting items to make it suit our family.

Lately I've been interested in native foods. My husband is 1/8 Native American and I have a smidge way back in my history (I have a great great great grandmother named Princess Cornblossom). I wanted to attempt fry bread. The recipe is inexpensive (flour, baking powder, salt, milk) so I figure if I mess it up, there is little financial loss.

I will follow up to this post with my results.

Simple Life

2009-03-24T12:04:00.001-07:00

I'm contemplating stuff again. I'm guilty of bringing home more stuff lately. Even if it is things I want like a tart burner or a book, I feel that through it all, this is just stuff. Stuff that can get in the way. Stuff that causes clutter and messes. I have the things that I use daily like my computer, my art supplies, my iPod and then I have the things I don't think I will ever use like the vase of dried roses or the Winnie the Pooh collection.

I think the time has come once again to start thinking about stuff. I need to determine what we want in our lives and what we are willing to give up in order to have the live we desire.

This, That, and The Other

2009-02-02T16:35:00.000-08:00

Another week has passed and while we did not get rid of many items this week, a few were moved out the door. Our total for the first month of 2009 is 446 items!

Getting rid of things makes our lives more simple. I find that I am finding more time for my creative endeavors. There is nothing in the way of my art now. This is a good thing!

Speaking of art, I've joined up with the iCiNG Transformation Challenge. My goals for the month of February are:

Daily Exercise: I'm hoping that physical activity will help me. I have FMS that is pretty bad and I've been told that at least stretching would help. I am willing to take on this experiement for one month just to find out.
Daily Creativity: This is to be done in any form. I can create a desert or a creative journal page. I can make runes or work on digital photography. Whatever it is, I must be willing to put the creativity first instead of putting it on hold for everything else in my life.

Perhaps you'd like to come join in the fun?

Project Purge 2009

2009-01-27T14:22:00.000-08:00

We are just 27 days into the new year and already my family has surpassed our Project Purge 2009 goal. We decided on 365 items, figuring 1 item per day for the year was a good number. As of last weekend, we hit 396 items!!! Following is the list of items that made their way to someone else's home:

Qty		Description
21		Movies
5		Movies
2		Laptop Chargers
2		telephone cords
1		4 port USB adapter
1		Motorolla headset (stereo)
1		Zippo Lighter
1		Pink Nintendo headphones
1		Este Lauder Romance
1		Victoria Secret Golden Dreams Lotion
1		Victoria Secret Body Spray
3		Make up bags
1		Exfoliating brush
1		hair clip
1		strand of chunky beads
1		makeup mirror
2		perfumes
2		lotions
2		sheets of stickers
3		Barbie dolls
17		Barbie Accessories
3		Barbie dolls
17		Barbie Accessories
1		Pirate costume
2		small wind chimes
1		large wind chime
6		lace doilies
31		gel pens
20		Sharpies
6		Packages of "eyes"
4		Packages of "noses"
33		gel pens
1		Halloween Flashlight
30		Foam Circles
1		Teen Mug
2		Zenith Remotes
1		Wok
4		scrapart
2		photo albums
1		empty container
1		frog stamp
1		mini box of beads
1		box with clipart
1		stapler
1		bunny statue
12		marbles
1		magazine
2		glue sticks
2		brushes
3		pens
2		pencils
30		Foam Circles
6		place mats
6		cloth napkins
1		table cloth
1		set of henna stencils
1		Remo drum head
1		key lock security chain
12		6x6x8 boxes
1		plaque board
2		Craft books for kids
1		grapevine potted plant holder
1		package of beads
1		stack of cardstock
1		box of paper
1		coloring book
1		notebook
13		candle holders
22		Women's Clothing Items
5		prs of pj pants
1		bag of cat food
1		stick of 256mg DDR ram
3		baggies full of plastic beads
16		Sheets/Pillowcases
3		Purple window curtains with pockets
1		Nice frame
1		Dragon/wizard print

Upcycled Photo Tutorial

2009-01-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

What do you do with the boxes of pictures nobody wants? Not the family heirlooms but the more recent pictures with funny faces or blurry shots. I found a large bunch of these in the trash recently and wanted to find a use for them. After searching the internet for ideas, I came up nearly empty handed. I say nearly because a friend directed me to a site. This person modified her pictures but kept some of the background. For my images I did not want to see the background so I made up the rules as I went along.

This is my first tutorial so bear with me.

Start with a picture you want to modify, a tray of water, and a piece of sandpaper.

Leave the picture in water for just about one minute. This softens up the inks.

Use the sandpaper to roughen up the photo. In this example, I sanded quite a bit leaving just the underlayer of colors. I have also done some where I left some of the picture visible.

Wipe off the goo left from the removed colors. You may want to dip it back in the water to clear it off a bit so you can see if you want to sand it again.

Gather your supplies for decorating the picture. Bleach is nice for bleaching out bits. What I forgot to photograph was the automatic lead pencil that I used for doodling on the picture. It is one of those with the metal tip. I used it without lead so I was actually scraping off the paint. Alternatively you can scratch into the picture itself.

Spread on the first layer of paint. I ended up wiping off much of the black for the finished example.

Layer the second layer of paint. I chose a dark red color.

Blot away the excess paint. I don't use paper towels so I blotted with an old flannel rag.

Get creative! You can add as much or as little detail as you like.

Another example. This one has "love" etched into the back. I left this one in more of a rough state.

