Rainy Day Reading

One of my favorite things about rainy days, like this morning was, is reading a good book without the nagging feeling I should be outside doing the latest necessary garden tasks.  And last night, I made a pantry inspired (read: throw together what I have on hand which was:  diced meat from a couple of chicken legs, sauce made from a can each of crushed tomatoes and petite diced tomatoes that I added a small can of mushrooms, Italian herbs, garlic powder, a pinch of sugar & salt and simmered on the stove until it thickened up a bit, and about 2/3 of a bag of a pasta trio that I cooked al dente, all stirred together with some shredded mozzarella, topped with more mozzarella then baked covered at 350°F for 30 minutes and then uncovered to bake for another 15 minutes) baked pasta dish and an easy Easy Pineapple Upside-Down Cake for dessert so I don't have to worry about making dinner tonight, as there was plenty left over for today's dinner & sweet attacks.  Therefore, I can snuggle up and read for a while.

Have you read this one?...

A Householder's Guide to the Universe by Harriet Fasenfest

I'm just getting started, but so far, I am really enjoying it!  It's a light, informative (for this amateur gardener) read.  It is sprinkled with the authors personal thoughts and experiences and so far hasn't had so much technical detail as to make my brain hurt.  (There is a bit of colorful language, so if that isn't your cup of tea, consider yourself  forewarned.)  The book is divided up by month, and each month has a "home", "garden" and "kitchen" section, with discussion of various tasks that Mrs. Fasenfest performs and/or suggests be done for that month.  Also, just by flipping through the pages quickly, it appears there are some recipes to go along with charts of what the author plants in her own garden and when.

I got mine at Goodwill for $2.99 + a 30% discount but you can find one here.

If you've read this book, I would love to hear what you thought of it!  Also, if you have any favorite books (of any genre) I would love the recommendations as I am a notorious bookworm.

Alas, all good things must come to an end.  At some point during my deep immersion in the householder "manual", the light rain stopped.  Which is just as well, as I had to go to the grocery store to stock up on a few things.  My daughter went along with me to buy some groceries for herself, which made my grocery trip extra enjoyable.  And then I got to come home and play in the garden for a little while before it got too dark!  I sowed some mesclun, moonflower and morning glory seeds and re-seeded some lettuces that never sprouted. 

It was a very nice, and relaxing day.

Thanks for stopping by! ~ TJ 

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Five Frugal Things ~February 23, 2018

Whooooowheeee!  Lawd have mercy!  Our weather has changed from chilly/cold/wintry to warm and muggy.  All in a matter of ONE DAY.  I had some Michigan in-laws that came to visit years ago, and after experiencing our high humidity, said they felt like they were suffocating.  Said they literally felt they couldn't breath easily.  So, if that gives y'all any idea of the dripping-sweat-before-you-can-dry-off-fresh-out-of-the-shower ick I am currently experiencing, there ya go.  Or, it could be hot flashes.  No. NO!  Dripping-sweat-before-you-can-dry-off-fresh-out-of-the-shower ick has been a thing the whole of my life living here.  But, I'm not complaining (as much as I could be if I really let loose). 😉

I know from reading instagram posts (@tjssweethome should you be inclined to check it out) that there is such a wide range of weather conditions everyone is experiencing, and it seems everyone is "over it", no matter what they're weather is like.  Even though I grouse a bit, I do realize how fortunate we are here in our climate (the giant fire ants hills and mosquitoes that are already staking their claim to co-exist with us notwithstanding).

I'll let that be a segue into my Frugal Five this week:
•  I saved money by not having to go to the sauna for my steam bath and facials.

Just kidding...

•  I took some bananas that were getting all freckly and froze them, along with some apples that I "baked" in the crock pot with some cinnamon.  I'll add them to my smoothies at some point.  Or a dessert.  It all depends on if I'm feeling healthy or "in the mood for something sweet".  I also placed a small amount of leftover fresh cilantro in an ice tray and filled them with water until they were submerged.  I will throw the cubes into soups or some other yummy dish at some point.  I froze some homemade yogurt, before it got to the aforementioned "lactic acid face mask" stage, in my handy dandy ice cube trays.  They are also destined for smoothies or whatever recipe might call for yogurt (or even sour cream).

•  I have been using some expired homemade yogurt for lactic acid facial masks.

