August Diary: A Grande Finale for Summer

late Thursday:  Remind me, next time I am complaining that things are a bit tight financially to go back and read over posts for September 2015.  If ever there were a testimony for God's provision in a life, this most certainly was the month to read as a testimonial!

Over and over again we found new ways to improve upon what we had, save a little, pay off a plethora of medical bills that came due, and even partially pay back a small loan we'd taken out to pay off a bigger bill, plus meet our every need and help out a desperate child with a big financial burden (which was promptly repaid in October, by the way).  Wow oh wow!  Did my heart a whole lotta good to read about how we lived through that summer.  And prompted me to be ever more vigilant with my Gratitude lists for how we're seeing provision in this summer as well.  Praise God!



Friday:  Gracious.  It has been a day!  John told me last night that he very much wanted me to stay in bed this morning and not get up with him, since it was not a usual work day.  "It's unfair to you to have to get up so many early mornings.   Just sleep in..."   Well I did just that and I'm really very grateful to him for saying I should.  I don't believe I'd have gotten as far as I did today if he hadn't insisted I get the extra hour or so of rest.

I was up at my usual 7:30 and toddled off to the kitchen to have coffee.  I scanned my phone for email and got a nasty shock from one about a bill.   How did that happen?! I asked myself and worried and fretted and fretted and worried and finally said "Enough!  You've got loads to do and you can research that matter out later.  It's too late now to go backwards.  It is what it is."

So I hopped up out of my chair and started the bread machine for Shabat bread tonight.   Then I got out the lemon juice and zest to thaw for pie and made a pie crust.  I gathered the rest of my ingredients to get things started for weekend meals and to make up banana bread muffins (less oven time required).

I worked steadily for three hours and then settled at my desk to both cool off and tot up the bills and checkbook for next week.  Nasty shock number two of the day ensued.   It most definitely put an end to any idea I'd had I might wander off to that fancy market and stock up on  the good ground sirloin and the chicken breasts.  Nope...Not today.  And not likely next week either!   Well I figured I  may as well know the worst of it...so I went online and discovered that this morning's nasty shock was nearly all my own doing.  I'd apparently used my charge card to make a purchase and it was a substantial amount.  I don't know why I used the charge card and I hadn't set money aside which is my habit if the card is used.  Blast and blast!  I shook my head and shut the computer.  There's nothing for it but face up to my own mistake.  Ugh!

Pulled up my big girl pants and went right back to work.

 Bess called with a need to use the laundry facilities and I told her  that I'd love to have her come down but today I simply had to have her keep it to her two most necessary loads of laundry.  I couldn't afford an 8 hour laundry day this day, and I don't mean financially, I meant time wise.  I just had too many things on my to do list.  Boy did I hate to throw a limit on that girl when I know full well she's been patiently waiting on any number of repairs to get her own washer and dryer up and running once more and there's a whole family involved in that house.  But facts are facts.  Having them here is a distraction to me and there is added work in having a 2 year old boy playing about the house and wanting me to play along and I had a very full to do list...

Well I worked and worked and worked and eventually Bess and Isaac went off to the guest room to take a nap and I finished up the laundry.  I decided I was done for the day regardless of what any list had to say about it.  I was just plain done in.  The house looks well enough, aside from the hundreds of dead ants I keep finding as well as the occasional few who haven't succumbed to the poison bait the pest control man put out.  I'll live with what work isn't done.  I know when it's time to quit and quitting time came along about 4:30 this afternoon.

Sam popped in as Bess was getting ready to head home again.   Josh had fallen on the bus and gashed his head...Sam went to pick him up and Bess hurried home to worry and wait.   All was well as it turned out.  Small cut, HUGE bandaid and all the result of a bit of boyish horseplay...ACK!  Boys!   His woes were easily solved when Bess informed him there were tacos for supper, lol  I was on the phone with him when she told him and he got plumb excited over supper.

Meal items for the weekend are pretty much either prepped or are already cooked.  That will ease the passage of the weekend chores and our pocket book will not be taxed further by needing take away options of any sort.  And yep I got a lemon meringue pie made.  After looking at that title all last week long, you know I had to make one!