Filtered

2009-01-16T05:45:00.000-08:00

COFFEE FILTERS

Coffee filters...who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.

2 Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.

3. Protect China . Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish.

4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.

7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.

8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.

9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.

11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.

12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters. Not sure how this works!!

13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. Soaks out all the grease.

14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."

Uses for Old Photographs?

2009-01-12T18:10:00.000-08:00

I freecycled out a few photo albums that I found in the trash. I took out about 75 4 x 6 pictures. These are of people I do not know so keeping them is not my concern. I just have a hard time tossing this much potential crafting material.

I'm scouring the web right now looking for a creative use for old photographs. If you know of anything, please comment!

Crafty Days Ahead

2009-01-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

I am determined to have a craft filled weekend. There are many things that I would like to try to make. If it works out, I'd like to have a give away here on my blog. However, I don't even know if people here would be interested. I am not sure I even have regular readers. That being said, please let me know if a crafty giveaway would interest you!

2008 Wrap Up & 2009 Challenge

2009-01-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

We managed to get rid of over 4,500 things in our 2008 "55 Week Fling"! I was so proud of our efforts. When we started on December 1, 2007, I thought getting rid of 208 things would be difficult. We just kept going and going. It was amazing to see. Even when I thought there was nothing left to get rid of, I would open a drawer or get a box out and see even more things I did not need.

When we took out the tree and decorations, I ended up getting rid of tons of stuff. We had enough extra stuff to do a second tree easily. Of course, I kept enough ornaments and lights for a six foot tree even though we currently have a four foot one. I figure it is better to keep enough than to have to go out and spend money (gasp!) on more stuff!

This brings me to the 2009 Challenge. This year I encourage all of you to join in on Project Purge! Consider getting rid of just one item per day. that is 365 items in a year! My family is donating most items to our local FreeCycle group. This year, as with last year, we are not counting items thrown away.

If you chose to follow along on Project Purge, let me know. I'd love to cheer you on!

More Holiday Crafts!

2008-12-16T07:13:00.000-08:00

I made a really cool gift last night for a swap I'm doing today. The recipient is a knitter so I make her some stitch markers. I think they came out quite well. One set has larger rings and smaller leaves in dark green. The other set has smaller rings and larger leaves in light green.

Yuletide Gifting

2008-12-12T06:55:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share a child's gift that Hubby made this year.

I requested a child's toy that is something of quality. I wanted something a young boy or girl could play with, use their imagination, and have for a long time. It needed to be sturdy and work without batteries, flashing lights, or noise. While watching Matty play, I realized that blocks might be well suited for all ages of children. This is a gift that can be added to, should another person be so inclined.

Hubby made a set of really nice blocks in two sizes. There are some that are stained and others are just covered in a sealant. The first set of 4 needed for this year has been made. I guess the true test will be seeing what the young recipient thinks of them.

We're doing quite well with the home made gifts this year. I'm grateful that I have the supplies for much of my crafting available to me here so the cost is much less than it could be. After work today, I need to finish up some gifts that I'm making and plan out some baked goodies that I can give to the menfolk who I don't know well enough to buy for. Everyone likes food right? ;)

Check it Out!

2008-12-04T15:22:00.000-08:00

I guess I am, in a way, stabbing myself in the foot here, but I encourage you to go visit Confessions of a Craft Addict's 2008 Christmas giveaway. It's a great one!

The rules are pretty cool. All you have to do is mention your favorite charity. It's a great way to get to know about other people so read the comments if you'd like!

2008-12-03T19:42:00.000-08:00

All of the crafty goodness over on Sew Mama Sew has me so inspired!

I think that I will try to get some pictures uploaded of my own crafting here. I've been trying to make some gifts for our holiday celebrations.

Check back here in the next few weeks to see some of the things we're making.

Giveaways Make Me Happy!

2008-12-03T17:19:00.000-08:00

Check out this great one at Mommy & Beyond!

Go Forth & Grab Them!

2008-12-03T16:34:00.000-08:00

Sew Mama Sew if hosting Give Away Day. Go check them out!

2008-12-03T14:29:00.000-08:00

Go check out this give away at Suzie Button Creations!

Let's Talk Turkey!

2008-11-22T07:52:00.000-08:00

Hubby is working a bit of overtime today and once he is done working he will stop at a grocer's in the neighboring big city to pick up a turkey and sweet potatoes. The regular chain here in this area has turkeys for 59 cents per pound. This "fancy" store where hubby is going has them for 39 cents per pound. Needless to say we are getting turkey at the "fancy" store.

Generally we will buy two or three turkeys each year. Heck, at 39 cents per pound, we cannot beat the price. We cook one now and freeze the rest. We will, of course, have tons of leftovers from the first bird for the usual array of foods including carcas soup. Some will be frozen for later.

In the spring we like to smoke a bird and have tons more meat for yummy things.

By doing this we can save a lot on our food budget. Last year we did not have the money to get extra bird. I'm grateful that we can do that now!

Holiday Cards

2008-11-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

When sending out your holiday cards this year, take one card (or more) and send it to the address below. If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much would get.

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

Winter Holidays Will be Here Soon!

2008-11-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

I feel a sense of shock when I realize that the year is nearly over!

My birthday was a quiet affair this year. No presents from immediate family but that was expected. My mom bought me bras which was my request. We got a great deal at Lane Bryant by combining coupons. We each got 3 new bras and only spent $66, that makes them $10 each plus tax!

