Happy Sunday my friends. I sure do pray you are all safe. There has been so much bad weather happening the past couple days. So much destruction. Prayers for all.
We had a few tornados touch down in IN, but nothing like that here in my area. Just lots of wind and rain, thank goodness. We have hit our warmest of the day, earlier this morning. The temps will be dropping back into more normal (for this time of year) range. We have had a very warm week, but that is over for a bit. More normal for this coming week.
It seems March is always full of wind and storms. It is a scary time.
Here we are half-way through the month. Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. They had a parade here in the city Friday - and it happened without rain! It usually pours on the day of the parade. ENJOY
AMEN
I actually got out my flip-flops this week! Yes, it was that warm (80 one day). I think I broke every nail while doing yard work! LOL. Daffodils are starting to bud. Birds are just amazing. Robins and more robins, tons of doves, and even the one-legged pigeon - it has shown up daily for about two weeks. Amazing. The cow birds are back too. My little world is starting to wake up!Sis went home Friday! It has changed and they say she can now do assisted living. So they are getting that all worked out, and then she will move. She should be able to move real soon. If so inclined, please say a little prayer that she doesn't get hurt anymore and stays safe.
My frugal week:
- Got to air the house most of the week.
- NO heat for many days
- I worked and worked outside. Cleaning out the front beds and spots all over the yard.
- Did my weekly "trash" walk and picked up lots of items
- Refilled all the soap containers - my usual of soap, water and vinegar
- I did put out spring door decorations
- Cleaned all the windows, doors and mirrors. Did the ceiling fans as well
- Made a gallon of tea. Had sparkling fruit water several times (soda stream)
- Got to unplug all the outdoor water bowls and birdbath
- I think I have laundered about everything in the house! I am on a roll with spring cleaning. Just laundering everything
- I stayed home until Friday. I did run in Kroger for sales only. Cabbage - .49/lb., asparagus - 1.49 lb., bananas .49 lb. I did get 2 - 4 lb. bags of sugar as hummingbird season will be soon (to add to what I already have). I also found 1 lb. of Brussel sprouts on sale for 1.69 and 3 lb. Cara Cara oranges for 2.99
- Cooking at home, using up leftovers. No oven used - just air frier
- All the normal stuff
Meals this past week:
Beans & rice, ham slices (freezer) carrot & cuke stix
Cheese topped bagels (roasted), summer sausage and small fruit salad
Faux crab salad over lettuce, crackers
Chicken strip, potato & cheese roll-up
Pan seared flounder, crab and salad (homemade cocktail sauce as well)
Beans & rice (freezer) and tortillas, fruit
Cheese, fried onion topped chopped steak and salad
There you have it. Nothing exciting, just trying to get things done while the weather permits. I have sure enjoyed this taste of spring. This week I will probably continue to work inside. Trying to get creative with meals. Buying the cheaper goods while available. I only buy cabbage when it gets super cheap - it lasts quite a while.
How has your week been? Did you get any good weather to enjoy? Any good deals?
I sure hope none of you had to endure damage from the storms.
I pray you are all safe and healthy! Blessings to you and yours from me at my humble little home.
***************
Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Lord, again we send thanks for all our mercies received. Please help us each one to live according to the scripture. May we each live our best lives and help others as well. We pray for peace and love in this world for all. AMEN
Glad to hear the worst weather missed you. The number of deaths due to bad weather is frightening. Take care.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Yes, and unfortunately there were deaths associated with these storms. So very sad.
DeleteHave a good week.
You had summer this past week while winter visited here again with temps -10 to -20C, blowing snow. The snow gives "permission" to lie low after all the travelling with yet another trip to the "big smoke" but this time purely social to visit with cousins. Only got 6 miles of walking in this week, one day with a friend after we shared lunch. The neighbor little visited yesterday but she wasn't feeling well so it was a very low key visit. In the kitchen: creamy harissa chicken w/ gnocchi; veg soup w/ Italian sausage; egg salad; carrot/pineapple muffins; chocolate chip cookies; mayonnaise chocolate cake; puffed wheat cake. Know that I don't eat all this baking myself! Some gets gifted; some gets put in the freezer for a later date. Have a good week, Cheryl.
