I got up early...Not intentional. I'd forgotten to turn off my alarm last Saturday. Never mind. I got coffee and afterwards I had a bit of time with Rufus on the back porch. He let me shear another portion of his matted fur off him and now he's acting like a puppy. I suspect when I get the rest of that mess of him, he'll feel like he's gained ten years of youth back.
I did get a bit close to his skin. He's not cut anywhere, nor even been pinched. But he does have some bare spots because that is how matted up his fur was.
I had a nice time out with the kids. We agreed that if we went to the library, they could do whatever they liked but they had to get at least one book to read. They all three said, "But we go to the library at school!" I pointed out that they could go to two libraries and they'd have two weeks to read whatever book they chose to pick.
The weather was threatening and gloomy. I myself nearly froze in the library...The tables and chairs are right under a ceiling fan, and it is one of those wind maker type ceiling fans. I'll take a sweater next time, no matter how hot and humid it is outdoors.
As with most small-town things, the girl who worked at the library had left to go work elsewhere. I'm sorry to see her go. There's supposed to be an ad going out to post the opening and yes, I briefly contemplated it. Not that I need more to do or that we especially need the money.
I took the kids to the grocery store. The youngest two wanted a Lunchables. Josh wanted cheeseburgers which I knew would please John and felt sure Sam would like as well. Right on all counts. We came home and I made the cheeseburgers.
Please do not think this was a 'cheap' meal, lol. In my small town a pound of hamburger is $6.69 a pound. Add buns, the Lunchables, a bag of chips, a package of cheese slices. That was the end of the grocery money for the month right there! Never mind. I couldn't help but think though that it's a sad day when a lunch made at home costs about the same as a lunch out for four. Granted I fed two more when I got home so there's that.
The kids played here as they would have at home. Millie and Issac still play with the toys. Josh, now that he's older, played on his tablet. I took them home when I realized rain was threatening. Sam had just mopped his floors and had already warned the kids that he didn't want the floor dirtied when they came in.
I brought home three books from the library myself...and I've received three in the mail with a fourth on the way, over these two days. I'm ready to get lost in books for a bit.
Last night about dusk, I was watching the way the wind was tossing the limbs about on the pecan tree outside the window. John went out to sit on the porch. I got up to do something and he gestured to me to come outdoors.
Goodness but it was nice. The wind was just a bit chilly, coming up out of the South. Fireflies sparked the air in the yard. It would have been lovely, but it was so noisy! ATV's, trucks, cars were making lots of noise on the roads and highway near our home. It kind of, almost, spoiled it all but it's amazing what you can choose to ignore if you will and we did. What we couldn't ignore: mosquitoes. That's what drove us indoors.
Sunday, we went to church, as always. It was a very powerful service today with a lot of emotion. No one complained that service got off track or that we were late leaving today. Katie had asked us to skip coming by, so we came directly home. He stopped at the new gas station on our route and picked up a chicken dinner for us to share.
It's been all black and white films and napping and eating from there...Not a bad way to end our weekend.
I am finally feeling better. And because I feel better, I am ready to tackle a new week, making up for the one I've just missed out on.
Two weeks ago, I'd planned to clean up my bedroom really well. I didn't get to the dusting that needed to be done at all during that week. I'm going to get that done this week. I want to get the kitchen mopped, too.
I got more of the Wet It and Forget It, so I'd like to work on cleaning the back porch. It should be fairly easy since the weather is meant to be cooler.
I also plan to look ahead at September and work on a Goals list for next month. Hard to believe that is only one week away!
I want to run over to the grocery store and pick up some olive oil that is on sale, which is one of the last items I'm missing on my pantry restock. I also want half and half for my coffee. But I don't plan to buy anything more at the start of the week.
I will continue to add to my pantry and freezer, especially if Labor Day sales hit on some of those spots that I'd like to stock more heavily, like hamburger meat and whole chickens.
I'll continue the Pantry Freezer challenge for one more week, not because I want to but because I know that if I dig about, I can come up with a few more meals that will use some older items. I have a few ideas for the week ahead already.
Ham and potato au gratin, Collard Greens, Biscuits, Fruit salad. I have some older cooked ham in the freezer that I'd like to use. And two 2-pound bags of greens taking up space in there as well. I'll set the slow cooker outdoors and cook the greens there. Then I'll put leftovers up in containers and freeze them. I contemplated canning them, but I haven't found a really suitable recipe that has the flavor profiles I'd like to have in my greens.
Red Beans and Rice, Carrot Raisin Salad, Cornbread muffins. The beans have been on the shelf forever. There's a summer sausage that's been in the freezer for longer than that. It will be nice to use both of those items up.
If I have leftover cooked beans, I can freeze them for a future meal so it's no hardship to have those tucked into the freezer as a bonus meal.
Spaghetti and Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread. Another meal that I don't mind putting extras of into the freezer. I always make a big pan of sauce, using a load of vegetables and we find it very handy to have sauce ready and in the freezer for nights when I just don't really want to cook. I'll be able to use up a can of tomato sauce I opened on Friday when I made pizza for lunch.
I have a handful of items I need to use in the fridge: a rutabaga, a large green tomato, a red cabbage that isn't crisp but is too good to toss. There's a plethora of Roma tomatoes I picked up at the discount grocery.
I want to make some muffins. I'm thinking Maple Nut and possibly an Apple Streusel. Yes, they are speaking Fall vibes, aren't they? I have some sweetened condensed milk that I'd like to cook into caramel dip for apples.
So, this week I'll be focused on what we already have on hand and how I can use it to stock our freezer or pantry.
And that's my weekend and the plans I have for the week ahead. What's yours?
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