I had a solo Shabat, tonight.  John got a late call and isn't going to get home any time soon...but the candles are still burning.  I want him to at least have the sight of those twin flames on the table when he comes in...He needs that reminder that it's time to rest!

Off now to relax and wait for John to come in.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Saturday:   John was pleased to see those Shabat candles burning when he came in last night and thanked me nicely for letting them burn until he arrived.

We watched an episode of Perry Mason and then we toddled off to bed.  I slept very well last night.  I don't think I moved much at all.  I told you all how tired I was yesterday at the end of the day!  John slept a little longer than I did but we were both up fairly early all the same.

I was very much surprised this morning when he dressed to go with Katie and I to pick up Taylor.   Funny thing with John is that for someone who loathes being late he really does move at his own pace when he's taking someone else to an appointment.  So we had to stop twice and that too is about typical of any road trip with John.  He just doesn't move in the 'hurry up' lane when it comes to any sort of a road trip.

We arrived at last and were barely noticeably late, though I shake my head wondering why we weren't.  John really does work in a time zone all his own! We loaded up Taylor and on the way back we had to stop again.  Why?  Because John wanted a cup of coffee...but what he really wanted was to treat Taylor to a doughnut!  Katie said "Taylor will just mess up the car..." and Taylor said, right over the top of Katie "I LIKE doughnuts!"  So we stopped for doughnuts, but we heeded her Mama too and didn't let her have it right away.  It went home with her, though.

I wish the Barbie doll clothes had come in this week as I was so hoping they might but they didn't.  Oh well.  We shall have them by the time of her next visit perhaps...

I was glad I had dinner pretty much ready to eat.  I just needed to reheat and serve.   I confess that the meal fell flat somehow, but dessert didn't.   That lemon meringue pie was delicious.  I don't know why on earth I didn't make the usual graham cracker crust but I just went right ahead and made a regular pastry crust and I have to say, I rather like it.  John was very complimentary about the texture of the pie filling.  This is not the pie recipe that has been my go to in the past, though some of the ingredients are the same as the one I used to use.  I'll share this one with you all:

Magic Lemon Meringue Pie

3 eggs, separated

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tsps. lemon zest

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar

Beat egg yolks until they are pale yellow.  Add in sweetened condensed milk and after mixing well, add the lemon juice and zest.   This will thicken the milk as you stir it.  Pour into prepared pie shell ( graham cracker or baked pastry shell).   Place in a 325F oven for 25 minutes.  Increase heat to 350F and remove pie.

Beat the three egg whites with the cream of tartar, then gradually add the sugar beating until the meringue forms peaks.  Do not overbeat!   Top the hot pie filling with the meringue, being sure to spread it to the edges of the crust.  Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes until peaks are golden brown.
Remove pie from oven and cool.  Be sure it is fully cool before refrigerating.

Taylor liked the pie as well.   At least she liked the meringue.  "It's marshmallow!" she said. Well yes, it kind of is.

Sunday:  We've had one of those preview days today.  Overcast, cooler, leaves visibly changing...It's just the sort of day that comes in the midst of August heat and makes me feel chilled to the bone.  No it's not actually that cool, but it's such a marked contrast to go from 98F to 75F that I couldn't help but give in to one delicious shiver.  Delicious because I do love these blatant hints of a seasonal change about to occur and sad because it is truly the end of summer when these days begin to slip in here and there.

"Hurry, hurry..." whisper the leaves in the breeze.  "Hurry, hurry, it's time to say 'Goodbye'..."   And then they begin to drift from the trees, floating in the buoyant air, scattering across the lawn, lying golden at the feet of each trunk.    John and I stood at the window watching the dancing leaves.  "It's nearly done..." I said, meaning summer,  and John agreed.

I don't want to be saddened by this season changing into the next..  Seasons come and seasons go and they come again.  The whole is a progression of birth to death and resurrection come spring.  It's all Godly, isn't it?   We must let go of this season, this moment in time, in order to move on, in order to go into the next glorious season we're meant to travel through. Letting go...empty hands reaching out... It's scary and exhilarating.  It's sad and happy.  It's life.  But most important of all, it's time.  It's time to fill our empty arms with something new and wonderful and lovely and to hold it tight and savor every drop of it.

Welcome sweet autumn.  Welcome....