A friend made me a faerie house. It was so thoughtful of her, especially since their finances are shaky at the moment (more so than most I'm afraid).

I'm thinking forward to the holidays now. This year I have many more people that I wish to honor in a small way so I'm looking for items we can make that won't break the bank.

Hubby is making blocks for the young children in our lives. The two sets will cost less than $8 and will be a gift that will last a long time.

I am thinking of making some sweets to be given out in paper bags decorated with holiday decorations painted on them. This is festive without breaking the bank.

Hubby and I are doing stocking items only for each other this year. The girls (14, 16, 19) will get their piece of silver jewelry that I purchase each holiday. I also plan to make the 19 year old a special cookbook of her favorite comfort foods that her father & I have made over the years. Since the children are at their mother's house and don't have much contact with us, we are not planning to have tons of stuff for them. Even if we buy them gifts, their mom does not allow them to take the gifts home (or has not in the past) so we're better off saving our precious funds for other endeavors.

If you have any holiday gift ideas, post them here or post a link to your blog if they're posted there. Thank you!

I need to get my list started so I can get gifts made and wrapped and stored.

In other news, my "55 Week Fling" is still going on. I've managed to eliminate over 4,200 items from our home, not including food products given to families in need or paper clutter we've sorted and disposed of. I loved keeping a list this year because it allows me to feel so accomplished. I will be doing this in 2009 as well.

Cool Giveaway

2008-10-27T09:18:00.001-07:00

Check this giveaway out!

Who Wants A Clean House???

2008-10-27T08:36:00.001-07:00

I am feeling pretty messy lately. My house is not to it’s normal level of clean. Granted, I’ve never had a spotless house but it has generally been tidy. This is frustrating to me because I KNOW that I can do more than I have been doing around here. November marks the new year for me and I don’t want to enter my 34th year in disarray.

That being said, I have 5 days to get my stuff together. I will concentrate on one room per day. Each room will be worked on in small 15 minute bursts of “energy” as that is all I can offer!

Monday – Kitchen
Tuesday – Living Room
Wednesday – Bathrooms/bedroom
Thursday – Office
Friday – Kitchen AGAIN!

I will do one load of laundry per day as well. If anyone wants to come clean at my house, you’re more than welcome.

Would anyone like to see before & after photos? I’m a bit of a voyeur when it comes to messes. I like seeing pictures of messy rooms and then seeing them all cleaned up and pretty. If anyone shows an interest, I will post those pictures this week.

A Frugal Tour - The Master Bath

2008-10-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

So today is bathroom cleaning day on the big "fall cleaning" schedule. I started in the master bathroom as it is the one most used by me. I cleaned the sink, sprinkled stuff in the toilet, and sprayed down the shower to soak. Then I started on the big stuff like scrubbing the door and the walls.

While cleaning this very small room, I came to a realization. Most everything that we own and truly love is second or even third hand. Much of it was rescued from landfills. For instance, let's take a tour of my bathroom.

The first thing you see as you enter my bathroom is the shower curtain. It is a nice, very modern one from Target. I got it from Freecycle along with the coordinating and oh so thick bathmat. The shower curtain does not cover a shower though, it is a curtain for the window. This bathroom has a glass shower door so I did not need a shower curtain but I did need a curtain to block the view of the neighbor's house.

Directly to the right is the sink. Above which is a 3 door wooden medicine chest. I found it on trash day a few years ago. It smelled musty for about a week but it sure looks better than the regular sized medicine chest that was in there!

Next to the slightly larger than sink sized counter is a white washed cabinet. Truth be told, it is an old solid wood entertainment center that Hubby found at a dumpster while he was living in Oklahoma City back in 1996 or so. It has served numerous jobs in my home and has recently received it's first paint job (was just unfinished wood) in a streaky white washed look that goes well with the bathroom. This piece holds various baskets full of hair and makeup things. Most all of the containers came from trash and yard sales. There is a mini Lane cedar chest that I was given as a high school senior, a Tupperware brand 3 level candy dish that my mom got free when she worked for the Tupperware factory back around 1990, a green box given to my eldest for her birthday, and a few others. I did buy the set of 4 wooden boxes for insanely cheep at a store similar to Kirklands.

Next to this cabinet is the toilet. Above which is a white "over the john" cabinet that my beloved rescued on it's way to the dumpster when we lived in Florida. It is a white enamel and I love it! On top of this, at nearly ceiling level, I keep my angels that the girls purchased for me when they were little. This is a seriously culled down collection. I got rid of angels from everyone else and kept only the ones from my girls.

On the opposite wall, is the shower. Nothing special there.

Soon this room will be painted. I'm sure it will be something to coordinate with the shower curtain and the bedroom so probably a shade of brown or something. Of course, that will be purchased at the paint store where we get mis-tints for $1 per gallon.

I hope you enjoyed your virtual tour of my bathroom. Let me know if you enjoyed this and we can do more tours of other rooms in the house.

Fall Cleaning Schedule

2008-10-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

For people with a chronic illness, cleaning is not always easy. Add a procrastinating perfectionist into the mix and well, you get someone who gets easily frustrated with the cleaning and will put off the duties.

I work part time, from home, allowing me to keep my health in check. However, I will often let days or even weeks go by without doing any housework (because of pain) and before I know it, I am overwhelmed. In order to get myself into some sort of a routine, I have begun my "Fall Cleaning Schedule". The goal is to work on one room per day and the next day move on to the next room. I will circle through the house this way and eventually, I will just have a minor dust and vacuum in the rooms each day (in theory).

