Scrappy enabler alert

I read a rumor that TJ Maxx and Marshalls had EK Success and Martha punches for cheap so I've been hunting them down. My first trip yielded this lone punch. I figured that I missed out on the deal. I wasn't too thrilled with the design, but I decided this would be a cheap way to try out this style of punch. The design has grown on me since then, even if I haven't tried it out yet.

I checked out another store and thought I hit the jackpot. That store didn't have quite what I was looking for, but I couldn't resist these. I figured if I never get around to using them, I can gift them or resell them.

Then I read that some stores got in new shipments so I went back to the first store, which was easy to do since it is on my way home from work. They didn't have the one punch I really wanted, but I did get these beauties, which I like more than the previous batch.

Now the fun part...where to store all of these?

Today's harvest

A pretty poor showing...

That's what I get once a week, and that's only been for the past three weeks. As you can imagine, I'm pretty disappointed in this year's garden. I got a late start this year and I didn't have much compost to add to my new bed, which means a lack of vegetables. I just bought and planted a six pack of tomatoes in the hopes of having some tomatoes this fall.

New change

So I'm still contemplating a blog change, but in the mean time, I got a haircut. That's a cheap and easy way for a little change. You know me, no pictures, but rest assured, I'm happy with the change.

Thinking about a name change

I've been a pretty absent blogger lately, partly because I don't feel inspired, partly because I'm trying to avoid the computer, and partly because I'm overworked at work (we're down two people and we could barely keep up when they were there). Sooo, in the past, when I've needed a change or some inspiration, I've been pretty drastic about it. Like quitting college. Or breaking up. Or changing jobs. Or moving. Or going back to college. Since I don't plan on doing any of these, what can I do?

I feel that I outgrew the title of this blog a long time ago. When I changed to Look.cook.scrapbook, I was bit more into posting photos and recipes and was trying to spread my creative wings. But now I feel stifled by the title. I need another direction. I'm not sure what it will be, but I'm feeling more introspective, more frustrated with life. Just wanted to forewarn you that change might be coming. I'll still be here, just not sure what I'll look like.

Back to crafting

Work has been hectic since we're down a person and up unscheduled projects. But I managed to put a tiny bit of crafty time to make this card...for another coworker who left. Ironic that having more stress in my life drove me to crafting, isn't it?

I was proudest of the inside because I finally managed to use a journaling card and it was perfect for adding the sentiment. I love journaling cards and hoard 'em, but just don't know how to use them.

I was embarrassed because I had four coworkers tell me how much they liked it, but I think it is rather plain. I didn't have much time to put it together. Plus, I made it out of scraps, out of old, old paper from companies that have gone out of business. But, I should just be gracious and accept the compliments, right?

Thank you Paper Crafts Magazine!

I follow a lot of craft blogs, some are commercial (manufacturers, publishers, designers) and some are personal. Often, the commercial blogs will have giveaways and usually all you need to do is leave a comment on a post. Once in a while, you have to "work" for it. In this case, Paper Crafts asked for a limerick and I quickly posted five lines over my lunch break. I'm sure I didn't win based on talent, lol. It was more likely our old friend, Random Number Generator, helped me win. Anywho, here's a look at my goodies. I especially love the Studio Calico veneers and the Paper Smooches stamp. (Susan, Miwa, there's a set of baseball stamps. Who wants them?)


I included a bit of the box in the photo. Someone took the time to decorate the box with colorful paper scraps. I'd like that job! Work has been super busy and stressful and there were a couple of days this week that were especially bad (when you walk into your boss' office and declare that you'd like to wring someone's neck, he know you're not a happy camper). When I got home to this lovely surprise, I had a complete turnaround in my mood and I ended the week on a great note. Thank you so much Paper Crafts and SB manufacturers!

If you'd like to win a box of your own, they're giving away another box for June.

Treat time

Yay! Time for Starbucks Frappy hour and my first frappuccino of the year! We walked to SB and I opted for no whipped cream in an effort to save a few calories. I still find the frappuccinos too sweet, but I can't resist treating myself when they're half price. They are half price 3 to 5 pm through May 13, if you'd like to indulge.

Week in the Life

Did you participate in project Week in the Life ? I managed to take a few photos every day, but other than that, I haven't done anything, not even post any photos here. I had grand plans to do a little mini book, but I don't really feel like editing/printing my photos. Maybe I'll do something digital, but my digital skills are lacking. Did you participate?

Happy Earth Day!

We spent our Earth Day morning at the chic French store, Tar-jay, where we picked up this adorable little tote for free. Mr. Fix-it was disappointed in the size of the bag (9.5 x 10.5 x 6.5), but I like the small size and think it will be useful. I also like all the samples that were included since some are items I'm considering buying.

If you hurry over to Target, they still might have some bags. The giveaway was posted on every deal/frugal site I subscribe to so I expect the stores to run out of bags quickly.

$3.99

I'm thrilled to see gas under $4/gallon again!

$4.09

just another gas price update (posted late)

Scrapbooking shouldn't be stressful

I usually get together with some girlfriends once a year to scrapbook at a B&B. I didn't participate last year, so I signed up for two weekends this year. Since I have to travel to the site, it involves a bit of juggling of time and planning. Work is extra stressful right now with lots of projects. I thought I might look forward to the break from work, but the reality is, I'm stressed about not being able to get everything done that needs to get done.

Unfortunately, I didn't buy my airline ticket at rock bottom prices so that was an extra hundred or so. Good thing I'm frugal in other areas. And I'm still trying to figure out transportation. I'll probably just rent a car unless I can find a ride from my mom's to the B&B (hope I don't get lost driving there).

I haven't organized a single page, printed out any photos. As I was looking through my stash, I wondered if I should just get rid of it all. The hobby doesn't bring me pleasure any more (although I still enjoy shopping and buying). If I got rid of it all, would I miss it?

No more CSA

Last year, the company facilities manager arranged to have our workplace become a CSA dropoff spot. Since I had always wanted to join a CSA, I was one of the first to sign up. At first, I was a little disappointed in the amount of produce for the price and it wasn't all organic. But, as it turns out, the produce really was fresher, tasted better than what I got at the grocery store or farmer's market, and lasted longer.

So every other Monday, like today, I would go down to the mailroom and pick up a box of produce. Usually, there were carrots and I'd cut the tops off for my coworker's rabbit. And there would be a small crowd as we played "guess the vegetable."

Unfortunately, the schedule was inconvenient for me. We do most of our grocery shopping on the weekend and I plan our meals for the week. It just didn't work out to have a full fridge on Sunday and then more produce on Monday. We never knew what would come in the CSA box so sometimes, we'd end up three heads of lettuce or five pounds of apples or more than we could use of some other fruit or vegetable or herb. Plus, the cost ($23) was a significant portion of our grocery budget every other week and I had trouble adjusting the budget. I felt bad cancelling the CSA since I want to support local farmers, but it just didn't work out.

With spring coming, I hope that produce will come down in price, plus I hope to eat from my garden all summer. It was a good experiment while it lasted.

