A collection of tiny blog posts
Good Monday morning to ya!
(Well. It's Monday morning as I type this. I have no idea when you will read it.)
I've got a post full of random things for you today. It's like a collection of tiny blog posts. 😉
The bookshelf is in Sonia's room
Mr. FG and I carried it up there on Saturday, which was quite a task because of the size.
This is a seriously tall bookshelf; here's 5'8" me next to it for comparison.
There was chalk paint all over the shelf hardware and my goodness, that was a bear to get off.
I tried a couple of different methods and eventually landed on a soak in boiling water followed by lots of elbow grease with an SOS pad.
In the future, I will most definitely think twice before taking on a furniture item that's been chalk-painted.
I don't regret doing this bookshelf, but chalk paint would definitely give me pause in the future.
Anyway, I'll do a before, during, and after post once the paint is hard enough for Sonia to load up the shelves with stuff.
(The wait is because we are trying really hard to follow the instructions and patiently wait five days for the paint to fully cure, especially because books are notorious for sticking to painted shelves. Hopefully our patience will pay off!)
Isn't this egg beautiful?
Zoe had to do an osmosis lab for biology, and the last step was soaking the now-shell-less egg in a food coloring solution.
I thought the end result was really beautiful.
So, the virus. Whoa.
Things have seriously changed in such a short time; it feels a little like whiplash.
We'd been doing pretty well in my area for quite a few months and now poof! Some of our metrics are as bad as they were at the beginning of the pandemic.
Sigh.
I was telling Mr. FG this morning that hey, at least there's not a whole lot of formal stuff in our lives that can get re-cancelled.
- He was already working from home.
- The girls already had online college classes
- We were already doing church online
- I always work online (!)
We were already wearing masks when out and about, and we have not been eating in restaurants.
So, the uptick is discouraging, but the tightened restrictions will be less of an adjustment than they were the first time around.
The main thing I'm hoping for on a personal level is that Lisey will still be able to keep working at Valvoline.
They wear masks, there's a lot of air circulation because of the garage doors, and customers stay in their cars, so I think it's a relatively safe job to keep going to and I am hopeful she'll still get to work.
And on a worldwide level, of course I am hoping for a swift end to the pandemic with as few lives lost as possible.
A food waste course is coming (tomorrow, actually)
Several years ago, I did a poll asking what Frugal Girl readers would like a focused course on, and food waste was the top answer.
I've been a little slow to execute (!), but tomorrow, I'm opening up the first round of a four-week email course on food waste.
(I'm doing an email course because I know how easy it is to forget about courses that are delivered all at once.)
Since this is the first time I've done this and there are bound to be snafus, I'm offering it at a lower price point tomorrow, and then it'll be a slightly higher price point in January.
The first round of participants can be my beta testers and help me make it better by offering feedback.
Anyway. More info coming on that tomorrow!
Wire closet shelving is a hot item (?)
Mr. FG and I redid Zoe's closet shelving so that she has a wood shelf and an actual bar to hang her clothes on.
I listed the closet shelving on a local free group, thinking it was worth a try vs. throwing the old shelving away, and I got a whole bunch of responses.
I love that the internet makes it so easy to connect my uneeded stuff with people!
It is almost always worth it to take a few minutes to try to give things away. It is so, so true that one man's trash is another's treasure.
I accidentally got a LOT of coffee
Lisey and I like the Starbucks mocha grounds, and I usually get a box delivered every six months or so.
Well, somehow my Subscribe and Save got messed up and I got a double order.
Which means we have an awful lot of coffee right now.
Luckily, Lisey and I aren't coffee snobs, so when we open a package six months from now, we will not be all, "Hmm, this tastes slightly stale."
Being an easy-to-please coffee drinker is coming in handy right about now.
And hey, no matter what happens with supply chains, we know we will not run out of coffee!
Normally I just sort of abruptly end these posts of randomness, but let's do something more fun today:
Some Randomness
1. I've been helping my grandkids with virtual school and today they all go back full time. Not sure it's a good idea but it's what is happening here. I miss them already.
2. This is a weird week for me as my husband passed 4 years ago on Thursday. Trying to not book too much for that day but I will spend some time with my 2 kids that are local and make sure to reach out to the 1 that is out of state to make sure he is okay.
3. We are still trying to figure out Thanksgiving. I've been around my kids and grandkids the entire time with helping with school but it feels a little more risky with school starting back. We'll make a decision this week.
Make sure to wear sunscreen year round, all complextions...it could save your life.
Happy almost Thanksgiving.
I’m very sorry for your loss and hope both Thursday and the upcoming holidays land gently for you and yours.
I agree with you on the school decision being unwise. I don’t understand why any school would choose this moment to return in person given the upcoming holidays! I hope you all stay healthy!
I am figuring out a thanksgiving menu for our family of 5 for the first time ever. I usually bring mashed potatoes to a larger family gathering, but Covid. Our numbers are also very crappy now.
Our fridge ice maker is currently on strike. This happened a month ago for a few days. I love ice so I am going to do some internet sleuthing before I call a repair person. It is a Samsung, and I’ve read discouraging things about finding repair people to work on them. I’m crossing my fingers I can resolve it.
Weather in Chicago has calmed down, We had a weekend of storms on Friday followed by two days of cold temps and blustery winds.
My 2 older kids will be home in < 1week!!!