•  I have been leaving the blinds and blackout curtains closed during the sunniest and hottest parts of the day so the a/c doesn't have to work as hard.  Our weather has been in the 70's lately which doesn't sound bad until you add in our high humidity. Being a "lady of a certain age" (😂😭) hasn't helped endear me to our weather either! I follow the strategically placed fans that are throughout our home, only turning them on when I am in the direct path of their glorious breeze. #followthefans

•  I picked up three cans of wet cat food using the last of the coupons that was included in Galahad's (our kitty) adoption kit.  I also had three coupons for free items at our local Randall's grocery store that I received playing their Monopoly game.  And let's not forget the free Chobani coupon I took advantage of to get a plain yogurt to start more crock pot yogurt. (I know I could've used some from my last homemade batch but...it kinda got away from me.  Hence the frozen yogurt cubes and lactic acid face mask.  Sometimes, no matter how diligent I try to be, I miss the mark.  What can I say?

•  And last but not least, making shopping lists and sticking to them! I am getting better at not allowing myself to be distracted by all the pretty shinies that like to capture my attention like so many, trench coat clad, back alley "watch salesmen.  "Pssst! Hey, sweet-hahhht. Wanna buy a... ____fill in the blank_____".  Taking deep breaths, and thinking purchases through, before my trembling-with-excitement hand places said unlisted item in my cart has been my strategy.  My recovery even includes sometimes removing items after taking the item on a happy, breezy tour of the store.  Yes, it means I have to backtrack to put them back in their rightful place, but I try to look on that as the exercise that I so desperately need.

Now your turn!  I'd love to hear how you make those pennies, nickles and dimes clink in your change jar.

Thanks for stopping by! ~ TJ

Focus: Garden

I mentioned in this post that I would elaborate more on each of the things I am mainly focused on right now.  Priorities,  if you will.  And one of those is the garden.

The garden began coming to life weeks before the cold weather ended.  One of the first signs were these birds.  We have resident Bluejays that visit us regularly, an occasional cardinal, and recently I noticed very small birds that are about the size of finches frequenting our yard.  (Fun fact:  I used to have a pair of finches many years ago named Lance and Lacy.  No, I don't watch soap operas, lol.)

 

The next inkling that Spring was on it's way was these bulbs, peeking ever so shyly from beneath fallen leaves in a bed next to the driveway.  I bought a markdown container of bulbs at Kroger last year and when they faded, I planted them.  These are those.  There were a few more bulbs, but so far only four have come up (one requested to not have me take it's picture because it was feeling homely.)

 

I began a project a few weeks ago called Wintersowing.  I was itching to get a head start on seed sowing but did not want seed trays and potting soil inside the house.  

Although we don't get much of a winter, and I probably should have started the experiment sooner, so far I am enjoying the results!

Since I didn't have as many gallon jugs as I needed for the number of seeds I wanted to get started, I improvised by making tiny greenhouses out of gallon zipper bags to supplement my seed sowing efforts.

 

a peek inside a gallon jug with spinach mustard seedlings happily growing

baby dill inside a gallon zipper "greenhouse"

Other cold weather seed sowing...

radish seeds planted in ground enjoy a moist, warm, glass canning jar incubator on a brisk day

An experiment with layer propagation of a boxwood...

 

I'm hoping to create more of a welcoming sanctuary for bees, birds and beneficial insects this year by having more flowers and flowering plants, and this is just the beginning of that adventure!

Do you have any gardening tips, tricks or advice you would care to share?  I'd love to hear them!

Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ

Five Frugal Things ~ February 16, 2018

seasonal fruit abundance 

It's been a good while since I've posted a Five Frugal Things.  Not because I'm not being frugal.  On the contrary!  I have actually tweaked, and tightened up, my frugal ways (because there's always room for improvement, right?)!  In all honesty,  I had started to feel like my frugal practices posts had become a tad redundant.  I started thinking though, that maybe it just felt that way to me.  After all, it's easy to lose perspective on a situation when you are in the thick of it.  So, without further ado, here is this week's edition of (drumroll please 😉) Five Frugal Things...

•  I made a simple nectar to fill my hummingbird feeder with in hopes of attracting the first influx of migrating hummers.  One of my garden goals this year is to be more inviting to the birds, bees and beneficial insects.

•  I've been sowing many, many vegetable, herb and flower seeds over the past few weeks.  I exercised extreme restraint in that I concentrated on sowing seeds that I had on hand before purchasing more (new and wonderful, can you hear the angels singing? albeit experimental, varieties) More importantly, I've been concentrating on continuously amending our sandy/clay-y (clay-y = not a word...I don't think) soil.

