A successful Thanksgiving

I've been remiss in posting over the last week or two.  Thanksgiving kinda took over!

With an out of town guest and a large family dinner (actually, two) to organize and manage, there's not much time for other things.  Now, the turkey is out the way and Christmas is moving in.  I've just about got all of the Thanksgiving items put away and I am working on getting the Christmas decorations out.

My first priority this week (11-30 to 12-6) is getting the second quilt top assembled and start on getting the backing on.  I start this morning and hope to get a lot done in the next two days.  I will add some progress pictures over the next few days.

Monday evening:  I have most of squares top sashed and many are sewed together in strips.  There are a few (maybe three) squares that need to be stabilized and cut to size as we assemble the top.  I would love to finish the flimsy tomorrow but it will likely be Wednesday.

A week in review

I've gotten a few things accomplished this week but mostly, I've been caring for my infant grandson, keeping the house in order and working on two t-shirt quilts.  I anticipate getting the top finished on the first quilt tomorrow.  

I have to put everything up every time the recipients come over to visit.

With one done, the second one should be a little easier.  I will probably start on the second on next weekend and hope to wrap it up in two days.  Getting the backing on and quilting (by machine) should not take very long.

Here's how it poked a few days ago....

What happened to Fall?

When I first started planning to take a few months off from work, I decided that Fall would be the best time to do it.  Lots of time to get yard tasks done before the cold weather set in but cool enough to actually do it.  Ha! Mother Nature has played a trick on me.

In the 14 days that I've been unemployed, I think it has rained 10.  Now today, we have cold - not fall-like cool weather - but really cold weather.  It was in the 30s early this morning and we have a freeze warning for tonight.  I did manage to get one bush cut down but so far, that's it.  I got the lawn mowed today and it really needed it after all the rain.  I think I will turn my attention outside tomorrow (if it's not too cold) and get some of my second plant trimmed.  I was going to sew tomorrow but rain is predicted for Tuesday again.

Tomorrow, I will also be making a pot of soup for dinner - steakhouse noodle.  For this, I take a piece of steak and grill it.  Then, I cut it into small pieces and make a soup with sauted onions, a few carrots and celery.  The base of the soup is a beef broth with steak sauce added and a few tablespoons of tomato paste.  Add some whole wheat noodles and you've got one delicious soup.  I will make a small green salad and use the bread dough I mixed up Friday to make a round loaf of artisan bread.  I will probably have enough for two lunches as well.

Friday night I made chicken fajitas.  (We love to go to On The Border for fajitas and margaritas on Friday night.  As we are now limiting our dining out, this was a way to continue the tradition the cheap way.)  I even mixed up some homemade pico and headed up some store bought cheese dip.  Served with a couple of margaritas, DH said it was awesome.  I used one Zaycon Fresh chicken breast which had been filleted.  Half of the breast was plenty for the two of us to have fajitas so I used the second half to make chicken fajita quesadillas tonight.  Same stuff, different presentation.  It was a hit again.  That's really getting your money's worth out of a single chicken breast.

On the menu for this week:

Friday - Chicken Fajitas

Saturday - Fajita Quesadillas

Sunday - Steakhouse Noodle Soup (top sirloin steaks from the freezer)

Monday - Beef Stew with Potatoes and Carrots (freezer)

Tuesday - Salad

Wednesday - Boneless Ribs, Mac and Cheese, Salad (freezer)

Thursday - sweet and sour chicken (frozen dinner)

Friday - TBD

Updated:  a few changes to the menu - we had leftover soup on Tuesday, BBQ chicken on Wednesday and leftover Stew on Thursday.  We're eating tacos Friday.

Fresh Bread and Beans

One of the things I really wanted to start doing again was making fresh bread at least once a week.  I have the book on "..Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" and used it before.  However, with working full time, I really didn't make bread frequently enough to learn it to the degree I wanted.

I finally got it together enough today to mix up a first batch of dough.  I will be making a pot of soup over the weekend and will make a loaf then.  Nothing goes with homemade soup better than a crusty bread. Eventually, I would like to also make some of the other breads in the book - challah, pizza dough, oatmeal bread, etc.  