Hi there, not sure if this would help but I had a Samsung and my mom does as well...And I do her repairs..lol. If you have the two doors on top and freezer on bottom, the ice is prone to stopping. If you pull out the freezer drawers and look up in the back top, there may be ice forming around the vent. This blocks the ice maker from working. My mom's does it twice a year. I just go in and chip it off and then viola! On mine, it quit working multiple times (had a repair guy come out 4 times, he was one of the few whom repairs those, and said, nope, it's a lemon (I had a warranty on it) I am calling time of death....lol. Got it replaced) If it isn't the ice formation, you can try unplugging and replugging and see if you can hear the motor. Not sure if any of this is helpful, but may save a repair bill!
I have a side by side, but I'll check if I see ice! Thanks! We haven't had many issues otherwise, but when it is time for a replacement, I will pick something more readily serviced for sure!
We have had the same problem with ours so many times. My son is usually able to revive it but it kept getting worse and worse. We finally bought a small countertop ice maker and I love it so much! We just use the ice box in the freezer for extra storage now.
1. There is not much positivity in this whole pandemic but I do find it helpful to have the kind of slowed down lifestyle that allows for projects around the house to get completed. I have organized my closet and purged everything that has been hanging there and note worn in the last year. (read: now I seriously have almost no clothing) I will deliver the items to Goodwill this week and I now have a wonderfully organized and not overstuffed closet. It is easy to find things and so much less stressful getting dressed each day.
2. We have been working to purge unused toys as well. Our son is 5 years old now and there were many items that just weren't being played with any longer. So we have boxes of items to donate and will list his kitchen on FB Marketplace this week. I am hopeful that a wonderful family will find a Christmas blessing in that as we will list it for about a third of what we paid for the kitchen itself, plus include all of accessories, pots, & pans etc.
3. My garden is an official mess but things continue to grow. This is my first fall garden and I have not been able to devote the time I should to weed as I did in the Spring & Summer. While annoying to me, this has not stopped the Mustard Greens, Collard greens, cabbage, arugula, celery, carrots and herbs from growing like mad. Bugs are not an issue as they were in the Spring and it is a lot less fussy. This is my first fall garden so I am learning as I go and making oodles of mistakes I am sure.
4. Christmas music season has officially begun in my house and I am not one bit ashamed. It is amazing what a lovely time you can have cleaning out your closet while streaming Christmas music. I am all about whatever small joys we can savor these days and while our tree is not up yet, Bing Crosby is crooning White Christmas and my son is singing Jingle Bell Rock while he plays with his Batman figures.
Happy Monday everyone!
First time (ever) planted grape tomatoes from seed in July as experiment. Vines still producing tomatoes despite several cold snaps. Love fresh tomatoes.
First time ever putting up bird feeders-April-and have derived much pleasure from watching bird life. To keep squirrels from feeders I bought 5 ft of narrow metal ductwork and put around pole-painted it black and voila no squirrels can navigate up the ductwork. To keep mourning doves and crows from big feeder, put up large clear golf umbrella over pole and in addition to preventing big birds, it keeps bird seed in feeders dry. It’s well tied down (unobtrusive) so even with winds and storms has stayed in place.
Even with social distancing and lots of rules and masks, so happy to be back in church building for live services. So thrilled weather is still permitting my SS class to meet outside in teacher’s back yard. Since May have not had bad weather even one Sunday.
Here's some odd randomness:
1) My mother-in-law tested positive for COVID. She lives here in Wyoming with us, but she's traveling in CA right now. No clue where she caught it. Either way, I reported it to my work and now am working from home until Thursday this week. Today was the first day I felt exhausted exhausted, have a slight sore throat and a runny nose. So I'm being uber precautious. We ordered COVID tests and they will be here today. We should get results by Wednesday.
2) That said, I love working from home. I love wearing what I want to wear. Cooking food when I'm hungry. Setting my own schedule. And being around my husband and baby. I have a job that I can do from anywhere, which makes me sad that I'm required to be in an office... and doing mandatory zoom meetings from there instead of home.
3) My baby boy turns 1 in 3 weeks. And I have not lost the baby weight. I need to get serious about it. But I'm finding it hard. REALLY hard. At some point I'll need to show myself some tough love... but right now, being exhausted, I'm just going to drink my coffee and get work done.
If you put each bag or two in a freezer bag and store it, they will stay much fresher!
Random stuff? Hmm ...
I'm not scared of Covid so much as I am of the slump that kids are experiencing in missing school and the absolute failure that is "remote learning." I've never been happier that my daughter missed the cutoff for Kindergarten. God had His plan for her! Meanwhile she's learning to read a little more each day and we work on it with her. I'm hoping by the time school starts (or we bite the bullet and homeschool) she'll be ahead of the game.
I do hope that now that we have two vaccines that it's just a matter of time for things to calm down and return to normal.
I made it to an Asian grocery store for the first time in months! A lot of the products sold there you can't easily find online (or if you can you have to pay high shipping costs) so since we were in the area for something else I was able to stock up on all the stuff I wanted. I do always feel a bit out of place going in there but whatever.
Meanwhile my wife wanted to look in the Trader Joe's and saw a Soviet style line out the door. Yeah, nothing in Trader Joe's is worth standing in line for!
The colder weather is hitting us hard and I'm not happy about it but hey, what can you do about it?
My wife and I actually did a menu for the week which is the first time in ages. Not having a menu was causing a lot of stress for me (I am not creative in coming up with food options) so now at least I know where I stand on making food for the week.
Loved the metaphor "Soviet style line".
The line outside Trader Joes is caused by the store limiting the number of patrons allowed in the store at one time, which actually makes for a safer shopping experience (and nicer to not bump into people in the crowded aisles!). Plus, smaller crowds in the store means less wait time at the checkout.
Throughout the pandemic, the line outside has moved very quickly, and somebody hands you a disinfected cart as you walk in. It has felt the safest place to shop at for us.
