From one end of the spectrum

to another...yesterday, I went and got my hair cut, my eyebrows waxed, got to the post office to pick up stamps, visited my sister at work, came home - Baked cookies

Baked Bread

Kaya had her "play date" with my cousins puppy pit

And then there's today - it's almost 3pm. Hubby didn't have to work today - and we're both still lamping around in our PJ's....Good thing the kids aren't here to see it. We'd never hear the end of it, LOL....

~Keeping Focus~

This morning, as I gathered up our newspapers to pack up to bring to my sister for work I seperated the coupons from this past Sunday's edition and came across the JoAnn's Fabric Store flyer. I shouldn't have opened it - but I did. Not only are they having a sale on Butterick patterns, but they have the cutest flannel on sale as well. Flannel I would love to make pjs for the family with...but, that's just not where I'm at right now. So, I had to talk myself down from a serious case of the "I wants" to move on with my day. There is no way I'm going to clutter up the space I've just created with more stuff I don't have time to get to just yet. It will only be upsetting to me later when I'm having to work around it doing what I need to be doing at this time. So, I had to let it go. They'll have another sale, and I don't doubt they will always have at least one fabric for me to love.
Black thread - that's all I need at the moment. To hem a pair of pants for a friend. I decided that since today is Tuesday - and that is the day that I can get a haircut for just $9 where I like to go - I would go out to the mall. See a few people I haven't seen in a while. Bring my sister lunch, which is another thing you can always do with your left overs - bless someone else with them ;-). There was just enough chili and rice left to make a good lunch for my sister. I also met the new store manager, she seems very nice. I bought my thread, got my hair cut - and my eyebrows waxed for what it would cost me for just a hair cut say...tomorrow. My sister showed me the new yarns they got in stock - and I was so good - I left it all there. With the gardening season coming upon us, there is no way I'll have time to be crocheting for a while. I'm struggeling to finish the messanger bag for Sammy - and all I have to do is put it together, and make the closing flap for the top - and attatch it...No, no more projects for me at the moment.
Right now, the soup is on the stove. The bread is rising. I'm getting ready to make some cookies for Steve to bring to work tomorrow. Oh, and I'll have to get to them pants so Steve can meet my friend on his break tomorrow. He's working very near where we used to live - and it will be easier for her to get them there from him than to come all the way out here to get them...but part of me wants to hold them hostage for another visit. But I won't. :p

Re-making meals...no leftovers left behind!

We hate to waste food. Of course, there is only so many times you want to eat a single meal in a week as well. One way around this is to make a different meal with it. When I plan my menu for the week - I also plan to use the leftovers.

This week, I made spaghetti with meatballs and used the remaining meat sauce to add to the tomatoes for the chili I made later in the week. The left over chili will be for chili dogs for the guys to have during the game tomorrow. Plus, I can add some shredded cheese to some, melt it down, top with sour cream to use as a dip for snacks during game time too.
I've got the last of the roasted chicken simmering on the stove right now. I'll freeze some of the stock for later use, and the chicken and the rest of the stock will be used for Chicken and Noodle soup this Monday...That's 4 dinners, a lunch and a snack from 2 meals.

There are many ways to re-make leftovers into another meal so that you are not throwing food away - therefore throwing away the money you spent on it - and the time you already spent on preparing it!

When you plan your menu for the week - you pretty much know what meals are going to create leftovers. Plan to use those leftovers by planning a casserole, soup, fajita, stew, soup and sandwich night, add it to a salad, or toss it into a sauce for a pasta dish. It not only saves you money, but it saves you time as well - think of how much extra some people are paying to purchase precooked meats, just because it makes meal preparation quicker. You're doing the same thing for yourself without the added expense.

Even if what is left over from a meal is minute, you can add it to a side dish. If you're making a potato or macaroni salad - toss in some diced up left over chicken, ham, or beef. Make a dirty rice with what was left from the last meal or two. Use it as a little something extra in a pasta side dish. Make a little gravy and serve it over pasta or rice as even a side dish if it's not enough for a main course.
While wasting food is a major budget buster - using leftovers wisely is a major time saver, and it will stretch your menu options, not to mention save you time in the long run.

~Still Organizing~

We're still organizing the house to make things a little more productive here. We had another power outage - fortunately we had the candle chandelier and sconces hung up this time - so it was easy to get the house lit up enough where we could relax some. My BIL had stopped by, because he was driving home (he and sis live only 4 blocks away) and he noticed the power was out at our end - he wanted to make sure we were all OK. He stayed long enough to have a beer with DH and get us updated on what's going on over their way...Of course my sister keeps me updated - but he's putting forth an effort to be sociable, so I didn't say so.
I can't wait for garage sale season to hit - almost as much as gardening! We really need to scale down our furnishings. Everything we have seems so blocky here - and there is no continuity to anything. It makes it hard to be very comfortable. Even when it's immaculate - it feels...off.
We're still working on stocking the pantry and freezers - well, actually the freezers are full right now. We even purchased my first set of canning jars (for jelly), and a box of pectin to be prepared for the first jelly of the year - Dandelion Jelly. I'm going to be purchasing at least one case of jars each week in preperation of our garden harvest. We're also going to order a pressure canner so I am going to need a LOT of jars. One thing at a time though.

