Planning the garden.

Step 1 .... what do we eat. Easy to figure out since I have a pantry  inventory. I also noted what we have finished eating that I do not need to replace AKA Great Northern canned beans for one.

Step 2 ... how much do we eat of each thing, I based it on WHAT amounts we should be eating.Since we haven't been eating as good as we should be.Cheaper than paying medical bills and such according to our doctor.PLUS I can pretty much eat everything since starting my biologic.

Step 3... What can I buy for stock up that is regularly sold from the Amish and Farmers market. I can buy acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, pie pumpkins, jack be little pumpkins, Jade green beans, zucchini, cucumbers, fall beets and tomatoes for juice and whole tomatoes and green tomatoes for the freezer. Banana peppers, red bell peppers, sweet *white or bicolor*corn for fresh eating, and canning corn for freezer (sweet but yellow). I can get horseradish also along with onions to store, dry and pickle.

Step 4 So what do we want in the pantry that isn't grown in the area or I should say sold due to they grow enough for themselves and what do we want for fresh eating during the summer.

Salad... different lettuces leaf and head,spinach, kale, mustard, Swiss chard.  Carrots... short and sweet or Little finger, radishes, white, red and black for fall/early winter. Scallions. Cherry tomatoes. Goal is to have salad at least 6 months and Hubby asked for 9 months,  this year with future to work to year around. I will do repeats of plantings to keep it going through until fall. I have a shady spot that I can roll carts into to keep the heat off them. Nasturtiums also.

Other with the goal to eat from the garden and not the pantry during the growing season.Will get the older stuff used up and less work canning something I don't need to can.

peas...for fresh eating and freezer. This can be a spring and fall crop. We use 24 lbs of peas a year, half of it has carrots added to it.

snow peas for fresh and freezer. No one grows these that we can find. Another spring and fall crop.

beets for spring... beets for sale are in the late summer as everyone is eating and canning their spring beets. It's served at Church so they need more than just their family needs. They only grow red beets. I would like some for fresh eating but of different colors like spiral red and white or golden. Plus beet greens

turnips more for fresh eating but willing to put some in freezer plus turnip greens.

pepperoncini peppers for fresh eating and canning.

cucumbers... salad, fresh eating and if I have more than that I can always pickle them. Armenian cucumber so if I don't pick it, it becomes a melon.

Yellow wax beans. I used them to make my own 3 bean salad but also as a side that a different color. I will can 3 bean salad this year as a pint is enough for us instead of opening 2 separate pints of canned beans and a pint of kidney or black beans.

Eggplant, fresh eating, canned as caponata or frozen breaded.

Tomatoes... paste tomatoes (not much available around here) I like fire roasted, red sauce and pasta sauce, along with pizza sauce and enchilada sauce. We usually grow over 100 tomato plants. But since I can get tomatoes for juice and whole tomatoes from N I dropped that down to around 25. I am trying a couple different varieties this year that are new hybrids.

Red noodle beans and purple beans for stir fries.

Scarlet runner and sunset runner for the humming birds. I will keep the beans picked to keep it blooming.

zucchini and crookneck... I always only get  4 to 6 off them before I kill them. Have never figured out what I do but I struggle to grow them. I bought a spiralizer so noodles also.

Garlic. I didn't plant any this fall so we will be out and I will have to buy them else where or at store. I grow hardneck. Might try growing some soft neck as the one Amish said they will be small but she can get them to grow. She doesn't get enough to sell.

Dried beans, black, small red, navy, lazy wife (planted with popcorn) cannelino, kidney, and pinto.

Sweet potatoes. Mine didn't grow at all last year. I have my sweet potato in water that I will cut slips from

Broccoli.. last time I am trying to grow it. We use 36 lbs a year between broccoli, broccoli and cauliflower and California blend of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

Gave up cauliflower last year I will just have to buy it to can hot pickled cauliflower.

Cabbage ... hard to find for sale around here because they make it into kraut. IF I grow too much I have several willing to take it off my hands.

At Hubby's request Ancho chile, Guajillo chile,cayenne chile and Pasilla chile.

I have 2 apple trees but they are not good producers so I can order apples from the Amish or get some from the Amish store. BUT if I pick these E our neighbor said he would take them to the cider press for us. Hubby likes apple cider.

