I love coffee.
Freshly ground from whole bean coffee.
I love it so much, I invested in a pretty darn good Krups burr grinder ($50 buck from Amazon,com) a couple years ago and have never regretted the outlay of cash. As a matter of fact, I think it was the best $50 bucks I've spent. The money saved by buying good beans from a local roaster over the cost of stopping by Starbucks from time to time to feed my addiction (what else can you call that "gotta have coffee craving" you get in the morning?) has really been substantial.
As much as I love hot coffee on cold days, I have to admit that often I waited and drank my coffee when it was lukewarm, or completely cool. I had never tried cold brewed coffee or had an iced coffee until a couple weeks ago. I splurged at Border's bookstore and bought a combo lunch that included a medium coffee drink. Since it was over 95 degrees outside, iced coffee sounded interesting. Not only was it interesting, it was flat out fantastic!!
I wanted to be able to recreate that wonderful taste at home, the way I did with hot brewed coffee. Border's sells a cold brew carafe system---but at around $30, it was a little out of the ideal price for me. Remember, it's all about being able to live rich on the cheap! Last night, I had a really bad craving for iced coffee. Driving across town would have made that the most expensive cup of iced coffee in town! So, I did a little research and found one of the most informative websites (I need Coffee. com) , on making coffee that I have ever seen. I was going to head off to the Asian grocery store this morning to get a Vietnamese coffee filter to strain the coffee when I realized that the gold fine mesh filter that I bought for my coffee machine might just do the trick. Guess what? It was perfect!
So, I followed the instructions and made an awesome jar of cold brewed coffee concentrate (I even used a canning jar that I recycled from a previous salsa purchase!)!
Lesson here? If there is some type of food/beverage that you are obsessing about, do a little Internet research. You might have to tweak recipes or try several different ones, but I'd be willing to bet you can make it at home for pennies on the dollar. Or in my case, pretty close to free since I had everything right here at home.
The only thing that I plan to do for future glasses is to make a pretty stout simple syrup from the turbino sugar that I love so much so that it is already dissolved and mixes easily in the cold coffee. After that, milk or a little half and half is all that is needed. I might experiment and use a little vanilla in the simple syrup, but other than that I love the idea of making iced coffee at home so inexpensively! I have a bottle of coffee concentrate in the fridge as I type, ready for whenever I MUST have more!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Goals for the Week
This weekend has pretty much been a wash out as far as getting anything accomplished towards the house.
I did manage to get caught up on sleep, so that should not be an issue. I realize my house is really in need of a good cleaning and organizing. Badly. It seems that I always have good intentions, then get overwhelmed with the tasks. So this week I am going to work on one room--the library, then the family room once that is finished. By giving myself 3 days per room and only doing one room from top to bottom (this includes hanging new curtains and all pictures and wall art that hasn't been properly hung) , I am hoping it won't seem so overwhelming. After that, I will take 3 days for the master bedroom. we have put a lot of unopened boxes in this room and need to do some major emptying. This will include getting the master closet and the master bathroom cleaned through and organized. I have clothes on hangers that I can honestly say I have not worn since before the twins were born. They turn 14 this year!! Why are they still on hangers taking up precious space?!
At some point this weekend, I want to have a friend help me pick up the freezer so we can get it plugged in and cooled down. Pretty sad to be excited about getting a freezer, but this should make it easier for me to budget and plan meals. I think the saving should be substantial.
Even though gas prices are falling, I am still looking for major ways to conserve and cut back. Actually I am trying to conserve and cut back in every section, not just gas. I've done pretty well at staying out of stores, but there have been a couple slips that drain the budget, so my goal is to completely stay away from Wal-mart and Target. I guess I also have to work on staying away from Amazon too. It is too easy to hit the BUY button.
I am getting better at not buying a skein or three of yarn ever time I got to the yarn store, so that is getting better. I took a mini inventory of all the yarn I do have and can honestly say I have enough to keep me busy for the next season. I usually do a bit more knitting in the colder seasons, so my goal is to burn through my stash. I am working on some really pretty Norwegian mittens at the moment and will need a soft yarn to line the inside with, so I am not ruling out buying more yarn just for that purpose, but just for the linings since I don't have anything else that will work. I have enough yarn left over from these mittens and enough of the same kind of yarn in my stash to make several more pairs--which will keep me busy. The stranded color work on these mittens is easy enough that I don't get frustrated, but complicated enough to make me pay attention. I'll have to post pictures of them later this week, once I get a little farther on them. I've just got half of the first one done right now, so I do want to get far enough so you can tell what you are looking at.
I did manage to get caught up on sleep, so that should not be an issue. I realize my house is really in need of a good cleaning and organizing. Badly. It seems that I always have good intentions, then get overwhelmed with the tasks. So this week I am going to work on one room--the library, then the family room once that is finished. By giving myself 3 days per room and only doing one room from top to bottom (this includes hanging new curtains and all pictures and wall art that hasn't been properly hung) , I am hoping it won't seem so overwhelming. After that, I will take 3 days for the master bedroom. we have put a lot of unopened boxes in this room and need to do some major emptying. This will include getting the master closet and the master bathroom cleaned through and organized. I have clothes on hangers that I can honestly say I have not worn since before the twins were born. They turn 14 this year!! Why are they still on hangers taking up precious space?!
At some point this weekend, I want to have a friend help me pick up the freezer so we can get it plugged in and cooled down. Pretty sad to be excited about getting a freezer, but this should make it easier for me to budget and plan meals. I think the saving should be substantial.
Even though gas prices are falling, I am still looking for major ways to conserve and cut back. Actually I am trying to conserve and cut back in every section, not just gas. I've done pretty well at staying out of stores, but there have been a couple slips that drain the budget, so my goal is to completely stay away from Wal-mart and Target. I guess I also have to work on staying away from Amazon too. It is too easy to hit the BUY button.
I am getting better at not buying a skein or three of yarn ever time I got to the yarn store, so that is getting better. I took a mini inventory of all the yarn I do have and can honestly say I have enough to keep me busy for the next season. I usually do a bit more knitting in the colder seasons, so my goal is to burn through my stash. I am working on some really pretty Norwegian mittens at the moment and will need a soft yarn to line the inside with, so I am not ruling out buying more yarn just for that purpose, but just for the linings since I don't have anything else that will work. I have enough yarn left over from these mittens and enough of the same kind of yarn in my stash to make several more pairs--which will keep me busy. The stranded color work on these mittens is easy enough that I don't get frustrated, but complicated enough to make me pay attention. I'll have to post pictures of them later this week, once I get a little farther on them. I've just got half of the first one done right now, so I do want to get far enough so you can tell what you are looking at.
Slow Sunday....
Hubby and one of our sons have been at a 52 hour round the clock baseball tournament since Friday night, so other son and I have been hanging out here at the house. Usually I have a vehicle at my disposal, but hubby discovered a nail in his tire, so he has my car. It has been really strange to not have a car. It has made me realize how much I depend on my car.
It feels weird staying home all weekend. Actually, I did get out to go to our dinner groups biweekly dinner out, so I haven't been completely home bound...Mark (other son)went with me to dinner so between the two of us, we spent $40. Not the cheapest dinner by far, but it was good, the portions huge and the leftovers fed us for lunch on Saturday. One good thing about not having a car is the fact that I didn't go out and do any impulse/boredom shopping. Actually, pizza really sounded good for dinner tonight and I almost let my fingers do the walking, but instead Mark and I walked to the video store (I discovered I REALLY need to walk more!) for cheap movies and some video games for them and then came home. I cut up a pork loin that I had picked up at Sam's Club on Friday and fixed dinner at home. The rest of it is roasting in the oven for Tuesday's dinner. I bought a lot of meat at Sam's on Friday and froze some of it already. I have a package of hamburger meat in the fridge that has to be divided up into 1 pound sections before being frozen--that has to be done tonight.
