Another Catching Up- This is becoming a bad habit.

All right. So it has been a while again. We have been really busy the past few weeks.

I picked up a couple of extra days at work. We visited my mother-in-law for a memorial and remembrance at homecoming at church. I am in overdrive helping my son finish his online school program so he can be done and have his diploma in hand so he can join the Marines by the end of September. We have been trying to get garden work done and prepare for the fall garden.

I am still the best seller at work. We have a contest that will be starting this weekend regarding sales. I fully expect to win it. Actually, the manager and assistant manager both told me they expect me to win it, as well. The manager is not eligible, but the asst. man. is. But right now since she is still new, she is trying to get things in shape and isn't spending a lot of time with the customers yet. And compared to the other two who work on the lot with me? No challenge!

My son found out that there is a vacancy in the enrollment for the Marines at the end of September. It is the same MOS as he selected and if we can get his diploma before then, he can get signed up and go then. The kid who was supposed to go can't pass the PT test, so he can't go yet. Apparently, there are a couple of other kids who might also vie for the spot, so I am helping him get through his last two courses for school. It's only two, shouldn't take too long, right? Well, it obviously can. It's English. And a ton of writing. For a kid that likes texting because he can use text lingo and shorten everything. A kid who barely passed his first two English classes. He hates it. Will do math and science all day long, just please don't make him write an essay! So I get to help. A lot. I have been spending hours a day for days to help. I am so glad my husband is willing to let me help and help me with other things that need done as well. My poor dog and cats think I have abandoned them, I have paid so little attention to them lately.

We ripped all the corn and beans out of the garden. We already burned part of what we ripped out and are waiting on the corn to finish drying so we can burn it too. I hope to be able to do that this weekend. Then we can pull out the vining plants and let them dry so we can burn them up as well. If you are wondering why I want to burn instead of compost, I shall tell you. Since we ended up with an insect problem and had some powdery mildew, I want to get rid of it completely instead of trying to cook it out in the compost and risk it again next year. With our humid climate, funguses and mildews are an ongoing problem or concern each year already. I will also be harvesting a lot of tomatoes today that I will put in the dehydrator. Mostly cherry and pear tomatoes. They are good rehydrated and put on pizza and in sauces for pasta.

It has been very hot and humid here the past couple of days. A few days last week were downright beautiful. We had the windows open several nights last week. Possibility of rain today and tomorrow. I hope it does as what is left in the garden could desperately use it.

We had the truck in the shop again at the end of last week. This time we don't know what is wrong with it. The shop couldn't figure it out either. Basically we were told to let it get worse so we can figure it out. When they had the truck (for three days), it not once acted up. Of course. We are not sure if it is a sensor starting to go bad or if it's the transmission or who knows what. We had the transmission flushed and refilled because originally we thought the tranny was the problem. Now we are not so sure. Since all we can do is describe what we think is happening and the truck didn't do it when the shop had it, they couldn't diagnose it. So we brought it home. And while my husband has been riding to work, when we did drive it, it didn't do it for us either. I would wish miracle cure and that it righted itself, but I know that is not how it works.

I have had several long talks with my husband lately. I know, I know. Just what a guy wants, right?!? I am glad that he did though. I have been stressing over a lot of things recently and needed some help to get my head straight. I wanted to talk to him and not some girl friend because I wanted advice and help, not sympathy. Men and women have their strengths and weaknesses. I needed the strength from my husband, not an "I know how you feel". He helped me figure a few things out and I am starting to feel much better and not quite so stressed. As time passes, I know that the stress will go away altogether. And that is why men and women are different. We need to be to work together and help each other.