Guess I'll be going to work on Monday

This was not the winning ticket. We got nothing, nada, zip. Oh well.

$4.19

Prices dropped, yah!

Apple cake

I made this apple cake and I guess it was a hit since it is half gone. I modified it slightly by using two apples instead of one and half and half instead of milk. Since there were so many apple slices, I placed some of the apple on top because I was afraid they wouldn't all cook if placed in the middle. Also, as noted in the recipe comments, the cake was pretty sweet. I think if I had just sprinkled the cinnamon-sugar mixture on top without the apples, the cake would have been too sweet. In any case, I still had leftover sugar, which I saved for future cinnamon toast.

ETA: I made this again, but with yogurt since I rarely have milk in the house, and I used the leftover sugar/cinnamon from the previous cake. The texture was better when I used milk, but cake was still tasty. I think the recipe is a keeper.

A full fridge

We made a turkey for dinner tonight. Yes, just for the two of us, 13.7 pounds. It was on sale before Christmas for 59 cents a pound, plus I got $3 off so I couldn't resist. Can't imagine getting meat for any cheaper than that. It wasn't too difficult finding room in the freezer at first, but it was difficult to not have the room for a couple months. We finally took it out to defrost last week and the empty space as already been filled with frozen veggies and gelato.

Now we have a full fridge.Mr. Fix-it can have turkey sandwiches the rest of the week and I'll figure out something to do with the rest. Some will get frozen and of course, I'll have to make some turkey stock (not that I have time to cook during the week).

Living without modern appliances

Our microwave died a few weeks ago. It sounded like it was working, but it wasn't heating. We didn't bother trying to fix it. It wasn't my favorite appliance (I thought it took up too much space) and I occasionally wondered if the microwaves are harmful rather than helpful.

It didn't take long for the empty spot on the counter top to fill with...stuff.
I didn't think we used the microwave that often, but as it turns out, we use it multiple times a day. Sometimes I need to reheat my coffee in the morning if I don't get to it soon enough. And you know I'm the leftover queen so we've had to be creative in reheating.

We've been dirtying a lot more dishes and using more pots and pans. Leftover rice is steamed. Most other dishes are reheated on the stove, though some are reheated in the toaster oven. Mr. Fix-it thought it was all too much trouble, but I didn't mind. I thought we were eating less since we were portioning out what we wanted to eat. And I thought the texture of some of the reheated foods was better. No microwave took some getting used to, but then, I still could heat up my lunch in the microwave at work.

But, as it turns out, Mr. Fix-it really missed the microwave. And he couldn't wait for a sale (sigh). So now we have this sleek beauty:

ETA: The microwave went on sale and we went back to the store for a $10 credit, woo hoo! As it turns out, this microwave doesn't have all the bells and whistles that our previous microwave had, but since it was so much less $ and it is red!, I don't mind.

On my day off

I took the day off yesterday. No special reason other than I had a vacation day to use up. I had grandiose plans to clean the whole house (or at least a couple of rooms) or the more realistic plans of vegging in front of the computer and TV. There wasn't as much as I would have liked of any of that. I did manage to cook up a several quarts of spaghetti sauce and prep a couple of lunches for the week, plus pick/wash some Swiss chard so we're set food-wise for a few days.No, that large container on the right is not my lunch. That's the leftover spaghetti from dinner. I have a hearty appetite, but not that large. That's another dinner and a couple lunches for us. My lunch is the smaller container with the black lid in the back.

$4.27

Woo hoo! Prices have stabilized!

$4.27

Still ouch!

100 things challenge, day 100 update

Sorry about the lack of updates. These long work days are taking a lot out of me. I just want to veg in front of the TV, even the computer takes too much effort. But, I have good news to report.

We sold four items on ebay (for less than we hoped, but at least they sold) so that's a few more pennies our pocket. And this challenge forced us to make a donation trip. Otherwise, the boxes of to-be-donated stuff would still be sitting in the garage. That trip got 27 items out of the house. Actually, it was more than 27 since I counted the box of office supplies as one and the box of Christmas decorations as one.

office supplies, Christmas decorations, clothes, kitchen stuff = 27 items
ebay (3 mugs, cookie press) = 4 items

total gone 80/100

Eh, a little short of 100 (since I didn't count every little item). And you still can't tell we got rid of stuff. Maybe I'll hit 100 at the next challenge. Ever the optimist, lol. I hope you'll join me when I start the next challenge. I might be more motivated if you play along.

$4.29

This price has held steady for a week.

$4.15

This was particularly painful. Over $4/gallon. The line at the pump was too long so we went back the next day. That decision cost us 6 cents a gallon more.

$3.95

Too close to $4/gallon for my tastes. I've started looking for new carpoolers. Or maybe no one else cares to save $ in this area.

$3.69

Up 10 cents in a week.

$3.58

This was the start of the meteoric rise in gas prices.

Singapore noodles or thankful for a well-stocked pantry

As part of our continuing quest to spend less (more on that in another post), I've been cooking a tiny bit more. Today, I whipped up a quick lunch so we wouldn't be hungry as we ran errands. As usual, I don't have an exact recipe since I was using up stuff we had on hand. Everything was already in the fridge, freezer, or cupboard. The baby corn and bamboo shoots were leftover from a curry dish earlier in the week. The fresh veggies we had, and the chicken was from the freezer (I freeze small portions of chicken (breast, thigh, whatever is on sale) to use for stir fries).
Here's my "MacGyver" recipe:

1/2 can of baby corn
1/2 can of bamboo shoots
1/2 package thin rice noodles
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/3 red bell pepper
1 chicken thigh, thinly sliced
oil, soy sauce, cornstarch, garlic, Singapore seasoning or curry powder

1. Marinate the chicken w/soy sauce, cornstarch, and garlic (since I didn't have time to let this marinate, perhaps I should say "Mix").
2. Heat some oil and stir fry the chicken.
3. Remove the chicken, add more oil if needed, and stir fry the onion. After the onion is almost cooked through, add the bell pepper and let it cook for a minute or two.
4. Add the rest baby corn, bamboo shoots, and rice noodles.
5. Sprinkle on some the Singapore seasoning or curry powder (start with less, you can always add more).
   
6. Toss the ingredients together.
   
7. Take a taste test and add more seasoning or soy sauce or salt if needed.

Enjoy!

A step backwards or confessions of a scrapaholic

I went to another LSS trash to treasures sale today, just to check out the store (no, really!). I hadn't been there before so I wanted to check out the space before I signed up for their next sale. I think I'm going to try to do one more LSS sale, list a few things on 2 Peas, then just do a big donation dump. Let's see how much more I can get rid of this year. Unfortunately, there were some good deals and I added to my stash:4 small Bazzill packs (perfect for cardmaking), 12 punches, paper crimper (can you believe I don't have one?), and 4 Catseye chalk inks. Not bad for $9. Just the paper or ink would have $8. I have no idea where I'm going to store the punches though. Sigh.