Pears... I will tell the neighbor as they also look for these and usually find someone that has extra.

Peaches that is the Amish store because I want cling free.

Assorted berries. I have blackberry bushes... I really hope they produce and I have blueberry bushes I hope they produce. We lost most of our rhubarb and strawberries plus all of the raspberry bushes. Grape vines didn't do well either. I didn't get anything off the grape vine when the year before I got 14 qrts of grape juice. IF I get grapes this year I would like to try to make grape butter instead of jelly.

Then comes the herbs and spices. Some of these won't get planted this year. My goal is to have all of them planted by next year.

I use ancho chile powder so when Hubby asked for it to be grown I was okay with it.

Basil. ON average I use a gal. of dried basil, not touching what I use fresh during the season.

Borage. Flowers in salad and leaves for herbs

cayenne about 1 qrt.

chervil about  1 pt

Chile powder, I make my own combination of what chiles I grow. Been using cayenne and red bell pepper with store bought paprika.

Crushed red pepper ...cayenne or red jalapenos (get from friend) with red bell peppers

garlic chives and regular chives tons fresh and 1/2 gal each in cabinet

dried cilantro leaves... we don't use much fresh but like the flavor when I dry it about 1 pt BUT cilantro is the leaves of coriander and we like coriander seeds ground 1 pt

Dill weed... I use the weed and the seeds I never grow enough to use in the pickling of asparagus and pickles.

garlic... fresh and powdered

lavender especially with teas

lemon balm ...teas

marjoram leaves and ground

onion powder I grind up my own dried onions but very seldom use onion powder so it's grounded as needed I have 3 qrts of dried onions one being dried red onion.

oregano ... I can use a gal in a year

parsley flat and curly.. a gal each

rosemary a gal

sage 1 qrt

savory... I would like to grow winter and summer

shallots. I already ran out this year.

Thai basil

Thyme  1 gal

We have some mint still growing around the back stoop and I need more rhubarb crowns but it's a start .. With the planning.

Eating from the pantry .... planning garden

From the pantry

sweet potato hash, fried eggs , hominy, spinach and mandarin oranges

one pot Italian green beans, potatoes and ham, corn bread and pears

meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn, leftover green beans and peaches

beef enchilada casserole, Spanish rice, beets and mango

turkey noodles over mashed potatoes, freezer slaw, tropical fruit

Hungarian cabbage rolls, acorn squash, pineapple

Loaded calzones, veggie platter with Ranch dip

Cuban black beans with rice, sunshine salad and custard.

Leftovers will be wrapped and frozen for next month.

In the garden.

After much debate and figuring up what we had at the old place which I took care of that we would do the same here. I did insist on 90 % being either in pots or in above ground square foot gardens. I do need to figure out the cost of building the beds (we have a few left) and dirt.

I did a 5 day class of growing food for the year and was able to figure out how much to plant of what I NEED to grow myself. The rest I will buy either from Amish or farmer markets.

This week since I am still recovering from the high cortisol and have now slide in to the chronic fatigue part I am just doing the planning of the garden and ordering seeds. I also ordered some plants I can't get around here and haven't done well trying to raise myself.

How is things going with you?
Blessed Be

Errands, family emergencies

We stopped to see Daddy and found him asleep in his wheelchair in his door way. Hubby woke him up and Daddy told us he had threw up in the neighbor's drawers. He was really upset he had threw up (I can remember my dad ever throwing up). I asked the nurse about it. He spit up at lunch in the lunchroom. He talked more than he had since Christmas eve. Could answer questions correctly except where he threw up. He mentioned he needed changed as his diaper was wet ... so they changed his pants also as he had some spit up on them that they had missed before due to being in his crotch. I tucked him in for a nap. I got a good hug and a kiss and a I love you Sis. Good visits are becoming very rare.

We stopped and visited Hubby's parents. His dad had been sick with the flu a week ago and was mostly recovered. They were staying close to home.

We went to Kroger's that was around the corner from them. Had a decent selection but check out was a nightmare. They are pushing the scan and go and click list. 

I got mascara , granddaughter gave me money to get blue mascara for my birthday. I had a coupon so was able to black also for $1 more. Then got a $5 coupon at check out off of ANYTHING because I bought 2. I also got nail file boards. Paid out of gift $ and personal money budget.

