Thursday Homemaking Chatter

It was so cool outdoors this morning, I was able to open windows.  The AC didn't kick on until about noon so the house got filled with all that nice fresh air.  It was lovely to sit by the window and listen to the birds going crazy with busyness.  It's rained a good bit this week and was cloudy but the birds were just reveling in the sunny morning.  I couldn't blame them at all.  It's what prompted me to rush outdoors as soon as I'd had breakfast and play about in the flower beds. 

Would you like to mosey around the flower beds for a bit?  I've been working in them this week.  No, not around the front part yet, but here along the back.  I've shifted some pots about and moved some decorative items from one bed to another and then I filled two more planters with soil and lily bulbs with daffodil and muscari underneath.  I've been reading that layering planters is the way to extend the life in pots over a number of seasons.  One thing would be filling out while another is dying back.  I have day lily in one pot and Asiatic lilies in another.   They aren't showy just yet, but hopefully they'll get there before long.  I didn't take a picture of that end of the back bed since it would just look like five empty pots, lol.  But here's the little bed at the back porch this season:

June is Peach Season

In the late winter months when cold weather usually starts to pall, I remind myself that peach season needs those good cold hours to make the fruit.  Then sometime in late February (usually) the trees begin to bloom.  Often you can see acres and acres of trees blooming at once.  It's the loveliest thing!

From there on we pray the cold weather is over and done and no harm comes to our peaches.

I personally like freestone peaches which tend to come in a bit later, towards July.  However, this week we noted as we drove down to John's work place that peach harvest was in full swing.   These early peaches are known as 'cling' peaches because they cling to the stone.  These are generally what you find canned in stores.

Tuesday at Aldi we noted the peaches were small.  I skipped buying them because there is just something different about the peaches sold in a grocery store and those sold in a packing shed.  You can't say I'm talking nonsense, but I assure there is.

I generally buy my peaches while they are still firm but just picked from the trees.  Then I bring them home and let them slowly finish ripening.  Oh.my.goodness.

I have two early memories of peaches.  One was of being at Grand mama C's home.  She always froze her fruits and vegetables in these tidy little white waxed boxes that you slipped a plastic bag inside and tied off with a twist tie.  The box kept the fruit flat.  I really must look for some of those little boxes because they do make for a very neat fit in the freezer!

June: My Favorite Things

I enjoyed doing a product listing of favorite finds in April and thought I'd keep it going.  I'd meant to do a post for May but as usual once I focus on a big theme like Charm School that's about all I work with.   

I'm giving an honest unbiased review of these items and sites.  I did not receive anything as compensation nor are any items, stores, etc.  in this post affiliated links.

Last month I shared food products and a few skincare items.  This month it's clothing and beauty products.

Bras are the bane of most of our lives.  Finding what fits well and is true to size and supports and lifts and prevents backaches, doesn't roll up or continually have sliding straps, etc., etc....Well you know.  Last year Bridgette Rae had a giveaway on her fashion blog for a Warner's No Side Effects bra.  I'm game to enter giveaways and usually don't win, but this time I did.   In my letter to the team doing the giveaway I'd complained that I was at that stage where I had side boob and was tired of that overhang and lack of support in my usual bras.  I think they felt I was their primary target audience.  I was so excited when I got the notification I had won. 

For June: A Fresh Start

 I confess, when I prayed for a fresh start this month, this wasn't quite what I had in mind...

Windows 10 updated over the weekend.  It was a massive update that required multiple restarts.  I use Microsoft Edge which basically hijacked my computer last year and refused to let me use any other operating system.  The update apparently does allow you to use other browsers but it essentially wiped out every one of my saved favorites, my blog list, my favorites files which were packed, my Pinterest boards...I've had to find passwords for accounts that I thankfully had to renew recently because of my email account exodus from Yahoo, so I can access my most important accounts online.  But yeah.  Everything was new and unfamiliar and every last old thing was gone.

