2024 Pantry Challenge

I didn't go over budget for Christmas this year.  I didn't have to buy pricey foodstuffs because John requested only things I already happened to have on hand.  My sole purchases for our Christmas dinner were a can of whole cranberry sauce, a bag of Gold potatoes for potato salad and a package of Hawaiian rolls.  

No, I didn't go over budget there last month and for that I am grateful. My grocery bill was slightly lower only because I didn't take the time to shop and with good sales on baking items pretty much non-existent here in my area, there was no real stocking up.   It made sticking to the grocery budget easy enough.   

So why am I doing a pantry challenge for January if things are in decent shape?  

Musings on Bread and Children

 

I noted something the other day, as I was making bread.  I follow the same recipe I have now been using for years.  Each time I measure out the sugar, the yeast, the water, the flour, the oil, the salt.  In breadmaking I don't guesstimate. I measure.  I might guess when making biscuits or cornbread or muffins or pancakes, but with bread, I take care.  I measure.  I mix it in the exact same way every single time.  I use the very same cycles on my bread machine.  I time the last rising of the bread and heat my oven to the very same temperature and when I place that bread pan in the oven, I time it the same number of minutes that I've learned it requires in my oven.

The End: Goodbye 2024

 

I plan to be back on something like a routine writing schedule by January 2.  I'll be taking the rest of this week to catch up on errands, family, and seeing the work on the house finished.  

It's been a very strange year for me, difficult in places I didn't foresee difficulty, changing my view of myself in essential areas, and finding peace in places I never expected to find peace at all.  It's been a hard Holiday season.  I'm not quite done with it at this point, but it will be over by the time I'm back to writing once more.  Pray that it finishes off better than it's gone thus far, lol.  Seriously.  Pray for me.

Observations and Thrift: Dec. 16-23

Friday: Caleb had a bad afternoon on Thursday.  He fussed and talked back and was contrary as could be.  If I said yes to something he said NO and meant it.  Finally, he said to me "You're not my friend!"   I told him, "I'm sorry to hear that.  I still consider you my friend..."  A few minutes later, after crying, he came over and climbed up on my lap and put his arms around my neck.  He never said he was sorry, but he let me know by his actions that he was.  He lay his head on my chest and stayed on my lap for a good thirty minutes with his arms about my neck.  I knew full well when he started arguing with me that he was not feeling well and was overtired to boot.

Thrift and Observations- Dec 9 - 15

 

Dec. 9:  I slept in rather late this morning, almost to 9:30.  It was lovely to have a lie in and to wake feeling rested enough.  Last week was not a harsh one but it was draining.   I really felt I needed that extra sleep. I say 'extra' but it was gone 2am before I finally started to doze off.  It was the fact of getting to lie in bed beyond 7am that was the luxury.

The contractor left last night after 6pm.  He'd promised me a functioning kitchen before he left for the week, and he was a man of his word.  He'd let his help go earlier in the afternoon, first one then the other but he stayed, and he worked steadily until every last task was done.  I have a temporary sink; the dishwasher and the stove are both hooked up and working.  They laid scrap pieces of plywood over the cabinets to act as counters until the new countertops arrive.

Thrift and Observations: Dec 2 - 8

 

Dec. 1  I had to go pick up dog food and something else (What?  Can't remember) at the grocery.  John opted for the local store.  We checked the clearance racks and grabbed more marked down candy to stash at home, then we wandered down the meat aisle to look for clearance meats.  We got a nice package of 2 center cut pork chops and John chose a package of Boneless country style ribs.  We bought two packages of hamburger on sale.  I spent more than I went in to spend, partly due to the added stuff that Caleb and John decided we needed as well as the meat we'd picked up and the pricey tiny bag of dog food.  Pet foods are always very expensive in my town, even if you are getting lower end products.

Coffee Chat: Time Out

 

I've written another post entirely prior to this one but I am deleting it, unpublished.  What it has to say I'm not comfortable with in the least and I'm going to try to do better with this one.  

We've got stuff going on. People are hurting and angry and apparently have been holding on to resentments long term that might have been resolved if talked over.  They weren't.  There are other very painful things that have occurred recently that must undoubtedly add to the complexity of the personal relationships and so there was a big to do, one of the kinds that does a lot of harm and leaves no survivors.  I've done my share of grieving over these things, offered my apology, but it has been rejected because there is much else that concerns them more, as well they might.  

Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Spectacular Crash

 

Saturday:  We've had a lovely day out.  It was short but so pleasant.  John took me to choose my Christmas gift.  I'd wanted a pair of earrings as a change from what I typically wear.  I love my hoop earrings and wear them nearly every day, but I thought I would get something a little different, just to change things up now and then.

In the meantime, I found one earring of my current pair had a slight wonkiness and in gently trying to correct it, I felt the metal bend and break.  Not all the way through but enough to warn me that this pair was well worn indeed.