I got 3 boxes of dog biscuits. I get the small ones otherwise I break them in half. A box lasts a month usually as they only get 1 each night. ON SALE

I got 2 boxes of large dog dental styx. I break these in 3rd each night. ON SALE

Dogs don't get tartar and Wilbur doesn't have the gum issues as much that is common with boxers. Paid out of dog budget.

I got a package of 4 baking potatoes COUPON and a bag of red potatoes. Since our own potatoes went bad. I have some dried so didn't need much

I got 1 gal of milk since I still have 1/2 gal. I figured that would get me to Feb.

I got 5 lb chub of hamburger to cook up for taco meat and sloppy joe meat with COUPON and ON SALE.

I got 3 lbs of bacon for the price of 1 1/2 lbs with COUPON and on SALE.

$33.24 out of food budget.

It also made enough with the survey for Hubby to get 10 cents/gal of his fuel for the truck.

We got home, I made biscuits for the sausage gravy and ran the dishwasher.

THEN 

Daughter 4 texts she has fluid coming out of her ear and it reminds her of the liquid off raw chicken. Tell her to go to Urgent care immediately. They sent her to ER. She had cerebral fluid draining due to pressure from her sinus infection (she thought allergies) and is on meds, after they cleaned her ear they couldn't find any more leakage but told her to see her primary immediately (see her after work and yes she went to work as she doesn't have medical leave at the new job yet.) She checked in at lunch and said she was doing better and had no more leakage.

THEN

Son 2 calls, he cut his finger while slicing potatoes and it wouldn't stop bleeding. Sent him to urgent care. He cut the pad off (will have to get new finger prints done at work after it heals) and they had to use silver nitrate to burn it shut. Can't use his finger for 10 days, can't get it wet either. He is single so dishes is an issue and he works in a office at a computer all day. He checked in at lunch and said it was throbbing but manageable and he put it in a freezer bag and sealed it to wash his dishes and shower. Like we did his leg when he had a cast up to his hip with a trash bag.

THEN 

Hubby's parents let us know his older brother who was on vacation out of the country had flown in to NY. He was on his way to the hospital in OH due to having to have a catheter because he couldn't pee. He had prostrate problems before he left but thought he would be okay until he got home from vacation. NOPE.  They ran tests, changed the catheter and sent him at 3 am. He sees urologist at 1 pm today.

 I baked gingerbread cake. Frozen some of it.

I baked brownie cookie (Aldi mix that comes out at Christmas). Frozen some of it.

I baked cranberry orange muffins (King Arthur Flour mix) Froze some of it.

I baked eggnog custard pie. Hubby ate 2/3rds of it in one day. Must have hit the spot.

I am canning the last of the bean soup and freezing the last of the corn bread muffins.

I am canning ham broth and freezing the little bit of ham left.

I have laundry on the drying rack, dishwasher running, humidifier filled and spent an hour on the phone to get my biologic refilled in 3 month fills but was warned the computer might flip it back to monthly. My ins doesn't pay more than for 3 fills on long term meds so I will have to CALL to make sure it's done in 3 month fills not monthly each refill.

WHILE waiting for the pharmacy to pick up (on hold for 20 min) I down loaded paper work for taxes for our tax lady. 

How has your week gone?

Blessed Be 

 

take a breath... eating from pantry, what I am doing and store 1st time

Sit down with your favorite beverage and just rest for a moment or so.

Yesterday and today was days of rest. We really didn't do anything.Kind of a stay-cation???

Jan 19th
Hubby had leftovers and I had popcorn. I haven't been able to eat popcorn in over a year. It was wonderful. I dropped a couple popcorn and Charlotte and Wilbur thought it was great. Rascal spit it out and looked at me like where is the butter? He definitely remembered that part. I gave them all a handful (Rascal's with butter). I noticed that Wilbur and Charlotte both sniffed Rascal's but didn't want it. Now if it had bacon grease Wilbur and Charlotte would have ate it but Rascal wouldn't.