And in case you noticed the straw bale in the photo, yes, we have straw bales in the backyard. I plan on using it for mulch.

Kale chips

I made kale chips over the weekend and brought them into the office to share with my coworkers. It seems I've started a kale chip addiction since the chips went fast and there were several requests for the "recipe." Sorry, no photos, but if you search for "kale chips." you'll find lots of food bloggers doing it. ;)

1. Wash and dry kale (the drier the better; I used my salad spinner to dry the kale).
2. Remove stems. You can save them for stock or add them to your compost heap.
3. Tear leaves into bite size pieces (not too small because they'll shrink a lot).
4. Coat leaves with olive oil. I probably used just over a tablespoon to cover one large bunch of kale. I used my hands to rub in the olive oil. If you toss the leaves, you'll need more olive oil to coat the leaves.
5. Spread leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet.
6. Bake at 275 or 300 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. About halfway through, shake the baking sheet to make sure the leaves are evenly distributed and not covering each other. (I used my large toaster oven and had to bake the chips in two batches.)
7. Add sea salt or other seasonings. Note that some people add the seasonings with the olive oil. I'm not sure how the flavor will differ.

Enjoy!

100 things challenge, day 49 update

I made a small dent in my scrapbook stash at the scrapbook trash to treasures sale. It was at a different store than the previous ones I participated in and there was a lot less traffic. I don't know if that was because of the store or the economy. At the previous sales, the sellers were mobbed. At this one, the buyers just trickled in. After subtracting what I bought (oops!) and paying for the table, I barely made a profit. Not really worth the day (okay, half day) I spent doing this. I was disappointed, but if I think about this being the third time I did this and I didn't add much to the "sell" pile, it wasn't too bad. The good part is more stuff is gone.

I have no idea how many things I got rid of, but I'll guess 40 items. A couple were bigger items (album, ink pad holder), but the majority were smaller items (embellishments for 25 cents, paper 8/$1). At least I'm ahead of the challenge count.

Got more things listed on Craigslist, but no bites. I heard someone on a money talk show saying this was a bad time to sell anything because lots of people are trying sell off their own stuff and lots of people don't have money after spending it at Christmas.

scrapbook stuff

total gone 63/100

Gone in 60...

minutes. Mr. Awesome (I mean Mr. Fix-it) listed an old steel tub on craigslist and received three emails/phone calls in five minutes. I guess people want old metal to sell for scrap. Mr. Fix-it told the first caller he'd drag it out to the curb and for the caller to just come by whenever. The caller said "not too close to the curb" because he was afraid that someone else would come by and steal it! As Mr. Fix-it was cleaning out the garage, he found some old steel shelves and gave those to the guy also. I didn't know that metal recycling was such big business, though Mr. Fix-it's dad used to make regular trips to the metal buyers, just small household stuff.

old shelving
old tub
2 file folders of paperwork
pile of magazines

total gone 23/100

We're pretty far behind since this is day 44 of the challenge. On the plus side, Mr. Fix-it is totally on board with this and listed several more things on craigslist, just no bites yet.

Resistance is futile

Remember my one-in-one-out rule? I kept up with it the first half of last year and continue to do so with clothes and stuff for the house. But scrapbooking supplies? Sigh. My biggest downfall. Like these American Crafts ribbon (and they're propped up against my AC ribbon box). I got these at Tuesday Morning, but these 24 spool lots are also showing up on all the daily deal scrapbook sites if you can't resist either.
And Thickers? Another sigh. Even if they don't stick as well as they should, I still love 'em. Big Lots got another shipment in. Can't you see these on some pages for my nieces? Never mind that I didn't scrapbook a single page last year.
And last, but not least, I found these new goodies at the local scrapbook store. She was having a midnight madness sale and I ended up buying yet more patterned paper (10 for $1!). Plus everything else was 25% off. I had heard of Candi, but wasn't sure they they were. They're made of heavy paper so I think they'll be easier to use than brads for a little pop of color. And the lss owner said the Viva pens work better than Stickles and Liquid Pearls (dry faster, easier to use).

I haven't gone broke buying this stuff, but I don't have anywhere to store it either.

Sometimes it is the little things

Yay for coupons! I was thrilled to get three inserts in Sunday's paper. What a great way to start the year. I've even got them clipped and sorted already. Let's hope I'm just as efficient the rest of 2012 (although it did take me an extra day to post this, hmmmm).

$3.49

I thought I'd go back to tracking gas prices because 1) I'm finally inputting some old receipts, and 2) when they go through the roof this summer, I can look back at this prices with wishful thinking, lol.

(Don't be confused if you subscribe to my blog. I'm backdating some gas price entries.)

100 things challenge, day 32 update

Since I haven't been blogging much, you may have guessed that I'm also behind on my 100 things challenge. A couple weeks ago, we dropped off a few things at Goodwill, but haven't gotten rid of much else. I did list a bunch of Hallmark ornaments on Craigslist, but didn't get any bites. Here's the latest gone:

1 photo album
1 dress
2 tee shirts
7 books
1 purse
1 wallet
1 CD
1 set napkins
1 nightgown

total gone 18/100

I'm most proud of the nightgown. It is the last of my flannel favorites. I had four flannel nightgowns that I literally wore out. A couple of them were 20+ years old (no, that's not an exaggeration) and the last one, I was hoping to patch and get another couple years out of. But since I never got around to patching the tear on the back seam, I decided I should just get rid of it. Now that was a difficult decision. But to get a little more use out of it, I cut it into rags. It makes me happy to use them.
And yes, I'm tossing them in the trash when I'm done using them. The cut edges shed too much to make it practical to wash and reuse them. And no, I'm not getting out the sewing machine to hem them.

Almost ready for Christmas

Only one more gift to wrap and these are "wrapped" too. We're bringing rice balls and nu mai fan (Chinese sticky rice) to Christmas dinner tomorrow. We'll fry the rice balls tomorrow morning. Rice and rice, from each of our cultures. I know the family likes the rice balls; we'll see about the sticky rice.

Thank you Glitz Design!

I was lucky to win some new Glitz papers and embellies from the Moxie Fab World blog (they're part of Paper Crafts). I was sooo excited that I had to sit down and make a card. When have you heard of me crafting that quickly??!! The only things I added was a bit of ink and the Bazzill flowers.
Thank you Glitz and Paper Crafts!

Still thankful

It has been over a week since we got home from our quick Thanksgiving trip. We decided to drive up to see my side of the family for Thanksgiving, mostly because we (actually Mr. Fix-it) needed to do some things around the folk's house. Stuff like trimming trees, fixing faucets, stuff that I'm not really good at.

The drive up was surprisingly easy. No long lines at any of the bathrooms and gas was cheaper than back home. We saw my dad and then he kicked us out (we suspect he wanted to watch some football, lol).