One of the things I discovered Friday is that we just do not have enough freezer space for me to buy in bulk. As a result, we are going to get a chest freezer. Not a big one, just 7-8 cubic feet. I really don't think we would keep one of the really big ones stocked (since there are just 4 of us here at the house) and that makes the freezer have to use more electricity to keep the foods frozen. Every time I go to Sam's there are some really good meat deals. However, our freezer can't handle large purchases so often I have to pass it up. When I am at the local grocery store, they often have really good prices on frozen veggies etc, but again, not enough room to stock up. So I often have to stop by the store to pick up "one or two items"--which never goes successfully. I wish I could say I was one of those people who could come in for one item and leave with only that one item, but that never happens. Quick trips to the store always end up costing at least $50, usually more. A freezer will allow me to go shopping in bulk once and then not have to go to the store until the next planned shopping trip. Luckily the freezer is small enough to fit in the back of my friend's Saturn Vue, so at some point this week or this coming weekend, I will have hubby come along and help us load it into the car.
I am going to have to unearth my freezer cooking books that are in boxes and I ordered 2 more freezer cookbooks from Amazon (32% off retail price plus free shipping for over $25 order) to increase the possible recipe bank I have to chose from. I figure once a month I will have a marathon cooking jag and get entrees prepared. That will allow me to have a planned menu--finally! This will also allow me to have the entree defrosting in the freezer while I go about my day and be able to pop it in the oven at the proper time. I have done a couple sessions at Super Suppers and Simple Suppers before, but I want to do it a little more inexpensively. While I loved going somewhere and preparing the meal and having someone else take care of the cleanup, it is a pretty big bite to the budget, which defeats my goals. One my side bar under "Blogs I adore" are two really good sites : Simple Mom and Small Notebook that talk about meal planning and family budgeting. I'd highly recommend taking a look at both of them for ideas on menu planning.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Freezer Cooking
For quite some time, I have been interested in freezer cooking aka one a month cooking etc.
This is where you stock up on one day, then spend an afternoon in a marathon cooking session preparing meals that you freeze in individual meal portions. Then all you have to do for the next 15 or 30 days (depending on how many you prepared) is take the meal out of the freezer the night before, or that morning and place it in the fridge to thaw. This method has been around a while--I have cookbooks from 10 years ago--and is a time saver for busy families. I have never actually cooked this way, but have really wanted to for a long time. Unfortunately we have never had a freezer to keep all these meals--the fridge freezer is just too small for this amount of frozen foods. I had decided that we were going to get a freezer to put downstairs so I have been considering the options and looking at the prices. I knew that the standard small car sized freezer would be too big for our family of 5 (now 4 since oldest has moved out) and would be an electricity drain if we didn't keep it filled, so I was thinking either the smallest or the next size up would suffice. I did find a 7 cubic foot freezer at Sam's--this looks like the best option. At $190, it won't bust the budget either. Now I have to find a way to get it to the house. Time to hit up friends...If the van was not at the mechanic's, we'd haul it home in that...but alas...
So now I am digging out the freezer cookbooks and fixing single family meal sized portions of recipes to find the ones my family will eat so that we can make larger portions to freeze. I am hoping that having a freezer stocked with meals already prepared, and having a freezer to keep frozen veggies and fruit in large portions, will allow me to "shop big-shop once". Every time I go into a store to pick up "a couple things for dinner tonight", I end up coming out with $100 worth of non related stuff. Hopefully this will help in the budget and consumption department and pay for itself.
This is where you stock up on one day, then spend an afternoon in a marathon cooking session preparing meals that you freeze in individual meal portions. Then all you have to do for the next 15 or 30 days (depending on how many you prepared) is take the meal out of the freezer the night before, or that morning and place it in the fridge to thaw. This method has been around a while--I have cookbooks from 10 years ago--and is a time saver for busy families. I have never actually cooked this way, but have really wanted to for a long time. Unfortunately we have never had a freezer to keep all these meals--the fridge freezer is just too small for this amount of frozen foods. I had decided that we were going to get a freezer to put downstairs so I have been considering the options and looking at the prices. I knew that the standard small car sized freezer would be too big for our family of 5 (now 4 since oldest has moved out) and would be an electricity drain if we didn't keep it filled, so I was thinking either the smallest or the next size up would suffice. I did find a 7 cubic foot freezer at Sam's--this looks like the best option. At $190, it won't bust the budget either. Now I have to find a way to get it to the house. Time to hit up friends...If the van was not at the mechanic's, we'd haul it home in that...but alas...
So now I am digging out the freezer cookbooks and fixing single family meal sized portions of recipes to find the ones my family will eat so that we can make larger portions to freeze. I am hoping that having a freezer stocked with meals already prepared, and having a freezer to keep frozen veggies and fruit in large portions, will allow me to "shop big-shop once". Every time I go into a store to pick up "a couple things for dinner tonight", I end up coming out with $100 worth of non related stuff. Hopefully this will help in the budget and consumption department and pay for itself.
Know Your Store Policies
I was reading this post from the blog Get Rich Slowly and was alarmed by the fact that Target stores don't honor their customer service policies when they sell defective DVD's. Needless to say, I won't be buying DVD's from Target.
That said, I have to admit that lately we just don't buy dvd's unless it is a documentary--I recently purchased the Ken Burns Civil war series from Sam's club (and a couple dvd's about the Vietnam war, ww II and the navy seals also) since they are educational and there is benefit from having them on hand to watch again. Lately we just rent movies and games at the video store a lot more than actually purchasing them. While this may not sound economically feasible, what I have found is that after the kids play a game 4 or 5 times, they tire of it and it then becomes just one more thing in the cabinet. If we rent it 4 times and it costs $20-$30 total to rent, then I save $30 off the regular cost of a $60 game. If they take these games to a reseller, we don't get much for them...so renting is actually the most economical way to go. There are a few games we have bought and the kids still play, but we rent them first to make sure they are worth it.
That said, I have to admit that lately we just don't buy dvd's unless it is a documentary--I recently purchased the Ken Burns Civil war series from Sam's club (and a couple dvd's about the Vietnam war, ww II and the navy seals also) since they are educational and there is benefit from having them on hand to watch again. Lately we just rent movies and games at the video store a lot more than actually purchasing them. While this may not sound economically feasible, what I have found is that after the kids play a game 4 or 5 times, they tire of it and it then becomes just one more thing in the cabinet. If we rent it 4 times and it costs $20-$30 total to rent, then I save $30 off the regular cost of a $60 game. If they take these games to a reseller, we don't get much for them...so renting is actually the most economical way to go. There are a few games we have bought and the kids still play, but we rent them first to make sure they are worth it.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Wednesday...Hump Day...
I ended up staying home today instead of going to the yarn store in Newton. Actually, I intended to go, but since it was only 8 a.m after I picked the kids up from football practice, I laid down.
And woke up at 1:oo. GEEEZZZZZZZZZ. I guess I am still not back on track as far feeling better.
I did get the lab reports back and yes, the kidney stone was composed of calcium, which is pretty common. So as a result, there is a huge list of things I have to avoid like broccoli, carrots, spinach (goodbye beloved spinach salad), whole wheat anything, shrimp, raspberries, CHOCOLATE (just shoot me!!), ICE CREAM (ditto), tea, coffee, yogurt....did I mention that I start every morning with yogurt and a glass of iced tea....and the list goes on. It will take me a while to get used to the NO list. Damn. Chocolate is going to be impossible. I'll have to work on that by cutting back first. I am pretty motivated to not get another one as large as this one, but changing all at once is going to be unrealistic. The hard thing is that a lot of the foods I have to avoid are foods you usually think of a healthy. No cranberries, raspberries, whole grains, whole wheat, cheeses, etc.
Thank God (literally) for good health insurance though. I have a needle biopsy scheduled for the 12 th of the month to check out the lesion they found on my liver. I know, EWWWWWWWWWW--believe me, I'd rather not be blogging about this either. However I have discovered that just getting it out in blog land helps me be less stressed.
The boys start school on the 14th, so this is going to be a busy month. As of Friday, our budget is going to take a huge dip. To enroll the boys in public school costs $110 for both kids, then we have sports physicals at $60 each. And then we have new clothes for school. However the boys are pretty easy to shop for since they prefer to wear jeans and t-shirts.
