FirstChapter's 2nd chapter

Pantry challenge setback

2012-01-29T11:58:00.000-06:00

Had a bit of a problem this week, my refrigerator stopped cooling again. My water wasn't as cold as I expected and when I checked the temp in the refrigerator, it was 60 degrees. I put everything in coolers and set it out on the front porch while I unplugged the unit. It seems this particular refrigerator can freeze up in the back, where the air circulates between the freezer and fridge. The freezer stuff was hard as a rock, but no air was getting up to the top. Once it defrosts overnight, everything is fine. Luckily it was cold enough outside to keep everything safe.
I tossed some salad dressings and the salmon patties and miracle whip, along with some sour cream and other meats. Not a whole lot, but I needed to get some replacements yesterday, so I ended up spending $25 at Kroger. Still stayed below $100 for the month, so I am pretty pleased.

Woo Hoo! Big sale on EBAY!

2012-01-26T23:36:00.000-06:00

I sold a set of 5 books, a science fiction series by George R. R. Martin, for $399 last night. After Ebay and Paypal take their cuts, I made about $340. Two of the books I picked up used, the other three I bought new, so I know there was at least a $250 profit. This was my biggest sale so far. The five books weighed in at over 14 pounds boxed up. I also sent a 21 pound box of books to my brother Brian today. Thats 35 pounds of books gone, several thousand left to go!

Smoothie, and a cat.

2012-01-24T10:51:00.001-06:00

This is my smoothie before blending. There is cataloupe, chia seed gel and some Suero Viv on the bottom, followed by half a banana, fresh spinach and a couple of frozen strawberries. Looks good, doesn't it? It tastes very good. After it is blended, the spinach turns it green, but there is only a slight taste of the spinach, because the banana and strawberries are the overpowering flavors. This is a great midmorning snack, and definitely keeps me satisfied for a long time. I haven't measured everything and entered it into a calculator, so I don't know how many calories or what the nutrition is, but it can't be anything but good, right?

This is what it looks like after the blending--a green smoothie! It was kind of shocking the first time, I had to force myself to try it, but now it doesn't bother me at all. I mixed up some tuna salad last night, and have a couple of sandwiches in the fridge to grab. I still have a couple of salmon patties also. A pound of ground round is thawing in the fridge. I think I am going to just make more mini meatloaves, because I am down to one in the freezer.

Here is Ramona, cuddling up with my Mom. The top of the ladder is a favorite perch of all three of the cats. King of the mountain. Below is my Aghan, as it is going together. I am not sure that I like it yet, hope it grows on me as it gets bigger. I am certainly going to have to put an ecru border around it, as it is smaller than I thought it would be.

Afghan progress-asking for help

2012-01-22T10:50:00.002-06:00

I went to the local Yarne Shoppe yesterday to see if anyone could help me with ideas for putting my afghan together. There were about 7 women in there, knitting away around a big table, talking and laughing. I may be going back there soon! I posed my question, and the first suggestion was to maybe put them together with black yarn, which was a definite possibility. It would have made the afghan have a stained glass look. Then one of the women suggested a "Mattress stitch". She grabbed a needle and yarn and proceeded to demonstrate. I liked it, and as I packed up my yarn and bought a needle, they all asked me to come back when I finished, so they could see how it turned out. I love communities like that! I sat and put two rows together last night. Eight more to go, and then I start putting the rows together. I see some TV in my future!

Leftovers make soup!

2012-01-20T20:10:00.000-06:00

I put together a very tasty soup yesterday, with the leftover rice, some turkey broth, and carrots, broccoli and onion from the veggie drawer and frozen corn. I added some parsley and oregano and black pepper and called it good. I still have some for lunch tomorrow, and think I will throw some cheddar on top after I heat it up. I made some salmon patties and a cold chicken salad out of the meat and soup cabinet, but gosh there is still a lot in there!

Here is my nephew, Matthew, modeling an Armani coat I picked up to resell. Doesn't he look dashing! I had his wife Angie take the pictures because she is a great photographer. I spent the afternoon with them in St. Louis, so they could visit with their furry child, Ramona. They are on their way to Hawaii to live and I am taking care of Ramona until they get settled.

Afghan progress

2012-01-15T19:05:00.000-06:00

I have finished all the pieces for my afghan, and now have to put them together. I am having a problem deciding what color to whip them together with, but think I am going to end up using the ecru. The instructions just say to whip stitch or slipstitch them together, but they are all different colors, so the stitching is going to stand out. Usually I have outlined the pieces in one color before putting them together, so this is my first time with this issue. I started crocheting them together, but didn't like the look of them, so I have taken them back apart and will try whip stitching tomorrow. So close, and yet sooooo far.

Pantry challenge update

2012-01-13T12:18:00.000-06:00

I am doing pretty well with the challenge, haven't eaten out yet this month! I am not doing so well at the menu planning. My problem is that I don't usually eat a MEAL, just parts of one off and on all day long! Right now I am making some rice, and I have some salmon marinating. When the rice is almost done I will cook the salmon. I will eat one salmon and some rice right away, and the other will be broken up on a salad this evening. The rice could be used in a soup or in porcupine meatballs later. I don't like being tied down to what to eat, because I never know what I will be in the mood for. I think I will be better off just making a list of possible meals, and marking them off when I use up those ingredients. I have managed to make up an inventory of the freezer, canned goods, and spice and herbs, so that helps.
In the refrigerator, compliments of this weeks cooking, I have a tomato meat sauce, some tuna and white sauce, some tuna casserole and that will get me through the week-end, with salads already cut up and some fruit in the crisper. I need bananas and cantaloupe from Aldi's, but that should do me for the rest of next week.

Apollo and Morgan, cats 3 & 4

2012-01-10T10:30:00.002-06:00

I had my two cats, Hank and Merlin, and life was good. I had a screened in porch that I left food out for them, because my cats were indoor/outdoor for a long time. I lived in a trailer park while I was going to school, and it was out in the country, so I wasn't worried about speeding cars. One night I heard a racket out on the porch and found Hank in a standoff with this gorgeous gray and white long haired cat over the food. It took me several weeks to get this cat used to me, and moving the food bowl closer and closer to me, I was finally able to get my hands on him. Underneath all that fur he was light as a feather. He was also all matted up. By this time my baby sister was also attending the same college, and had a trailer in the same park. I called her up to hold the cat while I trimmed out the mats. He was calm as could be as long as he was in your arms or in the house, but as soon as he got out he reverted to the feral he had been for so long. I took him to the vet and got him his shots and had him neutered. He never gained a lot of weight, but he was so soft and gentle in the house. Apollo got on well with Hank and Merlin. He was a ragdoll type cat, and would just lay in whatever position you put him in. He would have been a great cat for a house with children!

Not long after Hank died, a neighbor kid came by with an orange and white kitten, trying to find it a home. Morgan was a beautiful cat, but he always had a skin condition, allergies of some sort. He didn't like to be touched, and I think it was just too uncomfortable for him. He used to hang out with my 80+ year old neighbor on her porch swing. She was allergic to cats and never petted him, but she would talk to him for hours. He would roll over and show her his belly and she would scold him when he was watching the birds too intently! She bought him snacks and toys and I fed him and paid his vet bills. I can't find a picture of Morgan, probably because he was always with Thelma!

Below is a video of my current two cats and one I am babysitting for my nephew, enjoying a little catnip party!

Pantry pictures at the beginning of the Challenge

2012-01-05T18:54:00.000-06:00

The Freezer compartment, with broth freezing on the cookie sheet. Yes, I really do have this much food. Hope to make a dent in it so I can freeze some ice cubes, somewhere. I have inventoried the top section, but still have that bottom drawer to go through. Hope I don't have to throw much away!

The Refrigerator portion is also stuffed to the gills. I do have bags of varous nut flours and seeds behind all of this, and want to keep them in there. Some of it I will replace immediately as I use it, the Chia seed gel and the Cantaloupe sections go in my smoothies.

The meat, soup and veggie cabinet with some pantry items on the top shelf, brown sugar, corn starch, etc.

The fruit cabinet, with spices in the box at the top and honey and cooking spray on the second shelf. This is right next to the stove.

The baking cabinet with most extracts, and some don't know where to put it stuff.

Assorted goodies, needing to be sorted. Corner cabinets are tough. I think I need to get some lazy susans in here.

Overflow again, crackers, raisens, malt and tea. The only cabinet I have inventoried so far is the Fruit and spice cabinet. I do have work to do.

Freezer inventory

2012-01-04T09:34:00.001-06:00

Wow. You can sure fit a lot of food in a refrigerator freezer. Especially if it is one of the bottom freezers. I did throw out some unidentified frozens. New resolution, label everything! I can see that the inventory sheet is going to be very helpful when putting together meal plans. As a single retired, I am not used to actually sitting down for a full meal, and usually single course my way through the day, eating often, but not much at one time. I am also sorting through lots of stuff, getting ready to put my house on the market at some point. I found an old Richard Simmons "deal a meal" set, and I think I am going to use it to help me when I am menu planning. Lots of tools out there, just have to actually USE them. Hopefully next weeks menu plan will be thought out a little better.