On a frugal note, TJ is our go-to place to save on dairy products, eggs, olive oil, peanut butter, nuts, cheeses, granola bars, crackers, canned beans, salsas, tortillas, frozen items, and some meats and fruits & veggies like organic apples, avocados, potatoes, cucumbers, and salads.
I originally drove past Trader Joe's because of the line, but then I tried it once and I agree; it goes super fast! It's not bad at all, and it is nice to have things less crowded in the store.
10/10 would recommend. Battra, go on a nice day and I bet you'll just spend about five pleasant minutes out there waiting. Don't let the line keep you from shopping there if you are wanting to!
I didn't want to go; my wife did. She can go without me if she wants to stand in line. 😉
I don't care if it's the most regimented line in history, I'm not standing in it. I'll go elsewhere.
I hate Trader Joe's for a variety of different reasons but the number one has to be that their stores are way too small and yet inefficient. Aldi I can go into, get everything in a few minutes and leave. Lidl is also great with much more options (sadly no Lidl up near me yet) but TJs is like a once a year experience that I always end up disappointed by.
I wonder if it's just the TJ's near you. The one I shop at is certainly small--if you typically shop at Walmart or another big grocery--but it's well organized, has almost everything we need at very competitive prices, and super friendly employees. In fact, last week one of the managers saw me and actually commented on how he hadn't seen me for awhile; I was surprised because I always figure I'm just your basic Joe Customer. We don't have Aldi or Lidl in my state so I can't compare with those. And I'll echo what was said above. The line (which appears longer than it is because you stand 6' apart from other shoppers) moves super fast. Of course, that doesn't help if you can't stand lines at all!
I will stand in line for their spicy chai tea latte mix. I'm addicted. If anyone knows of an exact recipe, I will be forever grateful. I've tried recipes, but nothing compares.
I'm reading this post on Monday morning. Thanks for the little "chat".
That bookshelf is turning out great! You saved a lot of money and it will hold many books.
I enjoy your blogs. I can't remember how I found you but I'm glad I did.
The virus hasn't affected me much as I am homebound. I do Insta cart grocery delivery and Amazon.
Went to Jiffy Lube yesterday (it was connected to the tire store I really wanted to go to) and the woman there was the manager -- Lisey you can strive for big things!
Planning on staying home for a while; just the supermarket to get groceries. I've been forgetting my mask when I go into the store and have to go back to my car!
Make up some coffee + mugs kind of Christmas present. People love receiving coffee as gifts. And mugs are always in demand!
Mostly working on crafts to sell so I can make some extra cash. I'm even debating on selling some clothes I don't wear anymore. But then I think that a lot of people are probably doing that because they are working from home. And I've heard of a lot of people being told that they will be working from home indefinitely. So seems a little weird to list office clothes, you know.
And working on Christmas gifts. Pulled names last week -- much to the dislike of family members, but I can't wait too long to ship something! Now to think of things that I can order and ship direct so I don't have to worry anymore.
I make journals and cards and I was wondering where you sell? I was selling some cards at a local coffee shop but they have since closed the inside so selling there isn't an option any more. Do you sell online? Thanks in advance for the info.
1 yes I know it is Monday because I hear our wonderful garbage men cheerfully getting our garbage. 2. I have pork chops and am making a frying pan full with tons of cut up veggies. 3. I have my favorite dollar tree coffee sticks..6 to a box. 4. Good looking xmas decor at dollar tree. 5. I sent money to xmas stocking fun in my hometown...for elderly in rural areas
I make journals and cards and I was wondering where you sell? I was selling some cards at a local coffee shop but they have since closed the inside so selling there isn't an option any more. Do you sell online? I was thinking the same thing about the coffee. A bag of coffee would be a great gift. Thanks in advance for the info.
Etsy shop?
Random comment:
We have become accustomed to reading yesterday's newspaper. The New York Times is delivered--popped into an ozone bag and not handled and read until the next day.
Ditto with each day's paper mail.
We still have some strange food items left from the initial "stock your larder" scare. One of them is "everlasting milk" in small cardboard packs. It is German and looks most unattractive. Also many canned Amy's soups.
Shelf-stable dairy always feels kind of unattractive to me!
Yup - I've got a Brexit larder (as I'm in the UK) but it keeps being delayed and delayed so I'm trying to eat the older stuff. So today for lunch I had a packet of cauli rice (which is rather disgusting, alas) with canned red beans in chilli sauce. I also have lots of Amy's soup, but discovered that nobody here likes the tomato one (weirdly sweet) so gave those away. to a food bank.
When we lived in bush Alaska, places with no road or sea access so everything had to be flown in, milk was prohibitively expensive (as in $11 a gallon at one point) or completely unavailable. We tried using shelf stable milk but hated it so ended up changing a lot of our meals (like no cereal) to bypass the need for milk. When we first moved back to Fairbanks, the husband and I gorged on milk for about the first month.
The book case is lovely.,,,
I’m getting new tires and an alignment today on my 10-year old car. I love this car, have kept it in tip-top shape and plan to continue driving it.
I’m sad that Covid will put a damper on Christmas and Thanksgiving celebrations. We will not be celebrating with extended family this year. I miss them all.
It is finally a bit cooler and the humidity is lower in Florida where I live. The weather has been tropical this fall and a bit uncomfortable. Although I’m a Florida native, I do tire of the intense heat.
We were pretty warm this weekend, but we are to get cooler today. I'm soooo ready.
I see more and more people going ahead and putting up Christmas decorations. I think I would be very tired of it by Christmas, myself, but I understand the mood behind putting it up early. If it helps, do it.