I have decided that I want to learn to weave this year. I have been interested in weaving for a while and there is a class available at the city art center. I'll look into it on Friday. A lot depends on whether hubby has class on the day the class is offered. He is working on his master's degree again this semester, so our family schedule will be "interesting" to say the least.
On the budget side, my goal this pay period is to make a grocery budget and a meal plan and stick with it. I am going to be pretty careful about writing down EVERYTHING I buy so I can determine where the leaks are. I am also going to try some freezer cooking...dinner for tomorrow will be homemade pizza. I buy mozzarella cheese in bulk at Sam's and freeze it, so I have all the ingredients for it, including pepperoni and other toppings. There is a blogger I admire who feed 13 kids and two adults on a budget. check out her site, not only is it a highly entertaining blog, she is a great example of how to budget and feed a family on a budget. She also has tips on meal planning and a little of everything else. Go check out her site :
http://bakersdozen.typepad.com/.
One of my goals this Christmas is to make gifts and buy very few commercially made stuff. I am going to make jams/jellies, candies, knitted gifts and other handmade gifts. Since it is August, I am working on mittens. Actually I took a mitten class last week and am still working on the color work. They are very detailed, so I can't say I will be gifting any of these except to family. They are very labor intensive. Fun, and a good project to keep me focused and entertained, but definitely labor intensive. The yarn shop is going to have a mitten of the month club, but I'm not sure it will be in my budget to join. I might have to go solo and find free patterns off Ravelry...Heaven knows I have yarn for more pairs of mittens....lots more! and I am definitely going to do a lot more of the Fiddlehead mittens that I am currently working on.
And woke up at 1:oo. GEEEZZZZZZZZZ. I guess I am still not back on track as far feeling better.
I did get the lab reports back and yes, the kidney stone was composed of calcium, which is pretty common. So as a result, there is a huge list of things I have to avoid like broccoli, carrots, spinach (goodbye beloved spinach salad), whole wheat anything, shrimp, raspberries, CHOCOLATE (just shoot me!!), ICE CREAM (ditto), tea, coffee, yogurt....did I mention that I start every morning with yogurt and a glass of iced tea....and the list goes on. It will take me a while to get used to the NO list. Damn. Chocolate is going to be impossible. I'll have to work on that by cutting back first. I am pretty motivated to not get another one as large as this one, but changing all at once is going to be unrealistic. The hard thing is that a lot of the foods I have to avoid are foods you usually think of a healthy. No cranberries, raspberries, whole grains, whole wheat, cheeses, etc.
Thank God (literally) for good health insurance though. I have a needle biopsy scheduled for the 12 th of the month to check out the lesion they found on my liver. I know, EWWWWWWWWWW--believe me, I'd rather not be blogging about this either. However I have discovered that just getting it out in blog land helps me be less stressed.
The boys start school on the 14th, so this is going to be a busy month. As of Friday, our budget is going to take a huge dip. To enroll the boys in public school costs $110 for both kids, then we have sports physicals at $60 each. And then we have new clothes for school. However the boys are pretty easy to shop for since they prefer to wear jeans and t-shirts.
I have decided that I want to learn to weave this year. I have been interested in weaving for a while and there is a class available at the city art center. I'll look into it on Friday. A lot depends on whether hubby has class on the day the class is offered. He is working on his master's degree again this semester, so our family schedule will be "interesting" to say the least.
On the budget side, my goal this pay period is to make a grocery budget and a meal plan and stick with it. I am going to be pretty careful about writing down EVERYTHING I buy so I can determine where the leaks are. I am also going to try some freezer cooking...dinner for tomorrow will be homemade pizza. I buy mozzarella cheese in bulk at Sam's and freeze it, so I have all the ingredients for it, including pepperoni and other toppings. There is a blogger I admire who feed 13 kids and two adults on a budget. check out her site, not only is it a highly entertaining blog, she is a great example of how to budget and feed a family on a budget. She also has tips on meal planning and a little of everything else. Go check out her site :
http://bakersdozen.typepad.com/.
One of my goals this Christmas is to make gifts and buy very few commercially made stuff. I am going to make jams/jellies, candies, knitted gifts and other handmade gifts. Since it is August, I am working on mittens. Actually I took a mitten class last week and am still working on the color work. They are very detailed, so I can't say I will be gifting any of these except to family. They are very labor intensive. Fun, and a good project to keep me focused and entertained, but definitely labor intensive. The yarn shop is going to have a mitten of the month club, but I'm not sure it will be in my budget to join. I might have to go solo and find free patterns off Ravelry...Heaven knows I have yarn for more pairs of mittens....lots more! and I am definitely going to do a lot more of the Fiddlehead mittens that I am currently working on.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Small morning post...
Picked up the boys from morning football practice. Yep, getting three sweaty teenage boys in a small car is quite invigorating....
Not!
Practices this week have started at 6:30 a.m. Guess who has been taking them? Guess who is NOT a morning person?! That'd be me....
At some point this week, I am going to go hunting for a small freezer to go downstairs. I have been thinking about getting a freezer for a while now. Even though I am trying to not buy anything new, I think this will be a good thing. This will allow me to buy in bulk when I see really good meat deals. There have been several times when Sam's or one of the local grocery stores have had really good meat sales and I have had to pass them up because we didn't have room in the freezer. I have been wanting to actually use my once a month freezer cookbooks too. Some of the women I know that cook with this method, swear by it. It would be great to just be able to take an entree out of the freezer --already prepared--and the only thing you have to do is heat it up and prepare the sides.It does take a full day marathon of prepping the dishes, but after that, it is pretty easy. I definitely want to do this now that the school season is beginning. Hubby is working towards his master's degree, so on Monday and Wednesdays, he will be going straight from work to school. The boys have football games on Monday nights, so I will be attending...not to mention other little activities that go on throughout the week. It will be a busy season and having meals already prepared would go a long way towards keeping things sane. Anyway, I am going to look for a small one that can go downstairs and not take up a lot of space so we have just enough freezer space, but not so much that it eats electricity and is a bear to fill. Some of my friends have the large ones and they have to be kept stocked or they use more electricity to keep it cool.
I have to admit I didn't get anything done as far as a garden this year. I am seriously considering putting in my raised beds as it cools off so that next year I just have to remove the layers of newspaper (to keep out weeds) and aerate the soil before planting. We are going to hit the nursery this weekend in search of a dwarf pear and a dwarf peach tree. One of the boys is volleying for an apple tree too. It depends on the space we have left. We planted a cherry tree last year when we moved in. Hopefully it will give us cherries next year. Wouldn't it be great to have most of the fruit we use readily available from our backyard? I am looking at some blackberry bushes and raspberry bushes to use as shrubs along the fences to maximize our potential to grow what we eat. I love to make jams and preserves. This year I am going to try my hand at canning jars of peaches from the local peach farm here in town.
Well, I guess I'd better run and try to get something done for the day. It promises to be a busy one!
Not!
Practices this week have started at 6:30 a.m. Guess who has been taking them? Guess who is NOT a morning person?! That'd be me....
At some point this week, I am going to go hunting for a small freezer to go downstairs. I have been thinking about getting a freezer for a while now. Even though I am trying to not buy anything new, I think this will be a good thing. This will allow me to buy in bulk when I see really good meat deals. There have been several times when Sam's or one of the local grocery stores have had really good meat sales and I have had to pass them up because we didn't have room in the freezer. I have been wanting to actually use my once a month freezer cookbooks too. Some of the women I know that cook with this method, swear by it. It would be great to just be able to take an entree out of the freezer --already prepared--and the only thing you have to do is heat it up and prepare the sides.It does take a full day marathon of prepping the dishes, but after that, it is pretty easy. I definitely want to do this now that the school season is beginning. Hubby is working towards his master's degree, so on Monday and Wednesdays, he will be going straight from work to school. The boys have football games on Monday nights, so I will be attending...not to mention other little activities that go on throughout the week. It will be a busy season and having meals already prepared would go a long way towards keeping things sane. Anyway, I am going to look for a small one that can go downstairs and not take up a lot of space so we have just enough freezer space, but not so much that it eats electricity and is a bear to fill. Some of my friends have the large ones and they have to be kept stocked or they use more electricity to keep it cool.
