Thursday Flop

Unfortunately, not a whole lot actually got done today.  Everything I tried to do went south.  Tried to mow the grass and the pull start broke.  I tried to load my quilt on the frame and the tubing was the wrong size.  Probably the biggest value of the day was monitoring a six year old for a couple of hours so his Mom could rest.

Wowser Wednesday

I had read yesterday that Joann's had a coupon for 75% off of fat quarters.  I wasn't going to go but I decided to make a run over there this morning,  I'm to the point that I need batting for the quilt I am working on.

I got 10 fat quarters @ $2.49; Plus 4 bundles @ $9.99 or $65 for ONLY $16.22

I also picked up a twin sized package of batting at 40% off making my total savings over $59.

Today, I also put some mild fertilizer on the front yard.  I had a container of miracle grow so I hooked it to the hose on a very light application mode and sprayed the yard.  I will go back out later this afternoon and spray it again.  We are supposed to have rain tomorrow so it's a great time.  I am planning on mowing Friday.  I hope that enough time has elapsed and that the new grass growth will do well.  The yard looks pretty bad having not been mowed in over two weeks.

I have also finished the back to my Starburst quilt and I will try to get it on the frame today so I can begin to quilt it on the Grace frame.  I need to make sure my batting is long enough this time.

Monday and Tuesday

Monday, I had the two little boys for the day.  Most of my time was spent watching and entertaining them but I did manage to get a couple of loads of laundry done, the dishwasher run, and dinner cooked (well, not really cooked as it was salad). I did not water today.

Tuesday, I watered the lawn today and we have quite a bit of new grass.  I had a lot of errands to run including picking up books at the library and prescriptions at the drug store.  I also picked up some shoe inserts at the shoe store and stopped by Sprouts for a few good deals.  Speaking of deals, it was very interesting Tuesday to see the difference in potato prices: $1.29 per pound at Publix, $.77 per pound at Sprouts, and $.49 at Trader Joes.  (I didn't like the look/quality of the potatoes at Trader Joes but I did buy at Sprouts.)  

I also got the garbage to the curb, watered the veggies and herbs and the house plants.  I rewashed one load of clothes, washed a second load and dried and folded all of these.  

Additionally, I got some sewing done on the backing of the Starburst quilt.

The Weekend

Saturday was a gorgeous day.  DH and I got up extra early and headed to breakfast at our usual place.  He had decided to go on a motorcycle ride with a new group and needed to be out early.  

While he was out, I sewed a little and finished the appliqué of stars onto my newest project.  I also ran over to Hancock's to see what was going on.  Everything was at least 25% including the fabric that I wanted to buy.  They had a two yard minimum but I decided to purchase FOUR yards because it is a basic natural muslin which can be used for many projects.  I will be using the fabric I had left over plus this new fabric to create a design on the back.

I took in one of the little boy's baseball game - it was a very nice day.  I did not water the grass because it had rained at least twice the preceding day.  We went out to dinner at a local restaurant.  We had our usual Saturday night movie at home with a free Redbox code.

Sunday was another good day.  I watched some little boys for an hour or so which some wood shopping was done and then rode over to deliver it.  I watered most of the yard today.  (I will be watering on a two day on, one day off schedule this week.). Dinner was turkey, stuffing and fresh green beans.  DH and I went for an after dinner walk at the nearby track.

Friday

I had hoped for a productive day but it wasn't nearly as productive as I had hoped.  I was up fairly early but I was met with a wet and dreary day.  This meant I didn't have to water today which will save a little money.

I had 17 items on my to do list and I managed to get all but three things done.  I will try to get those accomplished tomorrow.

I did get some sewing done on the quilt top I am working on.  I am almost finished getting the Stars appliquéd on.  Next, I will tackle the backing.  I want to use as much of the scraps as possible to create something "artistic" on the back while spending as little additional money as possible.

I reserved five books from the library and picked up two today.  I also stopped by Walgreens and picked up a few things we needed.  The total was $22 and I paid with $20 in points!  Yippee!  Otherwise, I spent no other money today.

Productive Thursday

I decided to change my routine today and get going early.  DH and I got a bite to eat at the Waffle House mainly because he had a job walk later in the morning and it made more sense for him to lave directly from the house.  

Afte we returned (still very early), I immediately started eating the lawn.  We actually have little sprouts of grass!  Yippee!  I didn't water this evening because rain was expected and it came.  We have a 90% chance of rain tomorrow as well.  

I picked up the bedroom including making the bed, dusting and vacuuming.  I cleaned the toilet and took the bathroom rug outside and hosed it off with some detergent.  I hung it over a sawhorse to dry. Two loads of laundry were done today including washing the rug in the downstairs bathroom.

The dishwasher was emptied and refilled as the day went on.  I will run it tomorrow because there aren't enough dishes yet.  I watered my outdoor plants / herbs and vegetables and the indoor house plants.

I sewed on my quilt and have about half of the appliqué work done.  I also straightened up th guest room and ran the vacuum.

I had almost a page of things to do today.  I think there were five that did not get done - having to do with groceries, painting and paying bills.  I will take those on tomorrow.

My goal today was to be up early, be productive and do some things that I wanted to do.  I succeeded.  Tomorrow, I will do the same.

Weary Wednesday

I hard a hard time getting my day started and therefore not the most productive day.  I watered the lawn again today.  My plan is to water through the weekend the see if we have any seedlings.  I May cut back on the watering some at that point.  Germination is typically 7-10 days and we are at 11 days.    We have seen in prior years that germination on our lawn takes much longer.  Personally, if it takes much longer, I'm not sure I want to continue the watering every day not knowing if it will work.

I ventured out to pick up a sandwich and drink for lunch.  (I usually limit this to once a week.)