Two Saturday's ago, I had the dog back at the vet. I got home from work on Friday night and was his usual self. Jumping all over, head down butt up tail wagging shaking his whole body happy. He followed me through the house while I was doing my get home routine. Then I took him outside and he was just fine again. About that time my husband rolled in. Puppy started his whole greet routine and was still just fine. My husband went to change out of his work clothes. Dog and I followed. He changed, we came back out in the kitchen to our customary chairs and dog limped a few steps to the edge of the kitchen and stopped. Holding his paw up. He did eventually come a bit into the kitchen but wouldn't put any weight on his paw. I tried to look and he didn't like that so I left him be a few minutes. Then I picked him up and held him while my husband looked at it. Nothing to see. Then he ran through the house like nothing was wrong when a jet flew over, barking his head of like usual. I guess he has to let me know there is a jet just in case I can't hear it. Or feel it, they shake the whole house. Then back to limping. I am pretty sure dogs don't fake injuries. Off and on all evening. Same thing the next morning for the first two hours. Then I got him down on the floor with his paw turned over. Oh my. Redness, swelling, growling when I touched it. So I called the vet and they said bring him in. So I got my workout for the day getting him out to the car and in it. Then I got my next workout for the week once I got inside and he started going for every animal in the place. He likes cats but likes to chase them. He does not like dogs any more. Thanks rat dog from across the road. Plenty of dogs at the vet's office. Finally they put us in the exam room. I put him up on the table and this little gal who must still be in high school comes in and says Hi! I'm Dr. something-or-another-I- didn't-catch since I was still stuck on the fact that she looked younger than my son. She was competent and smart though. I pinned the dog to me so she could look without any chance of puppy biting her. Turns out he had bitten his nails again- Something I am actively trying to get him to stop doing. But instead of the problem being that he bit it down to the quick, he split it. She asked if we had carpet. Why yes we do. And rugs everywhere since he will NOT walk on tile or linoleum. So she deduced that he caught his split nail on the rug and pulled the tendon. That is why he had redness and inflammation. She tidied the nail up. Gave me some anti-inflammatory meds that are steroid free and sent me on my way. To the front desk and the dogs that my dog wanted to eat. I paid and got my ass outside, thus ending the workouts needed for the rest of the month. Still had to lift the dog into the suv and out again once we got home. Which I accomplished. Then went to work to sweat like a pig and lift plants and trees all day. Man, you would think I would be in shape. Although, as my husband tells me, round is a shape.

We are still doing good on keeping our sugar consumption down. We are trying to eat smaller, more frequent meals to avoid over-eating. That seems to be going better for my husband as when I am at work, I really don't eat the whole time I am there. I have a six hour shift, therefore, no required lunch break. Which I am not fussed about as I am hot while I am there and not interested in eating anyway. I do, however, drink an entire bottle of Pedialyte when I work. In addition to two or three bottles of water to stay hydrated.

That seems to be the bulk of what has happened the last few weeks. I am hoping that, other than getting this school work done, the next week or so is uneventful. I won't plan on it as this year seems to be our year. For stuff. I guess we are getting it all out of the way at once. Which, hey! I am A-Okay with.

P.S. Tonight for supper is salmon patties. I have no idea what we are having with it yet. Just that we are having salmon patties.

P.P.S. I am thankful for my husband. I am every day. He is a blessing to me and I feel so lucky to have him and his strength and wisdom.

Hooray for Thunder Shirts and Other Daily Goings-on

I am happy to report that the thunder shirt is working. My dog still doesn't like the storms and thunder, but instead of hiding and shaking and pounding heart, he simply finds a place to lay down where it's fairly closed in and dark. That is a huge improvement. I am so glad that we got it.

We did get the garden sprayed. The stuff that we used has neem oil and an "exciter" to make the bugs come out and eat the treated leaves. Then they die off. It affects their neurological systems so that they stop laying eggs and stop eating. Course when I went out the next day to water, I saw about a million bugs I think. It was a little surprising and kinda gross to see so many. We will spray again next weekend to get them under control before we plant the fall garden.

I have saved and dried a bunch of the beans we grew this year for planting next year. The pintos and Cherokee cornfield did really well, the red beans did ok and the limas and tiger eye did not do well at all. Hopefully as I keep planting them, the harvest will improve as it adapts to my soil and micro-climate.

The corn is now a total loss. The last two storms did it in. I thought last week after the storm that I could probably salvage some of it. The storms yesterday pretty much finished it off. I am not sure that any of it will mature enough to save any seed. Bummer. Plus as it fell and broke it started smothering the squash plants. I think that bed is going to be done for now. I will leave it there until after we spray this coming weekend to make sure we get any bugs that might be hiding in there and then rip it all out. I don't think it has too many pests as none of the plants look like they have been munched on.

The peanuts, on the other hand, are still going strong and looking splendid. It will still be a while before they are ready to harvest. They have a long maturation date.

We had to fix the truck again. Over the weekend as we were out running errands, the fan quit blowing. Which sucked because it was so hot and humid. We first replaced some resistor thing. I don't remember exactly what it was called. It was cheaper than the blower motor and if it didn't work, we figured it's still a new part and we won't have to worry about it going out later. It didn't work. So the next day my husband bought the blower motor. We went out and changed it. It was surprisingly easy to do. Now it works again.