I have to admit I didn't get anything done as far as a garden this year. I am seriously considering putting in my raised beds as it cools off so that next year I just have to remove the layers of newspaper (to keep out weeds) and aerate the soil before planting. We are going to hit the nursery this weekend in search of a dwarf pear and a dwarf peach tree. One of the boys is volleying for an apple tree too. It depends on the space we have left. We planted a cherry tree last year when we moved in. Hopefully it will give us cherries next year. Wouldn't it be great to have most of the fruit we use readily available from our backyard? I am looking at some blackberry bushes and raspberry bushes to use as shrubs along the fences to maximize our potential to grow what we eat. I love to make jams and preserves. This year I am going to try my hand at canning jars of peaches from the local peach farm here in town.
Well, I guess I'd better run and try to get something done for the day. It promises to be a busy one!
Friday, August 01, 2008
Good Deals
While I didn't escape the day without spending, what I did buy was a really good deal. A friend and I went to Border's to sit and talk today and I found a copy of a cookbook that I have been coveting for a long time that was in the bargain section for $7.99. It is normally a $40 book and the recipes are ones that I will REALLY use, so I'm feeling pretty positive about that. The down side is that I actually splurged and bought lunch there. That was $7 I could have done without spending. I am going to have to plan a little better so I don't find myself out somewhere and hungry.
After that we went to the Goodwill store and found a nice wood chair that I intend to refinish and paint for $3. I will strip it and use it to sit on when I am spinning at my spinning wheel. I've been lugging a chair from the dining room each time I want to spin and this will make things easier.
I also found a copy of "The Nanny Diaries" for .99. I have been wanting to read the book ever since I saw the movie. The movie disappointed me immensely but a friend told me the book was MUCH better. So now I have a copy to read. I'll pass it along or give it back to Goodwill after I'm finished with it. I am trying to make more of an effort to actually start reading a lot more books this year. I have a large amount of books that I had put on the shelf to "read someday" but haven't been able to get to it. I am finally making myself read through the shelf and then donating or passing along the book that I don't really love enough to add to the permanent collection in my library.
I have a mittens class at the yarn shop tomorrow, so I am hoping that I will be able to refrain from buying anything. In reality I am behind the rest of the class since I missed the first class meeting due to illness (darn kidney stones!!), but I intend to go to the class anyway so I can see where everyone is at and at least hear the discussion and tips about the pattern. They are a Norwegian style mitten and they look really warm. I am hoping to get the pattern and the techniques figured out so I can make quite a few of these for gifts this Christmas season. With the number of skeins we needed for the class, I will have enough yarn to make at least three pairs in different color combinations. I might have to buy yarn for the linings, but I'll cross that bridge when I actually have the outside of three pairs completed. I am hoping to get them completed by September. The girl that teaches the class says she can make a complete set in less than a week, but with the schedule I keep, I am going to set the end of September as a goal.
The next week is going to be pretty expensive since school related expenses for the kids are coming out of this paycheck. We have school fees for 2 boys at $100-120 each. I miss living in Oklahoma where you don't have to pay registration and other fees for public school!! They are both in football, so we have to get sports physicals done at $60 each....That is not going to do wonders for the budget, but they are not things we can avoid, so no use bitching about it..
So the goals for the upcoming week are:
1. Work on -and make significant progress on-- Norwegian mittens.
2. Empty boxes in the master bedroom and pitch what is not really needed.
3. Organize the master bedroom and the library. We still have boxes from when me moved in-A YEAR AGO!
4. Get the family room in order and arranged. Empty boxes and clean up.
I am going to just focus on those 4 things instead of adding more. If I get them done early, then I add other goals.
Well, considering it is after midnight, I probably should sign off and go to bed. Have a great morning!
After that we went to the Goodwill store and found a nice wood chair that I intend to refinish and paint for $3. I will strip it and use it to sit on when I am spinning at my spinning wheel. I've been lugging a chair from the dining room each time I want to spin and this will make things easier.
I also found a copy of "The Nanny Diaries" for .99. I have been wanting to read the book ever since I saw the movie. The movie disappointed me immensely but a friend told me the book was MUCH better. So now I have a copy to read. I'll pass it along or give it back to Goodwill after I'm finished with it. I am trying to make more of an effort to actually start reading a lot more books this year. I have a large amount of books that I had put on the shelf to "read someday" but haven't been able to get to it. I am finally making myself read through the shelf and then donating or passing along the book that I don't really love enough to add to the permanent collection in my library.
I have a mittens class at the yarn shop tomorrow, so I am hoping that I will be able to refrain from buying anything. In reality I am behind the rest of the class since I missed the first class meeting due to illness (darn kidney stones!!), but I intend to go to the class anyway so I can see where everyone is at and at least hear the discussion and tips about the pattern. They are a Norwegian style mitten and they look really warm. I am hoping to get the pattern and the techniques figured out so I can make quite a few of these for gifts this Christmas season. With the number of skeins we needed for the class, I will have enough yarn to make at least three pairs in different color combinations. I might have to buy yarn for the linings, but I'll cross that bridge when I actually have the outside of three pairs completed. I am hoping to get them completed by September. The girl that teaches the class says she can make a complete set in less than a week, but with the schedule I keep, I am going to set the end of September as a goal.
The next week is going to be pretty expensive since school related expenses for the kids are coming out of this paycheck. We have school fees for 2 boys at $100-120 each. I miss living in Oklahoma where you don't have to pay registration and other fees for public school!! They are both in football, so we have to get sports physicals done at $60 each....That is not going to do wonders for the budget, but they are not things we can avoid, so no use bitching about it..
So the goals for the upcoming week are:
1. Work on -and make significant progress on-- Norwegian mittens.
2. Empty boxes in the master bedroom and pitch what is not really needed.
3. Organize the master bedroom and the library. We still have boxes from when me moved in-A YEAR AGO!
4. Get the family room in order and arranged. Empty boxes and clean up.
I am going to just focus on those 4 things instead of adding more. If I get them done early, then I add other goals.
Well, considering it is after midnight, I probably should sign off and go to bed. Have a great morning!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Day 1--no new yarn...
That doesn't sound like a huge deal, but since I am at the yarn shop helping out twice a week, it is. I handle every type of yarn we stock and most times I end up taking home at least one (usually 2 or more) skeins or a new tool EVERY TIME I AM THERE!
That is really not good!
So today, I decided to make sure I focused on the fact I am trying to finish a set of Norwegian mittens for a class...it was REALLY hard, but I am proud of myself for sticking with it. No yarn or tools adopted today...I wound a dozen skeins of this recycled cotton we have in the shop and was soooo tempted--but I didn't buy any. I reminded myself I have 5 balls of cotton for dishcloths and 2 really large cones of the same cotton in my stash closet. Then I reminded myself I need to work through through my stash---I have quite a bit of yarn that needs to be made into projects.
I found another good budgeting/consumerism reduction site: http://smallnotebook.org/
Check it out. I'm not sure I can make $250 last our family as long as their 2 adult /1 toddler family did, but the ideas are very realistic and I will adapt them to our family but possibly raising the monthly budgeted amount. I'll look this over and work it out this coming weekend. Since tomorrow is the beginning of the month, this is a good time to start.
That is really not good!
So today, I decided to make sure I focused on the fact I am trying to finish a set of Norwegian mittens for a class...it was REALLY hard, but I am proud of myself for sticking with it. No yarn or tools adopted today...I wound a dozen skeins of this recycled cotton we have in the shop and was soooo tempted--but I didn't buy any. I reminded myself I have 5 balls of cotton for dishcloths and 2 really large cones of the same cotton in my stash closet. Then I reminded myself I need to work through through my stash---I have quite a bit of yarn that needs to be made into projects.
I found another good budgeting/consumerism reduction site: http://smallnotebook.org/
Check it out. I'm not sure I can make $250 last our family as long as their 2 adult /1 toddler family did, but the ideas are very realistic and I will adapt them to our family but possibly raising the monthly budgeted amount. I'll look this over and work it out this coming weekend. Since tomorrow is the beginning of the month, this is a good time to start.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Compacting?