Days will be not be labeled Monday, Tuesday...Etc because some days I won't feel like doing anything. This is OKAY. I will just pick up where I left off the next day. It may take me 9 days to get the first pass done through the house and that is also okay. I won't beat myself up over this or feel that I am a failure.

Yesterday I started with the master bedroom. It is now nice and tidy, dusted and vacuumed. It isn't perfect but it is very nice. Next time I will delve into more of the sorting and organizing in the room.

Today is the master bathroom. I'm half way finished. I will try to complete the basic cleaning in there today and will move to organization next week.

I'm happy with this plan. I think my husband approves as well. He was happy to see the top of his dresser again!

Did You Miss Me?

2008-10-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

It seems that I tend to go through phases where I do not post to this blog. I've often though of just getting rid of it but quite honestly, I like having my posts here. I will be back to posting here soon, I promise.

Recipe: Cuppa Cobbler

2008-05-23T10:45:00.001-07:00

1 Cup of each of the following:

flour
sugar
milk
butter

mix well in bottom of 9x13 dish. add 1-2 cups of fruit (canned or fresh), do not mix. Sprinkle with cinnamon and place in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. This will never be the same twice. Go with it and enjoy!

2008-05-16T10:27:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday!

May is halfway over. It seems like just yesterday when we were making resolutions for the new year and here we are, nearly 1/2 way through the year. I hope you're still keeping your resolutions!

I have 4 hours of training for my job next Tuesday. After that I have roughly 3 weeks until I start my program specific training. In that time period, I have to get my act together. I have to find a way to get some routine into my life. Those of you without kids, how do you do it??

Wednesday Already?

2008-05-14T05:49:00.001-07:00

I have had a really bad week, with migraines and all that fun Fibro stuff. It is good to have a day where I feel ALMOST normal.

Looks like I will be getting the job I spoke about. The hours are not bad at all. Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, & Sat from 7 - 1. This will leave me plenty of time to be a Stay-at-Home wife and still work in order to pay the bills. When hubby's child support payments are over, in 5 more years, I won't have to worry about work nearly as much. It is sad to think that I essentially work to cover those payments. *No, I'm not saying we SHOULDN'T pay these. I'm merely stating that it is a large chunk of our income, more even than our house payment.*

I still need to find a routine to my days. You know like the old times when women did laundry on Monday and ironing on Tuesday, etc.? I really would like to find a routine.

May Flowers...

2008-05-07T19:22:00.001-07:00

The month is off to a bang!

I got a ride to a friend's house about 1 1/2 hours from here last weekend. One of the main reasons that I went was to get a good look at their land. They own quite a bit of land and are planning to sell of some plots to friends and family. Hubby & I are interested in getting around 5 or 6 acres for our own little homestead. It was a nice trip, even if I did spend more than I wanted to on food. One lesson learned: NEVER order the buffet until you see the price! This particular buffet was $13! I could have eaten a lot better meals for that amount of money!

This week is my last week on the job. My final day is tomorrow. I have applied for a few other work-from-home companies. I interviewed with one today. They are a 'parent' company to my current employer. I am qualified for any position that they may have so I'm going through the processes to see if I can get that position. It is part time, roughly 25 hours per week, and I will be working early morning hours. Wish me luck! While this is not making as much as I was making in the workforce, it does eliminate our need for so much gasoline (25 miles into the city each way) or fancy clothing. It also makes me feel better to know that I can hopefully make some money without having to see about getting my disability setup.

I've been making an effort to cook dinner every night this week. While it does not sound like much, this has really helped us. We haven't had to even thought about fast food. Fast food is a bad habit we'd gotten into lately. Hopefully soon, cooking will become second nature.

Tripping...

2008-04-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

Took an impromptu trip to New Orleans this past weekend. A friend went and took her daughters. I was invited to go along for the ride. It was fun and a real eye opener. People tend to do a lot in excess. The spending, the waste, it was all so much more than I was expecting.

I am back home and dealing with the news that my seasonal job is coming to an end next week. It was expected though so we're planning our frugal summer. Thankfully my Beloved is able to work more in the summer and can pick up side jobs.

Clearing Out the Clutter - Notecards

2008-04-22T14:46:00.001-07:00

Today I tackled the two boxes full of note cards today. I use these for addresses, recipes, websites & passwords, and directions for various duties. My two boxes were over flowing. It was quite embarrassing. I had 2 or 3 cards for my beloved Granny Annie who passed away in 2003. I also had one for my uncle who died in 2002! It was obvious that the website usernames and passwords were vastly out of date. 15 minutes later, I had a big pile of 180 notecards in the middle of my living room floor.

We don't have a shredder so I put these into a cauldron and burned them. Passwords and Account numbers, even old ones, don't need to get into the wrong hands!

Of course, you know that I'm keeping track of the items we give away (besides food) this year. We're also counting items thrown away as they are out of our house. I started a secondary list of the paper clutter items. We're going to have a goal of 1,000 paper items gone from the house this year. 180 down, 820 to go!

Cut The Crap

2008-04-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

I joined this group today with the hopes of decluttering our lives even more! I'm amazed at the sheer volume of crap that we manage to have in our lives. I don't think that Hubby & I are hoarders or anything, however, the stuff still is here. My mission is to eliminate it from our lives, one piece at a time.