I have an old rocking chair that I will be restoring and cleaning. I spent some time researching it. It appears to have been made in the early 1900's. I need to clean it to see if I can find any identifying mark on it. It is a mission style chair and seems to be in the Stickley style. Without finding the mark, I can't be sure of the maker, though. I don't think it has any actual value as the seat cushion has been replaced and there seems to be either a back cushion or something along those lines missing. It does, however, appear to have the original springs. I just think it's cool to have a piece of furniture that is that old. I actually got it from my mom years ago. I also have an old dresser that I think I will do some research on to see if I can date it as well. Also from my mom. I seriously doubt that it is worth anything, either, owing to the stickers I put on it as a kid!! Although I may be able to get them off without damaging it. It makes me wonder with furniture that old where all it has been. How many people have owned it. If it could talk, what stories would it have. They were both obviously well cared for as they are both in pretty good condition. Even if they are 100+ years old (which is what classifies a piece of furniture as antique), they have both been in my family, either my mom's house or mine, for probably 40 years or more. I will have to ask her when she bought them. I just remember them always being there.

I roasted some garlic yesterday. Oh man, does that ever make the house smell good. I saved all the tops that I could to use in fresh cooking. Waste not, want not and all that. I also made breakfast burrito guts yesterday. We don't wrap them anymore, as my husband hasn't mastered the biting into things yet without his plate coming loose or moving. So I make the innards and he just eats them off a plate instead. It's a really filling hearty breakfast.

After the storms yesterday, it cooled off enough that I was able to open windows and use fans. Boy, I love fresh air in the house. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for air conditioning. I just get tired of the staleness in the house when it's on. I also love to have fresh air when I am sleeping, as does my husband.

This afternoon, I am going to find my mayonnaise recipe and make it so I can make my gouda cheese dip. It's quite tasty. I am not sure how well my husband will do with crackers, but maybe he can use bread instead. I imagine it would be good on anything. It's cheese. That's kind of like bacon, it goes with everything. And if it doesn't, then you shouldn't eat it!

That's about it for the last several days. I don't really feel like I have gotten a lot accomplished. I did get things done, like laundry, washing down cabinets, sorting and purging lids for food containers that I no longer have the bowls, organizing cabinets, etc., but there really isn't anything exciting or news-worthy about that! I do feel that they are all important tasks as I would not have to worry about those issues if something happened. Just not worth putting up a blog post about it. Do you ever feel like you haven't accomplished anything if it wasn't something big?

Starting next week, I will be working two days a week. The new assistant manager seems pretty cool. She told me she heard good things about me and that she could be very persistent and would be in getting me to work more. I told her I could be very stubborn, but was willing to test our wills! Which in that case she would actually win since I had already decided to start picking up more hours. Slowly to make sure the dog doesn't freak out when I am suddenly gone more than one day a week. Plus, as I start working more, I am hoping that the temperatures start going down. I realize they won't for a while yet, but I can handle a couple of days for now.

Well, I am off to find something to do. I am not sure what I will accomplish this afternoon. I just plan on flying by the seat of my pants to figure it out. Probably start with cleaning the bathroom since I washed the bathroom rug yesterday. Don't want to put a clean rug in a dirty bathroom. 😁

P.S. Supper tonight will be ham steak and eggs. Or maybe the cheese dip and crackers with some fresh fruit. Not sure yet.

P.P.S. I am thankful for my husband. I had a killer headache this morning (sinus) and he let me sleep in. He really takes good care of me. I can only hope I take care of him as well as he does me.  

I'm Ba-aaack!!!

So after a rough couple of weeks, I am back. Life in the Trailer household is back on track.

So after the crazy drivers on Friday when my husband had his dental work, I figured that his mouth hurting and not being able to eat well would be the only problem. Well, we all know what happens when you assume something.

On Saturday, the adhesive they used to hold the plate in was long gone. He was told to keep it in for 24 hours at least. He woke up in the middle of the night with the plate in the bed and not his mouth. It would not stay in place the whole day on Saturday. It rubbed his gums where the teeth had come out. He couldn't eat anything. I make a lot of home made stock, thankfully, so at least he could drink something nutritious. I didn't eat much either. I felt bad eating in front of him when he was so hungry and all he could get in himself was stock. He was in quite a bit of pain on Saturday as well. I tried to do what I could, but there isn't much to do for that except make sure he had ibuprofen. We don't either one take prescription pain meds. He doesn't like them and I can't take them.

