2018 Cross-stitch...

One of my goals for this year was to be more productive.  My mother's definition of productivity was having something to show for your time.  Since my paying job claimed three times the number of hours this year as in previous years, small projects are what kept me on goal.  

When I saw these perforated-paper tags, I knew they would be a fun way to spend productive time this year.  I searched Pinterest for small cross-stitch patterns that would fit on the tags.  A couple of the designs I graphed myself.  I made most of the tags into cards.  A few are still waiting to be made into cards.

I think most of the following photos have appeared in other posts, but I thought I would assemble them all into a single post by way of a recap for the year's productivity goal.

These were really fun and relaxing.  I'm sure I will be making more in the future.

Frugal Friday File 2018, week 52...

In 2019 I will be changing up my frugal files.  I believe I will only be posting once a month, on the last Friday of each month.  Weekly posting has kept me focused, but I am feeling it is time to change things up a bit.

This Week's Successes:
1.  Gave myself a pedicure at home.

2.  Eating up leftovers.  Luckily I love meatloaf sandwiches. 

3.  Patched a favorite pair of work pants for the grown son.  Thankful to have been taught practical and frugal skills.

4.  Paid all bills on time.  Annual and quarterly insurance premiums not a shock to the checking account, because funds had been set aside monthly over the past year for that purpose.

5.  Avoided all after-Christmas sales.  We just don't need anything, and as my husband says, nothing is a bargain if you don't need it.  :)

Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  *Whataburgers
Sunday:  Sunday Christmas dinner at Kasey & Beau's
Monday:  Corned Beef Hash w/ white & sweet potatoes
Tuesday:  Chicken Curry w/ rice
Wednesday:  Meatloaf, baked potatoes, green beans
Thursday:  leftovers
Friday:  leftovers

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

Merry Christmas...

Old photo with new edit.  

From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas.

Making it Monday (Christmas Eve edition)...

So I finished binding all the kids' quilts with an hour to spare.  I had so effectively procrastinated...cough, cough...that I had to do all the binding on the machine (I usually do the last step by hand).  By the time I was done, I had gotten pretty good at making it invisible.  I guarantee the kids will never know any different, and, on the upside, it is probably more sturdy.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, as I was about halfway around in the final step of binding the third quilt, I realized that the bobbin was making a sound like it was getting critically low on thread.  I was so exhausted and just did not want to stop to reload the bobbin, so there was a lot of, 'oh please, please, please be enough on there to finish.'  There was...just barely.  And the spool was almost as low as the bobbin!

We had our Christmas together combined with Sunday family supper at Kasey and Beau's.  Beau cooked a prime rib on the grill.  Oh my goodness, it was SO delicious.

We also played a game of Not Parent Approved.  No skill required, and good for a few laughs.  Beau, who never wants to play games with us, loves this game.  :)

Now I have some breathing room.  I have two more quilts to bind but not a huge rush.  Then maybe I will have some time to read or cross-stitch or take a nap.  :)

Edited to add:  I had intended this to get posted Monday morning, but I forgot to hit 'publish.'  Earlier today I received a text from Kasey with two photos, saying this was how she found the girls when she went in to wake them this morning..."wrapped in Grandma's love."

Made my heart happy!  :)

Frugal Friday File 2018, week 51...

Successes:
1.  I am staying home today, so I am wearing holey jeans...not the fashionable kind of holey jeans.  They're really more sweat pants than they are jeans...oh, so very comfortable.  I can't bear to get rid of them, so I save them for the days I don't have to leave the house.

2.  Carey went and paid our property taxes today.  The letter from the county reverting our tax due to last year's rate (due to Carey's turning 65 this year) came this week in the mail.  This is much more efficient, as we thought we might have to pay the higher rate and wait for a refund.  But with official notification i hand, we got to pay the lower rate saving several hundred dollars.

3.  I arranged to carpool to a social commitment tomorrow.  It's in a neighboring town.  I'm not sure how the parking may be, so being in one car rather than two will be a small help, and I won't know many people there, so it is nice to walk in with a friend.  And it saves gas, of course.  :)

4.  I did not buy holiday stamps for the Christmas cards.  I had plenty of others on hand, so went with those.

5.  Just paid my first monthly bill to my new phone service provider.  One-third the cost of the last provider.  Why did I wait so long?

Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  *chicken
Sunday:  Sunday family dinner at Kasey & Beau's
Monday:  leftovers
Tuesday:  *barbecue
Wednesday:  *Chinese
Thursday:  *Schlotzky sandwiches
Friday:  Old Fashioned Goulash

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

2018 Christmas cards...

Christmas cards/letters have been sent.  Yea!  They went out a little late, but, hey, some years they don't go out till into the new year or not at all.

The majority were made using my Stampin' Up! Paper Pumpkin subscription box from last month (November 2018), but I mixed up the designs to stretch them.  I think if you used the instructions as intended it would have made ten cards (lined envelopes were included).

I got well over twenty cards by adding in a few different papers/card bases and mailed most of them in plain red envelopes.

I think this one was my favorite, and I totally copied someone else's design on this one, but couldn't find a name to give her credit.

For the majority I used this image of Scripture.

It's a little hard to tell in the photos, but the plaid paper has gold metallic lines as part of the plaid, and I used a gold metallic cardstock to back the Scripture image.

 Then I mixed it up a bit, and I pulled out the kit from last year that I never got around to using, and I made a few shaker cards.

This one really was the end of the line, and used up the last of the pine boughs.

All told I made about thirty cards, including two with cross-stitch tags that will be shown in another post.  I also slipped a copy of our Christmas letter into each envelope, and included a handwritten note as well on almost all.  Two cards I purchased from a local jewelry designer (because I just couldn't resist them), and Carey bought and mailed two cards on his own to his mother and another old friend.  (I mailed his mother one also, so she got two from us.  lol)

And though I still have lots of other preparations to make, I am happy that I got cards/letters off to so many this year.

Frugal Friday File 2018, week 50...

Successes:
1.  Standing in front of the fridge on Wednesday, I was wondering what I could combine to make a supper,  I saw a variety of small quantities of vegetables that needed using up but no meat except some bacon.  I had plenty of eggs, so I decided to try my hand at a frittata.  I've never made one before, so it was a learning experience.  Next time I will know to have all the vegetables prepped/sliced before getting started.  Once you start, it moves pretty fast.  

2.   One day of work this week.

3.  Caitlyn had a school project that required copious amounts of adhesive tape.  She was working on it while we were there on Sunday, and that's when she exhausted their household supply.  I knew we had some, so I came home and rounded ours up.  Not knowing how much more she would need, I just kept gathering.  I delivered eight partial rolls of gift-wrapping tape, and as a joke I picked up two huge rolls of packing tape and added them to the lot.  The project has been turned in, and the tape has all been returned.  I also loaned Kasey my car to drive the girls and Caitlyn's project to school on the due date, as she wasn't sure how to fit said project through the doors of either of theirs.   The project was a roller coaster built from paper, by the way.  Apparently her teacher assigns this annually to each of her classes.  Beau is contemplating scenarios to get the teacher fired before Chloe has her next year.  ;)  This was more frugal for them than for me, I suppose, but at least I know I won't need to purchase any tape for our gift wrapping.  

4.  I took Rudy to the vet yesterday.  He was acting rather uncharacteristically low energy, and he has yelped several times lately while chewing on a favorite hard toy.  We thought maybe he had broken a tooth, and with the listlessness I was imagining an infection might have set in.  Since I had to work today and Monday, I didn't want to put off taking him.  Yes, you guessed it, he is completely fine, no problems could be found.  How is this frugal?  Well, for a mere $60 I have peace of mind that I won't have to call the emergency vet over the weekend.  (Yes, I know, that is a real stretch.)

5.  Gasoline prices are still low.  I filled up at $1.86 per gallon on Wednesday.  That was about two weeks on one tank of gas, which for me is pretty good.


Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  pasta w/ Italian sausage
Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey & Beau's
Monday:  *TexMex
Tuesday:  *barbecue
Wednesday:  frittata
Thursday:  leftovers
Friday:  soup

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

Frugal Friday File 2018, week 49...

Successes:
1.  I booked two days of work; one next week and one the week after.

2. Found some Italian sausage in the freezer that was looking a little iced over.  Moved it to the fridge to thaw, and will use it in tomorrow's pasta instead of purchasing ground beef.

3.  Reading a library ebook.

4.  Adjusted soup recipe to include the remainder of portabello mushrooms that needed using before they shriveled up.

5.  Cold and wet weather makes staying home with a cup of hot chocolate and soup in the slow cooker a luxury not to be taken for granted.  

Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  *sushi
Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey & Beau's
Monday:  *sandwich
Tuesday:  *Chinese
Wednesday:  smoked oysters on crackers
Thursday:  *Whataburgers
Friday:  Beef & Winter Vegetable Stew

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

Library Quilt Group Christmas brunch...

This year we did a Secret Santa gift exchange in our library quilt group.  We were to make six gifts throughout the year, all to go to a single person, but we didn't know who.  At the December brunch today we drew names to see who was the recipient of our gifts.

I had an appointment at the dermatologist (it was either take the opening from a cancellation today or wait till after the first of the year), so I wrapped all my packages in matching paper/ribbon (they look very Grinch-like to me...LOL) so they were easily identifiable in case I didn't make it back before the opening.  I lucked into having a perfect-sized box that just arrived from Amazon to transport them in, so I wrapped it to match too.

Below are the gifts I made in order from my least to most favorite.

Spring shopping bag - meh

I wish I had added a yellow button to each center of the yo-yo flowers and leaves to the stems, but I ran out of time.

Kitchen towels with prairie points

I'm not crazy about the black fabric on the white towels, but I like the vintage kitchen cookery print.

Set of 4 quilt-themed handmade Christmas cards

These were the last things I made, and my time was down to the wire.  I wasn't feeling great, so I kept them really simple.

Coffee mug with sewing tools image

Valentine pillow

Bowl made from fabric-wrapped cord

I love this, and will make myself one very soon.  They can be made pretty much any size and shape.  It was so satisfying watching it take shape relatively quickly.  

I had this much of the post written last night, and had planned to take photos and show what I received as well.  But the dermatologist this morning took a small spot off of the bridge of my nose.  The bandage they applied, that has to be left on for 24 hours, makes my glasses sit askew, so it is making everything a little difficult.  I will try to take photos of the lovely gifts I received at another time.

Frugal Friday File 2018, week 48...

Successes:
1.  Worked 2 days this week.

2.  After a crazy day at work, my brain was tired.  When I got home Carey asked if I wanted to go out to eat.  Well, heck YEAH!  But we got to our favorite little dive, and they were closed for the day.  Surprisingly, I wasn't all that disappointed.  I suggested we go back home and have breakfast for dinner.  But when we got home and I saw what was in the fridge that needed using up (ground turkey, slaw mix, shredded carrots) I made Inside-Out Egg Rolls instead.  It wasn't great, as I over salted, what with all the soy sauce, but it was edible, and I was happy to cook perfectly good food instead of having it go bad, as it was getting close.  And I even bit the bullet and took the leftovers for work lunch the next day.

3.  I clicked on a Kindle deal of the day, but Amazon alerted me to the fact that I had purchased that particular book previously.  Thank you, Amazon, for keeping me from a duplicate purchase.  I also had signed up for a 7 day free trial of Showtime through our Kindle Fire TV, and after about 2 days I realized it was totally not worth paying for, and immediately canceled any further service.

4.  So thankful for health insurance.  This week and next I saw/will see my primary-care physician, the 2nd half of the sleep study, the dermatologist, and the clinic to have my port flushed.  I also need to get back to the hand specialist, but I think that will have to wait till after the holidays, as I have lots of making to do that will require both hands.  :)

5.  I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but I was able to fill up my tank with gasoline for less than $2 a gallon this week.  Perk of living in a petroleum-rich state, I guess.


Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  Chicken Curry
Sunday:  Sunday supper at Kasey & Beau's
Monday:  Inside-Out Egg Rolls
Tuesday:  Dublin Coddle
Wednesday:  *Tex-Mex
Thursday:  I can't remember!
Friday:  late lunch, skipped supper

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Bear Town by Fredrik Backman

I've read other books by Fredrik Backman and enjoyed them.  I love A Man Called Ove.  I mean, I really love Ove, because though my husband isn't called Ove, he embodies Ove.  :)

I wasn't sure if I was in the right mood to read Bear Town right now, but it came so highly recommended by Janet At the Little House in the Swamp (better than Ove, she says!?) that I had to immediately reserve the ebook from my library's website.  I'm not very far into it, as I have SO many other things to get done this week in addition to working two days and a doctor's appointment.  Maybe the doctor will be running late, and I'll get time to read in the waiting room.  :)

Frugal Friday File 2018, week 47...

