Frugal Friday: Fresh

Saturday:  Overtired this morning.  I was up later than I'd meant to be.  Just as I readied for bed last night, Sam called.  He was a little worried over the wind and rain in his area of the state, was home alone and then the power went out.  Naturally he called the one  other person he knew to be alone.  I checked weather station and the full brunt of the hurricane over Jacksonville was hitting, with bands that reached well above Sam's area. We talked over three hours.  Sleep eluded me after that and I read in bed.  When John called this morning, he was disgustingly cheerful.  I made sure to get both a shower and a cup of coffee before he got in.

I made buckwheat pancakes and sausage for breakast.  Kept lunch a simple sandwich meal today and we had more sandwiches for supper.  Bulk of our day was spent snoozing, out and out napping and lolling about.



Sunday:  We had to leave home extra early this morning.  We attended the Newcomer's Breakfast at the church we've just started attending.

Hurried home from church.  I'd asked to go to the grocery, but John forgot my request.  I said it was all right.  We were going back to the area later in the day and I said we'd stop by then. 

We stopped for gasoline.  It's $.20/gallon cheaper in that area.

We moved as many boxes and little pieces of  furniture as we could in preparation for tomorrow.  Sandwiches for lunch again.  I'd planned to pick up a rotisserie chicken but...

Off to head back for a sandwich supper at the pastor's home.  I'd thought we'd stop by the grocery on our way in but no. I thought we'd stop on our way back home...No. Well we didn't.  Neither coming nor going.  There are days John just simply doesn't want to go to the grocery and this was one of them.  We'll just have to make do until grocery day.  No harm in that!

I set up coffee for morning, set up daily round of pills and went to bed to read.  Cool enough to add a blanket to  the bed.

Monday:  I started two chicken breasts in the crock pot this morning, first thing.  Made shredded chicken barbecue for dinner.  Served on fat buns I bought at bakery last week. We had tangerines with the sandwiches. 

I made oatmeal and toast for breakfast.  I failed to check cabinet stock before blocking off pantry with stored furnishings.  No peanut butter.  That means no sandwiches for John's lunch.  He wasn't too sure of having BBQ sandwiches in his lunch though I had two very generous ones left over.

While the stove was pulled out from wall, I was able to degrease under the hood, degrease the surrounding backsplash and walls.  Ick.  Messy job, hard work but done.

There's been a hole in the wall of one of the cabinets since the house was built. It's clear someone failed to finish putting bead board in that spot. The manufacturer simply slid the stove into place and 'masked' it.  Well it's a catchall for dirt, dust, grime and impossible to get to from the inside to clean.  John blocked it off today while the stove was out of the way.  There will be no more gaping two foot wide hole there now!

So happy to discover the flooring was in terrific shape under the tile and old carpet.

So cool today the AC didn't come on until nearly 5pm.  It ran about three cycles and that was that.  Even with the doors standing open most of the day it's been very cool indoors and out.

The kitchen tile and the master bedroom are done.  It looks so nice!  It makes it that much harder to wait until tomorrow for the living/dining to be done. 

As furniture was put back today John and I decided less was more in the bedroom.  We put the small swivel rocker we'd moved from the kitchen sitting to the living room in the bedroom.  Yep, it's third home in two weeks time.  Josh played about in the chair the other day banging it against the wall and cabinet and  mantel until we were all nervous wrecks.  I set it in the corner of the bedroom and put a small bench and lamp next to it with my Bible study items.  It will be a lovely spot for early morning study and the lamp is a three way sort so I'll have plenty of light for reading on these coming dark mornings.  The hope chest will find a home in the living room under the windows and serve as bench type seating when we have all the family here.

We moved the big old chiffarobe into the guest bedroom.  When I can get to the armoire in the guest room I'll move it out to the kitchen.  I think we'll like it there and find it as useful.

The rugs from the kitchen didn't work at all on the new tile floor.  I swapped with the beautiful runner from the guest bath.  Oddly the kitchen rug looks perfectly fine in there and actually brings together the group of items that seemed mismatched.

I think I'll get a small table and chairs for the kitchen breakfast area once more. 

So the flooring has generated a lot of changes and the biggest one of all is that I've committed to John to do away with at least three bookcases of books.  Mind you they may well end up in the pantry closet, but it is my goal to cull very deeply and hard and let go of many books that I've kept but seldom read over again. 

Started a rather long list of needed items to complete our home makeover.  I am determined to let go of some inferior pieces of furniture, cull hard on things that we simply don't use and don't care for any longer, rework a few areas so that they will work better for us.

For today's bbq chicken I used bottled bbq sauce, which I found a bit too sweet.  I added some vinegar to balance that sweetness.  Worked perfectly.

Made a quick supper.  Not a sandwich but still frozen convenience.  I'm ready for a properly cooked meal!

Tuesday:  Up super early.  John had lunch packed for him and I made breakfast.

Tried to earn a few points on Swagbucks this morning.  Not as many as I'd hoped to do but I had a small window to work in this morning and lots to do.

Workers for the floors got here earlier than I'd anticipated this morning.  I managed to shift a chair in the kitchen so I could unload the dishwasher, but then I had to leave the dishes on the counters all day long.