The ibuprofen helped some, but definitely did not get rid of the pain. So in a stoke of stupidity, we decided a couple of shots of whiskey would help get rid of the pain. Well, it did work. The stupidity came in because neither of us had eaten anything solid. So, after a couple of shots, you can imagine just how much it affected us. My husband went on to bed. I was on the phone with a friend, so I stayed up longer. And continued to drink. That's where the real stupidity came in. I was drunker than Cooter Brown by the time I went to bed. I woke up with what I thought was a hangover. Which I obviously deserved for being that dumb. I got out the Pedialyte and drank the whole container. Then started on a second one. Then I realized I wasn't dehydrated any more. I just didn't feel good. I still attributed that to being hung over. A mistake I won't make again.

I realized the next morning that wasn't the case. I won't go into details, but for three days, instead of me taking care of my husband, he was taking care of me. That was not how this was supposed to work!! It wiped my ass out. It took almost a week to recover. Add in to that not sleeping because of storms and still more fireworks, it was rough.

I still haven't had a really good nights sleep. I have laid on the floor and slept on the floor more in the last month than I have in the last year. I have had nights that I have had heartburn so bad, I had to sleep sitting up, which is also uncomfortable. At least I can take a nap if I need one!!

In addition to all of that, both of us have just felt bad the last couple of weeks. Since we had cut out most of the sugar and chemicals out of our diet we had been feeling a lot better physically. My headaches had virtually vanished. I hadn't been having much heartburn, hormone or gut issues. Just felt better. But since my husband was so limited on what he could eat, I was focusing on fixing what he could. I ate what he ate. Big mistake. Basically, I did it to myself, though. That is another mistake I won't make again.

Now on to the good news!

My husband had his follow up visit. His mouth is healing really well. He was able to move to the paste to hold the denture in. It finally stays in all day. He is figuring out how to chew with it and is able to eat a lot more foods now. Since he can eat more food now, I have been able to go back to fixing the foods we normally eat. In the past few days, we have gone back to low sugar, organic and chemical free foods. The difference in how I feel is dramatic.

The garden is still doing well. We are getting all kinds of squash. Delicious. The beans are just about done, so I will be pulling them this week and replanting the ones with the short maturity dates so we can get another round out of them before I plant the fall garden. Sadly, the corn is not fairing well. The winds from the storms have pretty much knocked it all down. It hasn't seemed to kill it so I left it out there to see if any of the corn will be salvageable. The peanuts are doing fabulous, and we have some winter squash and watermelons coming right along. The tomatoes are producing, albeit slowly, but producing.

We bought a fryer at Kroger. It was on sale for 20% off and I had a coupon for another $10 off. Woohoo! I have been wanting one for a long time. So on Sunday night, I made fried fish with a beer batter coating and French fries. So much better fried and not baked. I bought mushrooms and onions when we got groceries planning to dehydrate them, but now I think I will make fried mushrooms and onion rings.

We also added quite a bit of food to our deep pantry. I have a can rack that we bought that will hold and rotate about 200 cans. We have it almost full. Which doesn't count the stuff that I can and that doesn't fit in the can rack due to the shape of the can. I realize that wouldn't go too far feeding the three of us, but it would be better than nothing, and more than most people have.

Last night for dinner was lasagna mess. I just use whatever noodles I want and instead of taking the time to layer it, I throw everything in the pot I made the sauce in, mix it up and dump it into a baking dish. Easy, peasy, cheesy.

I talked to my sister yesterday. Fertile Myrtle is pregnant with number five!! I am excited for her! She has four girls, so her and her husband decided to try one more time to see if they can get a boy! She is having a lot of morning (all day) sickness like I had with my son, and she didn't with her girls, so they are really hoping that is a sign that this one is a boy. And of course her husband feels bad and keeps apologizing saying he did this to her! I am pretty sure based on what I learned in biology class, that it took both of them! I am just glad that he cares that much about her.

We bought a thunder shirt for the dog. We have had several people tell us that it has worked wonders for their dogs for storms and fireworks. We bought it last Friday. I am glad we did as it stormed all night Friday night. I didn't go to bed until about four in the morning. Then had to work Saturday. That was a long day. The thunder shirt is helping I think. He doesn't seem to mind wearing it. He also seems to calm down faster when I sit or lay down with him. He is still scared, but not shaking so bad and his heart doesn't pound as fast. I plan on putting it on him a little bit each day and kind of randomly. I don't want him to equate the shirt to storms and get scared just because I put it on him. Hopefully we will see a difference soon. I would love for him to not be so scared. That can't be good for him.