•  found a no knead French bread recipe that I plan on trying soon.  Since our dough bowl on our Ninja  began malfunctioning a few months ago, and since I refuse to knead dough, we've been subsisting on (gasp!) store bought bread.  And it just. Ain't. The. Same.  So my mission has been to find a delicious no knead version.  I will keep you posted. Speaking of, the Sourdough bread I was experimenting with was a bomb.  It was too sour for our liking, so I have shelved the experiment for now, since I hated all the wasted bread that was happening.  (Any sourdough experts out there that can give me a no fail recipe or tips?

•  had a Mumzy/Mumzy Jr. (Mommy/Daughter ~ yeah, we're eccentric like that) date at our local "dollar" theater on their fifty cent Tuesday.  Can't beat $1 for two movie ticket deal!

•  started keeping a bunch of bananas on hand for a grab and go snack to have on hand for when I'm out and about.  I know this isn't unusual for many, but for years I have kept protein bars ($$$) on hand for this purpose.  45 cents a pound (bananas) vs $5+ a box (protein bars)

How are your frugal adventures going?  I'd love to hear!

Thanks for stopping by! ~ TJ

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Whether your day is filled with simple, 

or simply indulgent 

pleasures...

I hope you ENJOY every bit of it! ~ TJ 

Crunchies aka South African Crunchies

I'm always on a quest to use items I have on hand to create something yummy.  After having one of those moments I have on occasion, when I feel I should really be eating more oatmeal for the health of it, but also having come to terms with the fact that I don't like the hot breakfast cereal version, I decided that a nice chewy granola type bar would be right up my alley.

There are many versions of this treat, known as South African Crunchies.  I'm not sure if other versions are actually crunchy or if that is just what they are taditionally called (anyone know? please fill me in!), mine are more chewy, which I love.  And, I love the fact that I don't need an electric mixer.  The mixture can be stirred up with a big ol' spoon (meaning I can whip this up when I'm having a late night snack attack without waking up everyone in the house with the whirring of my mixer! Shhhh...)

This is the recipe I made:

Crunchies

2 cups of oats*

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup coconut***

1 cup butter (2 sticks/16 tbsp)**

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp baking soda

Preheat your oven to 325° (Fahrenheit).  Grease a 13" X 9" pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flour and coconut.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat.  When melted, add in sugar and honey, stirring occasionally. Bring mixture to a bubble then stir in baking soda and remove from heat.  (Mixture will get frothy.)  Add to dry ingredients and stir until well combined.  Using a spatula or spoon, press the mixture in the pan in an even layer.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool, then slice and enjoy!  

Notes~

* I used 1 cup instant and 1 cup of old fashioned oats, but I wouldn't hesitate to try all of one or the other. 

** I used what was left on the papers that my sticks of butter was wrapped in.

*** I used sweetened coconut.

>>> In the future, I may experiment by adding ingredients like chocolate or white chips for a fun twist.

Have you made a version of South African Crunchies? Or if you try this one, I would love to hear about it, along with any tips you may have.

Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ

Oh, Just Living Life!

winter roses from the garden at Christmas time 

I just began a batch of organic crock pot yogurt and sat down to organize my thoughts when I realized that it has been a couple of moons (at least) since I have recorded my thoughts and goings on here. I seem to forget to record life when I am so immensely enjoying it! I think it's no secret that I adore the cool season and am able to spend much more time outdoors puttering around in the garden, going for walks or on outings.  Speaking of...today was a chilly, cloudy, rainy day...my favorite kind of weather!

Dollface enjoying a chilly walk on a rainy day 

All that being said, here are some of those thoughts...

 My renewed focuses lately have been:

▪  less food waste
▪  seed sowing
▪  soil amendment
▪  garden planning
▪  tightening the grocery and miscellaneous purchases budget
▪  the here and now 

Galahad checking out the Christmas tree 

I will elaborate more on each of these in future posts.  For now, I hope that, no matter where you are or what your weather and circumstances, you will find ways to savor the moment in time. Right. Where. You. Are. At.

Happy New Year and thanks so much for stopping by, it means so much to me!  I'd love to hear how you enjoyed your winter holidays! ~TJ

PS~ as you can see, I've included a few pictures taken over the winter holiday. Enjoy!