Menu Plan Monday? No...

And why not? You may well ask.  What's with breaking the routine?  Well it's just that.  It's all just routine basic foods and nothing to get all excited over.  John asked me to lighten up during the work week and the result is that I'm plopping a salad and meat or a sandwich of sorts on the table.  And then I got all involved in a half dozen things.  Cleaning, and gardening, and trying to end a longtime project and just trying to be quiet long enough for a husband to get a few hours of sleep.  He says I don't bother him but I've noticed if he knows I'm in my chair clipping coupons, or looking up family history or writing a post or newsletter, he sleeps longer and harder than when I'm trying to put away dishes or walking back and forth in the house.

I'm going to take a break of a couple of weeks time here.  Not headed out anywhere this week but just wanting to catch up on the things I've missed doing with John working.  Tomorrow I'll run a few errands but I'll be home by the time John's ready to sleep.  Wednesday I'll be working away at moving things around.  Katie is moving and that means half my shed will soon be empty.  All the things I've been squirreling away here and there indoors can now go out to the shed.  That will be a rather massive undertaking, as I also mean to move out excess furniture I can't use any longer and that means rearranging things and that means I'll want to un-decorate so I can re-decorate.  Then there's yard work that must be tended to, groceries, a baby shower, synagogue, a cook-out for EMS.  It's just going to be very hectic. 

Front Loaded Days

So...Nine months into having John at home all day every single day since he began working nights, I've finally figured out another part of the strategy to getting things done: Front loading my days.  This is step four in the night-shift saga.  Do you remember all the steps?

#1.  I had to get used to having John about day in and day out just at first. This was helped along by those many vacation days he had to use up from September through December somewhat.  Gracious if I hadn't gotten used to having him around all day long by December, I wasn't ever going to get used to it.

A Year of Savings: 2013

  

May 1:  I had buttermilk in the fridge that was nearing the 'best buy' date.  I poured into half cup containers and froze.  I saved out 1/2 cup, added 1 cup of milk and let sit at room temperature overnight.  Now I have 1 1/2 cups 'fresh' buttermilk.  The buttermilk cost me $2.49 for a half gallon.  My savings today: $3.29.

Made four meals at once.  Dinner for today, a quick to eat meal for tomorrow after shopping, and two meals for the freezer.  Skipping our usual shopping day meal saves $11.49 (we eat at the same place and get the same thing each grocery day).  Putting a convenience meal or two in the freezer used items already in the refrigerator.   A bag of bell peppers (savings $1.49), 1/3 pound portion of grilled sirloin (savings $3.99), 1/2 can turkey Spam (savings $1.25).

Weekly Menu Plan

I've been looking at recipes in magazines and it seems to me that they are pretty basic these days.  Titles like "Five Ingredient Main Dishes", "Dinner in Under 30 Minutes",  "Weeknight Family Favorites in 15 Minutes or Less"...Gracious but I get tired of these hurry up and toss it on the table sorts of meals!

I like to play with my food.  I like to cut and dice and slice.  I like to sear and brown and saute and roast.  I like to season with a bevy of herbs and spices and let the food soak it in.  Yes, there are good 15 minute and 30 minute and 5 ingredient meals.  They do have their place.  Like when I'm on vacation and the beach and a sunset walk is just beyond that stove... But a hurry up and get it done sort of cook I am not on the average day.  I enjoy cooking.  I like to eat it.

Please, Let's do coffee...Coffee Chat

Hello... I needed a vacation.  From myself as much as from other things.  No, we didn't go anywhere, I just stepped out of being social for a bit, snugged in here at home, skipped out on public places and sort of zoned out.

Truth told, I was world weary last time I wrote and then went through a little spell of having my feelings hurt deeply.  I suffered through the usual bit of "but he said..." until I was most thoroughly sick of myself.  I sat here alone one night, very late and cried out to God for the umpteenth time,  "What should I do?" and went off and read As I See It Now and found the post (click on the link to read) that answered my question.  Forgive.

A Year of Savings: 2013

April 22:  We were up very early.  Incentive to work was sadly lacking but needs demanded we do just that.  Laundry was top order with guest bedding making up the bulk of loads.  We didn't do much of anything beyond the housework.  Even our dinner was more or less scraped together.  No money spent...There's a bonus.

April 23:  John repaired the frames of two more of our windows.  Only 9 more to go...He's done a very nice job on the windows he's worked on thus far.  AND he is saving us the cost of having someone come in and reframe them.  Our expenses have been the cost of a gallon of Kilz and the cost of a quart of spackle, about $30 I think which is nothing compared to having them reframed!

A Year of Savings: 2013

April 15  So happy that my taxes have long since been done.  None of that last minute tension.

I had a dinner plan...John admitted what he really wanted was fried chicken.  No trips to town.  I'd thawed out chicken.  I fried it myself in the electric frying pan and added french fries to the oil.  I made coleslaw from scratch.  Typically this meal costs us $13 in town.  I spent far less.  Savings $9

Planted the cabbage root end.  There were a few new roots on it and space in one of my pots to plant it.

Mixed up more shower cleaner.  This particular recipe is very good at melting soap scum: Equal parts dish detergent (Dawn is recommended, but I've used Palmolive both times) and vinegar.  Shake in a spray bottle, spray on the walls, leave for an hour or so, then rinse.  No scrubbing is needed unless you don't spray well in an area.  This costs about $1 to mix up and use (sale priced detergent, plain old white vinegar).
It does have a little vinegar aroma but that isn't unpleasant to me the way the chemical heavy stuff is.  Savings $1 over sales priced cleaner.  I used the whole bottle of detergent, have enough cleaner to use several more times.