Sunday night, my husband and I got back into game night. We played Connect 4. We always have a blast when we have game night. I have a ton of board games and card games, dice and dominos. We used to have game night every week. I am not sure when exactly or why we stopped, but I think this will be put back in our routine. Maybe every Sunday, along with a fish fry! Now we just need to get into fishing and catch our own!

I have to run to Walmart today to pick up a couple of things. I hope to get out in the garden after that. It is cloudy right now, and if it stays that way, it will make it nicer to work out there. I am hoping it stays nice out for a while at least so I can wash the dog's rugs and have enough time out there with him so they can dry.

I think that is pretty much everything for right now. I'll see you all tomorrow!

P.S. Supper tonight is meatloaf with those aforementioned fried mushrooms and onion rings.

P.P.S. I am thankful for health and feeling good. Obviously, feeling good makes for a better mood and outlook and easier to accomplish things.

Garden Goodies and a Fearful Fourth!

Hello, everyone! How was your Independence Day? We had a pretty good one all the way up until the fireworks started. Then one cat went into hiding. The dog freaked out.

Here is the cat "hiding":

No pics of the dog freaking out. I was ready to pull my hair out. He was going through the house trying to climb or crawl under everything. I had to drag him out of the litter box. My husband and I finally put his cage back up and shoved him in. He started chewing on the bars and I was afraid he would break his teeth. So, in I went into the cage. I sat in there with him for about an hour. Then I let him out when it sounded like the fireworks had slowed down. Only to have him make a beeline for my son's room and try to claw his way through it. About 2330 he finally settled enough for me to go to bed. Only to have my other cat wake me up at about 0230. I checked on the dog and he seemed okay by then. Then I woke up at 0330 with heartburn. I came to the kitchen to get some milk and found the dog getting ready to eat cat poop. Which I took from him and cleaned up his mess. Next thing I know, the cat that had awakened me was hacking and puking in the hallway. Yay. What a night.

This morning, I sliced a bag of onions with my mandolin slicer my honey got for me. It was marvelous. I sliced those suckers in a fraction of the time it normally takes. Loaded them up into the dehydrator. (I think I have mentioned I have a nine tray Excalibur.) I filled all the trays up, took it outside and turned it on. I will be able to bring it in later after the smell dies down. I think I am probably stinking up the whole street.

Yesterday, I put up the mushrooms I had already dehydrated. We have about one quart of those now. We found some clearanced out so we bought four packages and into the dehydrator they went.

I canned some ground beef last week that I forgot to mention. I followed the tips from Annie (Thank You!!) and think I have a good batch.

Also, this morning I spent some time in the garden harvesting more veggies. I got three lemon squash, gold rush beans, green beans, tiger eye, pinto, red and Cherokee cornfield beans.
See:

I need to work on using the flash so it doesn't come out with funky colors.

I was supposed to get my new holster today. It didn't show up. We have a new mailman and seem to be having some problems.

Tomorrow, my husband goes in for his dental work. I am looking forward to it so he won't have to deal with the constant pain anymore. For the past few weeks, it's been every day. At least after the procedure is done and his mouth starts healing the pain will go away. I plan on spoiling him for the next little while until he feels like himself again. He will probably tell me he is fine and to stop hovering! LOL

January will be my turn. Unless something changes, I want to wait until the down time at work when I don't have any hours so I don't miss any days. After that, we will finish my husband's teeth, then mine and all dental work will be done.

As per request, here are a couple of pics of the gazebo we put up.

It even has shelves and a hook in the corners so I can put out some pretties! And maybe someday I will even get cushions for my chairs and get them in there. For now, it's just the fire pit to keep it out of the weather. I will get our adirondack chairs in there so we can enjoy it now.
It is now time for me to get some dishes done and laundry washed to hang outside. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day! Tomorrow, I will get some pics of the dried up onions posted.

P.S. Supper tonight is chuck roast and garden veggies. I am using the pressure cooker this time to see how it turns out. A new project for me as I have never used one before.

P.P.S. Today I am thankful that we do have a cage for the dog. We used it when we first got him to keep him safe from the cats at night. We haven't used it in ages and had to put it back together last night since we had taken it down some time ago. I am just glad that I was able to safely contain him and prevent him from getting hurt during his freak out.