Make Happiness Happen

2008-04-21T04:40:00.000-07:00

In an effort to be more positive, I am posting things that make me happy. I hereby declare Monday as Happiness Day and vow to find things to make me happy all day!

I am awake with little pain this morning.

Today is going to be beautiful.

I still have a job - pink slips went out to the first batch of people last week.

I have a full day of work today

I'm feeling quite artistic!!

What makes YOU happy today???

Giving It Up ... Letting Go

2008-04-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

We're just 4 1/2 months into our 55 Week Fling. Things are going better than I ever expected. We are not counting food items given away even though I've given away A LOT of food to my mom's friend who is having financial problems and to an online friend of mine who feeds a lot of the kids in her neighborhood.

That being said, we're now at 2,657 items removed from our house. Almost all of them went via Freecycle, though a few were thrown away or sold on Craigslist.

The main thing that I've discovered in this adventure is that we honestly do not miss the items that are gone. We still have some work to do in one room of the house before starting on the garage area, attic, and hubby's shop. I can easily see us getting to an astounding 3, 008 items!

I have kept up the list of items in a spreadsheet. It is astounding to look at that list and know that I had those items in my house.

We have a lot more space now and we're actually enjoying it. It is amazing how those things work.

Living With Less

2008-04-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

Oprah is on living with less today. Check it out if you can! I'm watching it and taping it to share with my husband.

It is the little things..

2008-04-16T09:16:00.001-07:00

It is the little things that seem to add up. The quick meals out instead of cooking, the soda bought at the gas station instead of planning ahead and bringing your own, the peer pressure to succumb to the monster that is Starbucks. Each of these little things adds up and soon enough a large chunk of your money is gone.

The first thing I have to do in order to reign things in for our family is to start cooking every meal at home. While fast food or restaurant food is convenient, it costs more. This is one area where I am in complete control.

Another place I need to look is at our WalMart runs. Don't bash me for using this store. I live in a town where there are not alternatives. Sadly small town America does not give many alternatives. Driving 30 miles into "town" does not help my environment and until they have rural bus routes here I won't be making that trip unless I have other things to accomplish at the same time. Anyway, hubby runs to WalMart a few times a week when we realize we're out of something. Inevitably, we end up with something that we did not really need.

Together, hubby & I are going to do this. We want me to be a stay at home wife and in order to do that, we must make sacrifices.

What are some of your favorite recipes? I need something quick and tasty!

Wow...Has it been that long?

2008-04-15T10:09:00.001-07:00

Life tends to get crazy around here. The season at work ends today so things will hopefully go back to some sort of normal soon. For now, I'm reading homemaker, frugal blogs and am trying very hard to get my frugal mindset back on.

In terms of the goals we had for simplifying our lives in 2008, have been going great. We have surpassed all of our goals. Over 2,500 items have left our house and our lives. It is amazing! And the saying "When your hand is open to give, it is open to receive" is very true. We have been gifted with some amazing things from Freecycle as well.

Weird Things to Do with Food

2008-01-25T14:20:00.001-08:00

PEPPER

Everyone knows Clorox's catchy ditty about keeping clothes bright, but all you need is pepper. Add a teaspoon of pepper to the wash before you add in your clothes and it will keep the colors from fading.

WHITE VINEGAR

Deodorant stains can ruin a perfectly good shirt. Save your whites by spraying white vinegar (no need to mix with water) onto the underarm areas. Then you can wash per usual.

SUGAR

At your next BBQ don't spend money on anti-pest candles that never work. Simmer 2 cups of milk, a 1/4 pound of sugar and 2 oz. of ground black pepper for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the mixture into bowls and put them where the flies will be attracted to them and then drown. You can also place around the house. No more buzzzzzing at the windows.

SODA

Next time your drain is clogged and you don't have time to run to the store for some Drain-O just look in your fridge! A 2-liter bottle of soda will do the trick. Just pour it down to clobber the clog.

SHORTENING

For a natural solution to diaper rash, try coating the area with a thin layer of shortening. It will act as a moisturizer.

SALT

Grease stains can be a huge pain when it comes to doing laundry. Before you wash, work a generous amount of table salt into the stain and then launder as usual.

POTATOES

Too much to drink last night and now you have puffy eyes? Apply a thin slice of cold potato to your eyes and leave on for five minutes. Then splash with cool water, put on your makeup (or just some moisturizer -- this means you, too, guys!) and head to work!

ORANGES

Don't you hate it when you have to start a fire and little bits of newspaper are flying everywhere? Next time, air-dry orange peels, which contain flammable oils that burn longer, and use those instead of the paper. The delicious smell is a bonus.

OLIVE OIL

Does it seem like nothing is working for your bad skin? Use 4 tablespoons of salt and 3 tablespoons of olive oil to create a paste. Leave it on your face for 2 minutes and rinse with warm water. Then wash your face as normal. Use every day for a week and then cut back to 3 days a week and you should notice an improvement.

MUSTARD

It may make you smell like a hot dog, but rubbing a thin layer of mustard over your chest and covering with a hot towel can relieve a stuffy head and chest.

MILK

Oh no! You forgot to put the cap on your pen and now there is ink seeping into your shirt. No worries -- just grab some milk and soak the area. Depending on the type of ink, this process can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours. Patience is a virtue.