I am a little sad to see some of my files and things gone.  I was much amused that all of the files are gone but I was able to migrate files from early 2016 over from Google Chrome which I wasn't able to do last year when Edge took over. 

It made me wonder what if we had something like this in life, where the clock was literally turned back, we were restored to a set date in the past and had the opportunity to begin anew from that point. I tried to think what date I'd choose to 'begin again'.  Food for thought, right?

I guess I've had that time in my life already.  It was the date about two years ago when I found myself in the hospital.  I had come very close to dying twice during that time.  I looked long and hard at my life and determined that if I was being given a second and third chance then I was doggone well going to change some things!  And I did.

This Week In My Home: A Temporary Normal

This week in my home...

...We return to a temporary form of normal.  John started back to work today and to my knowledge will work every day he's meant to of June and possibly an extra day or two that are half shifts.   This will end this particular work schedule.  Since we don't know just how things will go come July 1,  I am tackling the house and then going to start to work on something,  though I'm not really sure just what at present.  Perhaps I'll start to work on a half dozen somethings.  I am just anxious to get knee deep in a project.  I'm done with the excuses of 'no money to spend' and 'it's too hot', both of which are very true.  But bored is just no way at all to live and I cannot fathom going through summer bored to tears as I've been this last week with nothing.to.do.  I can't stand it!  I've got all sorts of things I'd like to work upon, some quiet, some creative, some hard labor and some routine.  Seems to me that's a pretty good mix in any day!

But first...isn't that the way we must always begin, at the very beginning?  Yes, it is.  But first, I need a plan, a focus point and a list to get me going.  I'll be working on those things this week.

I'm also sorry to say that I stepped on the scales at Katie's house this weekend.  Ack.  I've gone backwards.  I'll spend the summer getting that gain off me once more.  I remind myself that I've done this before and I can do it again.   I knew full well that the tell tale snug clothing was telling me a very true story but I just didn't want to acknowledge it.  I also know that a body has a weight set point just like our spending has a mental set point.  I'm creeping hard upwards to an old set point and I refuse to go there.  I'm going to make my former lower weight my NEW set point and that's my target for now.

Frugal Friday: Rainy Days and Holidays

Hello!  I missed blogging last week about my frugal week.  I'll add in the few things I can remember before I start this week's daily record.

I can remember little of the previous weekend.  I know that we stopped by the grocery but we picked up very little, as we knew we'd be leaving during the next day.

On Monday, we turned the AC up to 80F before we left home.  We unplugged many of the more easily reached plugs, all of which were not on surge protectors.  We went to John's workplace to pick up the paycheck and make our deposit and pay bills.  Then we were off on our vacation trip at last.  We chose a new to us route that was meant to be shorter.  I can tell you honestly that it just takes a certain amount of time to reach our destination and it takes that amount of time no matter which way we go.

We stopped at a grocery near our destination and picked up a few items.  We spent about $50 overall, mostly on things like fresh local fruits and adult beverages and deli meats.  We packed a lot of our food here at home, bought mostly at Aldi and frozen.  We used the frozen food to serve as ice packs for the cold stuff.

We didn't stop for supper though it got very late.  We waited until we were in our room and then we prepared a simple meal for ourselves.

Tuesday we visited one planned site and then ate our midday meal out of the room at a new to us restaurant near the hotel.  The prices were reasonable and the food was quite good.  Since it was meant to rain we decided to spend the rest of the day indoors at the condo.

Iced Tea Chat: Carefree Summer Days

Come in!  It seems like ages since we've had a chat.  I've got iced tea, strawberries and mint.  Choose what you'd like to flavor your tea and let's settle in here on the porch.  The weather is nice enough for April.  I'll pass out fans to keep the gnats away.

I've been so busy I hadn't realized that I'd not had a chat since the start of May.  There's so much I want to say, I hardly know where to start.  So I guess I'll begin at the beginning and work my way forward to now.