Starting in July, I made a commitment to not buy anything new and to get my house and budget in line. Actually I started in June and was doing really well until July. My "official" commitment to the Compact was due to start then.
At the stroke of midnight on the 1st, my brain turned into a consumer pumpkin.
Not only did I blow the budget on new stuff, I REALLY blew it!
So as of this week--the last week of July (!) , I have to say I wasn't too successful. However, instead of giving up and throwing in the towel, I am just going to get back up and saddle up again. Hopefully this time I'm on a horse instead of a jackass...oops!
One of the things I did discover about myself is that I have problems with buying even at thrift stores. For example: Yesterday one of the kids and I went to Goodwill to look for painting for the walls. We had found some really neat paintings at Goodwill earlier in the month. At this Goodwill, we didn't find anything even remotely decent, but as we were leaving I made one last pass through the housewares and dishes.
Bad call.
I found a punch bowl and cups for $5. Then I found 2 more sets for $5 each. Yes, I am one of those rare people who actually use punch bowls. But 3? As you can surmise, all three ended up coming home with me.
Damn!
So, now I am going to have to actually start using them to justify the space they take up. That means actually having get togethers at our house, which actually means getting the house uncluttered so I am not freaking out that our house is too cluttered for guests. That is going to entail actually making a plan and sticking to it.
One good thing about this is the fact that if I stick with staying home and uncluttering and decorating, I will not be in stores shopping. This is going to take a lot of self discipline!!
At the stroke of midnight on the 1st, my brain turned into a consumer pumpkin.
Not only did I blow the budget on new stuff, I REALLY blew it!
So as of this week--the last week of July (!) , I have to say I wasn't too successful. However, instead of giving up and throwing in the towel, I am just going to get back up and saddle up again. Hopefully this time I'm on a horse instead of a jackass...oops!
One of the things I did discover about myself is that I have problems with buying even at thrift stores. For example: Yesterday one of the kids and I went to Goodwill to look for painting for the walls. We had found some really neat paintings at Goodwill earlier in the month. At this Goodwill, we didn't find anything even remotely decent, but as we were leaving I made one last pass through the housewares and dishes.
Bad call.
I found a punch bowl and cups for $5. Then I found 2 more sets for $5 each. Yes, I am one of those rare people who actually use punch bowls. But 3? As you can surmise, all three ended up coming home with me.
Damn!
So, now I am going to have to actually start using them to justify the space they take up. That means actually having get togethers at our house, which actually means getting the house uncluttered so I am not freaking out that our house is too cluttered for guests. That is going to entail actually making a plan and sticking to it.
One good thing about this is the fact that if I stick with staying home and uncluttering and decorating, I will not be in stores shopping. This is going to take a lot of self discipline!!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Weekend in Agra
Yesterday we went to Agra, Oklahoma to hang out with my sister in law and her kids. My niece was having a birthday, so it was good to be able to celebrate with her. Usually my mom in law and I go to Texas to celebrate on their home turf--this time Roxanne came here. Unfortunately her husband had to work, so he stayed behind in Texas. As you can see, there is a significant height difference between the older boys and their young cousin.....
Goofy boys! But the height problem WAS solved....
Grandma and the kids.........
Mom in law, Dad in law, Hubby and sister in law....Families are a good thing........
Monday, July 14, 2008
Raking in the goodies...
Today was a really good day for treasures. I needed a table with a straight edge to attach my yarn ball winder and yarn swift since all the surfaces in my house, as I discovered, have decorative edges and aren't suitable for attaching things....
Saturday, hubby and I went to the hardware store and I had all the parts needed to build a table for my swift and yarn winder. Hubby pointed out we had $60 worth of stuff in the cart, then it dawned on me that I hadn't even looked at any thrift shops. I had THOUGHT about looking, but had not actually looked. So while one of my sons and I were out running errands today, I stopped at a thrift shop and found THE perfect table. For $4 !!! Oh Yeah! Needless to say, it came home with me. I also found 2 really neat oil paintings for $4 each, so they came home with me also. They will be hung in the guest bathroom. The next thing I'm looking for is a baby gate so we can keep the dogs out of the laundry room. I will continue to look in thrift stores since I am trying not to buy new or pay retail prices.
When I got home, there was a message on my answering machine from a shop here in town that my husband I visited Saturday. They were having a customer appreciation party and there were some really neat grand prizes. The message on the machine said I won one of the grand prizes--a gift basket of natural skincare products. Good stuff! I usually do not win in drawings, so it took me a minute or 3 to remember what I had entered.
I had planned on running errands again once hubby came home, but decided to wait and bundle all the errands on Friday when I will be in that part of town. I am still trying to conserve and limit the gas we are burning. Actually I am trying to save money on utilities in general. Yesterday I had turned off the air conditioner and it was 84 degrees in the house. However with the windows open, it didn't feel that way to me--we were getting a pretty good cross breeze. I am usually the one who gets hot and insists the a/c get turned on, but this time hubby did it. HMMM.
I did talk to our contractor to secure a date in August to get our deck rebuilt. I am looking forward to being able to sit on the deck this Fall. Hubby and I wandered around the front and side yard to discuss some changes I want to make to the front and sides of the house. A lot of it is cosmetic, but one entails extending the fence along the side of the house to give us a little more space in the backyard. We have a 20 foot square area beside the house that is not being used--wasted space. I want to extend the fence so we can use that space. I am going to measure this week so we can project the costs. I am finally getting around to making changes to this house in order to make it ours. We moved in last year and really haven't done anything to it. I am rededicating myself to getting the inside and outside of the house in order and making it a haven for my family. This Friday I am picking up some decorative bricks and mulch to build decorative areas around some of the trees and rose bushes in the backyard. These things will cost money and require I buy new, but I think the benefits will outweigh the drawbacks. At some point I am going to build a water garden in the backyard. I love water gardens and will put what I learned in the water garden class to the test.
Well I need to go change out clothes in the washer--Good coffee and great friends to you and yours.
Saturday, hubby and I went to the hardware store and I had all the parts needed to build a table for my swift and yarn winder. Hubby pointed out we had $60 worth of stuff in the cart, then it dawned on me that I hadn't even looked at any thrift shops. I had THOUGHT about looking, but had not actually looked. So while one of my sons and I were out running errands today, I stopped at a thrift shop and found THE perfect table. For $4 !!! Oh Yeah! Needless to say, it came home with me. I also found 2 really neat oil paintings for $4 each, so they came home with me also. They will be hung in the guest bathroom. The next thing I'm looking for is a baby gate so we can keep the dogs out of the laundry room. I will continue to look in thrift stores since I am trying not to buy new or pay retail prices.
When I got home, there was a message on my answering machine from a shop here in town that my husband I visited Saturday. They were having a customer appreciation party and there were some really neat grand prizes. The message on the machine said I won one of the grand prizes--a gift basket of natural skincare products. Good stuff! I usually do not win in drawings, so it took me a minute or 3 to remember what I had entered.
I had planned on running errands again once hubby came home, but decided to wait and bundle all the errands on Friday when I will be in that part of town. I am still trying to conserve and limit the gas we are burning. Actually I am trying to save money on utilities in general. Yesterday I had turned off the air conditioner and it was 84 degrees in the house. However with the windows open, it didn't feel that way to me--we were getting a pretty good cross breeze. I am usually the one who gets hot and insists the a/c get turned on, but this time hubby did it. HMMM.
I did talk to our contractor to secure a date in August to get our deck rebuilt. I am looking forward to being able to sit on the deck this Fall. Hubby and I wandered around the front and side yard to discuss some changes I want to make to the front and sides of the house. A lot of it is cosmetic, but one entails extending the fence along the side of the house to give us a little more space in the backyard. We have a 20 foot square area beside the house that is not being used--wasted space. I want to extend the fence so we can use that space. I am going to measure this week so we can project the costs. I am finally getting around to making changes to this house in order to make it ours. We moved in last year and really haven't done anything to it. I am rededicating myself to getting the inside and outside of the house in order and making it a haven for my family. This Friday I am picking up some decorative bricks and mulch to build decorative areas around some of the trees and rose bushes in the backyard. These things will cost money and require I buy new, but I think the benefits will outweigh the drawbacks. At some point I am going to build a water garden in the backyard. I love water gardens and will put what I learned in the water garden class to the test.