ReplyDeleteYes, we had May weather last week. Sorry for the continued cold weather. Glad you had a visit for fun.
DeleteI was going to say I would be huge if I had all that baked goods around! Oh golly, it sounds soooooo good. Love that you gift some of it. I will be your friend!
Have a lovely week.
Friday it was 80⁰ F so we took the grandkids out. Today is what they call a wintry mix. This is the part of winter I do not like! Wet, cold, slushy.
ReplyDeleteStill eating out of the freezer and pantry. Hope to make it until Easter without grocery shopping except for hubs. Got him lettuce & bananas yesterday.
I always say these little glimpses of spring keep me going through the next few months of winter weather. You can't really say winter is over until May around here.
I remember as a child going to church on Easter and there was at least a foot of snow. I thought we were going to get stuck because daddy had already taken the chains off the tires (remember those?) That was in West Virginia.
I saw so many people saying they got out and did things with the kiddos. Good time for it. Spring break is this week around here, and the weather will not be quite so good.
DeleteGood for you on eating what you have. I have been buying a little fresh that it is on sale. That is it.
Yes, those glimpses are so nice and give us hope!
I can remember having that special dress and coat mom had made (for spring) at Easter and freezing. You just never know! I remember chains.
Have a super week.
Excellent devotional! We would do well to remember those words of 1Corinthians. If someone is rude or disrespectful, that is not showing love to your neighbor.
ReplyDeleteSure enjoyed having the patio door open and a couple windows as well last week. Now we are getting into more normal March weather. I follow several gals in the south on Instagram and they have been talking about their weather.
You have been on a spring cleaning campaign! Bottle some of your energy and I will come down and get it. The best I can do at this point is to make a list. ha!
Found more hamburger in the big freezer and will use it to make a pasta sauce today. Think we are about to the end of the really old stuff.
Enjoy your day. This will be a slow-moving day for me.
Thanks. One of my favorite devotionals.
DeleteOh the fresh air was just lovely. My gr. niece lives in Ark. and her area was hit pretty bad. She is fine as is her home. So sad.
I am, I have the energy now so I better do it. Good for you on using up the older stuff. Waste not want not.
Such a dreary icky day - no motivation today. Have a wonderful week.
The big dangerous weather they kept warning us of seems to have blown away. Yes, the power blipped early this morning, and there was rain, but the deck was not even wet under the eaves - after the threat of high winds and heavy rain with maybe hail or a tornado. Does the weather department not remember the story of "The boy who cried 'Wolf!'"? I am not the only one in this area who is seeing this.
ReplyDeleteYesterday was lovely - an all day hymn singing with BYO lunch and no bad weather during the travel. :)
MaryB
Glad you missed the nasty stuff. I think you have had your share. Many were not so lucky. I guess they need to warn in case - if they didn't, then people would say they were remiss in their job!
DeleteSounds like a lovely day for you! I love that you do that every week.
Have a great week.
We had some bad wind and lots of rain but thankfully nothing damaged here other than some small limbs down.
ReplyDeleteWe took advantage of super nice weather and went to the zoo. We don't go out to many places, everything is just so far away, (the zoo is 3 hours one way) and I had been wanting to take the kids somewhere. The problem though is time is limited to weekends and breaks because of school when everything is more crowded. So we just decided to let the oldest miss a day (he rarely misses anyway) and went. It was good timing because Saturday the price went up to Spring rates so by going three days earlier it was $30 cheaper than if we waited. I also packed all food and drink so we didn't purchase any when we were out. We also stopped at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace (free) so they got a history lesson in addition to being able to stretch their legs a bit. We also stopped at Bernheim Forest to walk the Forest Giants trail, something I had been wanting to do and was close.
I used my Walmart+ .10 off per gallon of gas.
The oldest got a Dr Seuss bookbag filled with candy and small toys as a reward for being among the top Accelerated Reader earners in the school. He gave the bag to his little brother and shared some of the candy with him.
Continued with books, downloaded audiobooks, and DVDs from the library.
I did one small grocery pickup and they gave me bananas that weren't great. I used them to make banana chocolate chip muffins.