8 years ago, the day after my parents 50th anniversary, my father lost his battle with leukemia and graduated from this life to the next. Miss you, Daddy.

Resolved

2012-01-03T08:57:00.001-06:00

Along with the Pantry Challenge this month, I have also decided it is past time to give up the Mt. Dew. Again. This is very hard for me, and I have a 12 pack of Sierra Mist (no high fructose corn syrup, no caffeine) to tide me over the first week. After that is will be just water and juice. I am also logging everything I eat into my Spark Page, which of course will make me much more aware of food. I am hoping to make life easier for my knees!
After more than 10 years without a TV, I now have one. I had an old 21 inch, but when I got the new dvd/vcr player to convert old family videos, I found that the old TV didn't have the hookups needed. So now I have a 32" flatscreen and a flat antenna that pulls in the networks, Fox and PBS. Pretty cool, but in order to watch TV, I have to be doing something else, so now I am crocheting again. The cats are entertained. This is the pattern I am working on, but with a pink, cranberry, light brown, medium green and ecru colorway.

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/90699AD.html?noImages=;newreg=1&r=1

Meal plan for the first week of January

2012-01-02T13:47:00.003-06:00

My goals for this challenge are to clean out the cubboards and freezer and avoid throwing away food!
Saving money will be a nice side benefit, but not the primary goal. I live alone and don't always plan the best way to use up food. I don't mind freezing leftovers, but I hate forgetting that they are there until it is too late to use them. Time to inventory the freezer!

I finished off the Turkey barley soup for lunch today, and am freezing the rest of the broth. I need more protein today, so will have tuna salad for dinner, on a bed of fresh spinach.

Tuesday- Scambled egg and toast. Smoothie for snack
                Pita bread pizza with homemade sauce and canadian bacon and pineapple
                Big salad with turkey for dinner.

Wednesday- Steel cut oatmeal w/craisens and a smoothie for morning snack
                 Tuna on toast and apple/spinach salad--Making extra creamed tuna to use in casserole on friday
                  Broccoli, turkey and cheddar rice bake--Making extra for lunch tomorrow and to freeze for later

Thursday- Fried egg sandwich, smoothie for snack
                 Leftover rice bake
                 Twice baked potato and Salmon filet--Making extra potatoes to freeze for later meals.

Friday-     Oatmeal w/apples and smoothie for snack
                  Tuna casserole
                  Big salad with turkey

Saturday--Clean up leftovers

New year, new plans- Eating out of the Pantry again!

2012-01-01T13:17:00.001-06:00

I am going to start 2012 off with a new "Eat out of the Pantry" challenge. I am planning on making an inventory of the freezer, refrigerator and canned goods cubboard this week. I did the fruit and spices cubboard last week, cleaning out the old stuff as I did some rearranging. I made a tomato sauce last week and am combining it with some already cooked and frozen ground beef and some spaghetti for todays supper.

I was in Kroger last week after Christmas and they announced a sale on their cooked, then frozen, turkeys, .39 a pound. I grabbed one, reheated it, then pulled the meat off the bones and simmered the bones for stock with carrots, onions, and some spices. After cooling it in the refrigerator and skimming off the fat, I am freezing it in freezer bags in 3 cup portions. After making a turkey and barley soup, I still have 18 cups of broth! Great for soups and casseroles, which I see a lot of in the month ahead, as I use up what I have. I still have a lot of white meat for meals and dark and white shredded for more soups. I paid less than $5 for that Turkey!

Hank and Merlin, my first two cats.

2011-09-09T18:42:00.001-05:00

Hank was my first cat.

He was an orange tabby people lover.

He was gregarious and a talker. I was still going to school

and working, so I thought I would get another cat to keep him company.

For his one year birthday.

I went back and got his sister, same momma, next litter.

Merlin was a beautiful dilute tortoiseshell.

Hank was horrified! Hissed at me, hissed at her, was totally obnoxious.

I put Merlin in the bathroom to keep her safe, and

I called my baby sister to come down and

be Merlin's mommy, so that Hank would calm down. This was my

first kitty integration and I wasn't sure what I was doing.

After several days she called me at

work to let me know that they were cuddled up together on the

papason chair, sleeping. It Worked! He was always MY cat,

and Merlin was HIS

(Hank's) cat. It wasn't till 11 or 12 years later,

after he died, that Merlin became MY cat.

She was such a snuggler.

I still miss them both.

stuffed up head

2011-07-26T11:22:00.000-05:00

Last night I realized I had a sore throat, and that was followed by sneezes and a stuffed up head. Sinuses are really acting up. I wonder what is in the air, other than dust and humidity!

It's raining!

2011-07-24T16:24:00.000-05:00

I have locked my cats up in the bedroom with the air conditioner, and have opened all the windows and doors to get some airflow through this poor old house. It feels wonderful. I really do need to fix the screens. I don't think my current cats would go through them like ones in the past.

Greta for the Week-end

2011-07-12T18:47:00.000-05:00

I took care of Greta the great dane while her folks were gone for two days. She is a real sweet dog, and doesn't like this 100 degree weather any more than the rest of us, so we just lounged around the house. She has this really big sigh, exhale, humph, whatever, it just cracks me up.

Trumpet vine, honeysuckle, walnut and cedar trees.

2011-07-07T11:42:00.000-05:00

I pulled another two loads of vines and trees out of the front border today, and cleared around my Crape Myrtle and my Mungo pine is almost vine free. I can see the Peonies! I will get a picture tomorrow before and after!

My wooden Tiger

2011-07-05T18:39:00.001-05:00

I found this today at Goodwill, my favorite place to shop. They had just wheeled out a new cart and this was on it. It is wood marquetry and I love it. It is unframed and on a plywood base. There are some spots in the stream, down by the left hand ferny area. I don't know how to fix this without damaging the glue that holds all the pieces together. I will figure it out though. It is approx 20 x30 inches, and I took it to a framing place. $300-400, depending on the frame. I think I will do it myself. I do have a miter box! There is some brush work in the chin and whisker area and on the leaves and trunks of the trees. I am very happy with this $10 find!

Sloppy Joes For A Crowd Or OAMC Recipe - Food.com - 262648

2011-05-18T10:28:00.000-05:00

Sloppy Joes For A Crowd Or OAMC Recipe - Food.com - 262648

Looks good for a Saturday lunch menu!

Heaps of books.

2011-05-14T20:59:00.000-05:00

I have been going through boxes and boxes and more boxes of books, and pulling out some to take to trade in at the used book store, some for the yard sale and still way too many that I think I want to keep. I sold a couple of boxes tonight on Ebay, but that doesn't make a dent in what I have. This is truly my addiction. I could never read all of them, even at a book a day and reading till I hit 100 years old. I will keep most of the resource material, but the fiction needs draconian measures. Too bad I am such a pussycat. Meow.

Mowed down the cherry trees.

2011-05-07T18:46:00.000-05:00

I had posted them on freecycle and had a couple of takers, but just mowed down the rest of them. Baby trees, murdered. I managed to get almost the whole yard mowed, and just in time, because I am planning on going to Mom's for most of the week. Leaving Monday morn and coming back on Thursday. I am sure it will all need mowing again, with all the rain we have had. Photographed a bunch of clothes today and will get them cropped and uploaded tonight, so I can list away tomorrow. I had a bunch of little ants in the house this past week, so finally went and got some Terro traps and bait. Can't hardly find an ant right now. I am sure the water drove them inside. I get spiders all the time, but rarely ants in the house. They are a problem in the shed though.

Still Raining

2011-05-02T14:37:00.000-05:00

and I am ohhhhh so tired of it!

Amen.

Catnip

2011-04-30T17:20:00.002-05:00

I have to separate Mica and Jean-Claude when I bring in the catnip because my greedy little boy eats, inhales it. Then he goes after hers. She has to chew the leaf all around the edges, tasting it thoroughly before she actually swallows it, and he will steal it right out of her mouth. I only find one plant growing right now, hidden amid the lemon balm. They look quite abit alike, so I am hoping there is more out there. The irises are blooming, and getting ready to get beat up tonight in the storm that's coming. Maybe I should go cut some down.

Vintage clothing and ETSY

2011-04-29T18:23:00.002-05:00

I finally made the move to ETSY with my Vintage clothing. I will put them up at auction on EBAY once, and if they don't go I am moving them to ETSY and raising the price. It costs .20 for a 3 month listing. Now to wait and see how much traffic I can generate. They are already getting more hits than they did on Ebay. There should be a gallery at the bottom of the page on the left that shows some of my listings. If I did it right!

Home again.

2011-04-21T10:25:00.000-05:00

Just got home last night from Springfield, Mo. Looked at some more houses and talked about the Reunion in June. Had Jeff and Vicki over for dinner and pinochle one night and Denise and James over the next night for dinner and dummy rummy! My cats continue to stalk Mom's Honey, and she finally started to defend her space. Not that it made any difference. Sorted through another bunch of bins of clothes and I had young Matthew's wife Angie model some clothes that I was putting up on EBAY. She made everything look good!
There is so much that needs to be done here at my house to get it ready to put on the market and I have been procrastinating, blaming it on the winter. Time to get in gear, here.

