Sunday, October 24, 2021

Weekly Wrap-Up 10/24

 Happy Sunday all.  My goodness, one more week left in this month and then November is here.  I just keep shaking my head, as this all seems to be going by so quickly.
It has been a cooler week.  Friday rain and chilly - yesterday sprinkles but not bad temps - today rain and decent temps (60's) - tomorrow rain and chilly...  WOW.  Fall has made itself known.  Still have had no frost or freeze and it doesn't look like it will this coming week.
Allergies have been bad this week.  Mold count up outside.

We have been very fortunate in my neck of the woods.  I know what the Almanac says for this year - but NOAA has said IN will be warmer and wetter than normal this year due to La Nina.  Just saying, I am hoping they are the correct ones!

My week:
  • I did a bunch of yard work the first half of the week.  Cleaned the front flower bed and walk area all out.  Mowed and trimmed entire yard.  Worked in the garden area.  Cut down many spent flowers from perennial bed
  • Fixed the weather stripping on the front door.  Over the years it has worn away at the lock mechanism area.  I had stuff here and I patched in that area and at the bottom.  No more daylight seen!
  • Picked the end of all the tomatoes.  Got the last 8 lbs.
  • Used the Soda Stream this week to make bubbly juice water
  • NO A/C - and turned on heat only 2 mornings - 1 cycle each to take chill away
  • Baked a homemade pizza one day and ate part and froze the rest
  • Changed out my handbag to one with fall colors.  I have several Vera Bradley bags I was given years back - spring and fall. (New from a hoarder home!)
  • Picked what I am sure will be the last 3 roses on Oct. 22!  Hard to believe they were still blooming.  I still have petunias, impatience, phlox and Lillie's blooming!!!
                                          These are in my kitchen and they smell heavenly!!!!
  • I fixed my toilet!!!!  I figured out the problem by watching You Tube, bought the part and fixed it all by myself!!!!  GO ME!  It was really easy - hardest part was shutting off the water, I mean you don't turn those valves very often!  It was the filler valve and the toilet did a lot of screaming when you flushed - it is so quiet now.
  • While out for  hardware getting part - I ran to Aldi.  Hadn't been in there for quite a while.  I was pleased.  Pretty well stocked and skids of supplies in aisles with more products, no limits and they accepted cash and charge (many say cash is nixed).  I got myself totally stocked up on cheeses (8lbs.) - all types/varieties and different crackers to get me through the entire holiday season and winter.  I got a few gift basket items for brother and sis's baskets.  I even bought some liquor for festivities.  They had 2 big floor freezers FULL of Butterball turkeys at 1.39/lb. (didn't buy any) and they had boneless turkey breast for 8.99 ea.  I did well and got lots of goodies for pantry
  • Did all the usual stuff - cooking from home, laundry in cold and hanging inside to dry, cleaning, stocking, etc.
Meals this week:
Potato/corn/chicken fritters (from freezer) and fried green tomatoes (so enjoying these!)
Loaded baked potato
Fish sandwich and salad
Homemade pizza
Grilled Rueben and dill pickles - used white bread had no rye - it was still good!
Beef and gravy (from freezer) - mashed potatoes and mixed veggies
Loaded cheeseburger and chips

My yummy pizza - goodness, I love pizza! I love adding thinly sliced tomatoes before baking - Mmmmm
I have leftover kraut and mashed potatoes to use up this coming week!

How was your week?  Any deals or goodies this week?  How is fall clean-up going?  Give us shout, I love hearing what everyone is up to.  

I hope you have a great upcoming week.  Stay healthy and safe.  Blessings to you and yours from my humble little home.


Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.
Proverbs 19:21


40 comments:

  1. I just love coming to your site to read all the positive ideas. I made the mistake of joining a Facebook site about stocking your pantry and it was nothing but doom and gloom and prepping for end times. I quickly quit the group. If we would all just be mindful of our spending and quietly go on with our work I believe life would be much better.

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    1. Thank you and I totally understand. I belong to a few FB groups about preparing and stocking and I encounter the same stuff. Going to be leaving them.
      There is enough doom and gloom in the world.
      Yes, we need to look for the positives in life and not the negative. We would all be happier!
      Thank you!

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  2. Oh yum! Mom used to mix sauerkraut and mashed potatoes and top it with a few slices of polska kilbasa. It was a super treat meal!

    Happy Sunday to you. :-)

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    1. My Mom always had mashed potatoes when she served kraut. I think those and smoked sausage will be on the menu this week!
      Have a great one!

