Thursday, August 1, 2024

A New Start - Welcome August

 Good morning to all.  May you all be safe and healthy.  Wow, it is August, the beginning of our 8th month of the year.  Five months it will be Christmas!  Fall is around the corner.  It sure is amazing how time seems to go by so fast.  Many schools started here yesterday (one last week).  Hopefully everyone will watch out for the school buses and the children walking in the mornings and afternoons.  We seem to be getting more families in the neighborhood again.  I like that, as it is part of the re-birth.

I finally got to start working on a little canning yesterday!  I put together and jarred some kraut.  Now it has 6-8 weeks to ferment.  It is a start.
The grapes have a couple here and that are starting to turn.  I tasted a couple - still pretty tart, but yummy and fresh.  Maybe a couple weeks and those will all be ready.
I am sure August will be the month of tomatoes for me!
August is a great month for harvest.  The farmers are working all kinds of hours, for the food that ends up on our tables.  Thank you to them.

Remember that a new month means a new start.  If you failed in your budgets or debt relief last month - start again.  Every month, every day - is a new start.  We all fail at times, that is just how it is.  Without failure, success would never seem so sweet.  

The grocery ads here in my area are nothing to brag about this week, so I imagine I will pass on going to the store.  I have plenty here.
But it is that time of the year, that we all need to be vigilant about putting goods back into our pantries for whatever the fall and winter may bring.  Look for the deals and the markdowns and take advantage!
Summer clothes are being clearanced, school supplies are out, and produce is starting to become abundant.  Anything you get at a great price is savings in your pocket!

Eat all the fresh in season food you can.  Preserve if possible.  Buying in season is wonderful and you get such a fun variety of things.
I hope you all have a great harvest month (whether growing or purchasing fresh).

Keep steadfast on your goals, whatever they may be.  Hold tight to your faith.  Love and give with all your might.  Do the right things.  Turn off the noise, you only need to be aware - but not 24/7, it won't change anything.  Stay steadfast to your convictions, do not be pressured.  Enjoy all the "beauty" in the world and let the rest go!

Have a wonderful month and HAPPY AUGUST to all.


26 comments:

  1. Yes, we need to be steadfast in all aspects of our lives. Holding tight to your faith is the #1 priority for us. That and taking care of the temple. I have been in and out of the hospital and doctor's offices this week for tests, x-rays, all that fun stuff and saw so many unhealthy people. #2 for me is turning off the noise. 24/7 news is not healthy for your body or your soul. #3 is enjoying the beauty around us. Yes, it is there! I will add that discernment is a very important gift. That goes along with staying steadfast to your convictions and not allowing yourself to be pressured. Some things are just not okay, and I refuse to go along with the woke crowd and agree with such behavior. We are set apart by the Father. I cherish that thought!

    Enjoy your weekend. Looks like hot and maybe wet. Leaves will be falling soon. I spotted one lonely little yellow leaf the other day.

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    1. I hope all is OK for your health. Yes, there are a lot of unhealthy people around. I cannot do much news at all anymore. I know what I believe and I know what I need to do, so don't need someone else telling me.
      Yep, right is right and wrong is wrong no matter how you color it!
      It is going to start warm this month for sure. Just came in because I was getting rained on! You need to come to my yard - tons of poplar leaves have already fallen.

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    2. Just routine maintenance. Won't have another bone scan for several years, probably no more colonoscopy, no more necessary visits to the pulmonologist. My A1C was down as well as my blood sugar. Not bad for 77!

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  2. Each day is a new start :-)

    I scored a pack of 5 pork loin steaks for $5. Yes, thank you. My preferred dk choc bar on sale so grabbed 4 of those (3 servings per bar) and my preferred protein bar (emergency calories) on sale. AND, my favorite lemon detox tea? BOGO. I bought 6 boxes and I'll go back Tuesday for more!! I am grateful I can afford to stock up. I also got a bag of 6 apples (bruised?) for $1 and 5 bruised summer squash for $1. Yes, thank you.

    Happy bargain hunting everyone. Happy August!

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    1. You have had a great bargain week! What nice deals. It is always a pleasure to find some of your 'favorite' things on deals!!!
      I think I would go back as well. Happy stocking!

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  3. Grocery ads here are disappointing too. Prices are ridiculous and most of the sale items are junk food. Glad I'm stocked up with healthy food. Happy August. Lynn Ewing, Pecos, NM

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    1. Hi Lynn. The ads might be good for some, but nothing I wanted was included. Farm fresh items are coming available a lot here.
      Have a great month.