Sassy wasn't okay.

2011-03-01T14:26:00.001-06:00

I have avoided writing this for awhile. I took Sassy in for her annual check up in late January, and Dr. Parton found a lump in her tummy. We did exploratory surgery and there was an ugly mass coming from her pancreas and traveling up the the blood flow outside of her intestine. It was about 6 inches long and alien looking. He called me while she was still on the table. At the time he said he was 90% sure that it was cancer and if I wanted, he would euthanize her on the table. We talked, and he said the only thing that had him puzzled was the fact that she had gained weight in the last few months. We decided to go ahead and send it off and give her a chance. Of course, it was cancer and the week before the results came back was miserable for both of us. She wouldn't eat, and had to be syringe fed. She wouldn't drink. She didn't want to be cuddled. In hindsight, I wish she hadn't had to live through the last week.

Below, pictures of Sassy and Shadow, and Sassy and Mica.

Sassy back to normal, Mica has an accident.

2011-01-21T14:37:00.001-06:00

Sassy has done her course of prednisdone and is back to a healthy weight and behaving normally, for her! I took all three cats to my Mom's for two weeks at Thanksgiving, and again at Christmas. At Thanksgiving Mica and Jean-Claude were all over the place and adapted well. Sassy never left the bedroom. We lost Mica a few times because it turns out that she is an investigator. Open a door and she has to check it out. I found her several times locked up in the linen closet. No one remembered when they opened the door last, but she just slept and never made a sound, even when I called for her repeatedly. Brat. We also had to pull the dryer out once because she ended up behind it somehow. At Christmas Sassy would come out when it was just Mom and I at home. She even jumped up on Mom's lap a couple of times.

Mica was up to her old tricks, ducking into closets. Mom and I were getting ready to go look at some open houses, and she opened the hall closet to get her coat. As she was closing the door I saw Mica dart in. She opened it back up and Mica came charging out. I looked down and saw some fur on the floor and asked Mom what it was. She said she didn't know, and I said I though it looked like part of Mica's tail. She said "No." and bent down to pick it up. Then she screamed "It is!" and I went after Mica. She never cried, and there was no blood, but she hid under the bed and I had to fish her out. The skin had retracted and left the bone hanging out, so off we went to the Emergency Vet. It had missed the bone, but because of the exposure they went ahead and took off several inches of her tail. Stitches came out yesterday and she seems fine, just looking a little funny. We will all get used to it soon.

Sassypants

2010-10-22T16:08:00.002-05:00

Sassy lost 2/10 of a pound in the last two weeks. She didn't like the canned food the vet sent home with us and she didn't like the taste of the stuff in the syringe that I was supposed to give her every day for five days. She threw it up both times I tried. They ran a pretty complete bloodwork on her and everything came back "boring" my Vet said, which means within normal ranges. Through the process of elimination he has decided she has an irritable bowel and we are starting on a course of Prednisolone. Half a pill twice a day for a week, and then I am supposed to let him know how things are going. It's a good thing she is easy to pill. Not like the youngsters. They hate it! He sent home a sample of dry food that is the same as the canned and glory be, she likes it!

Slow and lazy week and Mica

2010-10-21T20:15:00.002-05:00

I decided to give my back a break and have been doing some cooking (Lasagna) and reading this week. I did have to take some boxes to the post office, but I haven't been moving them all over the place here at home. I do plan on spending some time in the shed tomorrow, figuring out a better layout for the shelves so that I can get to stuff even when the lawnmower is tucked away.

I haven't talked about Mica much, but she is a gorgeous tortoiseshell with some strange personality quirks. She has a crackly Meow and has had since she was a baby. She loves a cell phone and will come whenever I pull it out to talk or text. She will get right up in my face. She also loves the plastic caps off of my Mt. Dew and will suddenly appear when I open one up. I try to hide them from her but she will fish them out of wherever I put them. She loves to play volleyball with little wads of paper that I trim off of my shipping labels. She and Jean-Claude will bat them all over the place, but she will leap to bat them in air before they hit the ground. She has a fluffy coat with an undercoat that her brother doesn't have. Unfortunately, more hair means hairballs. She does love to be brushed, but sometimes I think that just causes more shedding.

Yard sale and freecycle

2010-10-17T11:50:00.001-05:00

Didn't get rid of enough in the yardsale yesterday so I put in two offers on Freecycle, one for the books and one for some kitchen appliances. They should be gone by 1:00 today. I did take two boxes of books to the Herrin Library last night and I have two bags of clothes to take to the Pantry on Tuesday.
Karen and Sherri came over Friday night and helped me get set up, thank goodness! I am going to take some fall and winter suits to the Consignment shop, and some of the other clothes will get packed up for my store.

Sassy still hasn't bounced back the way I wanted, so I am calling the Vet in the morning and will be taking her in for some blood work. She won't be happy about that!
She's the middle one, licking her chops while waiting for snacks!

Interesting week so far. Murphy visits.

2010-10-14T13:09:00.002-05:00

My refrigerator stopped cooling over the weekend and I took items I wished to save to Karen's. Sassy was sick and I had an appointment for her Monday morning, ( she is still in isolation in my bathroom.) Then I packed up the freezer items and took them to Karen's so I could defrost mine and see if that solved the problem before I called out a mechanic. I then went to Faner and visited some people, dropped a book off for a friend and picked up some farm eggs from Terri. Had my massage and adjustment, then back to Karen's for DWTS. Tuesday I get home and check on Sassy, then try to go on line and my modem is bad. I call Verizon/Frontier and they get a new one in the mail. Meanwhile I still need to print out packing slips and postage for Ebay auctions, so back to Karens I go. Sassy is still alone, and getting medicine twice a day. The refrigerator gets plugged in and seems to be cooling. I try to go into log some of the recent receipts into my budget program, but my computer won't turn on. Sigh.
I take my computer tower to Happy Toms in Energy and they replace the power button. I pick it up Wed. afternoon after taking the remaining two cats in for their yearly check-up.and go to Karens to watch the rescue of the miners and pickup some of my food.
Thursday morning the modem is delivered, I hook up my computer and still can't turn it on. Back to Happy Toms we go. I need a new power supply. He replaces it while I wait and it only costs $31. Yippee! I get it home and it works! Now I have to get going on all these boxes of books that I was supposed to be working on this week, so I can put the culls out in the yardsale on Saturday.
But first I am going back for another Massage and adjustment. Long week already.

Sassy is sick.

2010-10-11T11:36:00.001-05:00

Just got back from the vet. Sassy weighs just 5.48 pounds, down a pound from last year and down 2 pounds from 2 years ago. She has been having loose stools and not using the litter box. We put her on a special food and two different medications and if she does not get better in a couple of days we will be doing some bloodwork on her. Even if she does get better we will be going in for a weight check up in a few weeks. I got the carrier out this morning and opened the door before I went to get her from the bathroom, where I am keeping her isolated. When I came back out to put her in, Jean-Claude was already in it. Trying to get her in and him out at the same time. Priceless. I knew if I let go of her I would never catch her again in time for the appointment. Everything has to be about Jean-Claude. He is a primadonna. I did make the kids appointment for Wednesday for their yearly check-up. They are just over 3 years old now.

Eggs and Cats

2010-10-11T09:34:00.000-05:00

I decided to add this picture of my two eggs, the one on the left from a friend who has chickens, and the one on the right an EGGLAND organic egg. Look at the difference between those two yolks! Guess where I will be getting my eggs from now on.

Here we have pictures of the same cat bed, at different times of the day. There are two others, but this seems to be the overall favorite.

MRI's are noisy.

2010-10-07T12:47:00.001-05:00

I had my first MRI today, of my right knee. I had headphones on with NPR but it was just background noise because the machine was so NOISY. Have to wait till sometime tomorrow to see what we do next. Massage and adjustment this afternoon, then some packages to the post office. Bid, people, bid!

Road Construction

2010-10-05T18:14:00.001-05:00

I had to get to SAMs today for cat food, litter and large padded envelopes. They are widening the road from 4 lane to 6 lane and major construction right at the entrance, so you had to drive around and come in the back way. Why do we need 6 lanes in little old Marion, IL? Because the Mall is right there and there is no busier place around. I get my hair cut at that mall, and I sometimes go into Target, but that is a real danger zone for me. I can walk out of Wal-mart with only items on my shopping list, but Target nabs me everytime. Other than that, I have no use for a mall. Maybe I will walk there this winter, before it opens.
I went to see the Dr. today about my right knee and we are scheduling a MRI to see what's catching.

Putting the trash out tonight, one barrel. Got my first 6 auctions written up for next Sunday, 14 to go! I made some sweet and sour chicken tonight, with rice. Yum. I think I am going to freeze it for later because I don't want any more this week. I am going to make my fruited chicken salad and use up the greens before they go slimy. I did finish all the potato salad and have a couple more hard boiled eggs to eat. Need to boil my last two ears of corn and eat them up. I think I will make some Salmon patties to round out the week. I am trying to clean out the refrigerator and transition to fall foods--it was in the low 30's last night!