I sorted seeds and organized them by the temperature of the soil. Realized I had forgot to order crookneck squash, zucchini, yellow wax beans, turnips, a couple kales, a couple mustards and a couple nasturtiums. So I did that , between the sale, discount, coupon and rebate I saved 45%. I am definitely growing in square foot gardens and pots/grow bags but figuring that out is later this week.

I dug out of the box in the east loft the cds I used to play while cleaning and driving back and forth to Georgia.

I have missed my music, missed my candles and missed serving dinner on different plates. I've missed giving myself a mini spa at home. Miss walking the perimeter with the dogs. All that went away when we started working on this house March of 2019. I am working at putting it all back in.

The projects we had planned for this year got shoved back due to the kitchen porch dropping 2 inches, wall starting to give on the basement ramp . Which is at the end of the kitchen porch, Hubby thinks it is a drain that broke and is washing the soil away. The lane needing to be widened due to the truck actually being wider than the lane. Hubby now has some nasty ruts beside it.

I was talking to a homesteader that gave me this advice.

What you plan to do in 1 yr will take 5  and the 5 yr might never happen. Just remember each small step you take is more than you had yesterday and that is all that really matters. Keeping ahead, not going backwards.

Jan 20th
Laundry on the drying rack and walkers I have over heat vents. My morning routine is done.

I have beans with water on simmering and when that's been an hour I will drain and rinse it and then put it back on with ham broth to simmer another hour. That's how Daddy always cooked his beans and I always liked them over Mother's. She only used water and no broth. I haven't had bean soup in 3 yrs. All food restrictions are off and that is  wonderful thing. I still have some issues with eating a lot of fresh fruit and veggies but I am sure as work increasing it those issues will go away.

Jan 21st  I limited myself to 1/2 cup of fried potatoes, 1 cup of bean soup and 1 tablespoon of diced onions and a corn bread muffin with a slice of gingerbread cake with 1/2 cup applesauce on top of it last night. I had 2 cranberry orange muffins and a small bar of brownie cookie for a snack.
Felt proud on myself for turning off the light at 9:45 to go to sleep....my phone beeped due to my fit bit and Charlotte was up and running...then she had Rascal up also. Wilbur was to the point of growling at them because he was sleeping and they kept getting up and down off the bed. They went to the door, nope didn't want out. Went back to bed and back up and down. Finally at 12:30 I got them out and then had to go out at 1 and get Rascal to come back in as Charlotte had already been in. He laid down and went to sleep and I pinned her down in my arms until she went to sleep. GEEZE.

2 AM UP and in the bathroom until 4 when I let all the dogs out and made Hubby's coffee. I would say for the 1st time of eating beans in 3 yrs... it was like eating 2 large bowls of fiber cereal and the onions gave me heart burn. BUT didn't trigger my Crohn's and I don't have any lingering affects so beans is going to be in the diet regularly... I can eat refried beans with no issues at all. I will soak my onions in ice water for now on when I am eating them and take my meds a little closer to meal time if I am having onions. If I had chewed Mento's I would have not woke up with heart burn. Just bathroom time LOL.

Hubby and I are going to the store for the 1st time this month. I need milk, dog biscuits and dog dental. Wilbur has teeth issues as common for boxers but the dental seems to keeping it down quite a bit according to the vet that checks him.

I am tired, but I told Hubby I want to see Daddy and his parents, go to the store and then come home for dinner. Sausage gravy and biscuits... he said something about needing biscuits and I told him he could wait the 30 min it takes me to make them from scratch and bake them... he looked like he had a duh moment.

Take care , stay well
Blessed Be

menu change Jan 12

Jan 12 was supposed to be leftovers but we ate it for lunch so had crackers and cheese and olives for dinner

Jan 13 We had corned beef hash and eggs instead of freezer to plate chicken meal

Jan 14 We had ham, baked potato and baked acorn squash

Jan 15 We had porcupine meatballs with diced tomatoes, mushrooms and onions, rice and leftover acorn squash and pineapple chunks.

Jan 16th. due to errands followed by getting groceries at Aldi's for neighbors (they really should build one here).The neighbors paid for our lunch  which we ate late and then didn't feel like eating any dinner. Both of us grabbed apples and peanut butter to smear on them and was done with it.