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  3. Happy Sunday, Cheryl. We have rain coming in today; it's a very welcome end to our fire season. And good for you on the home repairs!

    This week I started taking inventory of the household and gift stash. The former will be an ongoing project, with plenty to be donated. The latter means I have enough stashed away to cover all the (8!!) birthdays in December, plus Christmas... with the purchase of a few gift cards. I'm so grateful for that.

    Yesterday included grocery shopping to stock up on meats. The prices are stunning. But...a large, shrink wrapped, boneless pork loin for $23 will become a small pork roast, plenty of boneless pork chops and cubed pork for the freezer, saving $1-2 per pound by being my own butcher and helping to fill the freezer. I nabbed bags of (24 oz.) boneless chicken breast tenders, spicy BBQ flavor, for less than $3 each, which is almost $5 off Walmart's price. They'll be good with oven roasted with veggies, served over rice for several meals. I'm grateful for shopping, prepping and cooking skills gleaned over the years, grateful I'm able to afford groceries, and grateful for your recent advice to be flexible. --Elise

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    1. Good for you on the inventories. Nice to have ALL those birthdays and Christmas covered.
      Meat is up in price - but knowing how to stretch it really helps. You sound like you have that covered. Great deals and ideas.
      It is times like these that make us all appreciate all the things we have learned over the years and that we can be creative.
      Have a good week.

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  4. Sounds like another good week for you, Cheryl. That is great that you were able to watch a YouTube video and figure out how to fix your toilet. YouTube is so great for that. Bailey used it to figure out how to jump start her car. I like tomatoes on my pizza too, it's something refreshing to have on there. I hope you have a great Sunday. :)

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    1. You Tube can be a time stealer -but it sure can be useful too.
      Tomatoes just add a refreshing bite to pizza. Love them.
      You have a good one as well!

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  5. I didn't shop this week as I did a huge shop last weekend. I am using up leftovers today and tomorrow. I leave on Thursday to take my grandgirl to college so want to have everything caught up before I go.
    You had a busy week and YAY for fixing the toilet!!!! xo Diana

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    1. Good for you on using what you have. Oh, I hope you have a memorable and lovely trip with your grand daughter.
      Have a great and safe one.

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  6. Good Sunday morning, Cheryl. Love the energy I get from this site! I made up my plan over coffee this morning, and need to stick to it this week. I also did menu planning and got groceries yesterday, since I needed to be at Meijer for my booster shot. I also arranged for my prescription refills to be filled while I was getting my groceries. It was a costly grocery run, but I had several bigger ticket purchases this time -- dog food, laundry detergent, to name a few. But I'm good to go for a couple of weeks, I think. If I need anything, it will be perishables. Will schedule my flu shot for late this, or early next week. Just didn't want to bombard my system with too much at once -- and my booster is more important right now. My sister, a nurse, is fully vaccinated and boosted and tested a "faint positive" last week. She lost her sense of smell and taste, but tested negative twice at her clinic. But with the loss of her senses, combined with a headache and lethargy, she got a home test kit and swabbed herself more thoroughly that her colleague did. So, it's a breakthrough case. She said she's starting to get a little smell and taste back; hoping she continues to improve. Prayers for healing for all who may be suffering, and for all of us to continue to have access to the necessary items we need.

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    1. Sometimes those visits are expensive - but if it gets us stocked up for a while - then it is good.
      I hope your sister gets to feeling better and does well. Being sick is no fun - whatever it is that makes one ill.
      Yes, I hope we are all either really stoked well or can find all the things that one needs. OR learns how to flexible and try new things/ways.
      Have a good one.

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  7. We had a glorious week away at the lake house. We slept and read and napped and ate out at every whim and watched favorite old movies. We sat our on the deck and enjoyed the water and the beautiful weather. So glad we could get away and so thankful for our favorite place.

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    1. So happy you had such a lovely trip. Sometimes it pays to unplug and go recharge. Glad you had the opportunity.
      Have a great week back at home.

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  8. My most frugal moment was my grocery, half of what I have been spending in weeks past. I guess that means my pantry is well stocked now. :)

    Take care, stay well.

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    1. YAY!!!!! Good for you. It sure does make you feel good, when you realize you are full up!
      Have a good one.

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  9. Cheryl, this is the second time in the past few weeks that I wrote a nice, long post, saw it post on the blog, but when I came back later it had disappeared. Did it go to your moderation/spam file?

