The Week Behind: Routine Things

Saturday:  John off to work this morning.  This is a day he'd normally have off, but the station is short handed this month and so no Kelly Days which are basically a built in extra day off, so that each crew member gets 5 whole days off.  It's all overtime.  It does not however, take away from the fact that it is a day I am quite accustomed to have with my husband and I miss him fiercely, no doubt because yesterday was so extremely pleasant and we'd had a super busy week before that.



I ate leftovers from my birthday lunch out with Mama and Kate as my main meal this day.

I probably could have done without this but I did it anyway.  I was just longing for something sweet and warm this afternoon so I made myself this peanut butter chocolate chip mug cake  I've never made a mug cake before.  This wasn't very sweet, though I've no doubt the carbs were still more than I might ought to have had.  And by the way, I could only eat less than half.  I'll decrease the recipe to suit my tastes better next time.

Finished a book and studied Down To Earth blog's oldest posts.  The day was got through, sigh.

Sunday:  John in from work this morning.  I made breakfast sandwiches with English Muffins.

I put a roast in the crock pot.  I had not potatoes but I keep instant potatoes on hand.

Inventoried the freezer this morning. I was surprised to find what we had and what we don't have.  I was pleased to find, however, that what we do have on hand at present is good useable foods, not a bunch of odd items that I saved in a fit of false frugality.

I cleaned the fridge this morning too.  I'd been pretty unhappy of late with how little room I seemed to have.  I was able to do some rearranging and gained a bit better use of my space.

John's idea after dinner today was to dress up that plain pound cake.  He topped it with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

Ordered cat treats and dog food online as John requested.  Prices were about what I'd pay in the store and the heavy lifting will be done for me.

Spent some time 'shopping' on Amazon for a variety of things I know I need but have put off purchasing.

Monday:  Isaac here today.  He is a busy busy little boy...One who is fighting taking the nap he so desperately needs.  He's sung, cried, called "Ampapa" and "mamama".  I'll leave him down for a little longer anyway because he has indeed been busy.

Katie dropped by.  She had a long weekend and picked up a cold.  Seems to be going around.  I passed along the leftovers of our cold medications.

I cooked lentils even though I had only 1/2 cup.  It made enough for tacos for all of us.   I find we are completely satisfied with lentils cooked in this way.  I asked John if he liked them and he said he never missed meat at all when we had them.    I'll certainly get more to keep on hand.  I like that they cook so quickly and don't require a pre-soak to soften.  I'm going to be sure and try to do a Bolognese sauce with them.

John washed two big loads of clothes.  The weather continues damp/overcast.  He hung lots to dry and we dried several small loads, saving the towels for the last when the dryer was good and hot.
I found the below poem on Strangers and Pilgrims blog.

A SONG FROM THE SUDS.

"Queen of my tub, I merrily sing,While the white foam rises high;And sturdily wash and rinse and wring,And fasten the clothes to dry;Then out in the free fresh air they swing,Under the sunny sky.

"I wish we could wash from our hearts and soulsThe stains of the week away,And let water and air by their magic makeOurselves as pure as they;Then on the earth there would be indeedA glorious washing-day!

"Along the path of a useful life,Will heart's-ease ever bloom;The busy mind has no time to thinkOf sorrow or care or gloom;And anxious thoughts may be swept away,As we bravely wield a broom.

"I am glad a task to me is given,To labor at day by day;For it brings me health and strength and hope,And I cheerfully learn to say,—'Head, you may think, Heart, you may feel,But, Hand, you shall work alway!'"

~ Louisa May Alcott, Excerpt from Little Women

I ran a load of dishes this evening.  I was shocked when I locked the machine and it started right away.  Good reminder to me that I needed to check that he'd not turned on the heat dry function on the machine.

John and I cleared the fridge of a variety of leftovers for our supper this evening.

Tuesday:  Packed John's lunch.  We are very low on bread.  Fortunately remembered the package of flour tortillas I had bought last pay period.  This will do as well for him as loaf bread.

Saw him off this morning and then tackled housework right away.  Folded laundry, unloaded dishwasher, made bed, etc.  Then I mopped the floors.

Going over the foodstuffs on hand, I noted the four oranges and five apples in the fruit bowl.  John generally eats half an apple a day but here of late he's not done so.  I cut the oranges into sections and put in the fridge to chill.  We'll eat these if they are ready prepared.   I pared the apples and sliced them.  I put the cores and peels in the freezer, saving them to make jelly with in the future.  I decided to make an apple pie with the slices.  I haven't made one in ages and I know that John really enjoys apple pie.