My kids and I settled on who brings what to our early Thanksgiving. We're keeping it low-key by having it this weekend and having a fairly simple menu. They can eat with their in-laws on the holiday itself without pressure to visit everyone and eat multiple large meals in one day. We will also celebrate a sweet little one turning two years old, while we are together.
I (warily) caught an large assassin bug in the house and put it back outside, and the next day I (not warily) caught a tiny rain frog and put it outside. It feels like everything is trying to come in for winter.
How many people still choose pumpkin pie as the or one of the Thanksgiving desserts they serve, I wonder? I have have not seen the big displays of canned pumpkin as I usually do by this time. Perhaps that's just in my area?
Here in SA, I have never seen canned pumpkin. It's not a thing. I use fresh cooked and pureed pumpkin for Kristen's recipe (and I make it year round - Thanksgiving is also less of a 'thing').
Our family has never been big into pumpkin pie and as the older members of the family have passed away, we pretty much stopped offering it as a dessert option. Our favorites are glorified gingerbread (a moist coffee cake type gingerbread with a crumb topping) and pecan pie.
Our numbers in WA have been way higher lately and our governor announced new restrictions starting tonight. It won't affect me much as I stay at home, 100% wear a mask to get groceries (as, happily do all the people), don't eat at restaurants, quit my gym membership at the start of Covid and walk outside for exercise. I've found a new joy in audiobooks. I am currently listening to the new Janet Evanovich and laughing out loud walking down the sidewalk. People probably think I am a weirdo.
My daughter, son-in-law, and three grandkids purchased their first house and are moving in on December 1. So happy for them. The housing market is crazy here.
We have driveway Happy Hour with another couple every other week bringing our own chairs, snacks, beverages, and now coats and blankets. One needs to be creative during these times!
Karen, I'm reading the other comments and just came across yours, and what I said about listening to my book while I walk outside almost mirrors yours exactly! I can't believe how similar what each of us said is -- wow.
Good Morning!
We live about 40 miles from LA, California and our covid numbers are going up here as well. Like you, it's not going to change much about how we are living our life right now. I already home schooled my two youngest children and the older of the two is taking online classes at the community college. My husband started working from home on March 17th of this year. I can remember in the beginning of covid they estimated that they'd be back to the office in a month, then another few weeks, then another month and so on. They now permanently changed his schedule to working from home with the possibility of going in 1-2 days a week when we're past covid.
I don't know about you, but it has been an adjustment having my husband home--and I wouldn't change it for anything! He used to leave the house at 6am and wouldn't be home until anywhere from 6:30-7:30 at night. I absolutely love having him and even though he is working, I'm not nearly getting done what I used to! We have a two story town home and I was used to being alone a few hours a day in the afternoon while the kids would be upstairs getting their work done. I'm never by myself anymore. We don't have space for an office, so my husband works in the kitchen.
So, even though it's been 8 months, I'm still trying to find my "new normal" at home, accept that I am more distracted and less productive and that it's all good!
Thanks for sharing your life with us--always love seeing your posts in my inbox.
My husband is also working from home, but I am not getting as much done either. I thought I was alone with this problem. I can’t seem to get into a routine! Also, cooking 3 meals a day is soooooo time consuming. It is nice to have him here.
Oh, I completely hear you on the adjustment. Mr. FG works in the office, which is where I used to do my blogging. But it's distracting to work in there with him, and there's no where else in the house that's empty.
I still have not figure out how to make this work well!
I have tons of coffee also. I keep getting it free from a source, so my regular purchased pile gets shoved to the back of the cabinet. I have no freezer so they all get stored in a cabinet. I have never noticed a stale taste to any of it, although my purchased coffee is whole bean, to be ground, so maybe that is why.
Or, I might just have the palate of a six year old. 😀
Lisey and I have the palate of a six year old. lol
I live in the world of randomness so this is right up my alley.
I bought our Thanksgiving turkey today for 31 cents a pound. Staying home this year and it will be the four of us. We have all the food supplies we need for the big day.
We didn't lose power during the crazy high wind weekend we had. And it felt acceptable to lounge around in almost-pajamas as there was no chance of us going anywhere or anyone dropping over.
I work at a large hospital in our area and it's very busy now, both with covid and non covid patients. Good news is that staff aren't getting sick from the patients ... bad news is that they are catching covid in the community. We health care workers can use your prayers ☺️.
I found a stupidly funny game today to give my family for Christmas. I think it's called Poetry for Neanderthals and it involves bopping people with an inflatable club if they give the wrong answer. Stupid games equals lots of laughs, and right now that sounds like a good plan.
Ooh I bought that game too, for my 12 year old son. I think he will love it
You are the heroes for us all right now.Many prayers being sent your way to stay healthy.Thank you for your service in a hospital— it must be a scary place to work just now!!!
1. I've been listening to The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning on my walks lately. I'm enjoying it. A lot of what the author says lines up with what I believe (I've always loved getting rid of stuff around the house) so when I'm out walking, I realize I'm doing a lot of nodding and saying, "right," and "yep." I imagine it looks strange to anyone who happens to look out their window.
2. On some of my work-at-home days when I'm caught up with work stuff, I watch YouTube videos about software programs, especially Excel. Way back before I had kids, I worked with a guy who was extremely proficient at Excel, and I always thought it would be fun to know as much about it as he did. I'm sure I'll never get to where he was, but I like learning.
3. I have a senior in high school and it's a bittersweet year. I get teary-eyed whenever I think about her leaving home for college, but on the other hand I'm praying that she is able to go away to school next fall.
hugs to you on the high school senior. It will be hard, but it will be worth it. My kid just graduated college this Spring. Job, apartment, and doing well. You will make it through!