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    1. Very busy week here. My annual physical was Tuesday. I got there early, having stopped at Home Depot on the way, and walked around the parking lot 5 times to get a little sun and exercise. Wednesday I took the car to Honda. The display monitor is bad and they had to order one. Much to my amazement the new one came in on Thursday. I plan to take the car in this week for the installation. Sure will be a lot easier to back in to my carport when I can see what's on the backup camera. Stopped at Walmart and a local grocery on the way home for items I can't get anywhere else. Went to the library book sale on Thursday. It was fill a bag for $10, and I came home with 8 big, fat books. Going to be a long, cold winter! Good for you for fixing your toilet! I keep one of those fill kits on hand since the hard water around here eats through them every few years. I've fixed many things by watching you-tube videos. Just think of all the money we save by fixing things ourselves! Hundreds of $$$! While you were being an amateur plumber, I was an amateur electrician. Replaced the sensor in my dusk-to-dawn yard light. Replaced the box for a wall receptacle in Husband's room. The previous owner (supposedly a professional electrician) had installed it, but it was falling out of the wall. The only hard part was bending the wire, since my old arthritic fingers don't have as much strength as they used to. I also replaced the ceiling fan/light with a regular ceiling mounted light fixture in his room. The hardest part was removing the old ceiling fan. The fan still worked, but the light had quit a few years ago, and Hunter doesn't make light kits for that type of fan. Husband desperately needed the light (a lamp wasn't doing the job), and we'll get him a quiet fan for the summer. I still have an old, noisy ceiling fan/light to replace with a ceiling light in the kitchen at some point in the future. I learned more about the Tuesday food giveaway here in the trailer park. This is a program of the Trader Joe's food stores. (https://www.traderjoes.com/home/neighborhood-shares) We are getting breads, meat, milk, fruit, vegetables, and eggs, along with other things like pasta and cereal sometimes. It is all good quality, though nearing its best-by date or in a smashed package. A lot of it is organic. Cheryl, they have store locations in Indy if you are interested in getting this started in your neighborhood. Husband's new walker arrived, and he has been practicing with it. (He fell 3 times in 4 days last week, prompting me to insist on ordering it.) He complains that it is too slow, but at least he is willing to use it. I told him he'll get faster with practice. I didn't get any yard work done besides mowing and weed whacking. Will mow one more time to run out the gas before I winterize the mower. Has to stop raining first. Temps in the low 50s, but no frost yet. What's left of the Mexican sunflower, marigolds, cosmos, snapdragons, and zinnias are still blooming. More birds coming to the feeders. Blue jays, tufted titmice, chickadees, and red-bellied woodpeckers have been stuffing their craws many times a day to bury seeds all over the yard. A pair of downy woodpeckers are coming to the suet. I made my own seed mix of safflower, peanuts, and sunflower hearts, leaving out the millet and fruit bits that were in the commercial mix. There isn't nearly as much waste. I made 15 lbs for less than the cost of 14 lbs of the commercial mix. Hope everyone has a safe and frugal week!

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    2. The reply isn't me guys - that is Frances post she posted earlier in the day. For some reason it posted - but didn't show up. It did not go to SPAM. Not sure what the problem is.
      BUT THIS LONG POST IS FRANCES

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    3. I have no idea why it didn't show up here Frances. That is crazy.
      It sounds like you had quite a busy week. Goodness. It is amazing what we can do when we put our minds to it. My ceiling fan/light had a busted pull chain on the fan - I fixed that a while back. I even put up the dining room ceiling light and one in the second bedroom. Granted I was following instructions - but it wasn't that hard.

      I have never been to Trader Joe's. I think the closest to me me is the other side of town. That is neat that they do that and wonderful for all who get goodies.
      Your hubby will get used to the walker eventually. Poor guy - they just hate to admit they need help.
      I sure enjoy the birds - they are so neat to watch. Glad you have so many. Good going on the feed.
      Have a great week!

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    4. Thanks for posting my post. I really did break it into paragraphs LOL! I wonder if the problem was the link that I posted. I'll have to remember not to do that again.

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    5. I have no idea why it happened. It showed up in my background info just not for everyone else to see. Hopefully it won't happen again. Let me know if it does.

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  10. Good job, lady plumber! One tip I learned about water line valves was to back it off a bit after you open it so that the handle can rotate both ways. If it gets seized in the full open position, it's hard to budge but if you can turn in both directions, not so bad. Your pizza looks tempting. You are pretty handy in the kitchen; better food at a better price. Enjoy the cooler days.