Monday:  We were up early this morning.  John off to work in his usual way with breakfast and coffee and a bag of food to see him through the day.  I had a piece of toast with coffee with him and by 9:30 I'd done my chores and was starving.  It's almost always second breakfast on these work mornings.

After housework was done and I'd met both the UPS and Fed Ex trucks at the back door, I bagged up trash and grabbed outgoing bills and went off to get Katie.  She wasn't quite ready.  I did what I've done before while waiting on her.  I noticed a bottle of polish on the table so I gave myself a manicure of sorts.  I'd been meaning to treat myself to a manicure for days but kept putting off doing it.  I loved the color, a rich warm brown, very nice for autumn, I think. Katie assured me again that I had such a color at home but I found  but when I got home this evening that I had no such color at all.  I had bought two colors last autumn that she recommended which I love but was in a smoky purple and the other a deep maroon.  No browns in the nail polish box at all.   I ordered a bottle from eBay for about $5 with free shipping.  That price courtesy an app, Wikibuy,  that notes what it is you're shopping for then scans other websites for  a cheaper option and notifies you by pop-ups.  The polish I ordered: OPI  "You Don't Know Jacques".

We picked up a bite to eat and had lunch in the parking lot of a shopping center where there is a Goodwill.  Katie asked to go there after we'd eaten.  So Katie and I shopped at Goodwill and she looked over baby clothes while I looked through shoes and purses.  I really do not have need of further tops but I will try to remember next time to look through sweaters and blazers.  Even though I'd just been in last week, I saw lots of new things on the racks.

 I bought two purses today and I'm really pleased with both.   One is a metallic dark gray and the other is a cotton canvas with blues and greens in varying shades in a sort of retro pattern.  Both are really nice, well made bags.  I spent $7.20 on both.  My happiest find was a like new crib sheet with polka dots of all the colors Katie has used in her nursery corner for a $1.50.

Katie in the meantime, found a plethora of baby clothing items.  Her favorite find was a pair of black knit pants with skulls and crossbones all over them, lol.

Then we headed to Walmart.  I went armed with a short list.  Katie had a  short list plus glasses to pick up.  We each got all on our lists and I insisted on her picking up one baby remedy item she'd mentioned wanting, and a mattress pad.  Gracious!  I thought mattress pads for my bed were expensive but comparatively speaking those pads for cribs are utterly ridiculous.  We bought one at the lower end of the price range.  I am a firm believer in making up a baby bed in layers, so that one layer can be stripped off in a second and a fresh one is ready and waiting underneath.  So we'll be getting another mattress pad or two but not this pay period.  And note to self, just because the list is short it doesn't mean the items on said list aren't pricey.  There were no impulse items, no just for fun things purchased today but we really socked up a total.

The one major thing we were looking for today was a new booster car seat for Taylor who is quite tall for her age.  John had asked Taylor what color she wanted and she replied very quickly that she really wanted a pink and purple seat.  Katie and I were thinking of something a little less gender specific, lol.  Funnily enough the seats were patterned and had circles of pink and purple intermingled with grey and black.   We decided that our new little boy will be a long way off from using a booster seat so Taylor should be quite happy to have her order fulfilled for pink and purple.

Why is it when you go into Walmart you must walk from one side of the store to the other?  I've noted the same thing at Lowe's or Home Depot and yes, even at Goodwill....I am sure there is some science behind that arrangement of goods.  My list literally required me to walk from front to back and from side to side.  It was time to restock a few of our over the counter items in the pharmacy and I needed hangers, a birthday card, cat treats.   I did manage to remember to look at shoes (I'd checked at Goodwill, too.  Zero found) and found a rather nice pair of sneaker type shoes in  grey that I liked.  I was pleased with how they fit and with the price.  I'm still in the market for another pair or two of shoes for fall/winter but I've found my first pair and I'm pleased.

We had two more errands to run and then we headed home.  I was awfully glad I had done all my housework before leaving home this morning because I was rather weary when I finally got back here.  I got banking and mail done before heading home after I let Katie out at her place.  Once I was home, I unloaded my car,  finished up the usual Harvest work on the checkbook and then settled down to sip a cup of coffee.