Actually, today was pretty productive because I also got two pie crust disk made and in the freezer for the holidays.  Next week, I will be planning out Thanksgiving menu and making anything that can be done ahead.

On a slightly related note, I also want to learn how to made dried beans - especially kidney beans.  We eat a lot of these in soups and salads.  It seems to me that making these from dried would be significantly cheaper than canned.  Second on my list is refried beans.  Then, maybe chickpeas.

A needlecraft makeover

I made two of these pillows about 30 years ago for my Grandmother.  Over the years, my skills have improved and I've learned that patience typically results in a better looking project.  At first, I was going to just wash the pillow so I removed the pillow form and hand washed the cover in he sink.  I was shocked at how dirty it was.  Really, really dirty.  I allowed it to soak overnight in an oxiclean bath.

It was taking a long time to dry so I decided to take it apart and re-work the cover and ruffle.   I started by squaring up the cover.  It was so far out of square, I'm surprised it fit the pillow form.  Then I gathered the ruffle.  (My original workmanship was so poor that the joining edges of the ruffle were raw edges of fabric sewn together.). The ruffle is still not completely evenly gathered but it's close enough.

I hand stitched the cover closed and enclosed the raw edges of the ruffle.  Amazingly, it fits the pillow form even better now.  I'd like to make a mini version of this but I don't think the Aida fabric I have on hand is big enough.  This is a really awful picture but you get the idea.

When the weather saves you money

I got my nest report today from October.  We used 114 less hours or heating and cooling than we used in September.  It always happens in fall and we've been very lucky that we have had warmer than usual weather so far this Fall.  I would guess that both my electric and gas bills for the month covering October will be very low. That will help as I endeavor to reduce expenses as much as possible.

I've also tried to keep my heat use as minimal as possible for November so far.  Since I now have an infant in the house during this week, I am trying to use the power of the sun to keep the house a little warm and will begin to use other things as well.  Baking is one way to "heat" the house during the afternoons.  

A different kind of project

I got two boxes of t-shirts a while back - one for each of the granddaughters.  My task was to create a t-shirt quilt for each of them for Christmas.

I procrastinated starting this because it is something I know very little about.  I know that the girls do not need something that is heavy so my plan is to back it with a fleece and have no batting.  I considered a flannel batting but decided against it because it would need to be pre-shrunk.  I'm still trying to decide if the front needs washing or not.  I think it will ultimately depend on how many t shirts I end up with and what size the estimated piece becomes.  I'd like it to be fairly close to twin size or a big lap quilt.  If I do a border or washing, it will need to be pre-washed.

I'm also contemplating making the backing and/or sashing on both quilts the same and add large initials to the backing that would emphasize their individual personalities.  Alike, yet different in so many ways.

Here's what I have so far.  I bought four yards of interfacing but clearly that it not enough.  I need to find a good sale or a great coupon since this interfacing is over $5 a yard!

Friday Savings on Groceries

KUI saw that Kroger was having one of their Mega Sales where you wave $5 on 10 items.  There were quite a few of these that we use so I thought I could stretch my grocery budget this week by taking advantage of this sale.  Included in my purchase was Domino sugar (also had coupons), Green Giant green beans, Del Monte tomatoes, Stove Top stuffing, yeast, and Garidettos.  I didn't go overboard on the quantities but my $61 of groceries was only $22 after sale prices and coupons.

I saved $38.42!

From Kroger, I went to Publix where I bought mostly sale items and a few necessities.  Of course my purchase was not quite as impressive but I spent $57 and I saved $22 using sales and coupons.

My next stop was the Office Depot.  We have been needing new ink cartridges for our printer for several weeks.  We got a $10 off $50 coupon in the mail so I took that to save $10.  I also cashed in 10 empty ink cartridges (the max for a month) which will result in a $20 credit/coupon at the end of the month.  I'm thinking that I can use that towards some paper or maybe a Christmas gift.  We should not need ink by the end of November.