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    1. Thanks for that tip. I don't have to move those valves very often - and it was kind of tight - but it finally went. I have watched to make sure there have been no leaks.
      I really like to cook and you are so right - better food and cheaper prices at home!
      I will enjoy once the rain stops!! LOL
      Have a good week.

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  11. Forgot to add: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHERYL!! (I know it's some time this week)

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  12. My weeks seem to run into each other with not much variety. You had a busy week.

    God bless.

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    1. I hear ya. It sure seems that they all run together. Mine are usually same old - same old.
      Blessings

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  13. Birthday? Happy Birthday! Hope it is a good one!

    The only two Trader Joe's here are both on the north side; 86th Street and Castleton. We stopped after the Urban Farmer's eye appointment last Thursday. I wouldn't make a special trip to the store.

    Go YOU for doing repairs and installations! A plumber would have cost a bunch, not that they don't need to make a living too. However it is good to know how to do things yourself and save a few shekels.

    Your pizza looks so good! We had fish and chips for the Sabbath and I made some cole slaw with cranberries, apples, onion and sliced almonds. Found some cans of baked beans dated 2017 in an odd storage place and doctored a can up and they were very good. Tonight I warmed up two taquitos and made a dip of leftover guacamole, refried beans and corn. It was actually pretty good. Hated to dump it.

    We got about two inches of rain today. Went to Rural King and bought vinegar as it is the cheapest there. Afterwards went to Big Lots and used a 20% off coupon.

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    1. Yes it is this week. I try to forget about them! LOL

      Thanks - It would have been a minimum of $100 for a plumber to do what I did. It took like 6 or 7 minutes.
      Your food sounds good. Good for you on using it all up and not wasting.
      I thought Trader Joe's was north. I doubt I ever get up there. I don't do north side!

      Indeed we got the rain. The back yard is a small lake this morning. I have noticed the price of vinegar is coming down at some stores. Rural King is always the cheapest.

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    2. I guess from your location, Trader Joe's is north. Got more rain and storms last night. ugh...

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    3. Yes t is north for me. I am southside. The rain - I'm done with it!!!!!!

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  14. Good for you fixing your toilet. You probably saved a lot of money. I don't know if they're trying to scare us about the shortages but I went to two different Wal-marts in two different parts of our state this weekend and there was plenty of product. Everything from butterball turkeys to toilet paper and everything in between. I did stock up on lots of items just in case, but there doesn't seem to be any shortage of product that I could tell. That pizza. Yum!

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    1. I see a hole here and there - but nothing to get scared about. I don't see it here either - but I guess some places don't have products. I keep thinking it sure is a good marketing tool - no product - sell tons when it is placed on shelves!!!! And charge whatever you want - because people are going nuts buying! That is just me.
      The pizza was tasty - more in freezer for another day!

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    2. Sometimes I think the "shortage" really depends on what we buy. I have found what I needed this entire "covid life". But I buy ingredients and when I've gotten low on something I've been able to buy it. The exception is my preferred organic toiletries-I've had to switch brands on shampoo, body wash and face wash but able to stay organic. Also my preferred vitamins for each of us. We are stocked up on an acceptable alternate but I see the others are finally available again.

      Wishing everyone a fantastic week ahead! We're getting much needed rain in the northwest and hopefully the start to an excellent snowpack to provide a less productive fire season next summer!

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    3. I think you may be right - depends on what you are looking for.
      Last year I never worried about TP - as I had a good years worth or more on hand - always do.
      I can just change up menu plans or substitute and be good. Sounds like you found good alternatives too. It also seems to WHERE you are shopping as well.

      I hope it helps to prevent fires next season. I wish I could send you our rain - UGH! Glad you are getting some.

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  15. Happy Monday!

    I had family here for 8 days, so yesterday was a Costco, Aldi, Publix re-stock day!

    I am surprised at the cost of beef chuck roasts---so bought a giant pack of beef stew meat for $4.59/pound and divided the 5 lbs up into 4 packages...I will do my pot roast/veggies with that. I figure it will be tender with the low and slow cooking.

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    1. Glad you got to spend time with family.
      It is 'hurts' to restock! Great idea on the stew meat. Roast has been expensive here for a long while. I have some filets and steak in the freezer I plan on using in that way.
      It all works and tastes yummy!

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  16. Great on you youtubing how to fix the toilet isn't it amazing how many things we can do when we try!

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    1. Thanks - it sure is. Girls can do anything! Girl power!!!!!

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