Thanksgiving was at my cousin S's. This was the first time I've seen her home, which is huge! And a good thing too since she had 30 guests. Mostly family, but some friends too. Just her family/siblings/kids/parent/in-laws totaled 19 people. There was so much food since everyone brought multiple dishes (we brought multiple snacks since we were traveling): spinach artichoke dip, chips, pigs in blanket, lumpia, cheese and salami tray, nuts, deviled eggs, krab salad in baked filo cups, baked brie/jam in baked filo cups, green salad, crudites, turkey, ham, prime rib, sticky rice (nu mai fan), mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, asparagus, rolls, green bean casserole, two kinds of cranberry relish, pumpkin pie, cake, sweet potato pie, berry pie, ice cream, cookies, Chex mix, and gosh, I can't remember what else. Needless to say, after two trips to the buffet I was stuffed, but still found room for dessert.

It was a wonderful gathering. The food was delish, but what really shone through was the love my cousins' family. Their kids (my first cousins once removed?) are so close and they've really missed each other. A couple of them have gotten married so being all together is really rare. My uncle was mellower than usual. And, I met a scrapbooker! One of my cousin's friends is a scrabooker (why is it I keep meeting scrapbookers who live hundreds of miles away??!).

We spent the day after Thanksgiving doing stuff at folk's. Mr. Fix-it did all the heavy tree trimming and mom and I used the pruners and hauled everything out front. He cleaned the gutters in the front and I cleaned them in the back. There was still more to do, but it was getting too cold.

The drive home was even faster than the drive up. We both woke up early so decided to leave early. But we waited until it was light, which was a good plan since it was foggy. Although traffic was heavier as we got closer to home, we still made good time and only got gouged on gas prices once.

All-in-all, it was an awesome Thanksgiving, one of the best.

100 things challenge, round 2

You may remember my recent 100 things challenge. I didn't get rid of as much as I hoped, but I am still happy with the results. So I'm starting it again. I was going to wait till next month (only four more days from now), but since we got rid of two big things today, I thought I'd start the challenge again.

To recap, get rid of 100 things in 100 days. Starting now, ending Tuesday, March 6, 2012. One thing a day, or 10 things every week or so. Remember, there's only one rule. To count, it has to out of the house. It can't be in the donate box, it can't be in the Craig's List/ebay box. With the end of the year coming soon, you may want to considering donating for tax purposes. I recommend not waiting until the last minute since donation sites get pretty crowded the last week of the year.

Here's what we got rid of today (okay, what Mr. Fix-it got rid of, gotta give credit where credit is due):

1 clay extruder
1 clay rolling pin

total gone 2/100

100 things challenge, last day

It is day 100 of my 100 things challenge. I got rid of a few more things:

1 pile of gift boxes that were too far gone to use again
1 stack (about 1.5 inches) of scrapbook paper (you should be really proud of this one)
3 things from my gift closet (I gave them to my sister so if you know her, they may be on their way to you)

Yesterday, day 99, I had big plans to put together a pile of stuff to take to Goodwill. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain most of the day after grocery shopping this morning, we stayed in the rest of the day (it was raining so hard, we skipped the Starbucks BOGO, and you know how I love a Starbucks discount).

The total gone is far short of my 100 items goal, but I'm still happy with my challenge. There's less stuff in the house and a little more money in my pocket (not as much as I'd like).

What I learned:

• I don't miss any of the clothes I got rid off.
• Even though it is a lot easier to see what's in my closet, I still have trouble deciding what to wear.
  
• You can't tell that we've gotten rid of books and magazines. I think that means we still need to work on that.

I'll be starting this challenge again soon. Hopefully, Mr. Fix-it will have some time to list some things on Craig's List (I believe this is called delegating, lol). I think I need to challenge myself to include weekly updates. Or maybe every other week. Or maybe every ten things. Look for another 100 things challenge before the end of the year.

Yellow Split Pea and Lentil Soup with Mushrooms

Tonight's dinner was another Macgyver, throw it together adventure. My friend Jackie posted a recipe from Elana's Pantry and I modified it for our dinner tonight.

All the measurements are approximate since I was just using up what I had in the kitchen.

Yellow Split Pea and Lentil Soup with Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 1 pound yellow split peas
• 3/4 pound red lentils
  
• 3 quarts water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups stock (I had some ham stock in the freezer and that's all I had, feel free to use more stock)
  
• 1/8 tsp celery salt
• fresh ground pepper
  

Directions:

1. Look over the peas and lentils and remove any stones or debris. (I used to think this was a stupid instruction until I found some pebbles in some beans.)
2. In a large sauce pan (I used a four quart pan) , bring split peas (and lentils), water, bay leaves and paprika to a boil. Reduce and simmer for 1 hour, until peas break apart (the lentils will cook faster so if you want, add them after the peas have cooked for about half an hour).
   
3. In a large stockpot (at least 6 quart), heat oil and saute onion over medium low until translucent. Add garlic and mushrooms and saute until tender.
   
4. Add the split peas and lentils to the onion/mushroom mixture.
5. Add the stock, celery salt, and pepper.
   
6. Simmer for a few minutes. Adjust seasonings if needed (you may need more salt; we don't use a lot of salt, plus I figured there was salt in the ham stock).
   

If you prefer a smoother soup, remove the bay leaves and blend the peas/lentils after step 2.

Win it! Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Part 2 DVD

Chief Family Officer is having a giveaway for the latest Harry Potter DVD. Good luck!

100 things challenge, day 87 update

I'm a bit behind. Here's what we've gotten rid of recently. Some of it was given to people I know; the majority was donated.

2 piles of magazines
3 nightgowns
3 shirts
1 small bag of toiletries
5 pairs of shoes
1 purse
2 boxes of kitchen stuff
3 books
2 jeans
2 sweaters
1 vacuum
3 vases
2 box of office supplies
2 picture frames
1 GPS
1 bathroom scale
1 vaporizor
1 briefcase
1 box of dishes
2 boxes of paperwork

total gone 61/100

The last item (paperwork) might be considered a bit of a cheat, but getting rid of two boxes of "to be shredded" stuff is a huge accomplishment in my book. That's two filing drawers of stuff (or would be if we actually got around to filing stuff, lol). A local company hired a shredding company as a community goodwill gesture and you could bring five boxes. It was hard enough to get two boxes together; we try to shred stuff on a regular basis.

I don't think I'm going to meet my deadline; finding 40 more things to get rid of in less than two weeks is definitely going to be a challenge.

Reduce your debt, save thousands a year (a vent)

It seems that everyone today has advice on how to save hundreds, even thousands of dollars a year by taking a few simple steps. I really must stop reading these articles because I just shake my head in sorrow whenever I read them. Are people really so stupid that they need to be told that buying a latte at Starbucks costs more than a cup of coffee? Or a cup of coffee brewed at home costs less than takeout? That if they're having trouble paying their bills, going out to eat isn't a good idea? That a vacation is a want, not a need. And I get frustrated because I already do most, if not all of the money-saving ideas people post.