I am up too late.

2010-10-04T23:33:00.001-05:00

Went to Karen's to watch Dancing with the Stars tonight. I am ready for Mr. Situation to go home. Had my massage and adjustment today and am going back tomorrow to see Dr. about my right knee, which continues to have a catch in it. Had to check on my auctions and see what was happening on facebook, so thought I better pop in here and make a few notes. I am tickled that this item has a bid, and hope it isn't going to be a costume of some sort! I think I am going to go back to listing about 20 auctions on Sunday evening and letting the weekday ones go. I just seem to get better bids on Sunday. I am experimenting with free shipping on some of the auctions I put up last night. I want to see if they really do get more bids.

October '10 goals--Cut down on trash!

2010-10-02T13:57:00.002-05:00

My goals this month are going to be cutting down on the trash I put out for pickup and not throwing away any food! I normally only put out one 33 gallon trash bin every other week, but with the cleaning out the house program I am on it has been one or two containers a week. I still have lots to take to the recycling and I took some stuff to the pantry yesterday. It is very disheartening to see what people put out EVERY trash day. It scares me somewhat, that we are such a wasteful society. If I didn't keep my cats indoors I wouldn't have the resulting kitty litter disposal problem, but I also would be burying them too soon. Been there, done that. I guess I could stop feeding them!
I am also going to make an effort to avoid items with so much additional packaging, when I can. Cardboard I can deal with because it is recyclable but that plastic is a killer, and no place around here recycles foam.
A friend of mine has chickens and I can send her the egg cartons to reuse. Which reminds me, I had two of her eggs left and boiled them and some organic eggs from Kroger. Boy was it obvious which were which when I sliced them. The pale yellow egg yolks from Kroger just don't compare. I am going to try and get all my eggs from her from now on. And I paid premium price for those store eggs!
I used three of them in my potato salad and will devil the last 4. Had to use up some potatoes that were getting a little soft! I used mustard, Mom, so you wouldn't like it!

My view of the computer

2010-09-28T16:39:00.000-05:00

Still recovering from the yard sale.

2010-09-22T19:14:00.001-05:00

I had another adjustment at the chiroprator today, and starting next week it will be twice instead of thrice a week. Still going to be getting my two 30 min. massages though! I carried too many boxes too many times for the yardsale and was in dire straits on Sunday, but they took care of me on Monday and I really do seem to be bouncing back quicker from the strains. Watched "Dancing with the Stars" with Karen on Mon. and Tues. I like Jennifer Grey and Brandy at this point. Rick Fox is one.

The yard sale is a go!

2010-09-16T21:30:00.000-05:00

Put my ad in the paper today, so it's a go. It's going to be hotter than I like, but I need to get this stuff moving. Shipped the jacket to Australia today, and 4 other packages went out in the mail. I am feeling pretty good, since this is only a couple of weeks into the retirement and I am actually accomplishing what I set out to do. I am culling out my pottery collection, which is a toughy. I'm keeping most of the McCoy, and all the swans, but the rest will need to find new homes. I'll try to take some pictures after I get the tables set up on Saturday.
I have a massage and adjustment tomorrow at 10:30, but then I will be in yardsale mode. Have to pick up some change and put out my signs. I have most everything priced that needs to be priced.

CVS'n again

2010-09-14T22:01:00.001-05:00

So I just had to go do this one because there was a $4 off of $20 purchase coupon that expired on the 15th.

CVS ad showed the Alive vitamins, the candy and the Nivea were all producing ECB's equal to their price and the green tea was giving $2 ECBS. I had a $7.99 ECB from late August.

I spent $10.21 cash and got back $18 in ECB's. The vitamins and nivea are for a friend. I got my tea for free, basically. I haven't been going to CVS lately, but every once in a while they drag me in. I have such a stockpile I have to take a break!

What you find at Goodwill

2010-09-13T17:21:00.001-05:00

I just listed a VALENTINO Boutique item on Ebay. It's a wool suit from the late 80's or early 90's, but there are lots of people out there who love their vintage clothing. I paid $7 and have it listed at $49.99. We will see. I also have a CHRISTIAN DIOR boys sports jacket listed. It was hung up in with the women's jackets. They both have watchers, but no bids yet.

ps..the Dior has a bid from someone in Australia!

The Warrior spirit as written by Brian DeToy

2010-09-12T16:37:00.001-05:00

Brian wrote this about an event at West Point on Friday. The link will take you to photos of the event.

We are the priviliged few

Those of us who were able to see a truly special event late Friday afternoon. While there were a couple hundred of us there, I wish it could have been thousands.

You see, seven warriors came up from Walter Reed and shared with us their spirit, their truly indomitable spirit, for a beautiful half hour. They were veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, young non-commissioned officers from the ranks of corporal through staff-sergeant. Six had lost legs and one an arm. One had an above the knee amputation and one had both legs amputated.

They were coming to test themselves against the famed West Point Indoor Obstacle Course (the IOCT). This is a grueling test for young fit soldiers. And here were these young men, bodies that had been broken-smashed-pulverized, going to stare it down and push themselves to and across the threshold of pain and adversity. They had come up to West Point that morning, been given a tour of the phenomenal Arvin Gym facilities and had the IOCT demonstrated for them. They worked on a few of the tasks themselves and prepared for the test at 4 PM. They expected little fanfare and few observers – they were here for themselves – to challenge themselves.

But the word had got out. Wounded Warriors were going to brave the IOCT! And so we came. I had known of the event for several weeks as one of the officers escorting them up from DC was an old cadet of mine. Others found out just that afternoon. And they came and filled the stands on the west side of historic old Hayes Gym in the center of Arvin. It is a dusty, musty old barn – filled with the sweat and grime of 100 years. When they built the state-of the-art new facilities, they kept Hayes intact – like a little old house incorporated into the skyscraper around it. It is a timeless link to the Corps of the past – the Long Gray Line. And the IOCT links today’s cadets to their forebears who went through the same rigorous trial.

I arrived right at 4 and could hear the rumbling buzz in the gym before I stepped in. I smiled as I looked around, taking in the scene. There was an electric, yet festive air; everyone was expectant. I stood halfway down the course and looked down to the south end of the gym where the seven warriors had gathered. They were stretching and talking and looking around at the scene themselves. The stands filled with cadets and faculty, the center of the gym with senior officers – colonels and generals and visiting dignitaries (including a few deep-pockets donors). And lots of photographers and a video team. This was not what the wounded warriors had expected! But they were smiling and determined young men. Just after 4, the first two lined up to begin the test. Two more would go about every ten minutes. A seventh warrior, the one with the above the knee amputation and therefore with a larger, stiffer prosthetic, went alone at the end. The test consists of 11 events performed sequentially: low crawl under barrier, tire footwork, two-handed vault, leap and pull up to an 8 ft horizontal shelf, horizontal bar navigation, dive through a hanging tire, balance beam, 8 ft horizontal wall, 20 ft horizontal ladder, 16 ft vertical rope, and 350m sprint (carrying a 6 lb medicine ball for the first 120m, a baton for the second 120m, and empty-handed for the remaining 110m). Because of the unique level of athletic skill needed to pass the test and the tremendous level of effort needed to excel at it, the IOCT holds a special place in the hearts of all West Point Cadets and graduates. YouTube has many videos about it, both serious and comical. The IOCT is both feared and revered by the members of the Long Gray Line.

As the first pair set off on their test, the place went wild with noise! And it sustained itself for the entire half hour, rising with each successful completion of a task. One of my instructors was walking on the street outside and he said it sounded like 20,000 people cheering at a football game! The wounded men were nothing but phenomenal. The courage they demonstrated, attempting an incredibly difficult test in front of hundreds of strangers, in front of senior leaders and cameras, was awe inspiring. I cannot say enough or write in any way that tells how profoundly I and we were touched by this display of the human spirit. I clapped till my hands hurt, I smiled like a crazy drunken man, I had tears fill my eyes and a few coursed down my cheeks. Others just let the tears roll the whole time! We were slapping each others’ backs and cheering wildly. If a warrior struggled with a task (climbing over a wall, climbing a rope, or staying on the balance beam) we screamed our support – and they never gave up – they accomplished everything! One fell off the beam five times. I thought for a second he might just move on to the next event. But, no. On the sixth attempt he made it across and the roof nearly lifted off old Hayes! After climbing the rope to a track above, the warriors set out on their run with prosthetic legs that perhaps needed an adjustment after the pounding they’d just gone through but the warriors persevered. They were amazing. No other word to describe them.