MAYONNAISE

It's one thing when your child draws on the wall with crayons, it's quite another when it comes to your wood furniture. Rub some mayonnaise on the crayon mark and let it soak for ten minutes. Then take a damp cloth and wipeaway the mayo AND the crayon!

LEMONS

Dandruff can be an embarrassing health problem, but the special shampoo often smells yucky. Try massaging 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into your scalp and rinsing with warm water. Follow with a leave-in rinse of 1 teaspoon lemonjuice in 1 cup of warm water. Use this daily until your scalp is healed.

FLOUR

You have an ant problem but are worried about the poisonous ant traps around your pets. Just sprinkle flour wherever you see ants entering the house and along the pantry shelves, since they are most likely after your food.

EGGS

No time to hit the salon before your big event? Get your hair super shiny and conditioned with eggs! Take two beaten egg yolks and massage into hair. Start at the scalp and work in small sections. Then gather all of the hair in a shower cap, wrap in a warm towel and wait 30 minutes (you could cook the kids' dinner). Rinse with cool water and shampoo as usual.

CORN STARCH

Your child just learned how to tie their shoes and the knots are impossible to undo. Stay calm and sprinkle a little cornstarch on the laces to help you work out the knot.

CLUB SODA

There's no more worrying about drinking red wine on white carpet. Soak up as much wine as possible and then pour club soda over the area, making sure to blot and not rub. Repeat the process until the wine is no longer visible. You can also do the same for urine stains.

CASTOR OIL

While most of us associate castor oil with constipation or childbirth, did you know it can also help get rid of pesky moles in your yard? Just mix a 1/2 cup of castor oil with two gallons of water and pour the mixture down the mole(s) hole(s). Don't worry, the solution is animal friendly and they will likely relocate.

BUTTER

A jewelry box can help you organize, but sometimes those thin-chained necklaces just want to get tangled and you can't stop them! Rub some butter into the knot and lay on a flat surface. Then take a sewing needle to untangle. When finished just run under hot water to rinse off the butter.

BREAD

Next time you drop a wine glass or break a plate, grab a slice of bread to help you clean up. After you pick up the larger pieces, press the bread over the area and it will pick up all the itty bitty pieces you can't see. Bread can also help clean fingerprints off walls and wallpaper. Just rub and voila!

BANANAS

Before you throw your banana peel in the compost pile, remove any stringy pulp and use the peel as a buffer. This works with silverware as well as leather shoes and leather furniture. Just rub the peel over the object and buff with a soft cloth. Be sure to test a small section of your furniture first!

APPLES

Sick of waiting for your green tomatoes to ripen on the windowsill? Stick up to five tomatoes in a brown paper bag with a ripe apple and seal for a few days. This will speed up the ripening process.

2008-01-17T20:14:00.001-08:00

Please watch this short, beautiful film to have a donation made to
Autism Speaks. The band, Five for Fighting, is generously donating
$0.49 to Autism Speaks for *each time* the video is viewed. The
funding goes toward research studies to help find a cure. When you
have a moment, please visit the link below to watch the video and
pass it along to your friends and family. They are aiming for 10,000
hits, but hopefully we can help them to surpass this goal.

Click & Watch Please

How Would You Handle This?

2008-01-13T14:53:00.000-08:00

I am making a gift for a friend's birthday - using items on hand - 3 beads, and a length of wire. Would you could this as one item (the ring) or 4 items (beads & wire) when counting the items leaving the home?

Goals Suprassed

2008-01-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

In December, Hubby thought that 208 items would be a more realistic goal. We met that and changed our goal to 1008. Well, Ladies and Gents, we've now surpassed that goal as well. Looks like the original challenge amount of 2008 may just be something we can accomplish. At the VERY least, I will continue with my goal of 7 things per week for the year.

Here is this week's list (week ends on Saturday):

1	book - The Note	Mom
1	Mensa Puzzle Book	Gwen
1	Hello Kitty Kit	Freecycle - Tepeza
1	Star light	Freecycle - Tepeza
1	thread type yarn	Freecycle - Tepeza
1	bug	Freecycle - Tepeza
1	stuffed cat	Freecycle - Tepeza
1	faeire crystal	Freecycle - Tepeza
1	poodle grows	Freecycle - Tepeza
1	orange candle	Freecycle - Tepeza
1	Angel Book	Freecycle - Tepeza
3	cinderella stamp markers	Freecycle - Tepeza
4	boy toys	Freecycle - Tepeza
5	magazines	Freecycle - Tepeza
1	Candle	Freecycle - Tepeza
1	Candle holders	Freecycle - Tepeza
1	oil candle holder	Freecycle - Tepeza
1	shadow box	Trudy
1	basket	Freecycle - Tepeza
25	plastic hangers	Gwen
1	basket	Gwen
3	snow globe dragons	Freecycle - Cheryl
2	shampoo	Freecycle - Cheryl
1	toothpaste	Freecycle - Cheryl
1	hair inhibiter	Freecycle - Cheryl
9	razors	Freecycle - Cheryl
1	cologne	Freecycle - Cheryl
2	hair glitter gel	Freecycle - Cheryl
1	hair wax	Freecycle - Cheryl
1	travel bottle	Freecycle - Cheryl
3	bathsalts	Freecycle - Cheryl
2	sample shampoo	Freecycle - Cheryl
1	plastic box	Freecycle - Cheryl
1	tooth mirror	Freecycle - Cheryl
3	bath fizzies	Freecycle - Cheryl
2	plastic drawer things	Mom
1	IGIA Hair Straightner	Freecycle - Cheryl
4	massage tools	Freecycle - Cheryl
2	pks of watercolor pencils	Freecycle - Cheryl
1	Book on BiPolar Disorder	Freecycle - Cheryl
1	Sword	Freecycle - Cheryl
2	sets of curtains	Freecycle - Jean
8	pillow cases	Freecycle - Jean
2	sets of sheets	Freecycle - Jean
15	books	Freecycle - James
4	Makeup Items	Mom
31	Makeup Items	Freecycle - Jackie
1	Cat Door
1	Swiffer Mop	Gwen
1	Large Dry Erase Board	Freecycle - Audrey
2	Downy Fabric Softener balls	Mom
1	Tide Detergent sample	Mom
1	Reclining Chair	Dad
4	drawer organizers	Mom
1	wooden chess/checker game	Freecycle - Yolanda
68	Music CDs	Freecycle - Yolanda
71	Blank CD cases	Freecycle - Yolanda
5	Music CDs	Mom
2	Music CDs	Kes
1	Discovery Toys Mosaic Mysteries	Freecycle - Donna
1	audio cassette	Freecycle - Yolanda
1	Stick Vac Hoover	Kayla
4	Books	Courtney
6	Books	Freecycle
17	Coke Caps	Freecycle - Donna
1	Gap Sweater	Kayla
2	Swiffer Wet Pads	Gwen