Friday Wash-Out and Purge

I want to start off with an apology that I have not posted or answered/responded to comments for a few days. I use my phone as a hot spot and when the weather is stormy, I have spotty service for internet. It's really slow when there are a lot of folks around me using the internet to begin with, but add in bad weather and it's even worse.

I did not get a lot done this week as I spent a lot of time calming my pets during all the storms. Then I was just lazy after that! I find that rainy weather makes me feel lazy.

Yesterday was wash day. I don't mean laundry. Every Friday, I do extra cleaning. I take everything off my counters and wash it. I wash the microwave inside and out, including the tray. I wash down the appliances. I scrub out the whole coffee pot. I wipe out the inside of the oven if it needs it. I wash the shelves in the fridge. I wipe down handles on cabinets. I just make sure that everything in the kitchen is spic and span. Obviously, I wipe off counters and clean up spills every day, but just want to do a more thorough cleaning at least once a week. This house is dusty enough without letting it pile up behind/under appliances on the counter. I also think that, in a way, keeping the house clean is a way of being prepared. If you have a clean house and laundry, etc. caught up, if you have any kind of event, it's one less thing that you have to worry about.

I cleaned out two more cabinets in the kitchen. I purged a lot out of it. Now we have an entire cabinet that is empty! Woohoo! I plan on getting some of the stuff that sits on the counter in there (like the food processor and my tea collection). I am trying to purge stuff that has outlived its usefulness. I also set aside a bunch of dish towels to dump into the rag bin. They are not as absorbent as they used to be and some were getting a little too threadbare.

I used my new broiler pan last night. I made pork chops. They were delicious. Pork fat rules! lol I also broiled the rest of the zucchini I picked out of the garden and made salad and home made blue cheese dressing. I can't wait til everything for a salad comes out of the garden again. I am pleased with the broiler pan we got. It did not warp or twist and nothing stuck to it! Woohoo!

I do have to work today. I will be picking up another day per week soon. I talked to my boss about it last weekend. He asked if I would be willing to come in on his day off as they don't have anyone else that they can rely on for sales if one or the other of us isn't there. I also found out last week, that despite only working one day a week, I am the highest seller. How pathetic. And that doesn't speak well for the direction of the company, either. I hope that is something that improves. We do have a lot of new folks, so hopefully they will get better at sales as they grow more comfortable in the job. I've been there three years and still learn new things. It's a lot to absorb. It's sure to be a hot one out there today, but supposed to be clear all day. I am keeping my fingers crossed for good customer traffic for some good sales. Plus that helps the day go by faster. (I don't work on commission, just don't want to see the company I work for fail.)

This weekend we will be working on the yard and garden. We need to get a part for the mower that we are having a hard time finding. Don't ask me what it is, I can't remember what it's called. We do have the reel mower but it doesn't do a very good job for the stuff that is really tall. And with all the rain, the grass is really tall again.

That's it for me for now. How did you guys do this week?

P.S. Supper tonight is who knows? It will depend on how worn out I am from the heat today. I drink Pedialyte while at work to prevent dehydration, but the heat and humidity can still wear a body out.

P.P.S. I am going to start listing something that I am thankful for when I post. A good way to remind myself of the better things in life. It might be something small or something important, but I just want a way to be active in positive thinking. Today I am thankful that I found a good broiler pan. It will help make some of our suppers faster and easier to prepare.

Getting Started

No one can tell you exactly how to prepare. I can give you examples, advice and the like, but how you go about it is ultimately up to you.

A good way to start learning what you need to do to balance a budget is to keep a notebook of all the things you spend money on. Then at the end of a specified time, usually a month, you know how much you spent and where you can/should cut back.

You can apply this same principle to preparing. Keep a log for one month. You can go all out and record everything in great detail as to exactly how much you used (how many squares of toilet paper!) or you can be a whole lot more general (approx. two rolls a week for your family for toilet paper). Or you can focus on one group of items. Like what your family uses in the bathroom, what your family ate for meals for the month. A breakdown of exact amounts or estimates. Either way will get you started.

If you are going to keep track of all the food that your family eats for one month, don't forget meals that you eat out or that the kids eat at school.

If you are going to keep track of what your family uses in the bathroom, write down preferred brands and acceptable alternatives.

If you are going to keep track of disposables, don't forget to include things like toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, disposable utensils, pads, tissues, coffee filters, etc.