I had a little more hope that this post over at Becoming Minimalist would be different, just because it was a longer list. Maybe there would be something I hadn't thought of. I'm always looking for ideas on how to spend less. Alas, there was nothing new. And of the 33 ideas, I already do 28 out of the 33. I'm including the list here. Maybe it will give you some ideas and maybe you can help me with the five I don't do (1, 3, 12, 13, 20).

1. Re-shop auto, home and life insurance to see if you can bring down your payments. (Not interested in changing companies so am stuck with this one.)
   
2. Downgrade your cable package, or get rid of it entirely. (Never had cable.)
   
3. Disconnect your home phone if you have adequate cell service at your home. Or downgrade to a cheaper package. (Need to keep the landline in case I get a call requiring the TTY. And there are no cheaper cell phone plans available unless we decide to go pay-as-you-go, which we don't want to do. We don't have data plans.)
   
4. Buy and sell clothes at your local consignment or shop at Goodwill. (My clothes isn't good enough for consignment shops and I buy all of my clothes on clearance, which is usually cheaper than Goodwill.)
   
5. Have a massive garage sale. (If you’d rather be out of debt than have an item, choose to sell it to help you get you there.) (Did that and will do it again.)
   
6. Advertise higher quality items on Craigslist, Facebook, or your local newspaper to get better prices. (Did that and will do it again.)
   
7. Focus on buying mostly sale items at grocery store or generic brands to reduce your cost. (I've always shopped this way. And don't forget the coupons.)
   
8. Use a grocery store awards program to earn money off gas. (Not available locally)
9. Cancel unnecessary expenses like magazine subscriptions, newspapers, manicures, pedicures etc. Anything that could be considered a “want” instead of a “need” should go until you are out of debt or greatly decrease your debt. (I save more in coupons I get than I pay for my newspaper subscription.)
   
10. Go to the matinee movies instead of paying full price (and skip the concessions). (Yep. I also buy movies tickets at a discount so I can go to the movies any time.)
11. Or better yet, use the Red Box for at-home movie entertainment. (I don't rent movies, but I may start using Red Box. So do I count this as a Yep? I think I will.)
    
12. Get temporary work or seasonal part time work to boost your income. (I already work 50 hours a week, plus a commute. I've done a bit of consulting, but it is pretty tough out there.)
    
13. Read books from the library or take a few trips to Barnes & Noble to complete a book. (Although I do spend around $20/year on books, my last books came from a library sale, Goodwill, or were gifts. I don't believe in cheating B&N out of their $ by reading there for free.)
    
14. Buy your most expensive groceries in bulk at Coscto: meats, breads, cheese, produce, paper products. Establish a monthly grocery budget for the additional needs at regular grocery stores. (Yep.)
15. When eating out, skip the soft drinks and stick with water. Skip the extras too (dessert, etc.). (Yep.)
16. When eating out, share a large entrée or have small appetizers instead of the costly meal. (Yep.)
17. Plan your errands more efficiently to conserve gas. (Yep.)
18. Find friends that you can trade services with…haircutting, handyman, photography, babysitting, pet-sitting. (We do have friends in trades that give us discounts.)
    
19. Give home-made gifts, baked goods, or service IOU’s rather than expensive presents. (Yep.)
20. Boxed cereals are expensive; switch to oatmeal, eggs or fruit for more nutritional and financial bang. (I buy name brand cereal for $1 to $2/box. Although more expensive than oatmeal, I pay significantly less than most people. We go through about 3 boxes a month so it is still pretty cheap.)
21. Call the utility companies and get on a budget plan to give you more consistency with expenses each month. (How does this save $? But yes, some of our utilities are on level-pay plans.)
22. Set a spending limit with family at Christmas and/or draw names. (Yep.)
23. Use exercise videos, walking or hiking instead of paying for the gym. (Yep. Oh wait, this implies that I exercise, lol.)
24. If your haircut is too expensive, find a less expensive stylist or see if your hairdresser will cut you a break on price temporarily – ours did. ($15 including tip. I'd be embarrassed to ask for a discount.)
25. Say “no” to hosting and/or attending in-home parties where you feel pressure to purchase. (Yep.)
26. Does your family live nearby? Once a week dinners with mom or dad saved us a meal out of our shopping budget. Additionally, it usually led to leftovers and our parents looked forward to our visit each week. (I'm the one who usually sends food to others.)
27. Make your coffee at home instead of buying it each day. (Yep.)
28. Pack your lunch – not once a week, but regularly. (Yep.)
29. Make extra dinner servings on purpose to have leftovers for lunch. (Yep.)
30. Our dentist advised us we could skip the fluoride treatments if we were using a daily dental rinse – which we did… and bought on sale. (Never had fluoride treatments so this doesn't apply)
31. Program your thermostat for savings on heating/cooling when you’re not at home. (Yep.)
32. Tempted by certain retail stores? While digging out of debt, avoid window shopping these places where you’ve failed to control your impulses before. (Yep.)
33. Give**. (Yep.)

Eh, enough with my venting. Keep in mind, most of these things aren't that hard to do. And you might enjoy the extra savings in your pocket.

Five (excuses) on Friday

Why I haven't been blogging much:

1. We went on vacation. A REAL vacation that involved sightseeing and going out and gaining weight, lol.
2. I had a visitor for a few days. My SIL (and one of my best friends) came to visit so no computer time when I got home from work.
3. My computer is really old and really slow, so I am avoiding it.
4. I'm still catching up on my TV watching from all the shows we recorded while we were gone.
5. I haven't been in the mood (hey, at least I'm honest).

Three pounds

After a week-long cruise, filled with all-you-can-eat buffets, plus lunches and dinners that included appetizers, first courses, and desserts (definitely multiple on the desserts), I am happy to report a mere increase of three pounds. As it turns out, I didn't exercise as much on this cruise. Last cruise, I made a huge effort to go to the early morning exercise classes and spent time on the treadmill. This cruise, the yoga and Zumba classes didn't burn off what I ate. Ironically, I don't think the food was as good this time around, even though it was the same cruise line. So why the weight gain? Can I blame it on old age? Hopefully, healthy eating habits will get rid of those three pounds (and more!).

Five on Friday

1. Remember that scrapbook project I started? Well, I abandoned it. I might just use the pieces for cards, just to get them out of the way.
2. I had a couple of appointments this week so came in a little late (9:30) or left a little early (4:00). The sad thing is, despite the late arrivals or early departures, I worked more than 40 hours this week.
3. I'm trying to lose a couple pounds before we go on vacation. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll burst out of my clothes before the end of our trip.
4. Fall is definitely here. I've had to break out the sweaters and jackets.
   
5. Happy birthday to me! I turned 27, again, lol. (I decided to use 27 instead of 29 since 27 was a better year).
   

Five on Friday is a random collection of thoughts from the week. Feel free to post your own thoughts in the comments or on your own blog and link back here.

Remembering 9/11

I've spent the last week crying at every news story about 9/11. Some of my friends posted on FB that they were avoiding the news; that reliving that day was too emotional for them. I understand. I won't be watching the news tomorrow.