I subscribed to BritBox using my Google Play points. I love Death in Paradise and the new season is airing now. It was all ‘free’ money. I get Google Rewards money from uploading receipts and doing surveys and it can only be used on the Play Store. I never use it hardly and had a lot built up, some of it which is going to start expiring soon. Certain streaming services if you download the app and subscribe within it you can use Google money. So I get to watch one of my favorite shows without spending any actual money. I'll cancel once the season is over.
Glad your sis went home. Well wishes she will remain safe and healthy.
Oh what a wonderful family trip! I bet the kiddos had a ball. Sounds like a fun day to me as well. I enjoy the zoo. Great savings too! I'd say it was worth missing a day of school for.
DeleteHow neat for your eldest to be honored, and nice to share.
It sounds like you had a really good week. Lots of fun and lots of saving.
Thank you!
Have a lovely week.
I'm glad you escaped the awful storms and that your sister is back home. Assisted living sounds an excellent choice to give her support when she needs it and help build up her confidence after all she has gone through.
ReplyDeleteOur weather has been a mixture of sunshine and showers. The garden has been too wet to work on so I have mainly stayed inside and done some Spring cleaning.
Thanks. It was just starting to dry out some here, then all the rain came. It is muddy again. I won't be working in the garden until probably May. It sure is nice to get those sunny days. I guess the rain brings joys as well - spring flowers and green grass.
DeleteNow is the time for the spring cleaning, for sure.
Have a beautiful week.
Wonderful scripture quote, thank you. Your weather and activities really sound like spring! Fingers crossed the flip flops stay on your feet ;). I had a chilly week here for Phoenix, used the heat during the day (normally just use it an hour or two in early am). I see people in down vests and parkas (highs during the day 50’s)…makes the snow birds who are here laugh out loud since they think it is hot! I did indeed wear a down vest one day. Have a good week, Hilogene in Az.
ReplyDeleteSounds like our weather just kind of reversed! hard to imagine that chilly there. 50's is just a sweatshirt kind of weather for me - no coat. I doubt if I wear the flip-flops this week - maybe just a day or so! LOL
DeleteHave a super week.
Glad to hear you had no damage from the storms. They were a bit too close for comfort for us, but we made it through just fine. We hit 81 on Wednesday thru Friday and then today we woke up to 29. Storms and up and down temps are one reason I'm not much of a fan of this time of year.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have another productive week.
Dang, 29 is pretty darn chilly. It was in the 40's here this morning. It will get down to around 30 tonight I think. I am glad you made it through all good. The March weather is always so unpredictable. I hope you got to have your get together.
DeleteHave a super week.
Grocery specials this week were 80% ground beef, $2.99; point cut corned beef, $2.99; cabbage, .48. I have a tip for Cheryl and others who buy cabbage, even occasionally (like when it is cheap). This is probably an old tip but I discovered it for myself by accident with the last head. After you have cut the cabbage, wrap one of the outer leaves around the cut area and store in a plastic bag. It will stay fresh for a long time and the cut edge will not turn black.
ReplyDeleteWhen I find hamburger meat on sale, I always buy a bunch and repackage it in 1/2 lb packages for the freezer. My husband passed a few months ago and I was wondering what to do about corned beef. This year, instead of looking for a small one (I actually bought two) I bought large ones and cut them in half.
I listed a watch for sale on Marketplace several weeks ago and had lowered the price as far as I was willing to go, even though I had absolutely no use for it. (Some of the offers were so lowball they were downright insulting). Then I got a message from a young man who really wanted the watch and offered to barter. His list showed that he was a computer guru and, boy, did I need one! We met up today in a cafe with wi-fi and he went over my laptop, fixed quite a few things and I handed over the watch. Funny coincidence: he, his girlfriend (who came along) and I were all born in Portland, Oregon! He and I grew up less than 2 miles apart.
I also swapped about 10 days ago. I sold my husband's 20-year-old pickup to the nephew of a friend and bartered $1,000 of the purchase price when I found out he had a handyman business. He came last week and painted my daughter's bedroom and 4 interior doors, cut down 2 small trees and hauled away the limbs in my former truck, plus several little honey-do jobs that required a ladder (I no longer climb ladders).
Thank you, Cheryl, for listing your menus each week. You would be surprised how many times you have inspired me! Best wishes to you and everyone else here.
