The Week Ahead: July Just Ahead

I enjoyed my break.  There were a few days when I did nothing much and a few days when I worked a bit too hard and one day when I went off thrifting/shopping and spent less than $30 including my lunch.  I didn't find 'treasure' but I did find some useful bits for Katie (baby boy shorts and shirts for summer, a microwave plate) and a couple of packets of flower seeds, a nice heavy, large apothecary jar for food storage,  as well as a shirt for myself.  Those were my purchases for the day besides my lunch and two candles at Hobby Lobby.  

I'll share what I saw though in Goodwill, TJ Maxx and Hobby Lobby.  There's a whole lot of fall/winter stuff out there.  We know that HL always jumps the gun on fall and Halloween and Christmas but I have a feeling that this year it's due to the same reason Goodwill and TJM are showing winter stuff.  It's what is in ready stock and not dependent upon suppliers who didn't/couldn't produce summer items.  Everyone is offering 'clearance' but truth it's not heavily discounted.   So it was pretty easy to pass that up.

As for Goodwill, I am sure that lots of people did declutter and donate but my take on it all is this: everyone who donated obviously wore a size 6 shoe and was a S or M in clothing.   Apparently all the larger sizes are much needed for the dreaded isolation weight gain!

We made a trip to Walmart one morning and we picked up a laundry list of items we needed, plus I got a fern for the back porch,  some flower seeds and bought/rescued two badly mistreated, far too wet African violets which are looking rather perky after being squeezed of excess water and allowed to dry out for two weeks.  I chose two that are colors I don't have already.

I didn't do a lot of deep cleaning, but I did clean the front porch rails which were in desperate need.  I also puttered around in the living room.  I wasn't happy with some elements of it.  I nailed the problem the morning I told John that what I really wanted was to walk into the room and feel an instant flush of pleasure which I do with our bedroom and the kitchen.  The living room...It's not there yet.  

My little garden update: the beans bloomed and put on tiny little beans and when the beans were two inches long the plants curled up and died.  I do have two lavender plants that came up, rescued a citrus seedling from the compost, harvested 12 tiny grape tomatoes, seven of which are now ripening on the windowsill in the kitchen, along with two roma tomatoes.  The potatoes have come up.   The one in the deep flower pot is doing well.  The one in the plastic bag is trying.  

I read.  I finished the Miss Read book I'd started and then dropped into Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher which Bess' mom had sent to me.  I so enjoyed that book!   Then I picked up The Secret Life of Bees which was a favorite when it first came out and then I'd given my copy to someone and so I had to buy a new copy.   I've stacks of books old and new (as in unread, because almost all are used), hard copy and on Kindle,  to see me through summer.   

So officially I'm back.  I have thought for July I might do a diary sort of like what I did the last two years.  Well, given that I'm to keep Caleb for three weeks while the nursery is closed, it seems the best idea for that time frame.  I have two weeks of July before that occurs though so I will continue as normal until then and switch when that time comes.

For July, I hope to get the front porch rails painted and the back porch rails cleaned and start painting if we've enough paint.  I also want to get those extra flower seeds planted and hopefully extend and expand my flowering season for the year.   I think those goals are enough along with the usual day to day tasks and any little extras I can manage as I have money or find goods to work with.  I have a few other ideas of things I'd like to do but I'm not going to make myself any promises until I see how things go financially, physically and mentally.

Meals these past two weeks were a mix of take out, thrown together, a few new recipes, a lot of old ones.  I made plans and those plans often changed to something else.  It feels at times that meals are drudgery and then other times I've thoroughly enjoyed making them.  I have no real clue at the moment what I'll make for meals in the week ahead except that tomorrow will see Gramma's Fried Chicken on the table, pieced out with some chicken tenders from Aldi's freezer section.  I promised John that I'd make mashed potatoes  and corn on the cob as well.  And that's as far as my meal plan goes at present.

I have been saving recipes as though there were no cookbooks in my home.  I am asking myself questions as I find recipes that sound good: Is it inexpensive enough to make, does it use items I typically have on hand, is it something that will keep the house reasonably cool while cooking?  It's surprising how many times I've ditched recipes that sounded good, looked good on screen but they have one or two ingredients that are key to the flavor profile that I never have on hand.   And why save a load of sheet pan meal recipes when I am NOT going to use the oven at all if I can possibly manage without it?

I am determined that this coming month will see us spending less on foods we eat in the month for two reasons.  I spent a lot online stocking our cat/dog food, coffee, yeast. I can spread the costs over two months but it still shortens my budgeted amount for groceries.  John is a little concerned about our stock of other foods.  I do need to stock up a few canned and paper items and would like to put any and all sale priced meat items I might purchase in the freezer.  So I'm going to try to keep this month's use of grocery funds to produce and dairy for immediate consumption and stock up with the rest.  

I'm really looking hard at what I can make and trying to determine if it answers all my questions: can I do it in a reasonable amount of time, do I have what is needed, is there savings enough to warrant it and is the flavor difference worth while? Bagels, bread, yogurt, pizza meet those criteria.  I could make up rolls for the freezer to use as hot dog or burger buns.  I could make up cookie dough and keep in the freezer for making in small batched in the toaster oven. I do want some convenience items in my freezer, too, but I'm going to look at what's in the freezer section of the store and determine which of those I might make for myself.  I know I can make more for less.  It's the ideas that I lack at present.

So there you are.  A quick catch-up and a quick goals list and a good start for after my little rest time.