what a week

 TRYING AGAIN TO FINISH THIS POST LOL

I don't know if the moon was sticking it's tongue out at me or taking a crap LOL

Wind was coming in, beating the crap out of the south side of house last week when the cold front came through. Charlotte was pacing because of it and wanted me up, so up I was and trying to possibly get her to lay down near me so she didn't wake Hubby. (She laid down at 4 AM  when he got up)

Temps are to go down to 32 tomorrow morning so we will cover the peas up.There are a lot of pods so hopeful we will get a bit more. I will cut the kale on Monday and freeze it. That will finish the gardens for this year.( Leaving peas up, not supposed to get another cold spell during the next 7 days. Kale is staying up also)

Meat starts coming in Nov. with the hogs, Dec/ Jan for the steer. If I find turkey on sale for 59 cents like last year I will can some more of it. I hope to find decent size roasting chickens, maybe buy one a month when I get a gallon of milk. I can get more meals out of the whole bird than just buying thighs and breasts.

We have stocked... I will need sugar by spring for sure as I am down 60 lbs now. Might get it if I find it at good price. Looking today when I go pick up another set of my glasses . Probably  peas also since we didn't get much. I bought canned peas and carrots, yuck as a side but okay mixed with other things like the sausage gravy and biscuits. We are still putting the basement back together. I am going to be short 2 of the shelfing units that the sump pumps took the areas of. BUT except for dairy and maybe carrots, celery,onions(when I run out) and apples our trees didn't do well AGAIN. We don't need to go to the store.I just need to move it around so I can get to ALL the shelves.PLUS I bought food grade buckets for pasta that is stored in canning jars and that is stored in the north loft. I just need move it into the buckets.

I need to figure out some quick meals when both of us are wore out instead of driving into town and paying $75 for take out. We decided we would put the $75 aside each time we just sucked it up and cooked.

We redid the mortgage loan for 30 yrs March 2021, I paid off 15 yrs worth as of Aug 2026. !!!!

I paid the bills for the month, first time in 8 yrs I did not have to pull from the savings to cover the bills... in fact paid extra on mortgage and put some in savings.!!! Waiting to see if CD's go higher than my savings a money market.which is just under 4%.

Right now I can get more interest on my savings (ALLY) that my mortgage is costing me so most of that money will go to Savings and I will make lump sum payments instead of monthly. I know what I have to pay per year to get the house paid off in the time frame we want . 

We ordered our gas and diesel fuel. Saved 35¢ Not down like we had hoped but down enough to go ahead and get it. Since we have a farm, it doesn't go down like gas stations did.  We did double the amount we are getting to help keep it down. We might not have to order in the spring, which we always end up waiting for tax refund to pay for it.

We have propane, coal, day wood, night wood and scrap wood. We have our mineral oil for lamps.

I started the fall cleaning as a break from working in the basement. Doing an inventory where I can put a small note book in the area as Hubby is used to keeping tabs on things with that size of note book... 30 plus years of doing it in the factory after doing it farming.

I got my eyes checked, can't wear bifocals so now have 8 pairs of glasses ordered... I did take the old set to use in the garden. Regular and sunglasses to leave in truck so they are there. One for basement,one for computer, one by bed, one in front room, one in sewing room and one for my purse. Told me I actually have 3 different visions which is causing the biggest issue. BUT I won't have to go back for 2 yrs. so some of them are far(in truck), some are middle and some are for reading. I am constantly looking for my glasses.

I got my covid and flu vaccines... ALWAYS have trouble with flu one... BUT I nearly died when I caught the flu so would rather be down for a couple days than in hospital feeling like I am having a heart attack. Today is day 3, tired, achy but not bad.

Having left overs tonight.

Blessed be 

okay... here we go LOL

 Son 2 got his walker and is like a little kid on Christmas... then they made sure he understood they was still going to make sure he could walk again. He is using the walker to walk from his front door around the sidewalk (he is on the corner) and then back to his back door. He is happy to be able to go out side.

 We have below freezing in forecast in 2 wks so I will either cover my peas or pull them and deal with my kale. I will start sprouts the following Monday.

We decided all rebates, interest earned , coupons, refunds , tax refunds, what ever ($90 from gov't) was going to go on the mortgage. Saving from coupons (including Amazon) will go in this also.

We have money in saving for emergency and another for when our meat comes in. I already put aside the money for  turkeys and the prime rib*Christmas.

I am going through my seeds this week and decide what needs replaced and make an order up to. I order in late Nov as I start my own plants in Jan.

End of this week I will be dealing with our Medicare, etc stuff. Following week is vaccines and getting our eyeglasses done. Migraine for sure.

I need to find someone that has eggs for sale. My "supplier" has had her family grow big enough that she barely gets enough for her own family.