If you are going to track cleaning supplies, don't forget to include items like dish soap, laundry detergent or the items used to make your own, bleach, vinegar, baking soda, etc.

The variations for this are endless. There is no hard and fast rule for preparing for anything. Well, except one. Do it. Other than that, there are some guidelines, advice, suggestions. But what it boils down to is you stepping up and getting started in whatever way you can.

Speaking of suggestions, I do have a suggestion. This is one that my family follows. Buy water every time you go to the store. Not everyone has a way to store the 50-55 gallon drums for water, but nearly everyone can find a way to store jugs of water. There are many many hiding places to stash water. Consider investing or making a rain barrel. As long as it doesn't freeze, that is another option for water storage. Outside, yes, but still useable even if not drinkable.

So how are you deciding what to start storing? How much have you paid attention to all the items that you and your family members use each day? Where have you decided to start? Let me know.

Stuck Inside -- But No Worries

Today was a dreary, rainy day. So we stayed inside. We did not get a whole lot done. We organized our freezer so we could see what we actually have. After that, we made our list of meals for the week. Actually, we set up a meal plan for the next two weeks. Meal lists allow us to plan for leftovers and try to eliminate food waste.

Then we dehydrated mushrooms. We really like mushrooms. Except on pizza. Then they are just slimy and gross. When we bought mushrooms at the store last time we went, we decided we should try drying them. But we had to eat some of them first. So, this is what we had left to work with:

After we washed them and cut them up, this is what we had:

One tray. I could not add anything else to dry with the mushrooms as the temp they start out at is much lower than anything else. So, into the dehydrator they went. They are still in there right now. I thought they might have a strong smell while drying but they don't. I was worried the house might smell like musty dirt. No need to worry though as they have not had any smell that I noticed.

Then we decided to make up some more rolls. We all really like bread. Especially home made bread. Fresh and hot right out of the oven. Oh, pardon me, I was drooling...

Anyway. Rolls. For these rolls, Crisco is your friend. Grease your pan, grease your hands. Then roll them up. See? Rolling:

Then, slimy, Crisco-y hands and a dough ball:

Put two of these in each muffin cup. Greased, though, or you will never be able to scrape it out of your pan.

Keep rolling and filling. Then you have filled pans:

Or almost full. I ran out of dough. This is the second half of this batch of dough. Depending on the size you roll the dough hunks out, you will wind up with 18-24 rolls. Then you let them sit on the counter to rise for 2-3 hours. Turn on your oven when you are ready to 450* and bake on the middle rack for about 10 minutes. The middle rack is vital. On any other rack they will not bake right and will not turn into the yummy goodness they are supposed to be.

See? That is yummy goodness.
Pssst: You do know to fill any empty muffin cups with water before baking, right? Make sure you do that.

Here is the easy-peasy recipe:

1/2 C sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 C Crisco - do not use oil, butter, margarine, etc. Use Crisco or lard
3/4 C boiling water
3/4 C cold water
1 egg, beaten
1 pkg yeast
1/2 C warm water
5 1/2 C white flour

Mix sugar, salt and Crisco in boiling water. Mix cold water and egg. Add egg mixture to the sugar mixture. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add to sugar and egg mixture. Stir in flour. Do NOT add any more flour. This dough is really really sticky.

At this point you can wrap it up in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge until you are ready for it. Then when you want rolls, just start rolling and filling your pan. But don't forget to grease your pans and hands. Let them rise for 2-3 hours and then bake about 10 minutes at 450*. Remove from pan and eat. And then another one. Maybe just one more to be sure they are safe for anyone else to eat.

If you do happen to have any leftover, pop them in the microwave to warm them up and they are still tasty. Try them plain. Try them with butter. Try them with jelly. You really can't go wrong with them.  What are you waiting for? Go make some.

A Day in The Life

Yesterday was a fairly busy day for me. I did not get anything posted as we were forecast storms and I wanted to get the computer off and unplugged before they hit. Turns out, we did not get storms like the weather dummies said.

I started my day just like usual. I get up with my husband and start coffee. I then make sure my son is up. He swears to me every time I talk to him about responsibility that he gets himself up most mornings. So not true. So I make sure to wake him up. If it's cold, I start a fire if needed. I get my husbands lunch for the day ready. About this time, we sit down for a cup of coffee together before he leaves. Then it's time to make sure my son gets out the door on time to catch the bus. As we only have one working vehicle, unless it's a day my husband can take the bike, I cannot get my son to school if he misses the bus.