1. I spent Saturday mending clothes and a sheet, and put about a hundred dollars worth of stuff back into use.
2. Our son picked up pizza for supper and knocked $9 off the cost with Honey.
3. I went grocery shopping -- the big pre-Thanksgiving shopping -- and used a stack of coupons and shopper card discounts to knock $40 off the hefty total.
4. I broke my soup mug. Since I often take soup as a cheap work lunch, this was tragic. While running another errand, I stopped at Big Lots and bought two huge Halloween mugs, marked at $5 each, for 50 cents each. Also scored there a roll of the hard to find pattern of Contac paper that is refurbishing my shabby work office.
5. Have been looking everywhere for something to deal with the easily scratched leather on our living room sofa. Everything was either expensive or toxic. Today I went to a real old fashioned shoe store and bought a jar of cream shoe polish to match the leather for only $3.50.
We've been up to...
1. Girl Scouts, I am my daughter's troop leader and even through we are meeting virtually, I am still trying to find fun projects for my girls. One of the badges they get to earn is "using resources wisely" and I decided we will create "gingerbread houses" out of cardboard and ask the girls to decorate with stuff they already have on hand or can reuse ( we have tons of halloween candy leftover to use).
2. Boy Scouts, my son is a Bear Scout and has in person meetings bi-weekly. I do enjoy going to them since there are some other moms there that I have become friends with.
3. Worry about Christmas and how to make it work this year.
1. Cleaning hardware is very easy in a small crock pot reserved for that purpose. Just put the hardware in the pot with water to cover for 6-8 hours.
2. Coffee keeps beautifully in the freezer. Never gets stale.
Random: working my way through a stack of magazines. I stopped the subscriptions awhile ago because I couldn’t keep up, but didn’t want to throw away the ones I hadn’t read. Sure feels good to see bare horizontal surfaces on my bookshelf.
Our California daughter and family are making plans to isolate for two weeks before driving across country to visit us for Christmas. What a joyful thought!!
I'm pretty bummed about the covid setbacks as well, but like you, we've adjusted and haven't really returned to a pre-covid lifestyle yet. I do find it unsettling though, especially since I now personally know people who have had it and someone who died.
I finally bought some KA bread flour and the difference in pizza crust is truly amazing, just like you said!
Food Lion sent me coupons for over $46 worth of free food with no minimum purchase required. I love them even though we now have to drive at least a half hour to get to one since they closed all our local stores. We made the trip on Saturday and got all our freebies.
Earlier today, my refrigerator stopped running abruptly and wouldn't come back on. After moving all of the frozen food to the freezer in the basement (which had little available space), I pulled it out, cleaned the coils and thankfully about an hour later it came back on. It's about 11 years old so it was a little scary.
Isn't that flour amazing? It makes such a noticeable difference in pizza crust.
We had to take our tomcat to the vet over the weekend. He stopped purring, seemed at aloss what to do with himself and had a protruding belly on his left. I turns out we were just in time to prevent real suffering: it is a bladder problem not unusual for tomcats. He had surgery and had to spend a few days in recovery. He now needs special foods and is on meds the first week. There is nothing frugal about a cat's bladder condition! But boy are we happy to have him at home again.
I bought some pretty clothes recently and dressed up nicely yesterday when I went for a covid-proof visit. I got so many compliments I put on my Sunday best again today, just for me!
We are a little early with candles and fairylights this year, but everybody seems to need seasonal decorations it seems. We are all looking for cheerful and comforting things in our home. It's a bit like hibernating.
We just went through the same thing with ours! He didn't have to have "surgery," except in the sense that he had a catheter to drain the bladder and IV for antibiotics and pain meds. He was in pretty rough shape by the time we got him to our vet because we are dog people, and it turns out this WAS our first rodeo on this. And the bill -- OUCH.
He won't eat the canned Rx food the vet sold us, but after weaning him over he will eat the dry Rx food.
Our main challenge is that he isn't urinating in the litter box now. I really hope we can convince him to resume that habit. In the meantime I don't argue when he wants to go outside in the morning!
Try a new litter box in a new location with new litter. They sometimes associate the litter box with the pain they experienced and want nothing to do with it. Hope this helps.
I just have a request... I’d love to see a post with what your planning for your Thanksgiving menu. I’ve been especially wondering what you use for your rolls/ bread with your meal. You have a few great recipes and I can’t decide which one to do!
This post might be helpful! https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/wednesday-baking-yeast-roll-roundup/
My standby is the honey-glazed pan roll recipe. Those are hands-down our favorite yeast rolls! https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/wednesday-baking-glazed-honey-pan-rolls/
Ibotta has a free thanksgiving meal deal! I purchased a turkey, green beans, and several other food items at Walmart and got reimbursed through ibotta.
Here in England we currently have a full lockdown, with the exception of schools. So if my husband or I catch it, it will be from the teens. Although half my oldest's school seems to be self-isolating anyway right now. She's having some lessons via computer while sitting in her classroom as the teachers are at home.
The only change for me right now is no gym. Which I miss, mostly for the conversation with my trainer. And I miss real yoga classes. Zoom is just not the same.
Today on a work call my husband talked about searching for stats in the gooey. And about if the temperature means something would be a showstopper. It's like watching Bake Off. Except this is apparently IT...
I like a little random Monday. Here goes:
1) I know someone who is very sick with COVID (hospitalized) & it makes me so sad. I've been worried since March, & taking plenty of precautions, but seeing it impact someone up close is a very different situation. They are also very young & healthy, so fingers crossed they are able to turn things around quickly.