Jan 17th... ham wraps for lunch. Homemade pizza for dinner

Jan 18th Chinese takeout as it is my 61st birthday but I don't want to go out due to the crappy cold wet weather so Hubby suggested he go get Chinese since I didn't want to go out and he didn't want me to cook on my birthday.

I plan bean soup(first time for eating it in over a year.) tomorrow with fried potatoes and white corn bread.

creating routines

I am good at flying by the seat of my pants...it's not healthy for me though as it triggers the fight or flight syndrome

 In 2001 Daughter 4 gave me Flylady.net  web site since the last  4 kids were leaving home within a couple months and I was going to be cleaning alone and I became a flybaby. LOL I admit I have been off and on that bandwagon a lot.

I sat down yesterday and started working out a routine that I can handle and get done the work I want without triggering my flight or flight... I hope .

I started with my bedtime routine as I do it pretty much all the time

Then I went to the morning routine which is most the time, lunch time routine, after 3 routine then I added  a home blessing and zone work. I decided to work on the punch list when I am working in that zone.

I will start this Feb 2. Seems like a good day Groundhogs day along with Imbolic and St. Bridget day.

Just and FYI
Imbolc is traditionally the great festival and honouring of Brigid (Brighid, Bride, Brigit), so loved as a pagan Goddess that her worship was woven into the Christian church as St Bridget. She is a Goddess of healing, poetry and smithcraft. She is a Goddess of Fire, of the Sun and of the Hearth. She brings fertility to the land and its people and is closely connected to midwives and new-born babies. She is the Triple Goddess, but at Imbolc she is in her Maiden aspect.

MORNING ROUTINE

RISE AND SHINE!

SHERM/COFFEE

DOGS OUT

BATHROOM/ GET DRESSED

START LAUNDRY

DOGS IN

CHECK CALENDAR

MAKE BED/LAYOUT PJS

CURTAINS/WINDOWS OPEN

DOGS FRESH WATER AND FOOD

DISHWASHER UNLOADED

FIRST LOAD DRYING

START SECOND LOAD OF LAUNDRY

PERIMETER

 AFTER LUNCH ROUTINE

LUNCH

LAUNDRY

DOGS

ZONE

DOGS

GARDEN

BATH/SHOWER 2:30/3 pm

AFTER 3:00 P.M. ROUTINE

3:00 TEA TIME

COMPUTER TIME

3:30 DUST MOP

START DINNER

CLEAN 1-2 SHELVES IN REFRIGERATOR

4:30 DINNER

5 -6:30 NEWS

RUN DISHWASHER

 BEDTIME ROUTINE

8:00 PM POTTY PARTY

8:15 PM: CHECK DOGS WATER AND FOOD, GIVE TREATS

8:20 PM: CHECK CALENDAR/ CHECK TOMORROW’S WORK

8:25 PM WATER BY BED/LAYOUT CLOTHES/PJS ON

8:30 PM JOURNAL, DEVOTIONAL, SIMPLE ABUNDANCE, READ

10:00 PM LIGHTS OUT

SUNDAY

MORNING ROUTINE

DAY OF REST

SNAIL MAIL

MENU

GARDEN

LUNCH ROUTINE

ME

MYSELF

AND I

AFTER 3 PM ROUTINE

BEDTIME ROUTINES

MONDAY MORNING ROUTINE LAUNDRY: CLOTHES KITCHEN TOWELS DUST N SHINE GARDEN ZONE WORK LUNCH ROUTINE CLEAN FRIGS NEED LIST TRASH OUT AFTER 3 PM ROUTINE BEDTIME ROUTINES TUSEDAY MORNING ROUTINE LAUNDRY: CLOTHES KITCHEN TOWELS SWISH AND SWIPE GARDEN ZONE WORK LUNCH ROUTINE AFTER 3 PM ROUTINE BEDTIME ROUTINES WEDNESDAY MORNING ROUTINE LAUNDRY: CLOTHES KITCHEN TOWELS MOP AND VACUUM GARDEN ZONE WORK LUNCH ROUTINE COUPONS/SALES AFTER 3 PM ROUTINE BEDTIME ROUTINES THURSDAY MORNING ROUTINE LAUNDRY: CLOTHES BATH TOWELS KITCHEN TOWELS ERRANDS GARDEN ZONE WORK LUNCH ROUTINE AFTER 3 PM ROUTINE BEDTIME ROUTINES FRIDAY MORNING ROUTINE LAUNDRY: CLOTHES KITCHEN TOWELS BAKE AND SEW GARDEN ZONE WORK LUNCH ROUTINE AFTER 3 PM ROUTINE BEDTIME ROUTINES SATURDAY MORNING ROUTINE LAUNDRY: CLOTHES KITCHEN TOWELS BEDDING BAKE AND SEW GARDEN ZONE WORK LUNCH ROUTINE AFTER 3 PM ROUTINE BEDTIME ROUTINES

