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.

Scrapbook garage sale

Was I there to buy or sell? To sell, of course, lol! (more on the buying later) Here's what was left. I didn't do as well as I did last time, but I didn't expect to since I already sold most of my "big stuff" like tools. Even so, I did pretty well for selling stuff that was 3, 4, or more years old. And it just goes to show, you never know who will want what. Last time, I sold one book and a couple magazines. This time, I sold almost all of my books (it helped that I discounted most of them to $1) and several magazines.
Thankfully, only one person asked to bargain (I hate bargaining) and I almost refused to because she wanted 50 cents off an $8.50 total and it included some of my beloved Junkitz paper. Plus I had everything bargain priced already (10 to 25% of original price and most things were new in package). But I gave it to her since I am determined to reduce my stash. After getting rid of stuff at the first garage sale, it was easier to add more to my get-rid-of pile. Unfortunately, I didn't really do much prep this time, otherwise I probably could have gotten rid of even more stuff.

I did end up spending a bit more than I planned (I had planned on spending $0). Yes, those are QuicKutz in the lower right corner of the photo below. If you look closely at the blue basket in the first picture above, you can see the back of several QK (I did sell quite a few). So why am I adding to my collection??? Can I justify the addition of the QK by saying I didn't pay for them? My table neighbor insisted I take them after I bought some paper from her. Plus, I had given her part of my lunch. Being nice pays off.

You can see vintage Chatterbox and KI in the last photo. I thought this was a pretty good haul for $13.25 (everything in the last two photos). The red brads alone would have been more than that if purchased new. Now I'm off to see what else I can get rid of from my I-had-to-have-it-but-never-used-it stash.

Garden update

Since I'm not organized enough to keep a garden calendar, I thought I would post some photos to remind me what I was growing when. The photos are from last week. I didn't include photos of the bell peppers or squash because they haven't sprouted yet. :(

Japanese cucumber

Swiss chard (I sowed some more, but they haven't come up yet). If you look closely to the left, you can see some green onion.

My new-to-me upside down planter. A friend was getting rid of his so I thought I would try it. I've got four tomato plants and one eggplant in it, probably too many, but I ended up with an extra plant and didn't know where to put it. We added that white board so hopefully the plant in the back will get some reflected sunlight.

Chinese long bean (string bean). These are my grandmother's seeds. Every year, my mom lets a few beans go to seed for the next year. And now I'm doing the same thing.

Wax beans. My first time growing them.

I have a couple more tomato plants that I didn't take pictures of. I want to plant beets and basil and that's it for this year.

Six on Saturday

1. I carpooled five days this week. The good part is I saved on gas and enjoyed my carpooler's company. The bad part is she likes working extra long days.
2. I'm up early today and already showered and took care of the garden. I guess this is a good way to start the long weekend, but I wish I slept in.
   
3. I probably didn't sleep in because of anticipation of the LSS garage sale today. If I do half as well as last time, I'll be thrilled since I sold most of my "big stuff" already.
   
4. We're going to a BBQ on Monday and I'll be bringing a new recipe or two. If they turn out, I'll post the results.
5. I'm loving Pinterest! But it looks like you need a Facebook or Twitter account to join. If anyone knows of another way to join, please let me know since I know some people would might enjoy Pinterest but don't belong to any social networking sites.
6. There's a walk challenge at work and everyone participating received pedometers. It is pathetic how few steps I take a day. My goal is to increase my step average every week.
   

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

The price was right

Mr. Fix-it was reluctant to try this new fabric softener, but I insisted on buying it because it was free with coupons. For free, we'll try it.

Six on Saturday

1. It's NSD (National Scrapbook Day for you non-scrapbookers) and I'm not scrapping. But I am window shopping.
2. I made a huge batch of spaghetti sauce to take to the Italian Aunties. They seemed to enjoy it so I guess I pass the kitchen test after all these years (or maybe they were just being polite).
3. Once again, I've been working too much. But you should be proud of me. On my days off last week, I only checked my voice mail three times and my e-mail a few times.
4. I still need to put most of the garden in, though I did buy two tomato plants. I need to get a few more, otherwise we won't have enough to freeze.
5. I don't like my new haircut. But that's because I'm trying to grow out my bangs and there isn't much my hairdresser can do with them.
6. Haven't ridden the bike in a couple weeks and I actually miss it. Does this mean I might actually enjoy exercising?
   

I clicked my heels...

three times and I was still at the office. I guess I don't have the right ruby slippers.

Sweet!

We didn't have anything for dessert so Mr. Fix-it took the mini banana muffins I made and frosted them with almond butter (and yes, he also sliced them in half and added almond butter between the layers). Yum!

Orchids

My white orchids finally bloomed after being dormant for a few years. It had been so long, Mr. Fix-it forgot what colors we had. He clipped one stem to enjoy inside and it lasted more than a month in a vase.

Blueberry muffins

Adapted from this allrecipes.com recipe. I really like this recipe because it makes six muffins, just the right number for us and they are not too sweet.
Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar, loosely scooped, not packed
1 egg
1/3 cup half and half
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 to 6 oz fresh blueberries (about 3/4 to 1 cup)

Directions

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
2. Mix in the sugar.
3. In another bowl, beat the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, just until moistened. Then gently fold in the blueberries.
5. Fill six paper-lined muffin cups (I use a Pampered Chef muffin pan).
6. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Five on Friday

1. I had the day off and spend most of it doing housework and yardwork. I guess that means I can relax this weekend.
2. I made lunch, mini banana muffins (recipe to come), and dinner. I think Mr. Fix-it likes it when I have the day off.
   
3. Why is my closet still stuffed if I got rid of a ton of clothes?
4. All of my memory cards are full. Time to delete and archive.
   
5. We still haven't decided what we're doing for Easter.
   

Five on Friday

1. It was a beautiful day today, but I was stuck inside doing market research. We did take a walk during the lunch break, but now I'm paying for it since I didn't put on enough sunscreen this morning.
2. I wish I was the Pioneer Woman so that I could have a yard full of tulips.
3. We're having a garage sale tomorrow. I hope it is successful.
4. Work has been a huge drain on me. I haven't put in that many more hours per week, but the intense workload is taking its toll.
5. I think I need to join Pinterest (like I don't spend enough time online as it is). Anyone have a spare invitation?
   

Fresh fish

Hmmm, I sure hope there isn't a hidden door between the two businesses.

Bye-bye Borders

I wasn't planning on hitting Border's clearance sale, but we happened to be in the area a couple weeks ago so we stopped in. There wasn't much left, despite the prices not being that good. I don't think 20 to 30% off a bargain. I did have a handful of magazines (at 50% off) that tempted me, but ended up getting only these two (Mr. Fix-it was not thrilled about me bringing more magazines home).
If you're interested in where to shop after Border's closes, check these independent book stores.