I made eye contact with cadets, officers and others I knew in the gym – just a silent smile and head nod that signified that we knew we were sharing a very special moment. We’ve all lost friends and comrades, former students and others, along the way in this war. We’ve friends who’ve lost limbs and eyesight, like these men here before us. And the spirit, the will to win – it . . just . . doesn’t . . quit. As I look around me, I am taken back to the last day of January where, in the al Faw Palace on Camp Victory, I had been present when we brought back a similar number of wounded warriors to Iraq so that they could have their own Operation Proper Exit. This time they went home proudly on their feet. I was so moved then, hugging those guys – telling them we would finish the job for them. And with us that day was our boss, General Ray Odierno, head of US military efforts in Iraq. Fast forward to last Friday and, in the midst of the event, in walks that unmistakable tall man with the bald dome – Odierno. There is no fanfare. He just wants to see his boys. His own son is a wounded warrior, an amputee. No one has seen as much service in Iraq as General O; he knows the cost. He just gave up command there last week. He is here now to see these men challenge themselves and, in so doing, challenge all of us watching them – especially the young cadets here. There is no way any of these future officers will quit now – not after having seen what they just did! We are all – inspired. No better word. Inspired.

Afterwards, after the head of the PE department, the Master of the Sword, has spoke, we all approach the warriors, shake hands and hug. I am in civvies, wearing a Kansas Jayhawk shirt and one young corporal says “Hey, sir, love the shirt – I’m from Wichita!” He is missing a leg but has just completed an incredible feat and has a world-beating grin tacked to his face. They are like rock stars! I hug them all and thank them for all they’ve done. I step back and look around the crowded gym floor and I know this for a fact – I have never had a better moment in my over eight years of service at this Academy. This has been the single best thing I have seen or participated in during this whole time, over two different tours. I am so sorry I cannot convey it all the way I wish I could and should. Sometimes, truly, you had to be there.

Yesterday, Saturday, dawned a beautiful sunny blue-skied day here – nary a cloud the entire day. It was just like that September 11th morning nine years ago. The flag on West Point’s Plain was, of course, at half-staff. We had a parade by the Corps and then a football game and an incredible day here all around. Spirit. Joy. Remembrance. Camaraderie. Future. We do not forget. But we forge our future. Right here. Every day. As do you, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing on 9-11. We do not forget. But we forge our future. Every day. Like Teddy Roosevelt’s Man in the Arena – we do not stand silent on the sidelines. And if we had forgot that – we remember it now; these beautiful young men, these brothers of ours – have shown us what the human spirit is capable of, what it means to have the heart of a lion. As I often do, at times of this type of reflection, I think of one of my true heroes - Abraham Lincoln. And, in his second Inaugural, just weeks before he was killed, he said, in closing, “Let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle: . ..” The Wounded Warrior program is doing that for today’s veteran. Well, at least it is in place for them and is now, I believe, a very good one. But – it depends, ultimately, on the individual soldier and what they decide they will do and become.

Friday afternoon I was one of a privileged few to see and experience that which we all wish would be the way we handle adversity. But, we really don’t know till we are faced with it. These seven very brave young men came into our lives and showed us what it mean to ‘soldier on’ – to live the Warrior Spirit.

my Babies

2010-09-10T20:04:00.000-05:00

This is how I found the kids when I got home today.

You can tell who's a little bit standoffish.

Pricing for a Yard Sale!

2010-09-10T18:49:00.003-05:00

I did get about 6 BIG boxes of stuff priced and out to the shed this week. I am storing the boxes of books in the front foyer and everything else out to the shed. I picked up a Lenox vase/bowl in the Holiday holly pattern today for a$1 and I can't find it anywhere online so i don't know what to start it at. I let Mica stay in the shot so you could see the size of it. It has been raining/misting since last night so I have been working inside. Hope to get ahead of the game and have some auctions sheduled to go up throughout the week by Sunday night.

I had another massage this morning and am still very tight through the shoulders and back. I haven't been icing like I should, because Ice is COLD. Dang it.

Greta the Great Dane

2010-09-04T10:42:00.000-05:00

Greta is missing her Mom and Dad. She is a very docile Great Dane, who doesn't know that she is a dog. She moans and groans and sighs heavy sighs. She is a sloppy drinker. She Woofs when people walk by her house, but it is more of a conversation than a warning. She also sheds. Alot.

Jimminy!

2010-09-02T20:39:00.000-05:00

Took two days for my check because they mailed it from SURS. May take another month before they get the electronic transfer all worked out. Why does it take so long? I have a massage followed by Chiro tomorrow and then get to go visit with the Great Dane, Greta. She is fawn colored and about 5 years old. We will see if she will let me in the door. She only eats once a day, so that is easy enough, but she also needs to get some pills down. She is a couch potato.

First Annuity Paycheck tomorrow. Woot!

2010-08-31T21:08:00.000-05:00

I won't know how much it is till I check the Credit Union online and see what was deposited. Then I have to go right into my Budget program and parse it all out. It is going to be an interesting month. I have a Chiropractic appointment tomorrow morning and then in the afternoon I am going to meet Greta. She is a great dane that I am going to be babysitting Thursday-Sunday. I will get some pictures.

Budgeting and retirement

2010-08-30T11:02:00.000-05:00

I am using a program called YNAB (You Need a Budget) because I have never been much of a budgeter and living off one paycheck a month may take a little getting used to. The first few months I am going to get an estimated payment while they complete all the paperwork, then a correction followed by my actual retirement pay. I will get a State University Retirement Check on September 1st, and I have one last paycheck from SIU coming in on the 10th, but then things will settle down. It was a little complicated setting up my accounts, because I have Paypal, Siu Credit union, ING and BOA checking accounts and savings at ING and SIUCredit Union. May need to do some consolidation.

I am also stuck at home till the 1st, because my health Insurance as an employee ended on the 27th and my retiree insurance doesn't kick in until Wednesday. I didn't plan that too well, but I didn't want to have to work these last two days!

Jean-Claude and Garnier Fructis

2010-08-30T10:45:00.000-05:00

I finished a bottle of shampoo this week-end, and went to my stash for a new one. I pulled out a shampoo/conditioner from Garnier Fructis and had at it. I am now being groomed by my tuxedo boy, and realized it has been awhile since he did this. Actually, since I used Garnier last. There must be a strong enough aroma that he can smell it, but light enough so that I don't.

Retired!

2010-08-24T15:13:00.002-05:00

Today was my last day at work! I will go in Friday to fill out some paperwork, but this was it. Felt pretty good. to walk out that last time!

Eating out of the pantry in July!

2010-07-05T16:16:00.000-05:00

I made two loaves of zucchini bread yesterday, and will be making blackberry muffins tonight to take to work tomorrow. I made salmon patties, 6 of them and had one for dinner. It's time to eat out of the pantry again. I am also going throught the cabinets and cleaning out all the things I am not going to want to pack up and take to MO--so it is time for a big yard sale, but not on a 90 degree week-end. As I gather this stuff up it is clear that I have the same addiction to dishes that my Mom does!

I have my second injection tomorrow, looking forward to it!

My job contracts and I get injections in my knees.

2010-06-30T19:05:00.001-05:00

I am back to just Faner again, and each morning as I open it up I tell myself, "Only ## more days of opening this building!" Today was 36. My last day of work at SIU will be August 27th. Yes, I am counting the days.

I had my first HYALGAN injections in my knees on Monday. It is a 5 week regimen with physical therapy 3 days a week and injections once a week. I am very pleased with the results of the first, as I slept without knee pain that night. Now to rebuild strength and flexibility.

My job expands.

2010-03-08T18:13:00.001-06:00

Just found out that I will be opening and maintaining 2 more buildings on campus starting tomorrow. I currently have Faner, and will be picking up Neckers and Public Policy Institute. Budget restraints are preventing the department from hiring anyone so as us old timers retire they are not replacing us, just spreading us around a bit thinner. 25 weeks to go. Sigh.

My Drop Spindle

2010-02-11T20:51:00.001-06:00

My drop spindle arrived in the mail today with a hunk of wool and some instructions. Wish me luck!

Spinning

2010-02-09T16:09:00.000-06:00

I went down to Ft. Massac, on the Ohio River, Saturday. There was a meeting of the Weavers and Spinners Guild in the Visitor's Center. I have been interested in spinning ever since Bear's first shed.

He was a fuzzy boy. Anyhow, there were about 6 spinning wheels set up and the women said normally they have a much bigger turnout but the weather kept some of them at home. It was inspiring and fascinating. I came home and ordered a drop spindle. They meet every first Saturday, and next month I will be there for whatever help and hints they can offer me.

Cat food

2010-02-05T18:15:00.002-06:00

I bought a 7 lb bag of Iams for the cats, and litter, and hamburger. Spent $26.87. I haven't really paid attention to how long a bag of food lasts, so this will be interesting. I am making a pizza casserole this weekend. I dropped two big bins of clothing to a young lady who has been losing a lot of weight. She said it felt like Christmas!

I have been invited down to Ft Massac for a spinning, weaving and quilting guild show tomorrow, but it is snowing pretty heavy right now. We will see what it looks like in the morning.

Sassy gets a shot.