This weekly total is 350 (two additional items added to last weeks items). This brings our grand total to 1133. WoooHooo!!!

Going...Going...Gone!

2008-01-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

This week has been crazy! I gathered and got rid of SO many things. I know my list looks crazy and I'm sure it will slow down drastically soon. By October, I'm sure I'll be getting tired of this!

Here is this week's list:

2	Kiddie Swimming pools	Freecycle - Susan H
1	Pooh backpack	Freecycle - Shawn
2	shirt	Freecycle - Shawn
2	robe	Freecycle - Shawn
1	"Dreams" Jar	Freecycle - Shawn
1	man's watch	Freecycle - Shawn
1	bedside lamp	Freecycle - Shawn
1	nokia phone	Freecycle - Shawn
1	shower head	Freecycle - Shawn
3	bathroom hooks	Freecycle - Shawn
1	makeup brush holder	Freecycle - Shawn
1	Samsung Charger	Freecycle - Shawn
1	knitted shawl	Freecycle - Shawn
1	scarf	Freecycle - Shawn
1	hankie	Freecycle - Shawn
1	shrek	Freecycle - Shawn
1	shower curtain clips	Freecycle - Shawn
2	bathroom facuet	Freecycle - Shawn
1	stuffed bunny hang on	Freecycle - Shawn
3	small bag	Freecycle - Shawn
1	Set of Jerry Garcia pics	Freecycle - Shawn
2	Sets of handles	Freecycle - Shawn
2	Set of shower rings	Freecycle - Shawn
1	Glade plug in	Freecycle - Shawn
1	package of snore clips	Freecycle - Susan H
1	bathroom bag	Freecycle - Susan H
1	cat mit	Freecycle - Susan H
1	blue basket	Freecycle - Susan H
5	shirt	Freecycle - Susan H
1	cell phone case	Freecycle - Susan H
1	space bag	Freecycle - Susan H
2	Skin So Soft	Freecycle - Susan H
1	mouthwash	Freecycle - Susan H
1	shaving cream	Freecycle - Susan H
1	Robe	Freecycle - Susan H
2	Candle holders	Freecycle - Susan H
1	Sunglass Clips	Freecycle - Susan H
1	men's watch	Freecycle - Susan H
1	jewelry finding	Freecycle - Susan H
1	lotion	Freecycle - Susan H
2	Tshirts	Freecycle - Susan H
1	thermometer	Freecycle - Susan H
1	qtip container	Freecycle - Susan H
6	lotion	Freecycle - Susan H
1	cologne	Freecycle - Susan H
2	stridex pads	Freecycle - Susan H
15	scrunchie	Freecycle - Susan H
8	perfume	Freecycle - Susan H
1	doll	Freecycle - Susan H
3	small bags	Freecycle - Susan H
1	flosser	Freecycle - Susan H
3	hair clips	Freecycle - Susan H
1	face toner	Freecycle - Susan H
1	hair gel	Freecycle - Susan H
1	candle	Freecycle - Susan H
1	nail file	Freecycle - Susan H
1	pen	Freecycle - Susan H
1	shampoo	Freecycle - Susan H
1	face scrubber	Freecycle - Susan H
1	bar of soap	Freecycle - Susan H
1	deo ball	Freecycle - Susan H
3	clippies	Freecycle - Susan H
5	makeup brushes	Freecycle - Susan H
1	lanicane	Freecycle - Susan H
1	baby lotion	Freecycle - Susan H
1	batch of samples	Freecycle - Susan H
1	set of combs	Freecycle - Susan H
1	lipgloss	Freecycle - Susan H
6	ties	Freecycle
1	coat	Kayla
33	Shirts	Kit, Russ, & Freecycle
1	jacket	Kit
1	3 Hole Punch electric	Freecycle - Teacher
2	porcelain doll stands	Freecycle - Libby
1	pk of gift tags	Beth
2	magazine	Beth
1	homeschool book	Beth
2	organizers\	Beth
1	drink bottle holder	Beth
1	pumpkin carving kit	Beth
1	paintable statue	Beth
1	pair of boxers	Beth
3	paintable signs	Beth
1	picture frame	Freecycle - Doti
1	box of crayons	Beth
1	coupon book (McDs)	Freecycle - Doti
2	lanyard straps	Beth
1	lipstick holder	Freecycle - Doti
3	Hello Kitty Stamps	Beth
1	Mary Engelbreit teapot	Freecycle - Doti
1	mini notepad	Beth
2	decorative boxes	Beth
12	Greeting cards	Beth
1	bag of balloons	Freecycle - Doti
2	organza bag	Freecycle - Doti
47	pages of stickers	Beth
1	pk of picture frames	Freecycle - Doti
1	pk of die cuts	Freecycle - Doti
1	pk of cut stamps	Freecycle - Doti
1	Set of Stress Tapes	Freecycle - Shawn
1	GW Cassette Recorder	Freecycle - Shawn
1	paint brush	Freecycle - Doti
1	wooden ball	Freecycle - Doti
1	set of plastic drawers	Freecycle - Doti
1	note paper caddy	Freecycle - Doti
4	felt bags	Beth
1	pk felt bats	Beth
1	dirty words game	Beth
3	pk of sticky felt	Freecycle - Doti
1	pk of little wooded spools	Freecycle - Doti
2	mini notepads (matchbooks)	Freecycle - Doti
1	stapler	Freecycle - Doti
1	staple puller	Freecycle - Doti
1	barette	Freecycle - Doti
1	swatch watch	Freecycle - Doti
1	pill holder	Freecycle - Doti
1	post it sticker	Freecycle - Doti
1	box of fae note paper	Freecycle - Doti
1	small fishbowl	Freecycle - Doti
1	stack of consturction paper	Freecycle - Doti
2	coloring books	Freecycle - Doti