Since I knew we were supposed to be in for strong winds and storms, I figured that I would finish my coffee, have my cup of tea (I switch after one cup as I have found that too much coffee doesn't agree with me), and then get started on my day.

I started outside as I wanted all the outside stuff done before the weather moved in. First, I chopped wood.

See, no firewood.

 

Pile growing.

Some of the pieces to be chopped.



 



A mostly full tub.

 

Then it was time to take the awning down. We put up the awning to give us some shade and a place to sit outside in case it was raining. My mom had a gazebo that blew over a few years ago and she gave us the screening from it when she got rid of it. We attached that to the awning to help cut down on bugs. Mostly the mosquitos as wherever I am, there are also mosquitos having dinner on me. We also set up a table, which I had already removed, the grill/smoker and our cowboy grill. We hope to set up a "more permanent" moveable outdoor kitchen so that when the time comes for us to move we can take it with us. But that's for another day.

See? Gone.

 

This is where the pictures stop. Once I got the awning down and put away and the grills moved and covered, it was time to bring in the wood. I got distracted by one last look of summer.

It was the only one left in the yard. I love dandelions. They may be considered a weed, but in my book they are a welcome addition in the yard. They are very beneficial. And I hear they can make a pretty good wine.

Anyway, back to the wood. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to haul the tub all the way to the door and up the steps. So I got out my trusty dolly. I wheeled it out there and slid it under the tub and off I went. For about five feet. Then the tub dumped over. So I tipped it back upright and tried again, holding the dolly a lot lower trying to avoid another mishap. No such luck. It tipped a second time. So I picked it back up again and thankfully made it into the house. Out I went to get the wood that fell out. I stacked it on the dolly, kept the handle low again and still the wood would not stay on it. So I gathered about half of it and tried again. I got about 3/4 of the way to the door when it tipped and some of that wood fell off. I got it picked up and finally into the house. The third load, Woohoo!, I got it inside without a hitch.

By this time, the morning had gone by and I still had plenty I wanted to get done. I wanted to take a shower because it is true, using wood to heat with definitely warms you more than once!

I had already started a load of laundry before going out to chop wood. I took that out and hung it on our drying rack and started a new load. Remember, I am trying to save as much money as possible, a dryer does not do that. A hanging clothes dryer can.

Then I sat down to eat lunch. Leftovers from dinner the night before. Still trying to save money and throwing food out does not do that either.

After lunch, I hung the second load of clothes. I only have one of the clothes drying racks, but I do have hangers and a shower rod. So that's where I hung the second load.

Then it was time to get started in the kitchen. I mixed up some bread dough and set it aside to rise. Then I got all the clean dishes put up and the dirty dishes washed. Next I went looking for chocolate chips as I was going to make cookies. I DON'T HAVE ANY!! Wow, that is just sad. So I decided to make brownies. And popcorn. And most definitely not the microwave kind.

 

With all the snacks out of the way, it was time to bake the bread and get started on dinner. Hamburgers, mushroom gravy and roasted potatoes. I think it was yummy. My husband and son said so. Did I not eat any, you ask? Oh, I did. I just couldn't taste it. You see, I woke up with a really yucky cold yesterday.

 

By this time, Hubby is home and he makes me a hot toddy. I think it was good, too, but again, I couldn't really taste it. It did ease my sore throat and I coughed a little bit less. We spent the evening vegging out since at that time I was about done for. We do not have cable, but do have an antenna so we can watch local channels and stations like PBS. We watched a really neat show about some cultures and their manhood ceremonies and how they earn money for a living for their families, and about the people that lived in America before it was "discovered". I do like shows like that. Then another hot toddy and off to bed. To hack and cough and not sleep.

 

Needless to say, I have not gotten much done today, except try to get rid of this cold. And try to sleep some. Didn't work too much better today. I have started a productive cough now and my throat doesn't hurt anymore, so I believe I am on the mend.

 

This does make me wonder though... Today I was able to just take it easy and rest. What would I have done if we had some sort of catastrophe going on? Pick any one of the things that could happen. Snow/ice storms, thunderstorms with power outages like many parts of the country right now, the myriad of social/economic issues, etc. Would I have had time to rest? To take a day off?  What would happen if my family's survival counted on me being at the top of my game? Or even if not that drastic, just their comfort. What if we already lived out in the country and I had animals and chores to do? Take a bit and ponder that for your situation.

 

Until tomorrow.