2010-02-03T17:46:00.000-06:00

Sassy had her check up yesterday, so I spent $40. She weighs .1 of a pound less than last year. Pretty consistent. Skinny little girl. I also put $26 worth of gas in the car today, but got 29 mpg so that's not bad. I need to get some cat food and kitty litter tomorrow. Joy. I had tuna salad and triscuits for lunch with an orange for a chaser. Ate bacon and pancakes for dinner. I have spaghetti for lunch tomorrow, and need to remember to take some more oatmeal to work. I am making some scalloped corn, because I love it as a side. I do need to come up with something to do with all the tomato sauce. Off to recipe hunt!

I have a stuffy upped head.

2010-02-02T19:47:00.000-06:00

I keep thinking I am going to try a dairy free diet to see if that will cut down on the stuffiness, but then I realize that means no cheese. NO CHEESE!!! I don't think I can do it. NO SOUR CREAM!!! Nope, can't see it happening. I don't drink milk, but I do use it on cereal and in cooking. It's the cheese. Or maybe I'm allergic to cats. Wouldn't that be a kicker.

Last minute Jan. 31st deal.

2010-01-31T18:08:00.001-06:00

Was sorting through the coupons and came across a rebate that ends TODAY. It was a Nabisco offer, buy ten Crackers, Easy Cheese and/or Planters nuts, get $10 back. Kroger is having a buy ten items get $5 off that includes the crackers, and I had 3 $1 off of 2 and 2 $2 off of 2 coupons, some that expire today! So I went. I bought 10 boxes of Triscuits, different flavors. I use them with tuna salad, like chips and dip. I paid $10.17 after coupons, and will get the $10 back. After the cost of a stamp, the 10 boxes of triscuits cost me .60 total. Definitely worth the extra trip to me! I can go through 1.5 boxes a week when I am on a Tuna Salad kick!
Yes, I did check the best by date on the boxes and have till May to eat them. I did notice this evening that I am down to my last 25 double rolls of TP. I haven't spent money on TP in over two years. Or dish soap. Or toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, deoderant, paper towels, razors, bath wash, laundry soap, cleaners, sponges......

I love coupons and CVS and Walgreens and Krogers.

More deals at Money Saving Mom!

Money logging blogging for February.

2010-01-31T15:26:00.000-06:00

I want to curtail spending again this month, so I am going to attempt to log it all here. I have the $18 Register Rewards from Walgreens, and $30.98 ECB from CVS. My main problem is eating out, and books. I have been getting a lot listed and out of the house, and not near as much coming back in. I am sending a box of books off to Brian tomorrow. I will still be spending money shipping out books from bookmooch and ebay but plan to stay on top of that also. We will see how this goes. I know I am a dollar dribbler, big time.

End of the month shopping $35.20

2010-01-31T13:49:00.000-06:00

I did a total of 3 transactions at Walgreens, starting with a $10 and $2 Register reward. Joint Juice is on sale for 10 w/10RR so free. The Blink eye drops are 7.99 w/8 RR and there was a $2 coupon in todays paper. The tuna was .89 each and the jello 5/1.00 so I spent a total of $8.56 and ended up with a $10 and $8 RR- so 8.56-6 = 2.56 for all pictured, including the paper, with more coupons! 5 jello, 2- 30 ct. Joint Juice, 2-Blink Gel Tears, 3 Chunk white tuna, 1 box mixed dried fruit and the Sunday paper. According to the receipts, I saved $68.32

Then I went to Aldi's and bought Brocolli crowns, baby carrots, spinach, baked beans, and frozen puff pastry. I am going to try the spinach in place of frozen and see how it works. Lots of the recipes I have been exploring for the last month have used puff pastry, so I am going to give it a try.

Total spent at Aldi's was $5.30. Not bad at all.

Then I went to CVS, starting with 3 $10 ECBS. I had two $1.25 coupons for the Dove's Men stuff, which was $5.49 and giving $5.49 ECB. The febreeze had a B1G1 coupon and both it and the Fuze go towards the buy $25 get 10 ECB deal with the PG products this week. I also had a 4/20 coupon. I spent $1.49 and a 10 ECB and got a 10.98 ECB back. I also have 9.98 towards the $25 for the PG ecb. According to the receipt I saved 26.08 on this trip.

At Kroger I took advantage of their buy 10 get $5 off deal to work towards a $20 Nabisco rebate.

The 5 Easy Mac's are part of the rebate, and will be donated. They and the Hunts and Rotel were part of the B10G5 deal. I had coupons for the salad and yeast and decided to get another paper for more coupons this week. I spent $6.46 and got a couple of Catalina coupons for future deals. SALAD for lunch today!

My last stop was at Walmart, where I used some expiring coupons. I spent $13.41, mostly on the Sun Crystals which are Stevia based. Matt has almost convinced me that HFCS is poison, but I still bought the Marshmellows to make ambrosia. That is what the sour cream is for also. I am looking for more ways to incorporate beans into my diet, sloooooowly, and bought red and black beans.

In conclusion, I spent $35.20 and ended up with $6 more in RR and .98 more in ECBS and partially fulfilled a $10 ECB and $20 Rebate deal.

So it is the end of January

2010-01-30T13:51:00.000-06:00

and I think I did pretty well, still have lots of food to plow through. No more frozen chicken, but I have several large cans for Chicken Salad. Still lots of tuna and some frozen and canned salmon left. I am thawing out some sirloin steaks today. I bought some milk and some ground chuck yesterday. What can I say, I had a red meat craving. I am plowing through the cereal. Matthew sent me a link about the poison that white sugar and HFCS are. Sigh. I am making spaghetti sauce today, with the rest of the ground chuck. Spinach salad for lunch. We had about 2 inches of snow, and I am going to just sit here and make some plans. Or take a nap. Hmmm.

Sassy

2010-01-29T12:24:00.000-06:00

There is enough room for me. See?

They like their Balogh!

2010-01-24T18:36:00.000-06:00

My 13 Balogh auctions ended this afternoon averaging $12.50 each. Not too shabby. This one went for over $27.

I had tuna salad on a whole grain thin and a banana for lunch, and I think I will finish off the rice krispies for dinner. I am taking my last mini meatloaf and a spinach salad to work for lunch tomorrow. I did buy some packaged Laura's lean hamburger today as it was marked down. It went in the freezer. Glad I had room to store it now! I bought banana's also. A week to go and I am still under my $50 budget. There is still a heck of a lot of food around here. I may be doing this next month also.

Book sale

2010-01-23T19:54:00.000-06:00

the Paducah Friends of the Library book sale was a little disappointing. It was $2 for a brown paper bag full of books, and I did almost fill a bag, but I probably should have driven down yesterday after work. Not a whole lot left. I went to the Goodwill down there and found 3 more books. This is me being picky for a change. Photographed some more books when I got home and got the pictures uploaded, so just listing to do tomorrow. The Balogh books end tomorrow, it will be interesting to see what they end up with.

Cereal for dinner

2010-01-22T20:03:00.000-06:00

Had to buy some more milk today, and some sandwich thins. I had cereal for dinner. Just Because. I am going to bed early, because I am driving to Paducah for a Library book sale tomorrow, early. I will be very picky about what I buy!

Snackin'

2010-01-18T18:19:00.002-06:00

I basically just snacked all day on leftovers. Got lots of books sorted, photographed and boxed. Lots of action on my Balogh auctions. Lots of kittified help, which is actually a hindrance, but don't tell them I said so. I didn't get around to making the apple dumplings, but sometime this week I will! The freezer door now closes comfortably. I am making headway here.

Sunday Listings

2010-01-17T18:51:00.002-06:00

I bookmooched a bunch of Mary Balogh Signet regencies on Bookmooch a couple of weeks ago, and went through my own collection today and exchanged my worn copies for the nicer ones, and then listed the rest on EBay. Her newer books don't go for much, but these little old Signets can go for $20-$40 sometimes. I put 13 of them up and a box of her newer stuff.

I ate my chicken salad and chopped up some hotdogs to throw in barbecue sauce, just to use them up. I will pretend like they are little smokies. I believe I am going to make this tomorrow

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/apple_dumplings/

and take them to work for breakfast the rest of the week. They make my mouth water, and I have everything to make them with.

confessions

2010-01-16T20:57:00.000-06:00

I have to confess that while I was dealing with my electrical problems, I ate out twice. Once at Wendy's and once at Taco Bell. I bought some more spinach yesterday, and finished off the tuna casserole. I made a chicken salad to eat with the spinach. I need to sit down and figure out the next weeks meals tomorrow, see if that will help me use up stuff in the freezer. I did unpack the freezer and repack it, so I know I have some sirloin steaks from OMAHA and some ham and chicken left in there. Oh, and a pack of bacon. Have to make something with bacon!

I have the Power!

2010-01-14T16:10:00.000-06:00

And the house is slowly warming back up. Sassy has come out of hiding. Now I can think about what I want for dinner!