1	box of crayons	Freecycle - Doti
1	stamp pad	Freecycle - Doti
2	decorative napkins	Freecycle - Doti
2	roll of film	Freecycle - Doti
1	pk of dowel rods	Freecycle - Doti
1	keychain	Freecycle - Doti
1	letter opener	Freecycle - Doti
2	tatoos	Kit
2	big stickers	Kit
1	hand made box	Kit
1	small wood box	Kit
1	black ribbon	Beth
1	fabric bit	Beth
3	new boxes of crayons	Freecycle - Teacher
1	spool of elastic thread	Beth
2	magazine	Freecycle - Doti
12	pens	Freecycle - Doti
1	spool of ribbon	Beth
1	set of nail stickers	Beth
2	small paint brushes	Beth
1	black stamp pad	Beth
1	Ann Rule book	Freecycle - Doti
1	bottle clenaer	Beth
1	scrunchie	Freecycle - Doti
2	anticeptic wipes	Freecycle - Doti
1	pk of misc beads	Beth
1	herb recipes	Beth
1	hair gel	Freecycle - Doti
1	magnet	Freecycle - Doti
1	razor holder	Freecycle - Doti
1	barette	Freecycle - Doti
1	large metal basket	Freecycle - Doti
1	pedometer (slimfast)	Freecycle - Michelle
2	boxes of jello	Freecycle - Lani
1	box of pudding	Freecycle - Lani
2	bags of chicken	Freecycle - Lani
1	box of steakums	Freecycle - Lani
1	pk of sausages	Freecycle - Lani
1	can of peas	Freecycle - Lani
1	box of oats	Freecycle - Lani
6	pks of koolade	Freecycle - Lani
1	pk cheeseburger mac	Freecycle - Lani
3	pk frozen cookes	Freecycle - Lani
2	bags of veggies	Freecycle - Lani
4	Jenny Craig Bars	Freecycle - Lani
2	pks of linguini	Freecycle - Lani
1	cornbread mix	Freecycle - Lani
1	box of cookie mix	Freecycle - Lani
1	set of cookie cutters	Freecycle - Lani
2	page size tattoos	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
2	3 ring binder	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	gift bag	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	2' section of ribbon	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
3	bags of scrapbook die cuts	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	necklace	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	card	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
2	rainbow note pads	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	halloween bag	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	pr of scrapbook scissors	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	boning	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	fuseable webbing	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	2002 pooh calendar	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	small origami kit	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	stencil	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	pk of hello kitty gift bags	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	bunch of eucaliptus	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
2	large spools of curling ribbon	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	black note book	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	white pad of paper	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	set of rings for circles	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	small frame	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	large pile of clipart	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	paint brush	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	folder	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
4	3 ring binder	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	magazine	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	vice	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
1	paint kit for sencils	Freecycle - Laura (toomanycats)
9	Shirts	Mom
1	Skirt	Mom
1	Pair of Pants	Mom
1	sweater	Mom
3	vintage books	Freecycle
3	educational books	Freecycle - Michelle
11	mystery/horror books	Freecycle
6	learning books	Freecycle
12	Romance/Other Books	Freecycle
15	Chicken Soup Books	Mom

SO...if you have gotten this far, you see that I've managed to rid my house of 469 things THIS week! This brings our current total to 783!

783/1008
425 items left for my 1008 in 2008 goal

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words...

2008-01-03T14:49:00.000-08:00

I took some pictures of the items leaving our house for this Project. I'm not good at getting pictures for each and every item but I'm trying. Anyway, December 2007's total was 314 items.

Here is a picture of a few of the items before they left our home for the last time!