My lunch today was leftovers set aside on Sunday.

I kept meaning to leave home to mail bills today but I put it off.  Hunger, the desire to write a post, a storm...In the end, I stayed home and there is always a savings in that.   I did go pick up the greater number of sticks that blew down in the wind of the storm.

I boiled 8 eggs.  John's made good on his promise to eat them if I'd drop in his lunch.  I like having them on hand for salad garnishes and quick snacks.  I feel rather accomplished now...I've only got four dozen raw eggs in the fridge.  Unless of course, John brings home still more!

I saved the water from boiling the eggs to water the plants with this week.  All but one orchid is blooming now and I expect it will bloom in the morning.  I guess they could use the extra nutrients just now.

I did make a note on Jess's Strangers and Pilgrim blog that she explained how she froze eggs.   Quite right as one of you shared, to gently mix the yolk and white.  Jess added that 1/4 teaspoon of salt or sugar helps the egg somehow or other.  I can't remember why you add but you should add one or the other.  She said she freezes in two and four egg portions and makes a note on her container whether it was for sweet or savory cooking.  She said to thaw completely and then incorporate into your recipe.  John and I discussed this and I may freeze a dozen.

No damage here except for a few twigs and dead branches to fall, but the dirt road suffered in that wind storm earlier.  Trees came down, branches the size of trees fell and all of them lay across the road.  A neighbor lost a shed but thankfully the tree fell into the road and away from her house.  Another neighbor has two trees down.  They only come down on church weekends.   Those trees too fell into the pine orchard that borders the house.  Funny thing, when I heard the first winds coming in I said prayers over the homes and properties here in the area and those prayers were certainly answered.

Wednesday:  We had no bread this morning.  I made biscuits for breakfast.

John got in a little later than usual so it was almost 9am before we ate this morning.  I had everything ready except baking the biscuits.

We decided to go ahead and do our grocery shopping.  I bagged trash Monday when Isaac was here but since I'd never gone out that bag of trash was still here.  I quickly gathered a little more trash and added to that bag.  I always try to tie the bag in such a way that it can be untied.

Dropped off trash, dropped off mail at the post office.  I needed stamps but I didn't go in.  I can buy stamps at one of the grocery stores.  I just made sure to add them to my list.

At Aldi, I spent a bit extra.  I have been wanting a proper stock pot for quite a long while but somehow I can never remember this when I'm shopping.  This week's special was cookware and at the store where I shop, it was stock pots.  I looked it over.  It had a nice heavy bottom, rubber on the handles, a glass lid with a vent hole.  It's 18/8 stainless which is a really good grade and holds 12 qt.  For $25 I felt it was a bargain and I got it.  I don't count a purchase like this in with my grocery funds.

I bought 12 cans of kidney beans this week.  They were just 49c per can.

I found 2 packages of boneless skinless chicken breasts in the Never Any brand with $3 off coupons on top.  I used my handy calculator on my phone to figure out the price per pound and it came out to $2.79, instead of the $4.29 it was originally.  I checked the label twice to be sure it was truly carrageenan free.   I typically drive to Macon which is the same distance away as Aldi but in a completely different direction to buy my chicken breasts and I pay $2.99 a pound there, so this was a real savings indeed to save me an extra trip and 20c a pound as well.

I had a short list for Publix but warned John I'd not looked at the new sales ad.   We could buy loaf bread at Aldi for 50c but  I cannot abide mass produced loaf bread...Remember my asking what little luxury you were willing to scrimp in other areas to have?  Bakery bread also goes on my list. John doesn't care for any of the homemade yeast loaves I've made thus far.  He likes it just fine when it's hot out of the oven but after that it sits and sits and sits.  None of my homemade holds up well as sandwich bread and I think that's the biggest problem with it for him.  So it's bakery bread as a compromise.

I noted cold fried chicken was on sale, so I picked up an 8-pc pack

I picked up bananas at Publix.  Aldi bananas looked green enough but if you gently squeeze them they are soft in the peel...Not a lasting banana.  The ones at Publix were equally green but firm which means they have ripening time yet.  When I got home, I set two out in the fruit bowl and then put the rest in a zippered plastic bag where they will remain green for a few days longer.