Electrical Problems

2010-01-11T12:04:00.002-06:00

I am sitting at home, waiting for the electrician to show up. My master circuit breaker started getting hot and tripping yesterday, and after setting it and then having it trip a couple of hours later I left it off and spent the night in Carbondale. I called this morning, and they said afternoon. When I got back to the house it was 41 degrees inside. I reset the breaker, and since it was cold to start with it may last till he gets here. I did some research online and then called brother Jeff. I am pretty sure it just needs to be replaced. If there was a short somewhere it would be one of the individual breakers tripping. Fun stuff, owning your own home. I will update later.

Later---oh, boy. Looks like I need a new box both inside and outside, and time to upgrade to 200 amp service, since I will be getting the place ready to either sell or rent next year. Close to $3,800. Fun. I really thought I might get to do something fun with my savings. Looks like I really need to get busy on EBAY. I am staying the next two nights at Karen's because they can't get here till Thursday to do the change out.

Tuna on Toast

2010-01-10T13:26:00.001-06:00

I made some tuna in a white sauce and ate it on toast. I then boiled some macaroni and added peas for a casserole to take to work for lunch tomorrow. As I was eating my tuna on toast, I was thinking that there are a lot of people in this world who would not find it appealing at all! For me it is a comfort food, a throw back to my childhood, along with the casserole. My Mom doesn't like celery. As kids, we were not exposed to celery. Other people had celery in everything. Same with squash. As we get older and try new things our palate will embrace other tastes. I don't ever get tired of the old family favorites though. Well, those that were my favorites, anyhow. Never did like fishsticks. Ever. Bought my Sunday paper and a canteloupe and 3 bananas. Spent another $3.50 for a new total of $22.40 for the month.

Freezer door

2010-01-08T15:39:00.000-06:00

I have a refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom. I just noticed that the door keeps popping open a bit, so I really need to get in there and rearrange some things. I had a sloppy joe for lunch, and am using up the last of the spinach, with some separated clementines and crasins and walnuts for dinner. Yum. Had too many Mt. Dews today, I am going to try and have just one a day this week-end. Took two more boxes of books to the post office today. I need to get another load of recycling out of here. I am clearing things out, slowly but surely!

Getting colder and windier

2010-01-07T19:03:00.001-06:00

We are dropping to the single digits again tonight, and the dry snow is expected to blow all over the place. At least I only had to brush it off the car this morning, no scraping involved. I had my last salmon patty for lunch, and some potato soup. Snacked on two clementines. Came home starving and made a sloppy joe with the hamburger I had browned and frozen. I bought a box of clementines and milk and eggs yesterday, for a total of $12.26. Will boil 8 eggs tonight and make some tuna on toast. Left over tuna and white sauce will be combined with macaroni and peas for my old standby tuna casserole. I'm thinking I may be able to do this for 2 months. We will see how it goes, but there is no end of the food in sight.

Total spent in January on food= $18.90

Cold and Dry

2010-01-05T15:31:00.000-06:00

It is still very cold outside, and very dry. I have to goop my hair up good to keep it from standing on end and waving in the breeze. I shock the kitties everytime I touch them. We are practicing avoidance right now. I had oatmeal for breakfast and the rest of my sweet and sour chicken for lunch. I just got home and made a big spinach salad with a few bites of left over salmon, mandarin oranges, craisens and almonds. Yum. The spinach is in better shape than I thought, so will probably take it to work tomorrow for lunch, with some of the mashed potato soup. Tonight I am going to thaw out some frozen goulash for dinner.

I dropped another three packages off at the post office this afternoon. Now I need to get the trash together for tomorrows pick-up. Did I mention that it is COLD outside?

Back to work.

2010-01-04T15:45:00.003-06:00

Hmmmm. Back to the alarm clock driven world. 8 more months of this. I had left over sweet and sour chicken for lunch, and there is enough for tomorrow's lunch still in the refrigerator at work. I had oatmeal for breakfast, and will for the rest of the week. I thawed out a salmon filet from my last Omaha Beef order and that will be dinner, with a spinach salad. Have to use up the spinach, because it is getting to "that" stage. It is still Very, Very cold outside. I don't like it. Took a couple of bags of books to mail after work, and have a box to go in tomorrows mail. May get Brians box ready to go too. Two people from last nights auctions haven't paid yet, makes me nervous because they bid at the last minute, so they were right there on the computer and it would have been easiest to pay RIGHT then. Right?

Oh good, one of them just paid. Off to print a shipping label!

First Groceries trip

2010-01-03T13:39:00.001-06:00

I go out Sunday mornings to get my local paper for the coupons, sales ads, and maybe some news. I get the St. Louis Post Dispatch delivered on Sundays, but the local paper doesn't have a Sunday only delivery. I bought some Broccoli, green onions and celery for today's soup. I spent $6.64. Jean-Claude is checking out the green stuff. Sorry guy, it's not catnip. The soup is smelling soooo good. As you can see, I substituted the broccoli for the cauliflower. I have never been much of a cauliflower fan. This is a big pot. I may take some in to work in a crockpot. I will freeze several extra servings for me. This and some garlic Texas Toast from the freezer will be a great dinner for me!

ps....oh my goodness, this is some rich stuff. I could barely eat my cup full. This will be many, many servings!

Wanchai Ferry Sweet and Sour chicken

2010-01-02T17:54:00.001-06:00

I have several of these Wanchai Ferry kits. You add your own chicken, and I really like the sauce, but I add more Water Chestnuts and pineapple. Of course I do. I had some for dinner and packaged the rest to take to work on Monday. It should feed me through Tuesday or Wednesday for lunch. I bought them with coupons on a mega saver sale at Kroger for about $1.52 each. They feed four.

I have some left over mashed potatoes, and am thinking about making this tomorrow. I copied it off someone else's blog that is also participating in the pantry challenge. I don't have celery and cauliflower, but I have everything else. May throw in some celery seed and call it good. It has been so cold here that I am in a soup mood.

Leftover Mashed Potato Soup:p
3 cups(ish) mashed potatoes
1/2 white or yellow onion
2 carrots chopped
2 sticks celery chopped
1 cup cauliflower cut into pieces
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into chunks, room temperature
salt and pepper to taste

Pour the finely minced vegetable mixture into a large pot. Add chicken broth, milk and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. Slowly add the cheeses and the mashed potatoes, stirring frequently.
Simmer for approximately 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.
Serve with some warm bread. Ladel into bowls and garnish with more cheese or green onions.

Cats and Computers

2010-01-02T12:29:00.001-06:00

It often becomes difficult for me to work on the computer because something keeps getting in the way of the screen. The word NO doesn't mean anything to him in this context. Neither does MOVE.

Many boxes of books later....

2010-01-01T17:49:00.000-06:00

Wow. This has been a very interesting week. I have mostly sat in my living room going through boxes of books, sorting for EBAY, bookmooch and yardsale. A few, sad to say, have gone on to be recycled, because they were in just that bad of shape. Since last Friday I have mailed 41 books out via Bookmooch and have 19 at this moment to send on Monday. I have a box of books to go to Brian. I have about 6 smaller sets to list on EBAY on Sunday evening. I have about 8 boxes in the foyer for spring yardsale, and I still have about 8 boxes left to list on one loveseat in the living room. I do have a loveseat and ottoman that I can actually sit on and use the way it was meant to be used. Me, my feet up, good light over my shoulder, a book in hand and a cat or two draped over me. Whew!

I had a shake for breakfast, an egg and string cheese for lunch, and I am getting ready to have a grilled cheese sandwich and soup for dinner. Didn't leave the house today, except to take a load of trash out. I'm off to pick which book to read!

pantry pictures

2009-12-31T10:10:00.004-06:00

The bottom freezer

The Refrigerator

Baking Cubboard

Misc.

Mostly Canned goods.

This is why I need to do this.

Meals for January

2009-12-30T21:11:00.004-06:00

Just brainstorming here, but some ideas of things I can make with what I have on hand--

Sweet and sour chicken and rice
Tuna Casserole
Salmon Patties
I still have some mini meatloaves frozen, bake a potato
Grilled Cheese and soup
Spaghetti
Chicken Salad
Tuna Salad
Spinach salad-fruity or savory
Deviled eggs, baked beans and fried potatoes.
Goulash
Cereal and oatmeal
French toast
Smoothies w/ yogurt, bananas and frozen fruit ( maybe a dash of Amaretto!)

Bookmooch

2009-12-30T12:31:00.002-06:00

I eliminated my inventory on Bookmooch last month when I went to spend time with Mom. I just started listing books back on there this week, and I have already taken 41 of the 100 books I listed to the Post Office and still have 6 more to ship later this week. I have spent over $75 in postage. I think the reason they are going so fast is that I didn't list any that had a lot already in other peoples inventory, and most of them were on the wishlists of several people. I have books going to Australia, Japan, Bhutan, Canada and England. Now I just have to mooch the books that are going to translate into cash on Ebay. The only way that seems to work is if they complete sets that I have already got going. Those books are usually easy to find on Bookmooch. I have started listing on Ebay again, after about a 6 week break. That seems to be working out fairly well. I have been doing quite a bit of research during this week of break. Not reading much myself though!