I wrote about how 9/11 affected me several years ago. But as I look back, I also remember how touched I was by the outpouring of sympathy from the rest of the world. How Canada allowed planes to land and welcomed stranded passengers with open arms. How the world stood with us as we mourned. The photos of citizens from around the world gathering at US embassies in solidarity gave me hope. Hope that good will triumph over evil.

I remember those who were taken from us in such a terrible way and I remember and thank the brave men and women who protect us here and overseas.

100 things challenge, day 24 update

1 small pile of magazines (and we have lots more to get rid of)
1 mattress pad
1 Star Trek candy dish (we've got more ST dishes and "collectibles" if you're interested)
1 large box of dye (I'm finally admitting that I will never revive my silk scarf business)

total gone 22/100

So we're a little behind on getting rid of stuff. Plus, I took a major step backward last week when we went to a library book sale. It was the last day of the sale and books were only $1/bag. I ended up with two bags of books. Now I need to sort though what I've got so I can get rid of some of my current collection in keeping with the one-in-one-out rule.

Five on Friday

1. I'm starting a new scrapbook project...no really I am. I even started cutting the paper today.
2. I'm so glad I decided to take today off. Four-day weekend, woo hoo! The bad news is I brought home work. Let's see if I actually do it.
3. The weather has really cooled off. I need to wear a sweater or jacket in the mornings. That doesn't stop me from wearing sandals though.
4. Yes, I know I'm behind on my blogging.
5. Mr. Fix-it thinks we're going to work on the house this weekend. I'm more interested in shopping and scrapping (see item 1). Let's see who wins.

Five on Friday is a random collection of thoughts from the week. Feel free to post your own thoughts in the comments or on your own blog and link back here.

My Tupperware collection

I know that it isn't all Tupperware (and I've got some mixing bowls and other glassware there), but they are the most valuable pieces of my collection. ;) Mr. Fix-it built these pull-out shelves for me a few months ago and I've really enjoyed them. On the plus side, I did get rid of a lot of the cheap, old stuff that was cluttering up the old shelves since it wouldn't all fit on the new shelves. I must confess that this isn't all of my collection...I've got a couple of more shelves full of plastic ware that I'm not showing you.

A thousand sheets of paper

My friend Nancy posted that her friend Amy over at A Thousand Sheets of Paper, is giving away a thousand sheets of paper, plus a bunch of stamps! How's that for a prize?!!? Actually, she has several prizes. Check it out!

A little bling

I don't usually do my nails, but when I saw this glitter polish, I couldn't resist. It looks awesome over red, but I wasn't brave enough to wear that to work. The gold over silver is actually relatively subtle.

Awkward

As we were out and about with our errands today, we ran into a few people we knew. One was an acquaintance of Mr. Fix-it who has had some difficult times. He was laid off over a year ago and hasn't been able to find a job since. We've seen the guy out and about since he lives in the neighborhood. The acquaintance told Andy he was buying food for just a few meals at a time since he couldn't afford more. When Mr. Fix-it told me that, I wanted to do something to help. I usually give groceries to the local food bank a couple times a year. Why not give it to someone who you know instead?

Mr. Fix-it was hesitant, but I wanted to try. I knew that it might be refused, that it could be embarrassing. And as it turns out, it was...both. I tried to be gracious, the acquaintance tried to be gracious, but it was still embarrassing. I understand, but I don't understand too because in my family, we're always giving food to one another. It might be something from the garden or a favorite food or something purchased on sale that you got a great deal on. I'm not an extreme couponer, but I do get a lot of good deals. I'm sorry I couldn't share them.

Later, we ran into one of my coworkers at Home Depot. I didn't even know she lived in the area. Thank goodness I looked presentable. Sometimes, I don't bother changing out of my "garden clothes," which are really suitable for public viewing. Or I'll just throw on a plaid shirt over striped pants and wear socks with my sandals. Yes, I have no fashion sense, lol. So, not too awkward, but still, I'm going to be more careful about what I wear when I'm out and about.

Six on Saturday

1. I've starting listing some of my silk art supplies on Craigslist. I guess that means my career as a silk scarf artist is really over. (Actually we closed our art "business" several years ago, but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of my supplies at the time.)
   
2. Either my pedometer is broken or I've been sitting at my desk too long. My daily step average for the past week is a couple thousand less than usual. On a funny note, Mr. Fix-it noticed my pedometer on the counter and told me I was doing really well on my steps. That is, until I told him that was three days worth.
   
3. After a great start to my decluttering challenge, I already reached a plateau and have no idea what to get rid of now.
4. I need to start planning my fall garden. With food prices slated to go up, I hope to offset some of that cost with home-grown vegetables.
   
5. I painted my nails for the first time this year. I am so not a girly girl, lol.
6. Went to the chiropractor yesterday. Hope that gets rid of my earache.
   

Six on Saturday is a random collection of thoughts from the week. Feel free to post your own thoughts in the comments or on your own blog and link back here.

So pretty!

A coworker was wearing this necklace and I was so enamoured of it, I asked if I could take a picture of it. I'm not sure how long it is, but she had it wrapped at least once around her neck and it hung almost to her waist (she wouldn't let me photograph it on her, even without her face).

The necklace so delicate and funky and colorful and creative. Here's some more detail:

Does anyone know where I can get one? I did a search on etsy and found a million crocheted lariat necklaces, but hardy any were multicolored and delicate like this one and most didn't have beads. The beads are not a requirement, but I think they add a nice touch.

100 things update

It is day 2 of my 100 things challenge and we're off to a great start. Yesterday, we dropped off two boxes of magazines and 12 books at the library donation box. If I wanted to make it easy on myself, I'd count the dozens of magazines individually, but I'll be good and count each box as one item.

I also tossed two cardboard boxes. Now, you might think that is cheating, but the truth is, it is a very practical tossing. Practical, because that means I can't fill the boxes up with stuff that "I'll put away later." Practical, because that means I actually put away the stuff that was in the boxes.

Mr. Fix-it listed a couple things on Craigslist and they went fast! The rabbit hutch sold yesterday and an old bike sold today. Mr. Fix-it (and I) are thrilled to have a few more bucks in his pocket.

Gone:
2 boxes of magazines
12 books
2 cardboard boxes
1 rabbit hutch :(
1 bike

total gone: 18/100

My 100 things challenge

You may have heard of the 100 thing challenge, but if you haven't, here's a great recap by Conscious Frugal. I would never be able to reduce my belongings to 100 items. I have waaay more 100 clothing items (thank goodness I don't have 100 pairs of shoes), more than 100 pieces of plastic ware (Tupperware, Gladware, Ziplock, Rubbermaid, and more), more than 100 sheets/pillowcases/towels/blankets (I think; I'm too scared to count). I probably have 100 utensils and dishes. Oh wait, I'm sure I do since I've got 16 place settings of fancy china and flatware, plus serving pieces. What was I thinking? In my defense, that's what people registered for when I got married oh so long ago. As for scrapbooking, I'm sure I have at least 100 sheets of cardstock in every color of the rainbow, plus black, white, tan, 100 kinds of ribbons, flowers, fibers...I better stop there.