I got the mechanical room cleaned and end of month I will order our 15 bags of softener salt. The freezer room is cleaned.

Still need to finish the Bucket room and straighten the pantry before I put together the dry mix pantry jars.

Hubby is going to order our gas and diesel fuel this coming week also.

That will finish what we need delivered.

We have 1 more wagon load of wood blocks to come in within a week or two. Hubby is working on the night wood and a large half dead tree that dropped in elderly lady's yard that her son was supposed to deal with and hasn't. She called Hubby and asked if he could at least cut the limbs of so the other neighbor could use them as a bonfire for her great grandkids over Halloween.

Busy time for sure

TART CHERRY and canning jars

My link is not working

In search bar of Amazon 

GoodGrove Tart Cherry Extract 3600MG

GMP USA

Canning jars are for more of 18 months BUT daily is 3 meat, 3-4 fruit, 4-5 veggies, jam or jelly or fruit butter... broth or sauces or soups . There are times we eat 5-6 meals when working 16 hrs days out in the gardens or cutting wood for heat.

This year I will be putting dry mixes in canning jars. Tara Stephenson wrote Dry Mix Pantry Cookbook . She has 151 recipes that you put the dry mix in canning jar and note when to add to make/cook it. I plan to do at least some if not all of them.

winter weather forecast

 

FREAKING COLD  according to Wooly worm LOL.

For the last 4 days I've been battling my health... it's not been a good year with my health.Since I start our budget, changes of diet etc in the fall, I decided to change my meds which is over counter. 

My kid, the one that refuses to take any meds called  and told me she was taking masadena cold extract 3600 mg montmorency tart cherry from Traverse Michigan and her inflammation and BP was down.  HUMMM side note here... She works in the medical field and knows that prescription meds to lower your inflammation can actually hurt your heart.  She is the only one that eats pretty healthy, no soda or chips, no booze or fast food etc. Eats lots of veggies etc.Said she hadn't had any issues to speak of with her cerbral palsy... which I have also. I asked her to repeat what she said. Went back to Amazon and ordered what she said to order masadena, cold extract, 3600 mg..certificate of analasy *bad spell*. Told me to order enough for 3 months, if it isn't making a difference in 2 months she would pay me for the costs and take the 3rd bottle. Also told me to not wait for shipping to get points (she knows me, to have it shipped NOW) It should be here by Saturday.

Going into winter with high inflammation already is depressing, Hubby asked what I had changed.... Going back and looking... I didn't order the sour cherries from Michigan that I get through the Amish store this year. I don't add sugar to them when I can them, I add honey when I use them usually.  AND THOUGHT why didn't I order them... because I got sweet cherries from another store  SIGH. 

Blessed BE 

Up dates

 Son 2 found his dizziness and falling is NOT from his heart but from a medication issues. Cardo doctor caught it as his wife has the same issue. Ran testing that had decent results. Needs to cut the sodium back more. He is only retaining water in his FEET.

Had to put his cat to sleep, pretty sure she had cancer and was starting to not walk. Hard but necessary.He lost his other cat last year *cancer, both cats were over 20 yrs old. 

Freaking cold at night... mid 50s to low 60s so cleaed the wood stove. Wood on porch .Low got down to 39 last night.

We got coal $390/ ton, Elder Amish asked if we could pick up his for him also since he no longer trust the other person to go get it. Paid us upfront. Coal is going up to $450 plus a ton. Now both households have 6 tons and for the lower price.

Monday we took the wagon to get more blocks.We already paid that so that's take care of.

We will order fuel, gas and diesel next week as the company thinks it will go down some more. We could wait until Nov as we are not out.

We got mineral spirits for our oil lamps. Hubby mentioned they seemed to burn a bit brighter.

Peas have developed pods and they are starting to fill out. SO Fingers crossed they make before a freeze.

I have one more shelving unit to declutter in freezer room  when I get over this flu and then I can start in the bucket room which is really putting buckets back, putting drawers back in Daddy's dresser and moving mixes back in the cabinet (after I write down what is there so I don't buy more). The pantry room won't be bad as I didn't move any of it but the buckets are sitting in there so I am crawling over buckets to get to fruit and veggies jars LOL.

We have stocked up on stuff as it came on sale, coffee, tea OTC meds, rice,etc... will need to stock up on the sugar... 

Leather gloves for the wood for both of us as the wood found the holes in the finger tips. 😉

We have the money invested to pay the meat bill. Pork is coming in Nov/Dec Beef is coming in Dec/Jan. He tries to give a 2 wk break between them.

Now we have to decide of paying extra on the mortgage, saving money that we spent on basement and having the savings back up or split the money between the mortgage and the saving.... SIGH.

Prayers for all 

Blessed be