2) We are adjusting our holiday plans as well, to try & keep everyone as safe as possible. We are getting together with my parents, but will quarantine ahead, as will they. We have cancelled all larger family gatherings. We live out of state, so I'll be very sad to miss everyone in our 1-2x/year visit. But, it's best for everyone & safest.
3) I normally work in an office with free food/drinks/snacks. I know how lucky I've been to have this benefit. Now that I'm WFH, I've occasionally bought myself my favorite treat - sparkling water. I like the brand Bubly. I use my grocery store rewards to reduce cost & guilt. 😉
4) I'm very torn on gifts for the kids. One wants a new (very pricey) bike, so we may offer to contribute towards that. Neither of them need anything. We will likely keep it very small this year, and donate significantly more money, and discuss that as a family. There are many, many people struggling & COVID increases will make that more challenging.
5) I'm learning to crochet, and my amazing neighbor across the street has been teaching me. I went off after my first lesson, and thought I was doing great. However, the scarf was getting fatter, than narrower, so on. She took one look at what I'd done, laughed & ripped the entire thing. So, I'm starting from scratch. Apparently, I'm not very good at crocheting yet. 😉
I'm so sorry about your friend with COVID. Hoping for a speedy and full recovery for them!
I’m sitting outdoors in 78 degrees, listening to our waterfall and reading.Living in Arizona is scary due to our horrid Covid numbers right now, but at least my back yard is pleasant to hang out in.
I’m chatting with my niece online, off and on all day today—it is her birthday,she lives in Texas and her husband is working in another state right now. We’re both a bit lonely so we’re helping each other out today.
I take an hour long bike ride most mornings..it lifts my spirits a lot and makes it easy to socially dist Acne and still stay fit. AND have some “fun..”
Distance,not acne! Wow, auto correct.....
Oh gosh, for a minute I thought u meant mask acne! I was going to commiserate!
Seems 2020 is the year from hell for many people. I don't personally know anyone with the virus (thankfully) but the year has been difficult in many ways. My oldest daughter is a nurse and thankfully now works in a orthopedic surgery center now instead of the regular hospital, so no Covid patients. My middle daughter's work car blew a head gasket then her husband totaled his work van. We had a water softener fail (fixed it ourselves, yay!) and my computer crashed spectacularly! Dealing with the medical community has been the most frustrating we have ever experienced. Luckily, none of the medical stuff is life threatening, just elective but necessary surgeries and regular doctor appointments. Some cancelled, appointments moved out to 2021, testing for Covid over and over (all negatives), doctors too busy, and everyone wants you to fill out paperwork each visit and do a SURVEY after the visits! We do have a life (mostly at home) and all the survey's are just TOO much, plus they feel the need to email, text, call to remind about appointments. (Just one method would do.)
Being at home is fine but we're used to going out at least once a week so we feel sort of trapped. We'll all be glad if and when this virus leaves us but I'm under no illusion that life "as we knew it" will never be the same. So we count our blessings and and try to look at life differently, maybe learning new skills or . . . . something.
2020 has indeed been a hard and weird year for so many people. So sorry about your string of family difficulties!
And yes, counting blessings is so, so super important in hard times like these.
*Today I am feeling especially pooped - I spent 5 hours cleaning at my mother's house on Sunday, big yardwork on Sunday, and lots of driving. This Saturday I will turn 60 and I feel every year in my bones!
*I put up the Christmas tree before Thanksgiving for the first time ever. No ornaments yet, but it has lights and is ready to decorate. Its a 50 year old Christmas tree from my Hubby's family.
*Friday I am off this week and I have a master list of All The Things planned, including getting my driver's license renewed and treating myself to a pedicure!
P.S. That bookcase looks like it was a massive undertaking. I'm sure your daughter will enjoy it for years to come!
It was a surprisingly big painting project. I forgot to take into account that you have to paint every single surface in a bookshelf, whereas with a dresser, there's lots of square footage inside the dresser that does not have to be painted.
So, bookshelves are definitely more work!
I am wearing a belt purchased 31 years ago, from a thrift store no less! We were discussing items of clothing that we’ve had for a loooong time and the belt is my oldest item followed by my decrepit hoodie (almost as old) that I wear gardening and camping. I feel rather proud of these items!
I often read two or three books at once. Confusing only if some of them have similar plots, but I like to juggle a mystery, something light, and something non fiction.
I look forward to your blogs Kristen...if you miss a day or two of regular posts, I always think, I hope she and her family are OK. Enjoyed today’s collection of bits and pieces!
I think my oldest piece of clothing is my tank top that I wear for painting. I got it when I was probably 14. So it's 28 years old. You have me beat!
So glad you enjoy my posts; I do try to get around to writing here every day, but sometimes my real life gets in the way. 🙂
Perhaps an article is an order about one’s oldest worn item and/or most surprising (to others) frugal thing? For the second, mine would be my stainless steel wedding band, which was $11. It looks like silver, is simple and pretty, and doesn’t set my hand on fire (I have awful metal allergies but don’t like gold). For the first, the ring I wear on my right hand is pure sterling, and I’ve worn it constantly since I was 16 (so 21 years). My habitual pendant isn’t far behind (19 years), but your tank top and Vanessa’s belt still win! 🙂
Ah, you kids. I have a favorite pair of Birkenstocks that I wear even in the winter. Bought them in 1984, the year after I moved to Michigan. They've been resoled 2x, and saddle sapped regularly. My dog is sleeping on them, at my feet right now.
I have a sweatshirt from my freshman year of college that I still put on when I want something warm and snuggly...that's from 1994, so 26 years old. Other than that, my daughter lately has been wearing my brownie girl scout dress from 1984 (at least that's what one of the patches says on my sash) to her brownie meetings. So that's definitely the oldest but I don't think it really counts since no one used it for the majority of time!