2009 is running down--long live 2010

2009-12-29T16:31:00.005-06:00

I have a new project for the new year. Well, for January anyhow. I am going to eat out of my pantry. Oh, Yeah. I took a box of food to the Herrin Pantry earlier today, now I am going to whittle it down, day by day, myself. I know I have lots of tuna, salmon and spaghetti sauce. Lots of pasta, and the freezer is full of chicken. I don't drink much milk, and would love to make some bread. I think all I am going to have to buy is fruit and veggies and eggs. I am trying this week to cut way back on the soda. After each soda I have to drink a large glass of water before the next. Maybe two glasses of water next week. We will see. It would be fun if other members of my family joined in..hint, hint.

My goals for the month--
1. clean out cubboards and refrigerator
2. stay out of the grocery store except for freebies, fruit, fresh veggies and eggs
3. spend less than $50 on food for the month
4. take food to work all month, no eating out

Off to do an inventory!

DeToy family reunion 09

2009-07-30T18:17:00.003-05:00

The hosting clan, Tom's Family

The Carlson's

Bob DeToy's Family

Benson, Minnesota

Hosted by the Tom DeToy family

I will be adding more photos as they get uploaded by other family members!

Picked my first blackberries this year!

2009-07-01T13:10:00.002-05:00

I picked about 3/4 cup of blackberries, they will be coming on strong this weekend. I also found a lot of Japanese Beetles, so I am off to the nursery to see about some beetle traps. I also need to pick up some RoundUp because my ditch by the road is being overrun by vines that nothing else will kill. Hate to use that stuff.

A shot in the knee

2009-05-05T16:33:00.002-05:00

I finally broke down, after a month of heavy duty Ibuprofen and no change to my bursitic knee. That probably isn't a word. Yet. I got a shot yesterday. It didn't really hurt, and still doesn't. Let's hope this takes care of the left knee so it can get better and carry the right knee, which is the one I normally think of as my "bad" knee. Aging is such a fun process.

April rains in May

2009-05-03T16:38:00.002-05:00

Haven't seen the sun lately, and my yard is a swamp. The flowers look happy, where they haven't been beaten into the ground. All the blooming trees have had their petals pummeled, hope they all got pollenated before this. I only planted 2 beefy tomato plants and 2 cherry, and already lost one beefy to cut worm. Still time to get another out there. Soon it is going to be time to start trimming the new growth on the blackberries back so I can get to last years wood and this years berries. They are growing inches a day it seems. The cats are spending major time on the window sills, checking out the birds that are nesting in the porch rafters. Drives them crazy, birds and cats.

Almost May

2009-04-30T18:34:00.002-05:00

I put my air conditioner in the window of the bedroom today. I almost made it to May. Dang it.

It's the economy, doofus!

2009-04-28T17:09:00.002-05:00

I have been disappointed lately with my box lot auction results. I was wondering if it was because I was starting them too early or too late? Wrong day? Would free shipping help? None of the above. I was hoping that people would be more likely to check out Ebay in the downturn of the economy, but now I think people just aren't buying, period. How has this been affecting you? Are you still buying whatever you want? Are you worried about your job, or are you in a comfortable place?

I thought I was, preparing for retirement in 16 months and thinking I had it under control, but now this! A quote from the linked article.

"The governor’s proposal would hit certain retirees even harder. For a retiree who is not yet old enough to qualify for Medicare, premiums would rise from $12.98 per month to an average of about $582 per month."

Now, that is a lot of moolah.

Not much changes around here. Mini Meatloaves

2009-04-27T16:56:00.002-05:00

I made another batch of Mini Meatloaves today. Seems like I do this at least once a month. I made two batches for Mom when I was there a couple of weeks ago. It's just one of those "go to"
recipes when ground beef goes on sale. It is very handy to have them in the freezer for days you just don't want to cook. Bake a potato, toss a salad and you are good to go.

Mini Meatloaf

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup quick cook oats (more if too wet)
1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
(other spices of choice)
1 small onion, diced
dash Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 pound ground beef (lean)

Sauce

2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard
dash Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, cheese, oats, onion, Worcestershire sauce and spices. Let sit for 5 minutes for oats to get soft.
Add the ground beef, mixing well, and form this mixture into eight miniature meatloaves. Place these in a lightly greased 9x13 inch dish.
In a separate small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Stir thoroughly and spread over each meatloaf.
Bake uncovered, at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30-45 minutes, depending on how big you shaped your loaves.

What a difference a year makes!

2009-04-25T15:40:00.004-05:00

Two weeks ago, and today below. Last year I almost dug this azalea up because I had so few blooms on it. See last years post here. I did nothing extra, but she must have heard me talking about her. Poor girl.

I hab a Code. In my Nose.

2009-01-18T18:55:00.002-06:00

Just in time for a 3 day week-end. Just my luck. I am not going anywhere without a box of tissue. Soft ones. With lotion. I slept for 14 hours yesterday and I am going to try and break that record tonight. Nyquil here I come.

Shopping!

2009-01-07T17:12:00.005-06:00

Today was my coupon maximizing day for the week and I went to CVS, Schnucks, and Walgreens. The photos are being cut off here for some reason, but they are clickable to see the whole haul!

At CVS I did 4 transactions, spent 3.20 total and yes, I already ate one of the snickers bars.

1 Fructis shampoo/conditioner
3 Snickers Bars
2 double packs ZipLock freezer bags
8 Atkins bars
8 can pack of SlimFast
2 Kleenex w/lotion
1 Pepcid Complete
1 Mylanta
2 NasoGels

At Walgreens I spent $15.33, but will be getting 10.99 back in a Walgreens rebate and 8 back in a Bayer rebate. Purchased

1 Revlon blush
3 Mountain Dew's (fillers)
2 Bayer Heart Advantage
1 Bayer regular
3 Fructis shampoo/conditioner
1 Alka Seltzer Plus
1 Dimetapp
2 Centrum Vitamins

At Schnucks I spent 15.72 and purchased

2 Totino's Pizza Rolls
6 Progresso Soups
4 Betty Crocker Potatoes
3 Fuze drinks
4 Fruit Naturals
8 Temptation snacks for the cats ( on clearance)

So Total I spent $34.14, but will be getting 19.99 back, for a revised total of $15.15 out of pocket. The cashiers at all three stores were impressed!

My Dad, Robert John DeToy

2009-01-04T16:47:00.002-06:00

It's really hard to believe that it has been five years since Dad graduated to a better place. It was the morning after we celebrated Mom and Dad's Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary, and he held on long enough to make that happen. He fought Leukemia for 10 years, but most of that was still good times, because he made it so. He didn't think he would live to see 70, but he did. We had a family celebration of their anniversary in the summer of 'o3, because he didn't think he'd make to January, but he did. Love you Daddy.

My Oster Blender

2009-01-03T13:19:00.004-06:00

When I was still in the Navy, back in 1978, I went to the Hawaii State Fair and there was a man demonstrating this Commercial Oster Blender. It was stainless steel and he made it do all kinds of tricks and I had to have one. Had to. So I bought one. I still have it and it still does tricks. However, I can no longer get the bottom off. Someone much stronger than me probably could. Maybe.
Last week at the Salvation Army I found a box with three small Oster blender thingys. I bought them and once I got them home I realized that I couldn't use them because I could not get the ring off my Stainless Steel container. I went on Amazon and found some Oster parts so I ordered the crushing blade and sealing ring and the cap. They came today and they work!

This blender was not cheap, I think I spent $149 back then, but I have used it for 30 years and I think that is a pretty fair return, don't you?

Grasshopper, anyone?

Are you ready for a new year?

2008-12-31T19:53:00.002-06:00

I am trying. Really.

I went through my canned goods cubboard, threw out stuff that was too old or that I really wasn't going to use.
I made salmon patties and deviled eggs.
I listed 8 sets of books on Ebay.
I loaded up two laundry baskets of clothes and got them to the car. I never made it out of my slippers today. Didn't go anywhere.
I did trip over Mica and now she is hiding from me. I teased her out to do a physical check, make sure I didn't hurt her, but she is back hiding now.
I pulled a box of clothes out of the shed and sorted for spring to take to the consignment shop.
I talked to Matthew on Skype, hoping Jon would check in before his flight. He didn't. Sigh.
---I drank 5 cans of Mt. Dew. Don't tell anyone, ok?----

Walgreens Deal

2008-12-28T18:05:00.003-06:00

My couponing forums were talking about the SoyJoy bars going on sale, Buy 1 get one free, and I knew I had some coupons expiring soon, so here is my deal.

4 soyjoy- B1G1 Free, and 2 B1G1 Free coupons, =free
2 Detour bars, B1G1 free and 1 B1G1 free coupon =free
green plastic tray, 75% off Christmas=.49
Hershey dark mint kisses, 75% off Christmas =.62 each -$1.50 coupon=.36 total
Chapstick Natural 2.99- 1 coupon and 1 Register reward = .99

I used a $2 register reward from last week and paid .98 out of pocket. I will be sending for a $2.99 rebate on the Chapstick.

Jean-Claude seems interested in the mints!