So in my quest to simplify my life, I've issued myself a challenge: Get rid of 100 things in 100 days. Starting tomorrow, August 13th, ending November 20. That's one thing a day. Whaddya think? Can I do it??? Think we can do it? Note that Mr. Fix-it doesn't know about this challenge (yet), but I'm sure he'll do what he can to help. I hope I don't start out strong and then fizzle out. The reality is, I will most likely be getting rid of stuff on the weekends and not during the week, so I need to get rid of 5-10 things every weekend.

There's only one rule. To count, it has to out of the house. It can't be in the donate box, it can't be in the Craig's List/ebay box. It has to be gone! Wish this packrat luck!

MacGyver cooking

Even though I love cookbooks and have several shelves devoted to them, I rarely refer to them. And even though I've pinned dozens of recipes on pinterest, I rarely go back to them. And when I do try to follow a recipe, I usually modify it somehow because I might have more or less or an ingredient (or I'm in too much of a hurry to follow the instructions exactly). I call it seat-of-the-pants cooking or use-up-what's-in-the-fridge cooking, but Mr. Fix-it came up with a new term: MacGyver cooking. I like it. But this style of cooking makes it difficult to post recipes on my blog. I hope by posting ingredients and a brief description, I inspire you to create your own dishes.

Tonight's MacGyver dinner was inspired by a dish my mom used to make, plus the huge onion I got in my first CSA box.

Ingredients:
1 huge onion, 3-4 stalks of celery, 1/2 of a kielbasa sausage rope (it was in the freezer), 1 bell pepper (optional), 1 can stewed tomatoes.

Directions:

1. Slice all ingredients.
2. Saute the onion and kielbasa sausage until they are slightly browned and the onion is almost cooked through.
3. Add the bell pepper, celery, and stewed tomatoes. Also, add about 1/4 to 1/2 can of water, depending on how much sauce you want.
   
4. Add seasonings. I just added powered garlic, dried oregano, and freshly ground pepper. You may want to add salt. We don't add a lot of salt when we cook.
5. Simmer until all the veggies are cooked through.

Serve over rice or pasta or with some fresh bread. (I always serve it over rice.)

As written, this dish serves four. It has a lot of flavor, even with using half the sausage.

Swiss chard

I'm terribly behind on posting my garden updates. Here was a harvest of Swiss chard from May.
And another from June. At first, I was harvesting the whole plant. Then I wised up and just harvested the outer leaves. Good thing because none of the seeds I planted later sprouted. So I've been harvesting from just three plants.
Usually, I just stir fry it, but I've tried a few recipes. I tried a gratin; that was just okay. Then I made some egg tarts. Recipe to come later.

Big Lots alert!

Mr. Fix-it asked if I wanted to make a trip to Big Lots. Silly guy, of course! Did you know that Big Lots now sells produce? They had giant red bell peppers 2/$1. They were on their way out, but if you were going to cook them in the next day or two, they would be worth it. All the produce looked better than what's at the 99 cents store. (Is my cheapness starting to show?)

But that's not the alert. At my local store, they moved the scrapbooking section to the other side of the store, but thankfully (or maybe not so thankfully), it is now one full aisle instead of being just one side of an aisle. There was a huge amount of Colorbök albums, lots of grab bags, some new (new to Big Lots that is) American Crafts embellishments, and lots of stamps. Most were the small stamps from Studio G (and overpriced at $2), but there were also quite a few Inkadinkado stamps, which retail for $9.99. I'm not really a stamper, but I couldn't resist. And I loved the colors of the buttons, only $1/package.

The budget crisis

I'm not talking about the state budget crisis (which is bad) or the federal budget crisis (which is worse), but my own budget crisis. I'm actually thinking about making a budget. Can you believe it? Me? Ms. Is-on-sale, Ms. Is-there-a-coupon-for-it? Yes, me.

I came to this awakening because I can't figure out any other way to bring our spending in line with our income. We're not irresponsible or in debt or need to dip into savings every month, but there isn't anything extra. Plus, I'd like to budget in some fun, like a vacation. Maybe if we have a budget, I wouldn't stress when we go out or splurge on something. Our expenses have gone up quite a bit the last few years, but our income has gone down. Not a good combination. Plus we've got some big expenses coming up the coming months so I'm feeling the pinch even more. Unfortunately, I have no control over most of the increased expenses. Health insurance continues to rise as much as 20% a year, but I have the most cost effective plan at work. I have some family obligations that are taking a bigger bite than I expected. Food and gas prices continue to rise. I feel like we're living paycheck to paycheck, even though I'm sure we're doing better than most of America.

Hopefully, I can come up with some money-saving ideas (that don't include not buying scrapbook supplies) or rework where our money goes so I'm less stressed.

Mexican lasagna

Also known as clean-out-the-fridge lasagna, lol. Had some refried beans (homemade), cheese, and sour cream to use up so I made one of my old standbys, Mexican lasagna. This is much easier than enchiladas and I think a little more forgiving. I don't really have a recipe, but here's what the layers were this time (from bottom to top, since that's how it is built):

corn tortillas
refried beans + a little chopped green onion + a little cheese
corn tortillas
cooked chicken + a little sour cream + green salsa
corn tortillas
refried beans + a little chopped green onion + a little cheese
corn tortillas
cooked chicken + a little sour cream + green salsa
corn tortillas
salsa, cheese, chopped olives

I just dropped all the ingredients onto the corn tortillas in dribs and drabs, they weren't solid layers. Also, I poured about 1/4 cup of water over top layer of corn tortillas before adding the last layer of salsa, cheese, and chopped olives. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sometimes I add some frozen corn, sometimes I use regular salsa, sometimes I add some tomato sauce, sometimes I add green chilies. Obviously, it never turns out the same, lol.

All right, all right, I know some of you want measurements. Honestly, I never measure anything when I make this. But I do know I used one 16 oz jar of salsa, about 1/3 of a 16 oz container of sour cream (that's all that was left), about 1 cup of shredded cheese, and a sandwich baggie of shredded chicken (from my recent cooking marathon), and used a 2 qt. casserole dish. Does that help?

My cooking marathon

I decided to spend a recent day off doing a cooking marathon so it wasn't really a vacation day. The good news is I had enough food to last a few days and to share. The bad news is my freezer is overstuffed. (Someday, I'm going to spring for an extra freezer.)

Chicken and turkey stock, plus the meat I picked off the bones. Yes, that's a layer of fat you see on top. I leave it on until I'm going to use the stock, then I decide how much to keep/discard.
Soup (there was more, but I had given some away already), cooked chicken (there were three packages), winter melon (again, I gave away half), and marinated chicken. I figured on some night when I didn't know what to cook, I could pull out the chicken and do a quick stir fry.