* I struggled with isolation this past weekend. I haven't been to church since March. I did a couple of hikes/picnics with friends this summer but pretty much I am home 24/7. But even if things did open back up I don't want to go anywhere.
*Just finishing up my 9th month of 40 hour weeks with a toddler. I'm doing better with cooler weather but this is not how I expected the empty nest to be.....how many people have said that this year?!
* I am so grateful to be living in the country right now. I can go outside & see no one. Isolation in the wilderness seems so much better than isolation in the city.
Hugs. The isolation is hard even for introverts after a while!
Sorry to hear that Jenny; it gets hard.
If you're interested look up these two on utube - "the Irish blessing - over 300 churches...." & 'Miniscule'
Hugs
We are retired,I just turned 68! I love my fit bit,gift. I walked 800 miles this year,Nov. to Nov. I always wear a mask,even when grandkids come . Looking at little projects inside for the winter. I like to be busy. Just made pumpkin butter,keep 1,1 a gift.I need a couple of stocking stuffers and my shopping is done! I love to garden and cook.
Happy birthday!
Pumpkin butter sounds really delicious.
I was thinking that; it does sound lovely - how do you make it?
I ventured out to the pet store today and picked up a few Christmas gifts for my parents' dog and sister's dog. The kitties here got a few new toys too. I did return a Furminator that they did NOT like, so that return actually paid for everything else I bought. Yay for breaking even.
It's a lovely week here in Western Colorado. I got in a bike ride after the majority of my work was done. I may get a new client this week, which is always nice.
We too are lucky that we've been able to go and do the things we love even during the virus...mountain biking and golf are great for social distancing. I am really running out of motivation for cooking, but the hubs has offered to take on some of that and, since he's retired, he has plenty of time for that!
Yes, it is such a mercy that being outside in nature is still a possibility during COVID.
Hi Kristen, I love that you transform used furniture; getting that thing upstairs would have been a challenge! You can freeze coffee if its air tight sealed; you wouldn't want to put it all in lol but you could do a few.
We just came out of lock down; I went to the dentist today & it felt like a treat! My first social outing! lol.
When I got home I immediately filed the receipt in my medical file - I had a dream this would one day happen & it did!! lol I survey my paper clutter & say in my best Colin Firth Darcyian -"I shall conquer this - I shall!!'
I may have the tiniest of a crush on Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy. 🙂 Not the actor himself but the character when portrayed by him. Love this version of P & P!
Who DOESN'T have a crush on Colin Firth's "Mr. Darcy"?
My family all love it too - my sis organised a girls nite at a friend's once with a group who hadn't seen it & didn't know the story. When we explained we would watch it over two nites as it goes for 5 hrs the response was "whoa well we're not watching it all in one hit'. We got to the end of part one & made a move to pull out the dvd & everyone was like 'what are you doing? & we said well that's the end of part one... the response was 'but we can't stop there what happens next?!!'
We watched the whole lot lol
A few years ago, in an interview, Colin Firth said that he was so well remembered for that role that if he decided to become an astronaut the headline would read, "Mr. Darcy Lands On Moon."
Haha, this is probably true!
Randoms
1. I don’t care how cold it gets as long as the sun is shining.
2. I finally organized my deep corner cabinet.
3. All thanksgiving plans cancelled.
I am fine with a teeny quiet thanksgiving at home!
Random things:
A man I dated in my early 20s died of Covid. I had never met his wife but I wrote her a card about what a great man I thought her husband was and what a loss his death was. I got back a lovely letter where she said her husband had talked about me over the years and then told me three of the nice things he had said. Then she said the funniest thing: "Thanks for not being willing to leave Alaska to move to the south because that freed him up for me to find." It was nice to know that he had good memories of me also.
A dog wandered into out yard, obviously hungry and lost. We brought him in to warm up (16 below, so no choice) and gave him some food and water while the husband posted him on our town's lost animal site. As I was petting the boy and trying to find his tags, our pound hound walked over, stared at me and this strange dog and then peed on my leg. I think he was jealous. Our poor guy was so abused and abandoned that I could not get annoyed at him claiming his owner. We found the owner who said the dog is showing signs of dementia yet still seems able to find holes in their fence and wander off; he said he cannot bring himself to put the old boy down.
This neighborhood likes to light up Halloween and Christmas. This morning we went grocery shopping at 7 am to avoid the crowds, since our Covid rates are soaring, too, and at least a third of the houses (including ours) had Christmas lights put up. Right now the sun is coming up a little past 9:30 and setting at 3:30, and it is so cheerful to see colors lighting up the dark. I am forcing myself not to put up a tree yet.
I was listing some Spode Christmas place settings on FB marketplace and saw that someone was selling three unopened packs of Duluth men's underpants with Christmas designs on them. They were in my husband's size and selling for a third of the price they do online. We do random Advent gifts to each other throughout the month and these will be perfect. The woman needed the money and lived close by so was willing to drop them off. They are hysterical! I had to force myself not to ask the back story behind selling underpants.
So sorry for your loss.
My inlaws have started "snowbirding" over in Ormond Beach, so we went over there this weekend (Central Florida over to the coast). Last night, we all went out and watched the SpaceX Crew Dragon take off. It was soooo cool! It was just such a great experience. My inlaws LOVED it, then we came inside and watched it again. 😉 3 hours until they get to the space station. I'm gonna watch that too. SOOO cool.
We went to a lighthouse on Saturday and my FIL forgot a mask. A gal overheard our conversation and offered him a disposable mask that she had in her car. It was just such a kind gesture and we were most grateful.