Successes:
1.  There was leftover roast and potatoes in the fridge earlier this week.  I had meant to make soup, but I couldn't get excited about any recipes.  So I diced them up along with an onion and a couple of baked sweet potatoes and made hash.  Topped it with some over-easy eggs, and it made enough supper to feed two and make two work lunches (minus the eggs).

2.  I was out of brown sugar while I was baking pies for our holiday.  Instead of driving 7 miles to the grocery and fighting the crowds, I went to Google and sought a substitute.  I knew that commercial brown sugar is only granulated sugar with molasses added, but I needed a ratio and method.  Oh my gosh, such an easy fix.  One cup of regular granulated sugar and two Tablespoons molasses stirred together in a bowl is such an easy substitute for one cup of brown sugar.  I guess molasses may not be a staple in everyone's pantry, but happily it is in mine. 

3.  Daughter and s-i-l were hitting the sales today at the exact store I needed an item from.  Carey has a Christmas wish that required a different set of knowledge skills than I possess.  Son-in-law to the rescue.  Carey's Christmas gift is marked off my list, while my car was kept off the roads.

4.  Put the flannel sheets on the bed this week.  Keeps us warm without raising the thermostat.  And the fact that they are over ten years old and still going strong is pretty awesome.  :)  Buying good quality pays off in the long run.

5.  Reading a library ebook on my Kindle.  Pre-treating stains before clothes go into the hamper, prolonging their life.  Paid all bills on time.  Using cloth napkins...really old cloth napkins...those things last forever!  Being thankful for frugal parents who taught me lots of useful and frugal skills.

Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  *sushi
Sunday:  Sunday family dinner at Kasey & Beau's
Monday:  salmon Buddha bowls
Tuesday:  Two Potato Hash w/ sunny-side up egg, and green beans
Wednesday:  *Schlotzky sandwiches
Thursday:  Thanksgiving feast at Kasey & Beau's
Friday:  Shrimp Alfredo served with spaghetti squash

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

Be sharp...

Yesterday, the only things I made for our Thanksgiving dinner were the dressing and three pies...and a big mess.  (Kasey and Beau made everything else.)

I seemed to have used a lot of knives.

A few months ago, Carey got irritated, because I had bought yet another paring knife.  I said I kept buying paring knives, because I was searching for one like my favorite.  He knew just which one I was talking about, and he agreed that it was the best.  It is sharp and it stays sharp, and it fits in my hand comfortably.  And that sparked a decision for me.  I took that much-loved knife in hand and examined it very closely...and I found a maker's name...Victorinox.  Who knew my little paring knife, that I have loved for years, was made by the Swiss Army knife manufacturer.

I looked online, and, sure enough, was able to find the exact knife in numerous colors (found here and here), and they were not expensive at only about $6 - $7 a piece.  I bought one in every color.  I keep them (point down) in a mug on my counter top next to my cutting boards, and it makes me happy to look at them, because I know no matter which one I reach for it will be my favorite.  I cook a lot from scratch, and we eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, so I may use a paring knife several times a day and want to have plenty so when some are in the dishwasher others are still at the ready.

I had a special request for apple pie for Thanksgiving dinner this year.  I don't know about anyone else, but no matter what I am using an apple for, whether just to eat it with peanut butter or chopped in tuna salad or sliced for a pie, I begin by quartering it.  Then I cut the core off the quarter, then I pare the skin.  It just seems the easiest to me.

 

And look at that strip of peel in the background...barely any waste of the pulp at all...you can practically see through that strip of peel!  And THAT is why these knives are my favorite.  

All my old paring knives are in the Goodwill donation box.  :)

Here are yesterday's pies.   Apple in the foreground, the Chocolate Bourbon Pecan (aka Derby Pie) is in the middle, and the pumpkin is in the back.

Greetings for the day...

Buddha Bowl success...

I was reading The NonConsumer Advocate the other day, and she mentioned Stacey Flowers' videos on YouTube.   I liked this one in particular.  It made me think differently about how I prepare 'bowl' combinations, and resulted in a SPECTACULAR dinner at our house last night.

I've always liked 'bowls' when eating out, but the ones I've tried at home have been sort of unimpressive.  After watching Stacey's video about 'dressing' each item, it sort of clicked, and I was ready to try again.

I cooked some quinoa which I had rinsed and drained well.  I started by first adding a little bit of olive oil to a deep sauce pan with some finely diced onion and garlic, then the quinoa and let them all 'toast' for a minute or so.  Then added the water and cooked per package directions.

