My order finally arrived....

Some time ago, I ordered an apple peeler, corer, and slicer from Zulily.com.  It was a good price and shipping was reasonable.  Unfortunately, it seems like it took forever to get here - nearly three weeks from the order date.  What I did not realize is that my order was not immediately processed and shipping was through that hybrid UPS/USPS service. 

Frustrated, I emailed the company yesterday to express my displeasure at how long my order was taking.  The Zulily representative responded very quickly and apologized for the situation.  As it turns out, the package arrived exactly when they estimated it would.  I just didn't know this when I placed the order.  (I'll know better next time.)  Zulily also offered me a credit on my account for future orders.  I do appreciate their customer service.

The peeler arrived today.  It IS a quality product, well made.  I've yet to try it out but thus far, it gets a thumbs up.  Now, I'm ready for apple season!

Time flies....

Wow!  It's been two weeks since I posted anything here, not even a menu!  I've started a couple of posts but halfway through, I lost everything I typed and grew frustrated.  I have some things I want to discuss, including summer menus, stockpiling and coupons, pantry storage, crafting and projects, etc.  I'm working on getting a schedule together to make this less willy-nilly.

For now, let me just leave you with a quick menu for the week:

Sunday - Chef Salad
Monday - Hamburgers, Hotdogs, Salad and Beans
Tuesday - Baked stuffed chicke  (Kiev and Cordon Blue) with wild rice, green beans and salad
Wednesday - Salad
Thursday - Spaghetti with Italian Sausage
Friday - Homemade Pizza

Since we talked last.....

... a lot has happened.  Not the shake in your boots kind of things but the everyday things.

Friday was a particularly bad day at work.  I won't bore you with the details but it was one of those days that you just want to grab your purse and hit the road, never to return.  I'm finding that these days come more frequently.

On Saturday, I was able to get the runner laid on the staircase.  It does look amazing, if I say so myself.  There are still a few places that need a bit of caulk and a touch-up of paint.  I'm planning to paint the spindles and handrails a bit at the time during the next month or two.

Sunday was a nice Mothers Day.  I received some thoughtful gifts and well wishes.  It was mostly a quiet day and the soft rain fell steady like a lullaby.

Monday, I was back to work.  (As much as I wasn't looking forward to it, it wasn't so bad.)  I was so tired that I completely missed Dancing with the Stars because I fell asleep on the couch. 

So, for this week's menu:

Sunday - Hamburger Steaks, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Monday - Vegetable Fried Rice and Egg Rolls
Tuesday - TBD
Wednesday - Salad or BLTs and Potato Soup
Thursday - Tacos (a kid favorite apparently)
Friday - Pizza

I've been trying to get some chicken on the grill for two weeks now.  Between our rain showers, work responsibilities and other events, it's been a non-starter.

Looking forward, I have a few goals for Spring which I'll share in the next few days along with some pictures of the garden and the stairs.

Two Things

First, sometimes you punt.  Dinner tonight was supposed to be grilled chicken served fajita style.  Unfortunately, the chicken was still frozen solid when I got home so instead, we're having tacos.  Thanks to a well stocked freezer, I just pulled a package of ground beef from the freezer and went with it.

Second, I was struggling with trying to figure out if the trim paint inside was latex or oil based.  (I want to get the right kind and not have it peel off.)  I called Sherwin Williams and asked how to tell the difference.  Alicia at my neighborhood store instructed me to rub the surface with some denatured alcohol.  If the paint came off, it was latex.  Oil based would remain in tact.  I phoned up the True Value store just down the street and within 10 minutes, I was back with the alcohol.  The good news is that the paint is latex!  Yippee!  Now, how am I going to use the other 99.9% of the can?  Well, quite by accident, I discovered that the denatured alcohol would remove most of the stain that got to places it shouldn't!

If there's time after dinner, I'll run over to the SW and pick up the paint.

Menu Monday

Sunday - baked ham; Monday - chef salad; Tuesday - ham and Mac chz; Wednesday - grilled chk; Thursday - Italian sausage and peppers with pasta; and Friday - ham fried rice

Clafoutis

I tried a new dessert tonight and 5 of 6 who tried it, liked it.  One abstained. 

Here's the recipe I have adapted from the The Prudent Homemaker site. 

2 cups of fruit (I used pitted cherries from the freezer)
1/2 can of evaporated milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon butter flavoring
1/2 cup sugar (I used just a little more)
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon zest (I used orange)
pinch of salt

butter or spray your pan (pie pan or tart pan).  Place fruit in pan (you can substitute what ever is on hand).  Mix remaining ingredients and pour over.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Serve warm.

The little things

I was just thinking about the little things we do to save money and how the little things add up. I saved $35 by reminding my pharmacist to apply a $35 coupon against a recent prescription. I saved the equilateral of 3 lunches because I ordered a specific meal at dinner Saturday night. (My $12.95 pasta came with one to take home. Between the free one and my leftovers, we ate three lunches free!) Today, I stopped by the pharmacy to pick up some Advil (I saved some money by choosing the store brand AND by buying a larger bottle). I noticed they had the new 1 liter bottles of coke on sale for .99 with your store card. Since the vending machines at my office now charge $1.40 for a 20 ounce drink, this simple step saved me at least $1.80!

New Month

A new month brings a new opportunity to make changes. First on my list for May is a renewed attention to coupons. Today I will purge the expired ones and file the new ones BEFORE I go to the grocery store!