I live on the coast of Florida and sat on my patio to watch the space launch. So cool!
We are also about done with a bookshelf project. My in-laws gave us the parts to a bookshelf before they moved to Hong Kong 4 years ago. It just needed wood for the back, then stained and put together. It finally made it off the bottom of the projects list and is stained and in my basement. I'm hoping that maybe this weekend we can move it into my 4yo's room and he can finally have shelves for his books instead of bins. I've been wanting this bookshelf for a long time, so I'm excited about it!
There are lots of times that I wish my family was bigger. Cousins for my kids would be nice. (They have 2 on my husband's side that live 10 hours away, 1 of which we have not met yet because COVID is a plan-ruining-jerk. We live in the same state as my side of the family.) But this is an awesome time to have a small family. We can get my side of the family together for Thanksgiving and there will be a whopping 8 of us, 5 of which are from my house.
My 2 youngest kids and I walk a mile every morning after we drop my first grader off at school and this morning was COLD. Tomorrow will be the same, but we're going to do it anyways. They ride in the stroller and like it when I run down the hills, so at least that warmed me up a tad.
I like random!
We went hiking this weekend and it was such a great hike. Can't wait to return this summer so my son can try fishing where the trail meets the creek.
My cat ate a piece of a holiday wreath. My husband had to pull it out of her nose. Poor thing! She is all better now, but why do cats eat weird things?!?
Leftover sour cream makes for great corn bread.
It you like iced coffee, make it hot, add cream or sugar, pour it in a large mason jar, and let it cool in the refrigerator. Then pour over ice!!
I sewed and sewed, talked with a couple of customers about special orders, and sewed some more. I have flipped my schedule to sew in the mornings and run errands in the afternoon when I'm tired and not as creative. It's working well so far.
We had baked potatoes last night, which always means eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns the next night (well, no eggs for me since I'm allergic). It's a delicious, and simple meal. One of my favorites.
I think I figured out the "little something" gift for our daughter's 21st birthday next week. We bought and gave her some NICE boots as her main gift. I am going to make her some cloth napkins and copper pipe napkin rings so she has something to open on the day of, and it will make her feel like she is moving towards a home of her own at some point. We are NOT pushing her out, she is the youngest and will graduate college next semester and she's very determined to have a place of her own. Cloth napkins are a tradition in our family, and they hold a lot of memories. I also got 80 tea light candles from my Buy Nothing group, which will make a lovely display for her birthday evening. Festive, even if it is just the 4 of us.
Last night when I baked the potatoes, I roasted the pumpkin that I was gifted. It's now in the fridge, but I did not get around to baking with it today. Maybe tomorrow. GF pumpkin muffins, I think. Eggless always requires some creativity, and I can't eat the usual egg substitutes either.
- We have been sitting out in our backyard with blankets watching the sun set over the ocean almost nightly and it has been wonderful. We eat dinner after the sunset show, and it is really helping to break up the getting-longer winter nights. Shorter days during a pandemic are ROUGH!
- Our granddaughter is a new reader (6 yrs) and has been calling us nightly to read out loud to us. We love it, she loves it, her mommy loves it. And it bridges the 3000 miles between us.
- Working on handcrafted Christmas ornaments for family. Between doing those, reading, and playing my guitar, I have plenty to keep me busy when at home.
- Outdoor activities - hiking, kayaking, biking, gardening - are keeping me sane. (Come on vaccine!)
You can put your coffee in the freezer/fridge. My church does this.
In my neck of the woods, Ontario, Canada virus numbers are going up as well. I think it was kind of predicted it would. Interestingly enough, my husband and I were talking about it the other day and and both realized we knew of no one that had the virus. So that is a good thing.
We moved to the country a few years ago and my husband took up hunting, so I now have venison in my freezer. Great for the pocketbook, however, I have not acquired a taste for it. My two sons and husband enjoy it and it allows me to get creative.
We are completing a large house renovation and to save money on new furniture, I have been searching through Facebook Marketplace. It is amazing what people sell, a little leery when people buy new furniture and sell it within a few months on Marketplace. It is kind of fun though if I purchase something and it doesn't work, I just resell it sometimes even making some money.
Good luck with your new venture!
~My two year old is almost fully potty trained! Yay! She was ready about six months younger than her sisters, which is nice, but the downside is that it’s taking a little longer. I always like to wait a bit later because in my mind it tends to take a shorter time, at least in my experience.
~I just had baby #4 and I’m afraid I’ll never be a weight I’m happy with again. 🙁
~So far I don’t like homeschooling full-time (we were doing it part time last year, with my kids attending a classical study center 2x a week). It was never what I envisioned for myself, and it’s hard with all the kids. But I’m digging my heels in, trying my best to do it well and have a positive attitude.
~I’m overjoyed to see snow today! I love winter and I can’t wait for Christmas!! Bring on the lights, and shopping, and carols, and nativity scenes, and cookie baking, and Christmas movies, and hot Christmas punch, and advent readings, and giving food to our local food pantry, and everything else!! 🙂
~I’m so excited to eat the whole Aldi chicken that is currently cooking in my crockpot!
Yay for potty training!! Such an accomplishment each time.
Hugs on your second item; for what it's worth, it took me a lot longer each time to lose the pregnancy weight. So, I hope you can give yourself some grace. <3
* I should clarify: I’m not eating the *whole* Aldi chicken. Haha
The chicken I’m cooking happens to be a whole chicken. That sounded a little iffy.
Hahahah!
Re: the coffee grounds, put the unopened bags in your deep freeze and they will keep forever without going stale.
I used to work there and squirrel Ed away my free pound a week and had coffee for years after I quit.