Zones will be done each week with the figuring of 5 wks a month. Since a lot of months only have a few days the 5th week I put the least needed area to be cleaned/worked on during the 5th week. It is also I can do something in that area on weeks I have the other zones done.

ZONE 1	ZONE 2
KITCHEN	WC BATH
DINING ROOM	FRT RM AND PORCH
DECK AND PORCH	MUDROOM AND STOOP
PANTRY

ZONE 3	ZONE 4
BEDROOM	WEST LOFT
LAUNDRY ROOM	EAST LOFT
BATH AND HALL	STAIRS
MECHANICS ROOM	BARN
FREEZER ROOM

ZONE 5

SOUTH LOFT

NORTH LOFT

STAIRS

BARN

we completed one chart

Mediumsizedfamily.com had this. It is the chart Kim at Outmywindowtoday.blogspot.com has used this chart.

Hubby and I was both surprised to complete the chart before the end of the month.Most the bills are paid and the potting soil for the winter sowing was bought.

Hubby figured up where he stood with his paying hobby. He broke even until we added the 2 trailers he bought. He had bought 3 but sold the one and bought a larger one. I did remind him that for a hobby it was decent for the 1st year. He did talk to another hauler that does it to make his living and he said he was just barely breaking even and was going to have to start hauling longer distances. He doesn't take out of state trips.

We figured up our net worth and were okay with that. Not where we thought we would be but the stock market has been down since Hubby retired.

I shared our goals for this year with our IRA guy and he reminded us that we have an account with money for 1 yrs worth of health ins with him... yes we had forgot. IT's okay we forgot Hubby had a pension on top of his 401k. YES REALLY.

SO we can take the medical off the save for. Put that over on to the saving for the 3rd month of the "bills" and the new to us dog truck because I am not willing to add another car loan to the debt and everything I am seeing that would work is over $12000

Going to call it a night.. The cold wet from today has made me achy.

Blessed Be everyone

From the pantry Jan 7th to Jan 13th

Jan 7th
Leftovers from the frig with fried eggs

Jan 8th Cheeseburgers with onions (garden) and mushrooms and garlic(garden)

Jan 9th Wingers... Hubby paid with his hobby money as an early bday present to me. And here I thought it was because I didn't have any cavities.... Pushing 61 and have never had a cavity.

Jan 10th. leftover wings and hot pickled cauliflower and crackers

Jan 11th spaghetti, meatballs (finished bag in freezer) homemade pasta sauce, sub buns (from freezer) as garlic bread.

NOTE made 6 batches of noodles, shared 2 batches with daughter 4 and dried the rest for our pantry. One batch is thin noodles to add to soups at the last minute, the other 3 for us is our sturdy , thicker wider noodle for main dish like beef and noodles over mashed potatoes.

Jan 12, took stuff to daughter 4 including the 2 batches of noodles and 4 1/2 dozen eggs.  ATE the last of the spag and meatballs adding the half of the left over mushrooms and onions I cooked the other day. FOR LUNCH as we both were starving when we got home.

 Had summer sausage, cheese, crackers and apples for supper.

Tomorrow I will have Freezer to plate meal Daughter 2 talked me into buying a while back. It's for frozen chicken so you don't have to thaw the chicken and it's rice and peas and carrots. I have a doc appt early afternoon so figured this would work plus get a box out of the cabinet.

Hubby brought a ham in from the barn freezer for Tuesday's meal. I already have planned to bake some acorn squash along with it. He mentioned there was a nice size hole in the freezer. LOL

fight or flight stuck in overdrive...frugal days

After testing , doc confirmed my cortisol was high and staying there... Once again my fight or flight has stuck in overdrive.

