Gathering Fragments: Last week of July

Monday:  This week I have a small bit of waste: asparagus that was leftover last week which John has refused repeatedly since then.  I don't blame him.  Somehow I'm  over asparagus, as well.  The packet I bought had over 60 spears in it and that was way too much for us.  I should have halved it and offered part to Katie.  I didn't and so it's wasted.  I carried over some stems to the chickens who apparently don't care for asparagus either, so I'll compost this.

The Week Behind: And There Went July!

Saturday:  We had Caleb overnight.  I've said he is a good baby and let me tell you once again, he's a good baby!   He went to bed at 7pm with not a peep or whimper and slept all night long and woke humming to himself at 7:30a and was all smiles when I went in to get him.  I admit I didn't sleep so well listening out for him all night long but he slept like a top and rolled happily about the floor after he'd had breakfast.   He even went beyond the boundary of the living room and came as far as the Kitchen opening and stared at me in my rocker in the Kitchen sitting area.  He decided he'd rather stay with Grampa than roll all that way to me but at least he did a bit of added exploring to round out his weekend.

Worth Sharing This Week: Magical Things and Memories

I don't know exactly what era every one finds the most memorable.  I'd have to say likely mine is the 1970's. Bell bottom pants, platform shoes, peasant blouses and leather wrist bands.  I'm amazed these days to walk through an antique store and find dishes and decor that Mama had in our home at that time.  I mean, they aren't really antiques yet...or just barely!

The Week Behind: July-ish

Saturday:  John was off to church for men's meeting this morning.  He does his best to let me sleep in but do you know what woke me?  He put on a different cologne than he normally wears and that aroma woke me right up.  I do have a sensitive nose and even in the depths of sleep an unusual (as in not the usual) smell can wake me.

Iced Tea Chat: Summertime

Hello, dears!  Come in and let's have some iced tea.  Nothing but iced tea would do with our temperatures.  I can offer you a lovely peach iced tea, an organic green peach tea, black tea, lapsang souchong which is smoky and mysterious, a raspberry and pomegranate or peppermint tea.  And there are cookies in the cupboard.  John bought those on Sunday and I've been restraining myself.

Gathering Fragments: What I've Planned for This Week

I don't have a lot of leftovers in the fridge at the moment .   That is a good thing!  It doesn't mean I haven't any bits and pieces that I can't use, though.   I'm not going to over do it this week.  Using fragments requires a more time and energy than I've got to spare at present, but I'll get a little bit done.  

As well, I was gifted a sample half bag of produce from a local farm that is selling produce bags.  I have green beans, a cucumber, squash and zucchini, a tomato and the prettiest spinach I have ever seen.  I'll be incorporating those into meals this week as well.

The Week Behind: Keeping It Simple

Saturday:  In my quest to find recipes for both pantry foods and current seasonal meals, I keep stumbling across recipes that have been made unnecessarily complicated.  Now I'm sure that in the realm of foods they taste amazing, but it's practicality that they lack.  I love cooking and I love learning to make new recipes but right now my focus is just not on how to make an old standard a gourmet treat.   So when I read a recipe for an onion dip that involved slicing two pounds of onion to caramelize and then having to make my own beef broth reduction, I rolled my eyes.  My motto for summer: keep it simple.  My motto for cooking from my pantry: keep it simple.  

Worth Sharing: Let's Have a Cool One

While a dip in a pool is the nicest thing ever on a hot summer's day, there are many ways to take a dip and feel restored.   Wading in a lovely little stream.  Sitting in a lawn chair within reach of a sprinkler (a bit of a shock to the system but awfully nice all the same and besides I'm far to lazy to dance about jumping back and forth over said sprinkler).  Going swimming in a lake...

Gathering Fragments: Second Week of July

Friday:  Raided the fridge this morning and pulled out three items from this week: Cooked Sausage patties, half a pan of French Toast Breakfast Casserole and half a pan of Poor Man's Lasagna.   That was today's early meals all sorted out.  All I need do is cook our Shish Kebab and reheat rice for supper.  And plan for the small portion of sausage leftover. 