Overall, I'd call it a successful day.  Not many chores were completed but I got some shopping done which resulted in great savings.  Another way I will be stretching our budget will be using gift cards we have on hand and Walgreens balance reward points towards everyday drug store items.  I'll be watching those Walgreens sales for the next month or two.

Part of our economizing is not eating Friday dinner out.  DH really enjoys our Saturday morning breakfast place so we decided that would be our weekly treat.  A breakfast out is about $25 whereas dinner can be $40 or more.  Tonight we had homemade pizza and salad at home.  It was quite tasty and very little expense since I already had the dough and sauce on hand.  I picked up a little over a half pound of pepperoni from the deli and probably used about 5 ounces on the pizza.  The rest will be going in the freezer for next time.

Anticipation

A few years ago, I discovered that putting my Christmas cactus outside over the summer resulted in beautiful fall blooms.  It apparently thrives in the warm temperatures and bright light but benefits from being under either an umbrella or left on the front porch.

This summer, I repotted the plant into a violet pot (which is actually a little small) and left it on the front porch until the weather started cooling.  It now sits in the guest bath waiting for its beautiful blooms to show.

My first projects

Our master bathroom really needed painting and has for a couple of years.  (I know, that sounds horrible, but it's the truth.  The paint I put on after it was remodeled in 2007 just never was right.  It cracked on the walls and would soak up steam when we showered.  Alł water spots would Be visible on the walls and would actually stain the walls.)

I had great intentions of painting it for some time but let's be honest.  Who wants to spend their only two days a week away from work with a paintbrush in their hands?  Because I will have a newborn with me beginning next week, this was something I needed to get done right away.

I started early Monday morning by cutting in about half of the room filled by a quick roll over the large unobstructed wall and over the shower.  I guess that I spent about 3 hours on this and then left it to dry.  I was really thinking that I would need a second coat but after seeing it the next day, we're good to go.

The second morning, I worked that paint magic around the light fixtures and medicine cabinets (the toughest areas) and then just worked my way through the rest of the room.  

I still need to touch up some of the woodwork but that can wait a week or so.  I used the next lighter shade of the same color which made it easy to go just a little lighter.   Here's the new look:

 Of course, what also happens when you take on a project like this is all the extra stuff that has to be done.  The light fixtures had to be cleaned, the exhaust fan vacuumed and the window and blinds complete scrubbed down.  I spent a little time cleaning out the bathroom closet and lots of laundry.  I wish I could get my shower curtain not to droop but it's just too heavy not to.  I have the same problem in both bathrooms.

A quick post

KToday I begin my sabbatical away from work.  I have a busy week scheduled but I'm going to sneak in a little bit of free time, too.  It's late and I really need to get to bed so this will be short tonight.

Sunday - sausage tortellini, salad, green beans and garlic bread

Monday - pepper steak and lo mein noodles

Tuesday - chef salad with a cup of tomato soup

Wednesday - potato bar (with chili, broccoli, and cheese)

Thursday - roast beef over noodles (freezer)

Friday - TBD or homemade pizza

I am beginning to focus on getting two meal each week from the freezer.  I'd like to also have one meatless or light meat dinner each week.  

This week my major project will be painting the maste bathroom and getting a couple of Christmas crafts finished.  I'd like to get a couple of hours of quilting done.  I want to get my work laundry finished and put away in case I need non-casual clothing in a hurry.

There's so much to do.  More on goals and accomplishments later.

A little bit of an update:  I've been cutting in this morning and just started rolling some of the walls.  I'll probably paint a total of 3 hours today and finish up tomorrow.

Another update:  the bathroom paining (walls) is finished and I was able to clean up this mess and get the shelf back up today

I upgraded the shelf clips from plastic to metal with two screws instead of one.  Hopefully, this won't happen again but I do notice that the upper shelf has those same plastic clips.  Hmmm.

Tomorrow, I move on to cleaning the mold off of our humidifier unit in the basement.  From a prior inspection, it looks like the mold is mostly on the exterior.  There is some dust/gunk in the attached vent pipe so I will attemp to vacuum/scrub that as well.  In a related activity, I will be cleaning all three ceiling fans.  More dust!

Another update:  I got the Christmas stocking finished tonight.  One more project off my list!