SINCE he does NOT feel that MORE medication is the answer he  gave suggestions on how to lower it. I have had this problem more than so some it is just going back to an old routine. Like no tv,computer, phone an hour before bed so I  am back to reading for an hour before bed. AND that triggers me to go to sleep. I keep water cup that has a lid and straw by the bed instead of the coke... Yeah I know but I am down to less than 2 20 oz bottles of coke or sprite... I try to do one of both otherwise I am definitely a coke a cola classic gal.I've went from sleeping maybe 4 hrs to sleeping 11 every other day. Doc said to average it out and see what I am averaging. As of today I am averaging around 7, he wants me at 9... so at least it's getting better. Even though I feel like a walking zombie.

The fatigue is as haunting as the feeling of needing to push through is. Neither are good.

Hubby is making my daily to do list and it in my view is next to nothing but he knows how this goes since it's not the first rodeo for us.

I did put hamburger for Salisbury steak and country fried steak in the freezer from the hamburger log I bought. We had cheeseburgers for dinner. I also cooked the rest of it and got 5-1 cup bags of meat for the freezer for either taco pizza, sloppy joes or hamburger pie or just some quick casserole.

I made laundry soap for both us and Daughter 4.

I've hung laundry out on porch line and drying rack daily.

While seeing Daddy we went over and visited with Hubby's parents as they are only a few miles apart.

Went to get dental check up( we scheduled together to lower fuel costs) stopped and got car tags, then went to bank , then to the post office then to Menards to use rebate to get distilled water for the humidifier in the bedroom.

Averaged out what the electric bill ran 2019. We lowered it by the average of $14.50 a month even with the increase per kilowatt.

Ordered seeds/plants for the garden this year using rakuten,codes and coupons. We are raising mostly fresh or what we can't find at the Amish farms. We really missed eggplant and Roma tomatoes. I will raise plants from the seeds I already have. We use chiles that are not grown in this area.

Meantime I need to walk some to not stiffen up.
Blessed Be

frugal choices

We used gas buddy to find the cheapest fuel for the trucks.

I turned off the furnace 3 times and opened the doors to air out the house when it got up to 50 degrees. We now turn the furnace down 2 degrees when going to bed.

We went back over the budget to see if we could find any other place to cut back or cut out completely. We have $500 in medical going out above the cost of our health ins this month. Also I have truck and car tags to get. 

I washed clothes in cold water using homemade laundry soap and hung either on drying rack or porch clothes line.

All Christmas lights was turned off Dec 31 at 11 pm. That is the day when our electric bill is read at 11:59 pm by computer. So the holiday lights are only on 1 bill instead of 3 like last year.

We changed 3 nightlights...still LED but light up the rooms better with 1 bulb instead of a dozen.

Hubby installed more air barrier. Still more to go. But we can really tell the difference in the house.

We ate from the pantry and didn't order anything on line or go shopping.

We spent time just resting over the holidays and talking about goals and plans and taking care of our health.

We wrote out what our 2020 goals were and I posted them on the wall at the calendar so we would see them daily.

We batted around thoughts on how to have fresh produce, produce for stocking and the costs of it all. We both understand we need some garden and Hubby now acknowledges he didn't think it would be that much work by putting it in ground where I wanted to stay with square foot gardening for the majority of it.

We also know we have to find a better place to store potatoes and winter squash as the area we used is still too warm (thanks to warmer winter) and we are starting to lose it 3 months before usually. I Will be canning a lot this week.

I washed out 3 plastic bags and the insert to a box of cold cereal that we bought at the discount store for 99 cents.

How did your first week of the new year go?

Blessed Be

From the pantry Dec 30th to Jan 6th

Week 2 of eating from the pantry. Not being a problem since I have meals listed that can be fixed fast.

Dec 30th pork chops green beans, sweet potatoes and pears

Dec 31st sausage patty, canned potatoes fried, canned spinach, canned 3 bean salad and canned mandarin oranges

Jan 1st BBQ *Mother's recipe for sauce* ribs, canned kraut, instant mashed potatoes and canned black eye peas. Christmas pudding( steamed UK pudding) that I didn't like but Hubby thought was good in milk. Made me think of a very dry fruit cake.