Well I need to go change out clothes in the washer--Good coffee and great friends to you and yours.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Can't sleep Post
Yes, it is storming outside and I should not be on the computer, but it is 5 something in the morning and I can't sleep. So instead I am checking out the blogs of others and adding blurbs to my own blog. I'm sure I will feel like hell in a couple hours, but luckily I don't have to worry about going anywhere today. The only big plan on the schedule is to knit some more on a pair of socks that have been hanging on my needles WAY too long and to make something sweet to munch on. Oh, and get to the pottery studio to throw some pots. I've missed two weeks worth of throwing so I'd bette pull it out! It might be better if I skip the baking part since I have really crashed my diet and have actually gained weight this month.
I am actually enjoying the rain we have been getting lately. It helps to water the plants outside and save me some $$ on the water bill. If it rains during the day today, I am going to move my spinning wheel over to the patio door and do a little spinning. I need to stay home and out of the yarn shop anyway. I have SOOOOOOOOOOOOO blown the budget and have bought a ton of knitting related stuff this month. That would be OK except for the reality of the fact that I have enough of a yarn stash already.
So, from this weekend until the end of the summer, I am going to do my best to not add to the stash--and to knit from what I have!
I blew the spirit of the Compact this month big time. It is a little ironic that I did better following the Compact before I officially began...That said, I am following the Compact on my own since it appears they are not active anymore. I have emailed the group leader several times and have not received a response. It appears a lot of the group keep their entries on their personal blogs and don't post to the group site, so I usually go to the individual sites, and keep my notes on this blog site about my efforts (TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS) to get a handle on my spending and to make responsible decisions about not buying new. I have a ton of book that are sitting on the bookshelf, unread, and a ton of other craft related enterprises that need to be consumed, so it's not like I have a good excuse to buy something new.... except maybe some stuff to make things for a craft show I am going to have a booth at this Fall. I need to make a lot of earring, necklaces and bracelets to sell. Haven't started on them yet...
Ideally today I will get oldest son's room packed up and the walls painted so I can get it turned into my studio and the guest bedroom. I would really like to be able to have all my craft stuff in one place and organized. I get pretty frustrated since I have a pretty good stock of jewelry supplies, but since they are scattered around, I often have problems finding them. The game pan is to get the room in order, then bring in shelving units and bins for a better system of organization.
I am actually enjoying the rain we have been getting lately. It helps to water the plants outside and save me some $$ on the water bill. If it rains during the day today, I am going to move my spinning wheel over to the patio door and do a little spinning. I need to stay home and out of the yarn shop anyway. I have SOOOOOOOOOOOOO blown the budget and have bought a ton of knitting related stuff this month. That would be OK except for the reality of the fact that I have enough of a yarn stash already.
So, from this weekend until the end of the summer, I am going to do my best to not add to the stash--and to knit from what I have!
I blew the spirit of the Compact this month big time. It is a little ironic that I did better following the Compact before I officially began...That said, I am following the Compact on my own since it appears they are not active anymore. I have emailed the group leader several times and have not received a response. It appears a lot of the group keep their entries on their personal blogs and don't post to the group site, so I usually go to the individual sites, and keep my notes on this blog site about my efforts (TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS) to get a handle on my spending and to make responsible decisions about not buying new. I have a ton of book that are sitting on the bookshelf, unread, and a ton of other craft related enterprises that need to be consumed, so it's not like I have a good excuse to buy something new.... except maybe some stuff to make things for a craft show I am going to have a booth at this Fall. I need to make a lot of earring, necklaces and bracelets to sell. Haven't started on them yet...
Ideally today I will get oldest son's room packed up and the walls painted so I can get it turned into my studio and the guest bedroom. I would really like to be able to have all my craft stuff in one place and organized. I get pretty frustrated since I have a pretty good stock of jewelry supplies, but since they are scattered around, I often have problems finding them. The game pan is to get the room in order, then bring in shelving units and bins for a better system of organization.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Blowing the Compact slightly...
I was doing pretty darn good following the compact and not buying new--but it seems like the money flew out the door this July 4th holiday. I need to plan better and have more of a reserve built in for holidays. Food and fireworks cost more than I had budgeted for, even though we we really conservative on both this year.
When it rains, it pours. The car might have to go in the shop to get looked at--hubby said it wouldn't turn over initially when he was out today. I almost had to go get him. He put the car in neutral and it started. I hope it is nothing serious. We really are not in a good position to have a big car repair bill. And to top it off, the dishwasher bit the big one Friday. We do have it covered on an appliance warranty from when we bought the house--and we recently renewed it, so that might be a little easier on the budget. But it still bites the wallet. Next pay period I am going to write what I spend for EVERYTHING in a little book, so I can see where I'm slipping up.
I am showing one of the boys how to make a New York style crumb cake in just a little bit. We were at the grocery store and he was trying to talk me into buying a boxed crumb cake mix. I looked at the price, quantity, and preservatives and explained we could make one better,bigger and less expensive. He jumped at the suggestion he help me make one, so that is what we will be doing as soon as the buttermilk is at room temp. I want both boys to have a better sense of the fact they can usually make things like pizza and sweets themselves. They don't need to be dependant on a box.
When it rains, it pours. The car might have to go in the shop to get looked at--hubby said it wouldn't turn over initially when he was out today. I almost had to go get him. He put the car in neutral and it started. I hope it is nothing serious. We really are not in a good position to have a big car repair bill. And to top it off, the dishwasher bit the big one Friday. We do have it covered on an appliance warranty from when we bought the house--and we recently renewed it, so that might be a little easier on the budget. But it still bites the wallet. Next pay period I am going to write what I spend for EVERYTHING in a little book, so I can see where I'm slipping up.
I am showing one of the boys how to make a New York style crumb cake in just a little bit. We were at the grocery store and he was trying to talk me into buying a boxed crumb cake mix. I looked at the price, quantity, and preservatives and explained we could make one better,bigger and less expensive. He jumped at the suggestion he help me make one, so that is what we will be doing as soon as the buttermilk is at room temp. I want both boys to have a better sense of the fact they can usually make things like pizza and sweets themselves. They don't need to be dependant on a box.
Lazy Sunday......
It is Sunday and either the beginning or ending of the week, depending on your opinion...I just woke up, hubby is out flight instructing (since 6 a.m!!) so I am the only one up at the moment. The sheer fact that I am up at 7 something in the morning can be taken as nothing short of a miracle.
But then stranger things have happened.
I just finished a really good book last night. Actually it was such an easy read that I devoured it in 2 nights, start to finish. It is " Here If You Need Me" --the book is upstairs, so I'll have to retrieve Katie's last name later. If I try to spell it now, only hard feelings will occur! It was a really easy read about the author's attempt at reconstructing a life for her and their children after the death of her state trooper husband. His dream was to become a minister after he retired. She took that dream and brought it into being. The book itself is not large and not emotionally draining so it is a good read for night time. It tells a lot about just having compassion and being there for others--not trying to make an unfortunate situation right, but to just BE there for the people going through the hardships she is called out on and to BE there for the officers that have to deal with the emotions they often bottle. I would recommend this book highly. The first person to blurb this post's comments saying they'd like to read it, I'll send the book to them. I do ask they pass the book on after reading it. Share the pleasure..
I am getting ready to start on another book that I recently bought used in Kansas City by Joan Anderson. I'll post the title and a short review later. This summer I am hoping to be able to read some of the books that have lingered on my bookshelf for way too long and then redistribute them to others. I'll use this blog as a posting place. I would really love to get a laptop computer so I can log on and blog from upstairs. A lot of times I get sidetracked and don't get downstairs to blog about something while the moment is still fresh. Hubby is working on his master degree, so having a laptop may be something we have to have---I'm just not sure how much play time I'll get on it once he gets it filled up with school assignments and general engineering junk... Oh well.