The Barbie doll dresses arrived in today's mail.  I was very pleased with one package and I guess Taylor will have no problems with the other set.  She can change outfits and shoes to her heart's content now.  I have a feeling I'm going to be buying more though.  She mentioned pants and shirts and pajamas and swimsuits.  I don't think dresses are going to be quite enough but at least it's a start.

September is on my mind...It's just around the corner, you know.   I've had my month with no hard and fast goals to work towards.  I worked more than I thought I might but not as hard as I usually do.  I read the whole first Mitford book just this last week and I've taken up the second in the series.  But September already has me making mental lists.  I think I shall have to put pen to paper this week and clear my head before it fills any further with what I want to do, buy, make, try to learn, read, etc. come September.

Wednesday:  Oh what a navy blue day it turned out to be yesterday!  I was upset by the previous day's shocks, had a worrying phone call from Mama, and then John and I had a misunderstanding.  I was ill used, broke, peevish, petulant, ungrateful and sullen.   Well it didn't add up to anything pretty let me assure you.  And I made my displeasure as plain as I possibly could.  

Oh Lord...Here I was just off one of those mountain top, blessed days and here I was on one of the days He sends to test me.  I  always show my failings!  Shall I never learn that test days are not the days to whine and complain and sob but to bow my head in sincere and earnest prayer instead?  And what was the upshot of my terrible morning?  I upset my husband.  I scowled at my family.  I was pretty awful and so the day of others was upset as well.  Oh dear!

And today?  Today was one of those fair sailing days when everything goes as it should and then some.  I am beyond grateful that all too often, these sorts of days do follow on the heels of the other sort.   I'm sorry as can be for my failings.  I am blessed beyond measure.   The life I have today  is the same one I had yesterday.  It's attitude that has changed.

Just a simple day really.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  It was so lovely, every step of the way.  Blessed!

Thursday:  Perhaps two weeks ago, I told John, I'd really like a ring to wear on my right hand, one that would commemorate our 25th year of marriage and our 27th year together.   I had no clear idea of what I wanted but I knew  I wanted it to be diamonds.  Nothing showy, but a pretty ring that I might wear daily, at least when we're out of the house.  He told me, as he always does when it comes to my jewelry wants, "We'll find something."

I was in no rush.  When we married, I had a plain gold band which he later replaced with his late stepmother's sweetly old fashioned wedding set.  I was honored to wear that set because I knew how very much she'd meant to John.   After we'd been married about 12 years or so, that little set was worn nearly through and I put it aside and went back to my plain gold band.  But oh how I longed for the sparkle of a diamond on my hand!   We'd been looking at engagement rings for years but what I really liked was always too expensive for our budget and so we'd walk away saying "Maybe next year."

We always shopped at the same store, have for years now.  It's a pawn shop and the reason why we shop there is that once upon a time in my first marriage I was a regular coming in for loans and the gentleman and his son who ran the place were very good to me.  Yes, they made their profit but they often were more than kind in extending me extra time, giving me extra money and just genuinely being nice people.  I so appreciated their kindness that once John and I got together I told him of how they had gone out of their way and so we've always shopped there for jewelry for me.  It's a repayment on my part for their great kindnesses of the past.

Well the day we finally found the right engagement ring at the right price, the girl behind the counter practically cried.  She'd witnessed our search for all those years and I think she was as excited as we were.  I love my engagement ring still.  It was however, just a wee bit big.  I suggested to John the next year that perhaps a ring guard was in order and that is what I now wear as my wedding set.

Now I really had only gotten as far as "I want a diamond ring on my right hand" in my thoughts this month.  I hadn't looked around online for anything.  So when John said yesterday we were going to go look, I didn't really think we'd find anything.  I had only the very vaguest idea of what I thought I wanted, a sort of band, like the anniversary bands so popular for a time there.  Maybe.

I looked at all the rings and was honest with the young man behind the counter  (third generation of the family to run the shop by the way...) that I had no idea what I wanted.   I chose one or two but it was what he chose that wowed me and I deemed it the perfect ring.  It fit my finger.  It fit our budget.  It looked like it belonged with my wedding set. Sold!   It's not flashy or showy but it's really quite pretty, a double strand of diamond bands intertwined across another band.  I just feel it's the epitome of an anniversary sort of ring.

I will say, John isn't a half measure sort of guy...We got a couple of hamburgers afterwards and took them to the fairgrounds to eat under a big old oak tree. A picnic, too? What a lovely day it turned out to be!