I took three curtain rods into the yard to spray paint with some leftover oil rubbed bronze.  These were hung in the laundry doorway, and at the kitchen breakfast area windows.  The ones at the windows were just refreshed but the one at the laundry room was 'new' for that area.

I decided to do away with one of the rods at the living and dining windows.  I hung sheers in the middle of the single rod and the drapes either side.  I seldom pull the drapes except on terribly hot or extremely cold days.  It looks cleaner and neater this way.

I so want to share pictures but blogger  is very iffy about uploading photos of late.  No clue why.  Sometimes they do.  Mostly they don't.

I am trying to be very selective with what we put back out.  I want to go slowly and live with it a day or so and then determine if it's really what I want.  The one area I wanted to leave the same was our dining space since we really just altered that in July with the new pictures and rug.  I wanted to add the red shaded lamps from the guest room.

I made a quick lunch for myself of tomato soup and  a microwave entree I got for free from Kroger.  Maddie got to enjoy about half of that.  Glad it was free.

The back of one of the bookcases is badly stained and broken.  I used some retro look wrapping paper to cover the back. I had the wrapping paper in my stash.  Not sure I like it but books will mostly hide it.

Wednesday:  John in this morning from work.  I made apple muffins to go with our meal since we are nearly out of bread.

I painted the cabinet meant to store records.  I had leftover paint from trim on the piece. I used leftover paint to paint all the trim in our bathroom.

I shifted a bunch of things around in the guest room so I could move out the little white armoire that Katie altered years ago.  I've moved it to the kitchen, where it is better suited.  I shifted the chiffarobe into the corner.  It's not positioned as I want it but gracious!  Fruit basket turnover is not easy!  Make a mess and in order to right it all once again, make a bigger mess...and work yourself to nubbins in the midst of it all.

I did something really stupid today.  I had a frozen casserole to go in the oven.  I turned on the oven and apparently forgot to put the casserole IN it...1 1/2 hours later I return to find the casserole still sitting on the counter.  Nevermind, John was napping a bit and I just slipped it in the oven then.  An hour and fifteen minutes later, I take the bubbling casserole from the oven.  I cut into it and heard it crunch..Still frozen.  sigh....Plan B was leftover mac and cheese from John's work lunch and reheated meatloaf leftovers. 

I was in the midst of doing a job when John told me to change clothes so we could go to the DIY store.  It was, honestly, the very last thing I wanted to do.  I was exhuasted but I decided it was a 'break'.  Ha.  I forgot that nothing needed is ever on the same side of store.  We walked that warehouse twice over.  I thought I'd rest when we got home.  Ha.  We brought in the dresser I'd painted and set it up.  We modified two or three other things, including the armoire.  My feet were killing me.  

Supper was meant to be the casserole.  Just as I was ready to reheat to serve, we had company.  My nephew brought us some fresh squash.  He admired the new floors, stayed to talk a bit.

We had a late supper, nearly 7:30 and the casserole was not suitable for that late hour.  Back into the fridge.  We had cereal and toast, using the last of the bread.

I worked a bit more, tired as I was, putting things to rights in the main portions of the house.

Thursday:  Slept hard last night.  Not at all surprised over that!

I was no sooner up and out of shower, than I found John had moved boxes of books to the living room.   Darn it!  I unpacked five boxes before we left home to shop for groceries.  I had filled two boxes with culled books.

No bread so I made breakfast burritos.

We shopped for groceries.  I didn't have a full list.  I shopped by instincts today.  I knew I was out of bread, milk, eggs, meats.  I purchased a whole chicken and two pounds of ground beef at Publix but we'll go to The Fresh Market on Tuesday next week to buy more meat. I still can't get into my pantry.  I knew I had only two meats.

I feel much as though I am out of control where my pantry is concerned.  And we won't discuss how many simple sandwich meals we've had of late! I just long for a good hot homecooked meal.  No matter, the house won't always be in a state of flux!  We stopped for a quiet lunch of burgers.  I had double lettuce and tomato on mine.

John got paint yesterday and began painting the kitchen cabinets. I continued unpacking books and ended culling almost 5 boxes worth.  It hurt to let go of so many but honestly, the bookcases are overpacked still.  I am sure we can cull more but John hasn't yet looked over the two shelves of his books.  And I just haven't the heart to cull any more of mine.

I got the guest bed cleared off, and I'm afraid that's about the best it's getting this week.  I have Josh all weekend long since his daddy has to work.  I need to rest at some point and tomorrow must be it.  My list of work for next week is stretching into a long one.

Friday:  I am worn out.  I know that having a two year old here this weekend is going to wear me down further.  Breakfast this morning was sliced, toasted muffins leftover from Wednesday with cheese.

John wanted to get a haircut.  I wanted to get a tiny bit of housework done.  We both accomplished what we wanted to do.

I indulged in a Cinnamon Dolce while John got his haircut.  I took along a magazine and read on the patio outside the coffee shop.  I talked to Mama on the phone.  It was a nice way to spend some time.  Very relaxing.  Restorative.  Peaceful.  I needed all those things today and that has been the best bargain all week long.