Wow what a great price on the corned beef. The cheapest ours got was 4.99/lb. I purchase smaller ones when I get it, cook and then package and freeze for another date. I have done that with cabbage as well - it really does work.
DeleteYou have had some great barters.
It sure is a small world isn't it? Neat that you all knew the same area. Glad your computer is all fixed up.
That is great on the truck and the barter. You did really well.
I am glad you get inspired by my meals. I think they are pretty simple, but I do like variety.
I should add that the young man that worked on my computer showed me everything he was doing as he did it and never asked for passwords or other information. He did not touch the hard drive. Several of my friends were concerned about this. As we discussed in advance, he was conscientious and above-board. And I loved his girlfriend!
ReplyDeleteGood. That thought entered my mind. Glad to hear that you are happy and he was honest. I think it was nice he brought the girlfriend, that probably made you feel more comfortable.
DeleteCheryl, I think you and all of the women here that are living alone will attest that it is no fun to cook for one, at least at first when you are still getting used to cooking less. You seem to have found a good balance between dead simple and a big whoop-de-do! (I'm looking for dead simple).
DeleteThe corned beef I cooked today was a little too salty. (With corned beef, you just never know. I am going to simmer it in water for awhile to see if it cuts the saltiness. I have done this a few times with ham. I might put in a potato to see how much of the salt it absorbs.
It is a learning curve that is for sure. At first I was mainly sandwiches and salads, when I ate much at all. I understand. Hope you get the corned beef gets less salty. Good luck
DeleteJust catching up after a busy weekend, making the most of the better weather to demolish an outbuilding that lost its roof in a storm over winter. That was a job well done, tidies the yard somewhat and is one less place for the hoarder half of this relationship to store stuff !!!
ReplyDeleteYour meals sound so yummy, I am looking forward to more salads as it warms up.
I am happy to hear things are looking up for your sister. Continued prayers and good thoughts that things stay that way.
Have a great week Cheryl, don’t work too hard. Take care, Louise
Sounds like you did keep busy. That is a huge undertaking. LOL - on 'places for the hoarder' comment. You know as the old saying goes - as son as you throw it out, you will find a need for it. Seems to be so fore me!
DeleteThank you. Prayers and blessings much appreciated for sis.
This will be a lower key week - not as nice. Still plenty to do.
Have a beautiful week.
That warm air coming in can cause so many problems!
ReplyDeleteSeems it generates a lot of storms for sure.
DeleteBe safe and have a good week.
I am so glad that the worst weather missed you. Here and in the city where Kris lives, we had snow. Hopefully none of the usual March blizzards of heavy wet snow happen this year. You have had a busy week.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Thanks. Glad you didn't have trouble getting back. So happy you got your visit in, and I hope it was a good one. There is usually something bad that happens in March.
DeleteHave a good week.
Isn't it nice to be able to start the process of getting your yard ready for the warm weather? I hope the move goes smoothly for your sister. It's a big adjustment and the easier it goes, the better for her to start off happy.
ReplyDeleteIt was wonderful getting outside. Not a lot this week, will probably happen. But it was a start. It is a big move for her, and yes, I sure hope it all goes well.
DeleteHave a super week.
I'm glad your sis is doing better and able to go into assisted living. The weather is up and down here and we are thankful for the good days to get out and get things done. 80's I can't Imagine but someday I know!
ReplyDeleteThank you. It sure is up and down - you just never know. March is such an unpredictable month.
DeleteHave a good week.
Cheryl, in your frugal endeavors, have you discovered that the air fryer is cheaper to use than the oven? If so, I may want to invest in one. It would be really convenient now that I work late on certain days.
ReplyDeleteI have read many articles that say it is cheaper. I truly think so. What I might bake in my gas oven that may take half an hour or more to bake - I can do with a little electricity and less time. I can do 'oven' fries in 15 minutes. I can do 'fried' chicken in maybe 20 minutes and there is no grease. I know that caloric value of the food is much less. No oil or grease - but all the goodness.
DeleteI think it saves money and time and food nutrition. Maybe others can jump in as well.
Truthfully I probably wouldn't have bought one if I had not found such a super deal. But as the years go by, they are getting cheaper and cheaper - so maybe.