Today is destined to be a home focused day. I am going to work on getting the kitchen cleaned and the master bathroom done. Our stairs have cream colored carpet, so having as many cats as we do, they are always looking quite worse for wear. They will have to be dealt with today.
In the budget arena, I am trying not to spend any money until the end of the week, when hubby gets paid. Even then it will be a little slim since we are going to have to have the dishwasher repaired. Two days ago it just quit working. Figures. This one came with the house and we did extend the home warranty, which covers appliances, so I we'll see how that plays out budget wise. I do have to run to Stillwater to complete some wedding flowers for a friend of my niece, but that is the only big trip I have planned for the rest of the month at this point. A trip to see my oldest son is in the planning stages also.
School starts August 13th for the kids--damn this summer went fast! I feel bad that we didn't do any traveling this season. We might have to make a trip to Kansas City or fly to the ocean. Jeremy wants to go to Pensacola, Florida to collect seashells. Mark wants to go to Wyoming to visit a friend, but that trip may not be possible this year. The beach is do-able. We are trying to stay close to home or do trip that won't require a huge output of gas expenses. Even though a flight to Florida would require aviation fuel, we would spend most days on the beach, which should save fuel. I am going to have to consider whether it would be better for us to go after school starts and it is the off season as far as tourists go. I also want to find a hotel within walking distance of the beach or directly on the beach so the car can stay parked unless needed. Any suggestions? Another possible place we could go is Sanibel Island/Captiva. It is probably the best location in the US for shelling....
But then stranger things have happened.
I just finished a really good book last night. Actually it was such an easy read that I devoured it in 2 nights, start to finish. It is " Here If You Need Me" --the book is upstairs, so I'll have to retrieve Katie's last name later. If I try to spell it now, only hard feelings will occur! It was a really easy read about the author's attempt at reconstructing a life for her and their children after the death of her state trooper husband. His dream was to become a minister after he retired. She took that dream and brought it into being. The book itself is not large and not emotionally draining so it is a good read for night time. It tells a lot about just having compassion and being there for others--not trying to make an unfortunate situation right, but to just BE there for the people going through the hardships she is called out on and to BE there for the officers that have to deal with the emotions they often bottle. I would recommend this book highly. The first person to blurb this post's comments saying they'd like to read it, I'll send the book to them. I do ask they pass the book on after reading it. Share the pleasure..
I am getting ready to start on another book that I recently bought used in Kansas City by Joan Anderson. I'll post the title and a short review later. This summer I am hoping to be able to read some of the books that have lingered on my bookshelf for way too long and then redistribute them to others. I'll use this blog as a posting place. I would really love to get a laptop computer so I can log on and blog from upstairs. A lot of times I get sidetracked and don't get downstairs to blog about something while the moment is still fresh. Hubby is working on his master degree, so having a laptop may be something we have to have---I'm just not sure how much play time I'll get on it once he gets it filled up with school assignments and general engineering junk... Oh well.
Today is destined to be a home focused day. I am going to work on getting the kitchen cleaned and the master bathroom done. Our stairs have cream colored carpet, so having as many cats as we do, they are always looking quite worse for wear. They will have to be dealt with today.
In the budget arena, I am trying not to spend any money until the end of the week, when hubby gets paid. Even then it will be a little slim since we are going to have to have the dishwasher repaired. Two days ago it just quit working. Figures. This one came with the house and we did extend the home warranty, which covers appliances, so I we'll see how that plays out budget wise. I do have to run to Stillwater to complete some wedding flowers for a friend of my niece, but that is the only big trip I have planned for the rest of the month at this point. A trip to see my oldest son is in the planning stages also.
School starts August 13th for the kids--damn this summer went fast! I feel bad that we didn't do any traveling this season. We might have to make a trip to Kansas City or fly to the ocean. Jeremy wants to go to Pensacola, Florida to collect seashells. Mark wants to go to Wyoming to visit a friend, but that trip may not be possible this year. The beach is do-able. We are trying to stay close to home or do trip that won't require a huge output of gas expenses. Even though a flight to Florida would require aviation fuel, we would spend most days on the beach, which should save fuel. I am going to have to consider whether it would be better for us to go after school starts and it is the off season as far as tourists go. I also want to find a hotel within walking distance of the beach or directly on the beach so the car can stay parked unless needed. Any suggestions? Another possible place we could go is Sanibel Island/Captiva. It is probably the best location in the US for shelling....
Friday, July 04, 2008
Happy Independence Day!
I am waiting for a batch of no-bake cookies to cool off so we can put them in a tin to go to a cook out later this evening in the old neighborhood we moved from last year. We used to host a large gathering of neighbors in our front yard in the old neighborhood every July 4th. We didn't have anything at the new house last year since we were still tired from moving in, and this year one of the old neighbors wanted us to come to their front yard...I think we will host a neighborhood cookout sometime this Fall when it is a little cooler.
Hubby and the boys just got back from the fishing contest and frog races. I love our little town! Every July 4th, they have frog races for different age categories of kids. Each kids brings a frog and the first frog that jumps outside the ring is the winner. Jeremy wanted to bring the HUGE toad that sits by our back door at night, but I was a little worried about it getting hurt, and to tell you the truth, I'd be devastated if he got lost. I really love watching him at night. He's quite comical.
I completed my passport application last night in order to be able to go to Mexico with my friend, Marita, at some point this year. I will be taking it to the post office to be witnessed and mailed off on Friday. However, I also got on the government website for traveler's advisories and was pretty freaked out how bad it sounds like Mexico has gotten! It sounds remarkably like Columbia and Nicaragua did in the 80's when drug cartels were running the country. I am going to have to give serious consideration about going. We will be with Marita's husband, Juan, and staying with his family, but the situation in Mexico sounds really bad in general. And it is not only the border towns. It seems to be affecting the whole country. Too bad she didn't marry someone who lives in Canada. That really sounds like a safer option!
I made a really awesome cream cheese pound cake last night for the get together tonight. I love cream cheese pound cakes. They are one of those simple, yet elegant dessert options that can be used in a multitude of ways. We slice ours, pile it high with sliced strawberries that have had a tablespoon of sugar added to them and allowed to sit (we use 3 tablespoons of sugar for every 4 cups of sliced strawberries, or less if the strawberries are sweet.) Basically they sit in the sugar for a couple hours which draws out some of the juices and allows a syrup to form, then we pile them on sliced poundcake and add whipped cream or cool whip. Here is the pound cake recipe:
Cream cheese Poundcake
1 (8 oz.) brick cream cheese, at room temp.
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups)unsalted butter (no substitutions) at room temp.
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs at room temp.
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
(the grated rind of 1 lemon, orange or lime is also a great addition of you have it.)
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
Beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar together until light and fluffy (5-7 minutes) with an electric mixer (I use my stand mixer, which makes this really easy).
Slowly add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add vanilla and other flavoring, lemon zests etc.
Combine flour and salt. Add to the butter mixture, beating at low speed just until flour is combined. Too much beating makes it rise out of the pan too high and become lighter. Poundcake is supposed to be dense.
Pour into a greased and floured 10 inch tube or bundt pan. Bale at 325 degree until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of cake comes out clean, approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes--your oven may be different, so make sure to check the cake with the skewer.
Let sit in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes, them loosen and invert onto a wire rack to completely cool. Dust with powdered sugar before slicing or top with a powdered sugar glazed while cooling.
REALLY GOOD!
Hubby and the boys just got back from the fishing contest and frog races. I love our little town! Every July 4th, they have frog races for different age categories of kids. Each kids brings a frog and the first frog that jumps outside the ring is the winner. Jeremy wanted to bring the HUGE toad that sits by our back door at night, but I was a little worried about it getting hurt, and to tell you the truth, I'd be devastated if he got lost. I really love watching him at night. He's quite comical.