Thursday:  Yesterday was a lovely day.  I mean...picnic lunch and diamonds!  Never mind that we followed that up with the usual day to day chores, lol.   I'll post about those down in the Frugal Things column because those tasks were money savers.

I danced a second happy dance once we were home because the hotel website was up and running!  Hooray! I'll book a room within the week now...I can't tell you why I'm waiting, but I feel I should so I will.

Today was a work day for John.  We were up early this morning, too early in my opinion.   And it was a day to visit Mama which is always a little bit of an anxious day for me.  I did light housework this morning and then headed out.  The day went along rather well.  I drove Mama to an out of the way restaurant she wanted to go to and had lunch, which was quite good.   Then we had a nice little ride about country roads and byways.  We stopped for peach ice cream.  And then we drove back towards her home.  Mama requested a few things from the grocery near her home.  I went in to pick up those, a few for me I'd noted were on sale yesterday as I scanned the new weekly ads and had a lovely conversation with the woman in line behind me.  No clue who she was, but in one of those crazy life twists, my niece and hers share grandparents who run a couple of businesses in this town. I know them very well.  Isn't that odd?  Well perhaps a little more odd when you consider that really I only know a handful of folks in our little town.

I have fallen into the habit of buying myself an overpriced Starbucks coffee when I leave Mama's house.  I  have no real excuse except that it truly is right on my way home and I always feel sort of let down by the time I drop Mama off.  It's partly due to that super early start to the day.  I feel in need of serious bolstering by mid-afternoon and the caffeine kick is helpful.

Today as I came in, I picked up mail.  My new nail polish was in the mail, yay!  As was the nasty surprise bill I'd received email notice of earlier in the week.  Ouch.  Well not really an ouch as I thought.  I was simply sidelined by the total due and at first glance thought I'd messed up and forgotten something major but in truth it was a purchase John asked me to make and he'd told me take money from savings to cover it.  Whew!  How's that for one more thing going right this week?  Really it has been a seriously UP and DOWN sort of week altogether!

I started a loaf of bread and made yogurt when I walked in this afternoon.   That's the bonus side of buying those pricey little coffee treats on my way home.  I feel quite ready to put in a little more effort at home, lol.   My savings alone in making bread will cover the cost of the coffee.   And the yogurt has me covered for my next visit with Mama...The house smells lovely right at the moment.  Aside from sun and wind dried laundry, and good clean pine oil,  I think freshly baked bread is my next favorite homemaking scent.


Friday:  I was dicing potatoes to make hash browns for breakfast this morning and was surprised by a feeling of happiness.  I often feel content in my home but happiness is something more elusive for some reason.  Yet there it was.   I pondered it for a moment and was thankful.

The morning has not gone as I had thought it might and that's quite all right.  It's been a lovely sort of day with family and laughter and routine all mixed up together.

John came in bearing gifts of things I won't buy for myself.  No indeed I do not, but I do not consider it sabotage.   He brought me Dr. Pepper, Bbq chips and a Hershey bar.  Oh and my favorite Little Debbie doughnuts, the ones with coconut and oats.   John always brings me individual servings of these things and I mete them out over several days or even over a couple of weeks.

I went out to feed the dogs and Rufus and River were gone off for a morning dash through wet weeds.   Maddie and the cat had their breakfast.  I went to take up pans later and got to the door just in time to witness River taking the cat's bowl down from the railing.  She carried the bowl across the porch and set it down and ate up all the cat left behind.  That was the part of the morning that made me laugh out loud.

I did some basic housekeeping and showered, then settled to start a Bible study.   Katie texted asking to come spend the day here.  I gathered up trash and went into town to fetch her.   A few minutes later Bess called asking to borrow an ingredient for a recipe she was making for supper.  She stopped in long enough to chat a few minutes.  It all felt very neighborly having the girls both here visiting at once.

I've finished housework and dinner.   John's mowed grass.  There's a load of dishes to put away but all in all, we're pretty much ready for Shabat.  It's been a week like any other, full of good things and frustrations.  It's been a wonderful month to just let go of the need to push harder at work. I know John likes October as his vacation month, but for my money, I think I'm going to make every August my month to slow down and relax a bit.  It's just the right time for a bit of a respite after pushing hard through spring and early summer.