I scanned the sales paper at the store.  Coffee was buy one get one free so I restocked my decaf coffee supply.  Tuna was also on sale, so I stocked up on that, too.  I also bought two 1 pound bags of lentils.  I am adding these to my regular pantry stock.   It's one thing I know we will use (tacos!) and I plan to experiment with more recipes that calls for them.

We stopped off at  the other house to wish Isaac a Happy Birthday.  We brought him a cupcake and juice boxes.   We stayed with him a little while then headed home to unload our groceries.

I am well pleased with how my pantry is shaping up.  My food storage isn't quite where I want it to be but it's growing.  Having that pantry inventory list in my purse and checking it when I walk into Aldi has helped me to know just what to pick up for the pantry.

I made potato salad after we got home.  That and chicken, fresh heirloom cherry tomatoes, fresh bakery bread and homemade Apple Pie.  That was a good dinner.

I hadn't drained the potatoes as well as I'd thought and it wasn't until I stirred in the relish and mayo that I discovered this.  John loathes runny dishes unless it's fried eggs.  I grabbed the instant potatoes and quickly stirred in a tablespoon or so which brought it right.

Katie came in with a lovely bouquet this evening.  Purple and yellow iris, tiny white spirea, narcissus and a yellow daffodil.  It is sitting on the table by my chair and it smells like spring itself.   She amused me when I said "Oh flowers!"  "Yes, I came to barter...flowers for flour."

Thursday:  John made me breakfast this morning for Valentine Day.  It's as good as going out to eat. He even cleans up his dishes after so it's truly a treat for me when he cooks.

No big deal savings today.  Just routine things.  I did basic housework routines.  Washed a full load of dishes.  Pulled a bag of cat food from the pantry storage.

John and I don't exchange Valentines as a rule.  He made breakfast.  I altered my menu slightly and took a steak from the freezer and made him a steak dinner.

This morning, John took the information I'd gathered and did our taxes.  The one service we used last year had been radically altered.  We knew we'd owe tax money but the site insisted we didn't.  It might sound foolish but we decided to try another service which did tell us we owed.  It was a little less than last year.  Hopefully next year we'll owe nothing at all due to adjustments that I made when filing for insurance coverage this year.   Happily the new service cost less than the old one.  We are always being told there are 'free' services out there but we have to pay to file state taxes on each one every single time.

While John worked on taxes, I continued to rip seams from the slipcover.  I finished it after dinner today.  Tomorrow, I start the new work.

Packed up fried chicken and potato salad to go into John's work lunch tomorrow.  I have a little more that will be my ready to eat meal tomorrow, along with salad and I have boiled eggs and orange sections for a snack mid morning.  I am prepared to work tomorrow!

Friday:  I'm always a little surprised to find myself at the end of another week.  I feel I didn't do nearly enough this week to get here but I can't turn back the clock, so I must look ahead at what I might do next week instead.   I always feel a bit on the cusp, not yet done with today, not yet into next week but planning it, on these Fridays.  I have one more real job today, that of planning and preparing for weekend meals and then I'm free to start my slipcover project.

I puzzled over it all night long, half fearful I shall not have enough fabric but I reminded myself that the bit that don't show can be another fabric if need be.  I am always nervous when I go to tackle big projects like this but if I go slowly and take good care, I can do this.  I do wish the butterflies in my stomach would stop though, lol.

I went about the house this morning after John left and did all my housework.  It didn't take long to do.  We kept up with the house rather well this week.  Oh that reminds me!  The new carpet sweeper came and we were shocked at how much it picked up in our playful passes over the rugs in the kitchen and the dining area rug.  I think we're going to like having that sweeper.

So a brief run down of the morning: sent John off as usual with his lunch and his coffee and fed him breakfast before.  Ran down the 'have you got...' check list with him and reminded him that it's 50% off Valentine chocolates now and please, if he has time, to get me some.

I ran the vacuum over the floors, made the bed, cleared the dishes, fed the pets, picked up the few odds and ends out of place, refreshed the cut flowers and watered the other plants.  Now I need to put on my clothes, plan weekend meals, do a little prep work  and get stared with my sewing project.

I hope you all have had a productive week and have a most lovely weekend.  We will be going to celebrate Isaac's birthday tomorrow with hot dogs and 'Tookties' which is his favorite thing over any cake we could ply him with.  On Sunday we'll be heading to church for the first time in two weeks.  I look forward to returning.

Share your savings this past week (or projects) with all of us.  I look forward to hearing what you all have been up to.