I completed my passport application last night in order to be able to go to Mexico with my friend, Marita, at some point this year. I will be taking it to the post office to be witnessed and mailed off on Friday. However, I also got on the government website for traveler's advisories and was pretty freaked out how bad it sounds like Mexico has gotten! It sounds remarkably like Columbia and Nicaragua did in the 80's when drug cartels were running the country. I am going to have to give serious consideration about going. We will be with Marita's husband, Juan, and staying with his family, but the situation in Mexico sounds really bad in general. And it is not only the border towns. It seems to be affecting the whole country. Too bad she didn't marry someone who lives in Canada. That really sounds like a safer option!
I made a really awesome cream cheese pound cake last night for the get together tonight. I love cream cheese pound cakes. They are one of those simple, yet elegant dessert options that can be used in a multitude of ways. We slice ours, pile it high with sliced strawberries that have had a tablespoon of sugar added to them and allowed to sit (we use 3 tablespoons of sugar for every 4 cups of sliced strawberries, or less if the strawberries are sweet.) Basically they sit in the sugar for a couple hours which draws out some of the juices and allows a syrup to form, then we pile them on sliced poundcake and add whipped cream or cool whip. Here is the pound cake recipe:
Cream cheese Poundcake
1 (8 oz.) brick cream cheese, at room temp.
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups)unsalted butter (no substitutions) at room temp.
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs at room temp.
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
(the grated rind of 1 lemon, orange or lime is also a great addition of you have it.)
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
Beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar together until light and fluffy (5-7 minutes) with an electric mixer (I use my stand mixer, which makes this really easy).
Slowly add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add vanilla and other flavoring, lemon zests etc.
Combine flour and salt. Add to the butter mixture, beating at low speed just until flour is combined. Too much beating makes it rise out of the pan too high and become lighter. Poundcake is supposed to be dense.
Pour into a greased and floured 10 inch tube or bundt pan. Bale at 325 degree until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of cake comes out clean, approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes--your oven may be different, so make sure to check the cake with the skewer.
Let sit in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes, them loosen and invert onto a wire rack to completely cool. Dust with powdered sugar before slicing or top with a powdered sugar glazed while cooling.
REALLY GOOD!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Communities
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about the idea of what encompasses a community.
What are the elements needed to establish and grow a community? Not a town, but a COMMUNITY. A town is where people live, a community is where people interact and establish links and bonds to others.
I guess part of why I have been thinking of this is when we moved from our old neighborhood, our new neighborhood is not as interactive and connected. How do we change that? It seemed to happen pretty easy in the old neighborhood--the houses are small and pretty close together. There was also a higher percentage of older, retired people or people who were at home and available to interact.
I guess where you live does not have to define whether you have a community or not. Some of the blogs I read have people that get together for meals and events and they build community that way. I think as humans, we are more dependent on interaction than we want to admit. Humans need contact and connection with others. However getting a community together is a little intimidating. What do you do when a community member causes problems or gossips. How does a community stay strong during inevitable stress points? What are the rules of community?
What is your definition of community?
What are the elements needed to establish and grow a community? Not a town, but a COMMUNITY. A town is where people live, a community is where people interact and establish links and bonds to others.
I guess part of why I have been thinking of this is when we moved from our old neighborhood, our new neighborhood is not as interactive and connected. How do we change that? It seemed to happen pretty easy in the old neighborhood--the houses are small and pretty close together. There was also a higher percentage of older, retired people or people who were at home and available to interact.
I guess where you live does not have to define whether you have a community or not. Some of the blogs I read have people that get together for meals and events and they build community that way. I think as humans, we are more dependent on interaction than we want to admit. Humans need contact and connection with others. However getting a community together is a little intimidating. What do you do when a community member causes problems or gossips. How does a community stay strong during inevitable stress points? What are the rules of community?
What is your definition of community?
Catching Up!
I can't believe how much time has passed since I last posted to this site! Time sure flies!
I have stayed close to home today since I have what seems to be a touch of a summer bug. I'm hoping it goes away by tomorrow. I think I got a bit of something while visiting my mother in Stillwater this weekend. It was either that or the lack of sleep. I have a really hard time sleeping on the couch at my mothers. I think next time it will be worth it to rent a hotel room when we go there overnight.
My goal this month is to get a water garden dug in our backyard so I can have a water garden to hang out by. I love water gardens. I took a class at Botanica here in Wichita and really learned a lot. Luckily we got some free plants while at the class at Botanica, so I have stock to start with at no charge. Free is always good!
My goal is to get my house and back yard in shape so I can make a retreat atmosphere here at home and in the backyard. I bought two dwarf bamboo plants this past week that I plan to plant this week. The last thing we are looking planning to plant is a dwarf pear tree for the backyard and some blackberry bushes for the side yard. I am hoping to get fruit going in order to supplement the food budget next season. Blackberries are a favorite, so I have to look at getting a lot of them going for fresh eating, jam and other desserts. Yum!
I have really been tempted to buy some new stuff this week, but to be truthful, the trip to Stillwater and Tulsa was a little expensive as far as gas and food, so I am fighting that urge. I may have to order some beads for stitch markers this week, but I am holding off and seeing what I can do to work from my stash. Somewhere in the garage I have a box of seed beads that I could definitely use--I need to rededicate myself to getting the garage cleaned out and the rest of the boxes unpacked. It will save money by finding stuff I need and have packed in boxes.
Technically I started the Mamas on the Compact on the first, although I do not think the sight is still active. I noticed the last person who signed on started in May, but no more new ones have joined since that time. I haven't been able to get in touch with the moderator either. I will continue to stick with the goals of the group since it does seems like a good cause. Plus I was working towards this because the price of gas is causing me to seriously reconsider consumer spending on mass produced items. I will buy from artists, craft persons and locally owned businesses (farmers, local businesses etc). Even if the price is higher, buying from a local or indie helps the small business chain. I found an awesome video on this site about the story of STUFF. Watch it, it will cause some thinking...
Have gas prices affected your buying styles? Have you made cut backs? What are you not willing to give up?
I have stayed close to home today since I have what seems to be a touch of a summer bug. I'm hoping it goes away by tomorrow. I think I got a bit of something while visiting my mother in Stillwater this weekend. It was either that or the lack of sleep. I have a really hard time sleeping on the couch at my mothers. I think next time it will be worth it to rent a hotel room when we go there overnight.
My goal this month is to get a water garden dug in our backyard so I can have a water garden to hang out by. I love water gardens. I took a class at Botanica here in Wichita and really learned a lot. Luckily we got some free plants while at the class at Botanica, so I have stock to start with at no charge. Free is always good!
My goal is to get my house and back yard in shape so I can make a retreat atmosphere here at home and in the backyard. I bought two dwarf bamboo plants this past week that I plan to plant this week. The last thing we are looking planning to plant is a dwarf pear tree for the backyard and some blackberry bushes for the side yard. I am hoping to get fruit going in order to supplement the food budget next season. Blackberries are a favorite, so I have to look at getting a lot of them going for fresh eating, jam and other desserts. Yum!
I have really been tempted to buy some new stuff this week, but to be truthful, the trip to Stillwater and Tulsa was a little expensive as far as gas and food, so I am fighting that urge. I may have to order some beads for stitch markers this week, but I am holding off and seeing what I can do to work from my stash. Somewhere in the garage I have a box of seed beads that I could definitely use--I need to rededicate myself to getting the garage cleaned out and the rest of the boxes unpacked. It will save money by finding stuff I need and have packed in boxes.
Technically I started the Mamas on the Compact on the first, although I do not think the sight is still active. I noticed the last person who signed on started in May, but no more new ones have joined since that time. I haven't been able to get in touch with the moderator either. I will continue to stick with the goals of the group since it does seems like a good cause. Plus I was working towards this because the price of gas is causing me to seriously reconsider consumer spending on mass produced items. I will buy from artists, craft persons and locally owned businesses (farmers, local businesses etc). Even if the price is higher, buying from a local or indie helps the small business chain. I found an awesome video on this site about the story of STUFF. Watch it, it will cause some thinking...
Have gas prices affected your buying styles? Have you made cut backs? What are you not willing to give up?
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