I know we have two or three weeks of summer left, and I'm not really rushing it away, I promise you I am not.  In fact, here in the South we'll be hard pressed until November to know that summer has ended, but somehow Labor Day weekend seems a natural conclusion to summer just as Memorial Day feels a natural start to the season.  John isn't working on Labor Day this year, but he'll be coming in from a 24 hour shift, so he might as well be working it.  I'm going to try and treat it like a little holiday and not work hard as I have past Labor days. We'll see how that plan holds up!

Hope you all have a lovely last long weekend of summer!

Frugal Things:  Totting up the checkbook is not always fun but it most certainly is necessary.  Somehow, I've missed a turn and so the balance in the checkbook and the bank's idea of what we had didn't coincide.  There was a good bit of a difference in them as a matter of fact.  After breathing deep and saying "Don't panic, don't panic" a dozen times, I figured out a way to make ends meet and even slightly overlap.  I simply moved reserved funds around.  Not fooling myself into thinking I've done anything really smart, but it is a fix that will carry us through  and the reserve money wouldn't be wanted until 2020 anyway.   No need to fear I won't remember.   The $0 in place of the three figure sum that was there is a painful reminder of the need to save that sum all over again.

Friday was mostly centered around the kitchen.  I made bread.  I usually make two loaves per week but didn't need to do so this week.  We'll have this whole loaf as our Shabat bread and then I'll slice and use over the weekend and first part of the week.

I made banana nut muffins from two very ripe bananas.  I decided to make muffins because they wouldn't need to cook nearly as long as a banana nut loaf.  I topped them with some leftover oat and sugar mix that I'd used as a  topping for a peach crisp earlier in the week.

Here's where being forgetful sort of paid off:  I forgot the egg I was supposed to put in the banana bread recipe.  Entirely.   I had even set it out to come to room temperature and moved it out of my way at one point.  When I turned and saw the egg on the counter,  I very nearly pulled the pan of warm batter from the oven to cool and mix it in after all but I reasoned that these days it's all too common to see banana baking done without any eggs at all.  So I just proceeded onward.  The difference I note is that the outside is a little crustier than usual but overall the texture was fine and taste was excellent as well.

Made a pastry shell.  I don't know why on earth I didn't think to make a graham crust for my lemon meringue pie but I didn't.  I made a plain pastry crust.  It turned out lovely.   I filled it with homemade lemon  pie filling and topped with meringue and that too turned out just lovely.

Made a larger than usual meatloaf in a 9inch square pan and baked that in the toaster oven.  I had the oven, the toaster oven and the bread machine all going at once in the kitchen that morning, each busy with it's own task.

Put plums, peach slices and sliced strawberries into the freezer today.  Put the last two apples into the fridge in hopes this will crisp them up a little.  That pretty much dealt with all of our fresh fruit all of which has been in the house well over two weeks.  I found one bad plum in the bowl when I checked the fruit over,  so pushed ahead with 'harvesting' my fruit.

The past two Saturdays we've eaten dinner leftovers as supper.  It's been awfully convenient and saves me thinking about another meal on the Sabbath.  We just do as Granny used to do and cover everything and the reheat it later in the evening.  No need to find bowls and dishes to store leftovers in for the most part, so it's also saving on dishwashing.

My third attempt with hash brown casserole in the slow cooker came on Sunday, also my third failure.  I've learned my lesson, this recipe just doesn't work well for me unless I cook it in the oven.  I ended up using the oven to finish it off and still it wasn't quite what it ought to be, sigh.  No more!  It's no savings if it's a fail and the oven ends running as long as it would have if I'd just started there.

Small learning curve:  Taylor will finish her plate of food if offered a piece of bubblegum as a reward.

Kate asked for Krystal burgers for lunch the day we shopped.  I haven't had a Krystal (basically same as a Whitecastle burger) in years.   Not as cheap as they were all those years ago but cheap enough still and quite good.

We shopped in Goodwill before moving on to our real purpose for being out.  I found two purses, good quality for $3.60 each and a crib sheet that looked new for $1.50.  Katie got an armful of baby clothes for the little boy coming our way.