Once I had the quinoa started, I preheated the oven to 425° F.  Then I lined a large baking sheet with foil.  I poured about a Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil onto the foil, and spread it around with my finger tips to make sure the foil was covered with a light coating of oil.

I peeled and sliced some red beets and some golden beets.  (I've never cooked them before, but Stacey's looked SO good that I went out and bought some.)  I put the slices in a large Ziploc bag with about a Tablespoon of olive oil, and squooshed them around to lightly coat all sides with oil.  Then I laid them out at one end of the prepared baking sheet.

I peeled and chopped two sweet potatoes.  I put them in the same Ziploc bag.  I didn't add any more oil, I just squooshed the diced sweet potatoes around, and then added them to the baking sheet.

I rinsed and trimmed a handful of Brussels sprouts (as I'm the only one that likes them), cut them in half, and put them in the same old Ziploc bag (again adding no additional oil) and after squooshing to coat the sprouts with any oil clinging to the bag interior, I added them to one corner of the baking sheet.  

I tried to make sure the baking sheet was not over crowded, and to keep the vegetables somewhat separated.  I sprinkled with salt and pepper, and roasted them at 425° F for about 30 to 40 minutes, flipping them once toward the end of the roasting time.  When the vegetables were nice and tender and caramelized, I lifted them with the foil liner off of the baking sheet and set aside.  

I added a new foil liner to the pan, put the salmon on the pan with some salmon seasoning and baked (still with oven set at 425° F) till the center was almost done (about 10 minutes, but it depends on the thickness of the fillet), then removed the sheet from the oven and let the salmon rest for a few minutes on the sheet to continue it's final cooking.

To assemble my bowls, I started with chopped kale tossed with some lime juice and a little salt.  I added about a cup of quinoa in the center on top of the kale.  I put some roasted beet slices on one side, some roasted sweet potato on the other side, and squeezed in some roasted Brussels sprouts where they would fit.  I placed a serving of salmon (with skin removed) atop the quinoa, and drizzled with a Balsamic reduction.

These turned out absolutely DELICIOUS!  And relatively low in WW points, since the only things that had points in the bowl were the oil, quinoa, sweet potato and balsamic; all the rest of the veg and salmon are zero point.

And now for a humorous postscript:
Someone (who shall remain nameless, but lives in our garage apartment) is into the peak season at work with the holidays coming up.  I texted him a photo of the really fab meal in our fridge for him if he so desired.  He came in from work exhausted about midnight and took his 'bowl' to go.

Today it occurred to me that I might better send him a warning.  His response made me truly laugh out loud.

Frugal Friday File 2018, week 46...

Successes:
1.  Christmas tree is up...not decorated...but up.  :)  Early, I know, but I wanted Carey to put it up before he had to go back to work.  Several sections remained dark when it was plugged in, but adding a couple of strings of lights found among the decorations should hold it for at least one more year's use. (I think this is the third year I've said this.)

2.   A check that I had written and mailed for a doctor bill got lost in the mail.  When I called my credit union to put a stop payment on it so I could pay the bill with another check, I was fully expecting to pay the $20 stop-payment fee.  I was pleasantly surprised to be told that because it was a postal issue, the fee would be waived.  Nice surprise.

3.  And speaking of the credit union...  I just made the last payment on the loan we took to pay for the kitchen remodel.  New plan for the freed-up money is for it to go into savings every month.  

4.  We have hit freezing temperatures the last few nights and the days are chilly.  Rudy definitely needs a coat if he is outside for any length of time.  Though the 'sweatshirts' I made him last year kept him warm, they were rather difficult to get on and off over his head and front legs.  At the end of the season last year I picked up a velcro-fastening dog coat on clearance for $2.  He is wearing it now, and it is much easier to get him dressed and undressed.  

Such a dapper dog!  :)

5.  I made a birthday card from supplies on hand, and dropped it in the mail.  I refilled the foaming soap dispenser by my kitchen sink with 98% water and 2% regular dish washing detergent...cheap...and when my hands are greasy it works better than other hand soaps.  I paid $2.07 per gallon today when I filled the car with gasoline...down about 60¢ in the last few weeks.

Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  big lunch, so *ice cream for supper!
Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey & Beau's
Monday:  Dublin Coddle
Tuesday:  Roast, potatoes, carrots, broccoli
Wednesday:  *Tex-Mex
Thursday:  breakfast for supper
Friday:  open-faced roast beef sandwich

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)