The winter melon is from my mom. She gave it to me last year and I finally decided to cut it up (yes, they really do last for months). It was stored in the garage. I didn't end up cooking any since I made the other soup. If anyone wants some seeds, let me know.
Last, but not least, a container of washed and chopped salad greens and another of washed Swiss chard. Cleaning the veggies on the weekends makes it so much easier to eat healthy during the week.
I was exhausted, but pleased with the day's work. Like I said, the only bad thing is my freezer is overstuffed. It is ice cream season and there's no room for any.

Too full

I feel like everything in my life is full and not in a good way. Work days are waaay too full. My camera's memory card is full (and I'm behind on blogging). My computer's hard drive is too full and isn't running efficiently. The only thing that isn't full is my wallet.

Five on Friday

1. I got a great deal on a plane ticket to see the folks. Unfortunately, I have to come home Saturday instead of Sunday; otherwise the fare would have been $79 more. Also unfortunately, the car rental will be more than the airfare. Hopefully, prices will come down before the end of the month.
2. Work is still crazy busy. I don't see it slowing down any time soon.
3. I'm actually missing scrapbooking. Maybe I'll get back to it someday.
   
4. I'm thankful for a 4-day weekend. Yep, I'm taking an extra day off.
   
5. I'm considering changing the name of my blog and maybe the focus. Stay tuned.
   

Five on Friday is a random collection of thoughts for the week. I usually post a Five on Friday (or Six on Saturday) when I haven't blogged during the week. Feel free to post your own thoughts below or on your own blog and link back here.

Six on Saturday

1. I caved and bought more squash seeds and a bell pepper plant since none of what I planted has sprouted yet.
2. I'm not as fashion-challenged as I thought. I bought a new dress a few weeks ago on clearance, but was reluctant to wear it to work because I thought it might be too casual. The dress will be going into permanent rotation since I got three compliments on it.
3. The planning committee for this summer's whitefly convention neglected to tell me my backyard was selected for this year's big event (I didn't realize my yard was even in the running). Since they've now overstayed their welcome, does anyone have any advice on getting rid of them? I can't even figure out which plants they're staying at. The bearded irises, which are the usual suspects, are clean.
4. In the past month or so, I've gained five pounds and I can't figure out why. I'm pretty bummed about it since as soon as I noticed, I've trying to get rid of them and haven't been able to.
   
5. I bought a bunch of cookbooks from a friend and now I need to figure out which books I can get rid of now (in keeping with the one-in, one-out attempt to avoid clutter).
6. We went to a garage sale this morning and I spent a whopping $1.25 for a few craft supplies and a couple dishes. Again, I need to get rid of a few things to maintain balance.
   

Six on Saturday is a random collection of thoughts from the week. Feel free to post your own thoughts in the comments or on your own blog and link back here.

TGIF!

I've been confused as to what day it was all week. Monday, I wore jeans to work (I was working off site), which normally is a Friday or weekend outfit. Tuesday, I woke up and thought it was Sunday. That night, I went over to a friend's house to meet her for dinner and I was a week early (surprise!). Wednesday, it was jeans again (and an hour and a half to drive 40 miles home from working off site again, yuck). Today, it's Friday, at least for me. Thank goodness I'm taking a vacation day tomorrow.

Toss it!

I look forward to clothes wearing out. I know that sounds strange, but since I'm loathe to get rid of anything usable, I usually wear my clothes till they wear out. Actually, I'm quite disappointed in the quality of this shirt. I haven't worn it that often and it is only five or so years old. It is kind of embarrassing how long I keep my clothes. You can't estimate how old a photo is by what I'm wearing because I might have owned that clothing for 10 or more years.

On the plus side, I've got some new rags. With my new frugality mentality (make that new extra frugal mentality since I've always been frugal), I'm turning all my worn out clothes into rags. Hey, maybe this means I'll clean more...ha!

My favorite form of exercise

We're doing a walking challenge at work. The big goal is to walk and to walk more. I can do that! We have a few hundred employees participating, in teams of seven. While the goal to get healthier, there is not supposed to any competition. For example, the site where we log in our steps will not show us our teammates' steps, only the team total. We can also see where our team ranks within the company. So of course, there is a bit of competition. While it would be nice to be in the top 10, I doubt that will happen since the some of the top teams have marathoners and even one guy training for an Ironman. And the other top teams have the warehouse workers on them and they walk all day. My team? We sit at the computer all day.
I'm sorry to say that I'm dragging my team down, with my average number of steps less than half of the team average. One day, we went to a botanical garden and walked for three hours. You would have thought that was worth several thousand steps. But no! I was still under the team average. (Some of my team members suspect I have a bad pedometer. I like to think that I glide when I walk so my steps don't register.) Working in the garden doesn't increase my step count significantly, unfortunately. But housekeeping does help. I guess dashing out to the garage to do laundry burns more calories than I thought.

Now, I'm happy to report I hit my all-time high! It was simple and really didn't feel like any effort. What's my trick? I went to the mall, lol. Boosting the economy and getting healthy at the same time...I always knew that shopping was my favorite form of exercise.

Frugal tip: banana treat

A quick tip if you have some overripe bananas and don't feel like baking banana bread: frozen banana slices. They make a yummy snack and don't have that overripe "bite" or mushiness. Of course, you can't let them sit around, otherwise they do get mushy. If you make smoothies, you could probably add them to the blender, like frozen berries. Sometimes, I have a few slices after dinner instead of ice cream.
Simply slice the bananas and place them in a single layer on a pie tin, baking sheet, or other freezer safe flat surface. Place in the freezer for a hour or more. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

My Big Lots find

Yes, even though I am supposed to be reducing, not increasing my scrapbook stash, I couldn't resist these albums. Although I love the look of post-bound albums, I've found that 3-ring binders are more convenient. I don't have any more room in my 3-ring albums, but since most albums are $20 to $30, I've resisted buying any for while. When I saw these, I couldn't pass them up. Granted, these aren't the highest quality albums (I think the outside is some sort of coated paper), but at $8 each, they're a bargain!

Six on Saturday

1. A very sweet person sent me some moon cakes. I think I've had them once in the past three years. They just are something I don't think about buying for myself, but I love 'em! Thanks J!
   
2. My step average is higher than I expected, but still waaay lower than the rest of the team's. :(
3. I had a butternut squash, brown rice, green onion, cheese, and cucumber burrito for lunch. Also known as let's-empty-out-the-leftovers-for-lunch burrito. It was surprisingly tasty.
   
4. Today I weeded, weeded, weeded, and then planted beets and astilbe (perennial flower). I would have planted basil, but I have no idea where I put the seed packet. I'm still waiting for the bell peppers and squash to sprout. You'd think I would see something after three weeks, shouldn't I?
5. Sigh, even though it was a short work week, it was really intense. Let's just say that I hate it when a new operating system is on the horizon.
   
6. I need to get back to Five on Friday so I don't have to think of so many things to write, lol.
   

Six on Saturday is a random collection of thoughts from the week. Feel free to post your own thoughts in the comments or on your own blog and link back here.