Free Cycle is my friend

Seriously, I just joined today - and I already have a bunch of stuff to list tomorrow. It's time to part with a few things that we just don't have room for here. The funny thing is - I was reading the posts, and someone has asked for a hutch - we just moved ours into the kitchen, and I've already decided it's more of a hinderance than a help in that little space. I'm taking a picture of it to see if it's something that will work for this other person with the huge kitchen but no cabinet space. Hmmm...Seemed like a sign to me. We shall see.
I'm still working on DD's messenger bag for her birthday. I'm hoping to finish it while she's off at her friends - that way she'll forget about it until her birthday...if she knows it's finished, she'll just pester me for it now instead of waiting until March - then I'll be left wondering what to give to her then. Yeah she's a clever one, but not this time chica ;-)

~The unplanned experiment~

We've been slowly trying to re-stock our pantry and freezers. Between our not really shopping on a regular basis, and the costs of everything going up so much - it's turning out to be a much slower process than I remember it being in the past. Of course, since we didn't have a garden last year - we're having to keep stocked up on canned and frozen produce from the market as well. I was beginning to wonder what it is exactly we need to stock up on most/first - The conventional pantry space upstairs is all set -and now that we know we can fit in extra pantry space in the basement - there's actually a room down there with shelves already. We just wanted to make sure we were not going to have a problem with water or dampness down there. When we first bought the house, it was quite damp down there. Of course, one of the hot water heaters was leaking, and there was no outside vent for the dryer - we knew that didn't help - but we were not sure that was the only reason(s) it was damp down there. Once that was rectified - we wanted to be sure that it was going to stay dry enough to use for storage. Now that we know it is, and we have a dehumidifier to use as well - I began to wonder what it is we could actually need.

I'm a bit out of practice really - I honestly could think of 100 things - but couldn't narrow down what should be first. Then, we had an experiment. We experienced a minor cash flow problem - Somehow, our address was changed at the payroll office for hubby's job. His checks come in the mail. So, for 2 weeks - his checks were mailed to a nonexistent address, and returned to the main office for where he works. We spent virtually nothing for 2 weeks. We don't own a car, and he carpools to work. The guy he rides with was still going to work for the 2 weeks any way, and accepted being paid late for his share of gas money. If he were driving himself to work, we would have actually been in more of a bind - Mobile or Exxon isn't going to let you gas up for the week and catch up with them later for the bill... OK, we were fine as far as all meals went - but we did fall short on a couple of things. Bread, milk, and eggs. Really - milk and eggs. If I had enough of those two things, I could make the bread. We used to bake our own bread before I went back to working outside the home...now that I'm home again, I've just gotten lazy. There is a Stewart's 2 blocks away, and the kids are big enough to send to the store....Yeah, lazy is the word. I had actually considered buying powdered milk - but it's so expensive. A box that 'makes' 4 gallons costs almost as much as 4 gallons of milk - so it didn't really seem all that cost effective. Especially since no one actually drinks it. Of course, now I can see it's really a very good idea to keep it on hand. I know you can freeze eggs, and while I've never been a fan of that idea -because I've been trying to lean away from the freezer for long term storage as much as possible. We do get power outages, and I'm afraid of loosing too much of an investment so easily. Still, I'm thinking maybe I should try it. I'll also have to get some flax seed to use as an egg substitute for baking. All in all, it was actually a good experience. It helped me get a better idea of where we need to focus our efforts. It also reminded me that it's really not just one of my quirks that urges me to keep a stocked pantry - it really makes a difference. While hubby was not at all thrilled about the situation - I know it helped that it didn't put us in any dire need of anything. We also learned that we need to keep more cash on hand at home. It's just something we've never been too good at. With the economy as it stands - it's definitely time for us to take our own efforts of sustainability a little more seriously. While we tend to be the most/best prepared for everything in our little circle of family and friends it doesn't really mean we're actually prepared for anything at all.

~ Just another day ~

Today was pretty much a quiet day. We rearranged the living room and the kitchen some. We now have the kitchen table in the living room, so at least we have enough space for us all to sit and eat together. That's a plus. I've really missed that. We took the hutch from the living room and put it in the kitchen. I'm really not sure how I feel about that just yet. It's going to take some getting used to I guess.
I started working on a crochet project yesterday. Once I set up DH and my brother for an afternoon of football - it seemed like a good way to pass the day. I'm making her a messenger bag for to hold her sketch book and pencils. I'll post pictures of it when it's finished. I'm not using a pattern - so it should be interesting to see how it turns out.
Tomorrow is going to be our sewing day. We'll start working on the window quilts. No doubt having the computer near the living room window will be extra encouragment to get that project finished. The first time I sat down here - I swear I felt a breeze! In fact, I had to caulk the window frame there was such a gap at the bottom it's no wonder we were always cold sitting on the couch when it was along that wall! Now that the couch has been moved - it's obvious. I know with the economy the way it is a lot of what we hope to get done in the way of renovations may have to be put on hold - I really hope replacing the windows isn't one of them!
Oh yeah, we'll be sewing tomorrow. In fact, I'm going to start the cutting tonight. It's COLD over here!!