tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959918163454225829.post6958776571836139527..comments2024-03-29T09:38:07.716-04:00Comments on Blue House Journal: Frugal Friday: Rainy Days and Holidaysterricheneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06865436021565986224noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959918163454225829.post-41390932622363686912017-06-03T18:16:08.451-04:002017-06-03T18:16:08.451-04:00I'm glad you were able to slip away for such a...I'm glad you were able to slip away for such a nice vacation. We also were able to get a way for a few days--camping near a lake up in the nearby mountains. It was warm and sunny, a nice surprise.<br /><br />We've been through the final week of dance with the 2 youngest girls, so have had practices every night this week. The recital is tonight. Fun!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959918163454225829.post-50449250124907912772017-06-03T05:57:22.459-04:002017-06-03T05:57:22.459-04:00Forgot to say, add salt and pepper to taste in the...Forgot to say, add salt and pepper to taste in the salad. Gramma D.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959918163454225829.post-3771994191690099812017-06-03T05:55:04.211-04:002017-06-03T05:55:04.211-04:00Love pasta salad! Instead of using Italian dressin...Love pasta salad! Instead of using Italian dressing, i mix white vinegar and equal part of vegetable oil, then add sugar ( if I use 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup oil i add 3/4 cup sugar) and either jarred sweet basil or a mixed Italian seasoning to taste. I add this to my warm rinsed cooked spiral pasta do it absorbs the dressing a bit. I then add in chopped onion, sweet peppers, celery, black sliced olives, cubed cheese, cubed ham and pepperoni. Those are my personal preferences, use whatever you like. This stays in the frig for several days really well.<br />My cheapie this week was "robbing" my own flowers at the small country cemetary where our families are buried. My mom and sister always bought geraniums. I did also, but they are in pots the parents had so don't last long. No one goes there after memorial day anyway. Yesterday we took a nice drive, replaced the expensive geraniums with more practical petunias and begonias and today i will plant the geraniums in my own yard. They were already wind blown and wilted so glad i did not let them just die as i paid almost $5 for each plant. I will winter them over and hopefully start my own plants for next spring for my yard. I think both mothers were frugal enough they would approve. I noticed more and more people are using artificial flowers on cemetary lots. <br />Sounds like you have had a lovely week. Gramma D. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959918163454225829.post-86768273903199005152017-06-02T22:23:50.215-04:002017-06-02T22:23:50.215-04:00I've been craving pasta salad, too. I've b...I've been craving pasta salad, too. I've been trying to watch my carb intake, and pasta salad is one of those things that I find hard to stop eating once I start. But I think I am going to have to make some anyway.susie @ persimmon moon cottagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01653330247272673990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959918163454225829.post-83440539855543351952017-06-02T18:40:34.374-04:002017-06-02T18:40:34.374-04:00Thank you for the idea of looking on Pinterest for...Thank you for the idea of looking on Pinterest for new summer dinner ideas. I always think of Pinterest for DIY stuff, not cooking. If you need some meat to go with some of those pasta salads, one of the simplest is Hawaiian meatballs. I use turkey. I put those in the crockpot with BBQ sauce & some pineapple chunks. Simple & tasty. That's my standard go-to for summer pot lucks, as well. Some pretty toothpicks and it becomes a luau!!<br /><br />My husband has completed his first month at a new job. (He was laid off without warning in early March0. It's different from his last, but he continues to work with the disabled. The pay is a bit less so I'm concentrating on working out a new budget that we can live with....and continue to eat and live indoors!Debby in KShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10678580135625880717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959918163454225829.post-51155353986719315662017-06-02T18:02:46.324-04:002017-06-02T18:02:46.324-04:00Oh my goodness, this line of yours struck my funny...Oh my goodness, this line of yours struck my funny bone and I giggled for the longest time: "I apparently plan to live on pasta salads all summer long..."<br /><br />Wow!! I haven't heard the name Porter Wagoner for the longest time. We too are finding a lot of shows on YouTube that we remember fondly from "back in the day".<br /><br />Like, you, I found myself last weekend in a really foul mood - mine was downright depression complete with crying nearly the whole weekend over just feeling sad and lonely. A simple drive to my husband's office to help him set something right for his computer on Memorial Day, a conversation about what was bothering me, and a nice simple Mexican dinner did the trick. It was if, the very house held that depression in longer and I just had to get out and let it go into the wide open world. Oh, if only I'd done that on Friday afternoon instead of waiting until Monday when the whole weekend had been wasted with tears!Karlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07251936768042830801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959918163454225829.post-45268604397094911362017-06-02T17:11:24.711-04:002017-06-02T17:11:24.711-04:00We have done our usual things to save here. I did...We have done our usual things to save here. I did find out that we could save $60 every six months by just having our semi annual car insurance premiums automatically deducted from our checking account. This is no small amount! <br /><br />You may remember our coffee maker find a few weeks ago that was the $1000 unit for $20. Well we found a player piano at that same thrift store 3 weeks ago. It would typically sell for $3000 and we paid $800 and it included 95 rolls! This is a huge step in downsizing house once we sell the baby grand. Shopping for a smaller house is really limited when you have to be able to accommodate such a large piece. We will sell the grand and be ready to move when the time comes. We have enjoyed having it so much and it seems to be healing to my husband's brain injury. The grandchildren had fun choosing piano rolls to play when they visited. I will end up making money off this swap in the end. Lanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09380649410508372279noreply@blogger.com