Jan 2nd Left overs

Jan 3rd  Sara Moulton White chicken chili ... I used ground turkey as ground chicken in not available in this area. I used my own canned broth and 2 cans of Great Northern beans (now out of those canned beans) We are odds and ends of veggies and fruit from lunch

Jan 4th  Leftover chili and chunk pineapple

Jan 5th 177 Milkstreet Pork tapas, hot pickled cauliflower, green olives, ripe olives, cheese and crackers.

Jan 6th egg sandwiches, apples.

Jan 4th 4:20 pm this week's to do

I am sitting here at the dining table by candle light watching the snow starting to fall. Grass is brown and not covered as the last few days have been warm and we've had rain.  I have 2 towels still out of the porch line, the drying rack is full, both sock racks are full of kitchen hot pads and towels, and 2 walkers are over vents holding aprons and towels to dry. BUT except for the Christmas tree skirt the Christmas stuff is washed. When it is dry I will box it up. Monday I will run the vacuum and get all the throw rugs done and boxed up also. That will be the last of Christmas.

I flipped out the thick bath towels for the thinner ones for winter. Since we seem to have damp weather where I can't hang clothes on the line weekly the thick ones dry too slow on the drying rack.

This week I am going to be canning winter squash. The basement is staying too warm and we will be losing it if I don't get it done as I found one today that was bad. I still have 3 spag sq... or 4 I can't remember that we will need to get in the frig and eat them as they can't be canned.

My 5 gallon bucket that holds homemade noodles is empty so I need to get noodles made. By making them now I can make a quick meal later of them.

I have some veggies getting old so I need to make some veggie stock so they don't go to waste.

I have hamburger to make Salisbury steak, country fried steak, taco meat and sloppy joe. I might cook some plain to help with making casseroles.

I have to make some sour dough starter. I need sour dough bread for garlic soup and I need bread dough for pigs in the blanket. Might as well make that with the sour dough also.

I need to cook some bulk sausage for pizza, calzones and casseroles.

Finances are caught up until the 8th.We started following the money chart from Mediumsizedfamily.com

  http://outmywindowtoday.blogspot.com/ also uses this chart. It helped her get her house paid off so I am hoping we can use it to pay for the newer to us truck when we find one.

I will also can the leftover  of Sara Moulton white chicken chili (I used turkey and great northern beans). Won't be a biggie since I will be canning squash also.

This week I will also move the chair( and clean it) I always sat in at Daddy's into the front room where the Christmas tree was. He had bought a chair for me so I could touch the floor when I sat to visit with him. My brother made sure I got it  when we cleared the house. I will have figure out a different place for the Christmas tree next year. I have Mother's in my bedroom as she was a good 2-3 inches shorter than me.

We are doing well on the pantry challenge as we are in our second week. We are also focusing on eating at least 80% real food aka from scratch.

Doing well in the no spend and looking forward to marking off squares on the money chart.

I am also trying to do stretches on my yoga mat every day this month. That is on top of my daily 10,000 steps and 4 trips on the staircases since I decided to not spend the money on an elliptical or gym membership.

I also am doing a reading challenge from https://modernmrsdarcy.com/

This month I am reading the trilogy of The One from Nora Roberts.Hubby bought the last book for me for Christmas.

I will also read Starting Over by Jackie Clay *Backwoods Home magazine*

I am also checking my seeds and deciding what to plant for fresh eating. We really missed having eggplant and fresh salads. I will be buying my "stock up" goods from the Amish and the auction.

Best get doing the evening routine.

I lost a friend today

We met in 2001 through local groups of Flylady.net. Used to meet as a group and then her and I would meet just us when the groups fell apart as time passed.

She was a speech therapist and preacher. She married Daughter 4 and her ex.

She was vibrant , earthy , had great tastes in food and wine. Could curse like a sailor when flipping mad. I could get her to laugh when in a mad rant by asking who urinated her off.

Nov 16, 2009 she sat beside me in a coffee house in Springfield OH to help me write the first blog here. She followed my blog ever since.

 Dec 22nd,she was hanging Christmas decorations standing on an 8 ft ladder and fell to a tile floor. She not only cracked her skull on the floor but caused the metal rod in her spine to come loose. She died today to traumatic brain injury.

Heartbroken you are gone Libs.  I love you.