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  4. That last paragraph says it all. Do all that and everything else will fall into place.

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    1. Yes mam - I agree 100%. To thine own self be true!

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  5. Cheryl, my mom left me a bracelet that says " To thine own self be true". She lived by that saying for 96 years and now I proudly wear it also.

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    1. What a wonderful gift to receive and from a proud and lovely woman. She obviously knew what life was all about.
      HUGS

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  6. I'm working on my budget today! Great reminder! Trying to get on top of every aspect of my home! Happy August!

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    1. It sure is an ongoing job. Seems like we are always tweaking things. Happy budgeting!

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  7. Today was the day to close out my July accounting. I was filled with trepidation because it has been an expensive month - but I rejoice to see that my income was greater than my outgo! To be honest, I don't quite see how that can be, but I'm not going to argue with the numbers. :)

    Feeling thankful,
    MaryB

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    1. That mam, is a good budget. That has always been my BUDGET! Spend less than I make. Happy for you!!!!

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  8. Agree wholeheartedly! I'd add, switch up the "noise" occasionally to gain a broader perspective. Sometimes that can be beneficial, if only for self-education purposes. When working, years ago, as a researcher for an educational publisher, we'd have to fact-check each line in our manuscripts against a minimum of 3 different resources, sometimes even placing a phone call to a source to clarify a point. I'm still amazed at some of the things I found that were repeatedly quoted as truth, but were not. Just remember that childhood game of "telephone" and how things drifted the more the sentence was told. Still happens today, but it spreads more rapidly with the internet.

    I'm still harvesting lettuces from my deck rail boxes. I'm also getting a handful of cherry tomatoes every couple of days from my container plants. There are also peppers on the plants, but they're nowhere near ready for picking. Every little bit helps. I expect my chef-friend and I will head to Michigan some time next week to get Roma tomatoes for canning. From what I'm hearing from my favorite farm stands, they're ready and coming in strong right now. Will get sauce made and canned up for DD and me, and I know my chef-friend will want to can regular plain tomatoes. I also want to get some fresh sweet corn and maybe green beans. Need to go thru freezer and inventory and then stock up where I'm short. Right now, I can't fit anything in there, but I know that's due to it being disorganized. It's time ...

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    1. I find the news the 'telephone' line today. I do not believe anything I hear anymore.
      Your chef friend and you will have a fun visit. I hope you find lots of yummy fresh goodies. Talk about organization - my pantry sure need it again. Was just sitting here thinking about that as a tomorrow job!
      Happy organizing!

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  9. My budget went out the window in July, I think that the third month in a row I have been over on my food budget. Looks like it’s not a one-off, and I don’t see August looking much cheaper.
    From yesterday, I didn’t know that you can save your butter wrappers to grease your pans. It’s a good idea.
    Thanks, enjoy your weekend, Louise

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    1. I sure hope you do better in August. You can do it. Of course you feed a lot of extra people. Time to get creative.
      Yep, love those butter wrappers for greasing pans.
      Good luck!!

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  10. I was going to go shopping tomorrow, but it is so hot I will wait a few more days. My favourite grocery store has a deal that will end on Monday of buy $100.00 get $10.00 off and buy $200.00 get $20.00 off so will probably go on Monday after our youngest son leaves. This will be a stock up shop as we are getting very low on a few items and some are on sale until Thursday.

    Preparing for winter here by dehydrating, and using up the last of the cherries in muffins. The muffins will make an awesome breakfast or dessert in the evenings.

    God bless.

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    1. That is a decent deal - love getting any kind of deal. Hopefully you find good sales as well, then that means an even bigger savings. I think we are all in that mindset of starting to stock up for winter if possible.
      Stay cool and happy shopping!

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  11. Hi Cheryl :) I'm going to catch up on your blog today, but I wanted to thank you for this encouragement in this post. I love new beginnings and fresh starts. Thanks for the reminder and all the good advice :) Blessings to you, my friend.

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    1. Thank you. We can all have a new start - never let anything get you down. Life is tough, but each day brings new light.
      Appreciate your kind words.

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  12. I just paid all the monthly bills today, which is a good way to start off a new month. I even bought one Christmas present to get ready for Christmas early. Nothing to brag about here other than cheese being on sale in the grocery ads this week. Students start back to school on Tuesday here. I'm sure many of them are sad to see their summer come to an end.

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    1. Good to have all the bills paid. Yay on the Christmas gift. I have not started. Cheese deals are always sweet - gosh, I love cheese.
      It sure doesn't seem like summer has lasted very long!

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