I found the bananas Bess brought me on Tuesday were more than fully ripe this morning.  No chance John was going to eat those, so I went ahead and made them into Banana Chocolate Chip muffins.   I added a tiny portion of coconut and sliced almonds that I found on the fridge freezer door.   The chocolate chips were just the amount remaining in another package.  That clears up a few more fragments.

The Week Behind: Another Change

Friday:  Just a quick mention of my view from the kitchen window this evening.  I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water and there was a baby fawn right up here on the terrace the house is sitting upon!  He heard me turn on the water and ran down the hill to join a second fawn.  It looks like we have a pair of twins this year!  We watched them graze before they scampered back off into the wooded area.

Worth Sharing This Week: The Science of It All

It's all well and good to be grateful in November for Thanksgiving, but it really ought to be a year round thing.   The Frugal Girl shared this article on her blog last week and I thought it worth sharing, too.   I love when we know something but then researchers and scientists study it and then we know why we know it.  I'm planning to mark the end of each day with what I'm grateful for this month.  I do believe it's key to good health, mental and physical health.

I know I'm providing links to the articles in each post but I've found from long ago posts that sometimes those links become dead ones.  And then the whole post is rather moot isn't it?  So I'm going to give a quick synopsis of what each article has to say.  

Gathering my Fragments: First Week of July

The post I wrote last week had such a good response, I thought I'd make it a regular feature for a bit.  I've long believed that the real art of frugality comes in how we use our leftovers, our bits and pieces that we seldom know what to do with them, the things we buy but forget.  And since this is a weekly thing in my home, although I've borrowed the featured name from Amy Maryon, I thought I'd share how often I 'makeover' a food item into something we eat and enjoy.

The Week Behind: Giving It My Best

Saturday:  I slept as long as I needed to this morning and it was refreshing.  Breakfast was a simple one of toasted Banana Nut Bread spread with Peanut Butter.  I enjoyed that with my coffee and tea.

I had no real meal plans coming into this weekend beyond having determined that we'd thaw the 'Gramma's fried Chicken' for Taylor and I'd add in some chicken 'fillets' that are actually frozen tenders from Aldi.  That would save us needing to purchase extra chicken to feed us all on Sunday.  

Iced Tea Chat: Oh Just Lots of Things

Hello everyone!  How are you doing this summer  almost holiday  weekend?  Come on in and let's chat a bit.  There's a Raspberry Pomegranate sun tea, and good old fashioned black tea.  There's mint fresh from my herb bed, lemon or lime and plenty of ice to go in any drink you might choose.  

Let's try this once again.  I had a post well started but it turned into a short complaint list, couched in humor, but complaints nonetheless.  Not at all where I meant to go nor where I want to go this day.   I was stopped short by a phone call that  shifted the axis of our world every so slightly more to the tilt-a-whirl space it's been in all of 2020 and then suddenly I was like "Phooey on you too, July," shrugged my shoulders and totted it up to just one more 2020 occurrence.   Seriously, this year has tossed us this way and that thus far and after a while it does begin to seem just a bit more normal every day, what the hey, here we go.  Why get in a kerfuffle?  I settled instead to making a few phone calls, had a conversation with John and then came in and had lunch.  

Worth Sharing this Week: Randomness

I went to Josh's sixth birthday party this afternoon and I don't know if he and Isaac are aware of how very blessed they are.  In the room was his Gammy, Gramma, Grand Nessa and one great grandmother, Nana.  

And while I'm talking of his party, Josh gets first prize for being equally enthusiastic and excited over every single gift.  I happen to know for a fact that the first gift he opened (From Grand Nessa and Papa) happens to have been the top item on his wish list.  Did he stop there and let all else fall aside?  No.  That child emceed his own birthday party and exclaimed and 'sold' every single gift he received from that moment on.  No one felt they'd done less than bless him because he made sure of that!  And his happiest moments were when the gifts he opened included a second item that could be shared with Isaac.  I know he's my grandson, but he really is extraordinary.