Combined errands while we were out and then came home to finish up Harvest day tasks.

Made beef stroganoff today from two small pieces of sirloin.   This allowed me to use up some mushrooms that were just at their prime.  I served the dish over some leftover wild rice that I reheated which was rather tasty.  I usually serve over noodles but I liked the rice with this dish quite well.

I used the last bits of the sour cream to make a very small amount of dip, just enough for John and I have to chips and dip with our supper.

Decided that indeed this week was not the week to stock up on meats at the fancy market no matter how good the sales were.  At Aldi I bought a package of  3organic chicken breasts (carrageenan free), a nice chuck roast that didn't have a lot of fat and a package of ground beef (85/15).   I split all this up after we got home and we will get 3 meals off the chicken breasts (two will be split in half and one will be used in stir fry or stew), cut the chuck roast in half so each portion is about 1 1/2 pounds.  I think we'll likely get two meals off each of the roast portions (or one company meal).   I divided the 2 pound package of ground beef into four portions.   A half pound of ground beef will make two nice sized burgers or tacos or can be stretched as chili or spaghetti among other things.  It's quite enough for John and I for a meal.  So that's 10 meals from just those three packages of meat.  It is all a welcome addition to our freezer.

I made sure to stock our pantry with four each cream of chicken and mushroom soups, plenty of green beans and a half dozen cans of tomatoes.  Each of these items were just 49c per can at Aldi.  That and two bags of flour cost just over $10.  That falls right into the $5 week pantry stock up plan.

John bought two new tires online to go on his mower.   He took them to a local tire shop to have them mounted.   Huge savings to us over buying at the tractor supply store.

When the new foundation went up under the house, there was a gap between the wall board and the patio.  I'd realized a few weeks ago that space was just prime opening for mice and snakes among other things to get under the house and since fall is coming, mice are going to be shopping for winter homes.   John got a bag of instant concrete and I filled the holes while he was working on the mower tires.

Mama needed a few items from the grocery.  I'd looked over sales sheets after we got in from shopping and had written out a short list of things I'd buy if I went near either of the other two stores.  Very short lists because I know I am right at budget for this month.  When I picked up Mama's items I picked up cottage cheese and sour cream, plain yogurt (small cup) and bagels for our home needs.  Yes I do still make bagels but I haven't done so in the past couple of weeks and wasn't sure I'd manage it this week either.  I hope to do so on Sunday when John is working again.  In the meantime, bagels are a very easy breakfast for Shabat mornings and I wanted some on hand.  Believe me the price was good incentive to mix up a double batch and put them in my freezer!

Once home from visiting Mama, I started a loaf of bread in the bread machine.  This will be our Shabat loaf tomorrow night.  By the way, this bread machine was meant to be a convenience thing for summer use only but my husband began to praise my homemade bread quite heavily the other day when we were eating a meal.  "It's the best bread you've ever made!  I hope you never stop using that machine.  You did a great thing in bringing it home!" Well...I guess I have finally got a bread recipe that suits the man and who am I to change things up come cooler weather.  I shall indeed keep using the bread machine and this recipe and shall not cease.  So far, he's finished off every single loaf I've made, something he doesn't usually do.   I've been able to cut down on how much bread we purchase, too, so it's all a good thing!

I started a batch of yogurt.  I'm curious how this shall turn out.  I have been buying 1% milk of late and I'd read online to add powdered milk to the lower fat milks in order to get a good yogurt.  I've got it incubating now.  By the way, that's why I bought the small container of plain yogurt.  I put half of that in the freezer to use another time when I'm making yogurt.

Took leftover black beans and yellow rice and made them into burritos for the freezer.  I added Pepper Jack cheese to burritos.  I like having these in the freezer to heat and eat on days when I've no idea about dinner or supper and we need something quick.


Meals:
on my own

Meatloaf, Mashed potatoes, Green Beans, Lemon Meringue Pie

Polska Kielbasa, Hash Brown Casserole, Lemon Meringue Pie

out with Katie

Beef Stroganoff, Wild Rice (leftover), Salad

Taco Nachos, Grapes
We topped our nachos with finely shredded lettuce and diced tomato, as well as taco meat.

out with Mama

Beans and Rice, Pico de Gallo, Green Salad, Whole Wheat Tortillas