Initially, I thought that I would visit some employment places tomorrow but I think I am going to hold off until next week and work on my sewing some tomorrow, tidy up the office and catch up on any homework (cleaning).  I intend to be up and stay up tomorrow and Friday and start conditioning myself towards a work environment.  I'm hoping that once I visit the agencies, they can place me in a temporary assignment or two.

DH visited the doctor last week and they suspected a sinus infection that was causing a cough.  He was prescribed a steroid to clear up/accelerate the healing.  Unfortunately, after finishing the steroid, he still has a cough so we called back to the doctors office to get something else.  It took two phone calls (two days) but the office did call in a prescription for antibiotics since he was still having issues.  When I picked it up this evening, it was $35 retail but with our insurance, it was only $5 and change.  I guess that's a savings of almost $30.  We're hoping that this does the trick and puts him on the road to healing.

What's up, Tuesday?

Today was mostly regular kind of things.  Watering the lawn took first priority.  Even with the sprinklers, it takes nearly and hour and a half to water the lawn.

I attended a recorder concert for two of the little kids today.  Recorders are not the easiest instrument on the ears, but this was rather good.  After the concert, I stopped by Walmart.  I needed some turquoise thread and I was fairly sure I could get a spool at Walmart versus going across town to Joann's.  

While I was at Walmart, I picked up a few things: butter, tortillas, cheese, pizza crust and French loaf.  A smallish purchase.

Not much to write home about today.

Marvelous Monday

The first priority for the day was more watering the lawn.  It took about an hour and a half, watering each section about 25 minutes.  Having the sprinklers really helped to make this go more smoothly.  I also repaired a leaking water hose.  I think the repair piece was less than $4 and will keep this hose in service a while longer.  I blew off the driveway while I was outside.

Inside, I washed three loads of laundry, dried and folded it all.  I made dinner and we had watermelon for dessert/snack.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday

PWow!  I'm not sure what happened and how I missed so many days of posting.  

Thursday - watering the lawn, trip to Sprouts for fruit and veggies, returned library books

Friday - watering the lawn

Saturday - more watering, breakfast out, saw a movie at the theatre, date night

Sunday - breakfast in, window shopping at the RV store, dinner at home, watering; I purchased three pepper plants, two tomato plants and a couple of $1 marigolds.  Also, I bought a large, three trunk tomato plant from Publix.  I got them transplanted into two large tubs I had and into the window of pots.

This is a very abbreviated version

What's up, Wednesday?

My first task this morning was to head to the tire store.  Twice, my tire has become seriously deflated.  I made an appointment yesterday for this morning so I pumped the tire up and headed that way.  Fortunately, they were able to repair (plug) the tire event though it was a run flat tire.  That's great news - it cost me nothing and only about 30 minutes of my time.

Back home, I set out to water the grass again.  This time, it took nearly and hour and a half since I tried to water just a little more,  it stayed overcast and cool the rest of the day so I elected not to water in the afternoon.  The weatherman indicated that we may have some mist or light showers off and on over the next few days.  I will plan on watering and see what the rain situation is.

I swept the downstairs floors and folded some laundry this afternoon.  I also finished two books which completes the series I was working on.  I am well ahead of my anticipated progress on 12 books for the year.  I will return these to the library tomorrow and take a break.  I will request the next two in one of the other series.

Tomorrow, I also plan to go to Sprouts and pick up a few fruit items and perhaps some produce.  Dinner tomorrow will be a chef salad.

For dinner tonight, I made a Chinese/teriyaki chicken dish with fried rice.  It was different and I think everyone enjoyed.

Tuesday

I was up early this morning and out the door pretty quickly.  I had an 8:30 appointment at the dealership for an oil change so I quickly picked up a couple of donuts and coffee.  I had expected it to take about an hour to an hour and a half but it ended up being more like two hours.  While I was there, I took advantage of the quiet by reading more of my book.

Afterwards, since I was just around the corner, I went over to Joann's.  I really didn't find much except a couple of spools of thread for the hand quilting to come on my current project and a hook and eye piece to make some adjustments on a piece I already have.  I spent less than $5 on all.

I have a friend that has asked me to do some sewing.  I was also looking at potential fabrics for that project but, as I expected, nothing there would work.  I think we have a slightly different plan now.  My friend has some sentimental curtains that belonged to her mother.  She had wanted to make them into a bedspread but after looking at a pair, I suggested that she make a dust ruffle instead.  I'm not entirely sure when this will happen.

I stopped by Chick-fil-A and picked up a tea on the way home.  I knew I had leftovers to eat but a tea would be a small, inexpensive treat.  

DH had requested a pot of Steakhouse Noodle soup for dinner this week.  I pulled a piece of steak out of the freezer but, when it thawed, I didn't care for how it smelled.  I needed to go to the grocery store anyway so I picked up a small steak for the soup.  The most lean piece of meat was a piece of tenderloin.  You should have seen the look on the butcher's face when I told him it was for soup.  I butterflied the steak and grilled it this afternoon.  I cut it into bite sized pieces and out it in the soup.  I was absolutely outstanding!  Pricey, but delicious.  We both ate dinner and I have enough left for lunch.

Menu Recap:

Monday - BBQ sandwiches

Tuesday - Steakhouse Noodle Soup

Wednesday - Chinese (teriyaki) chicken stiffly with fried rice and egg rolls

Thursday - Chef Salad

Friday - TBD (maybe Spaghetti?)

We had a fair amount of rain and the ground was stil wet this morning so I only watered this afternoon. Too early to see new grass so I will just keep watering. 

Tomorrow I have an appointment at the tire place to checkout a tire that will not hold air more than a day.  Hope they can fix or replace under warranty.

Blessed with rain

After seeding the lawn yesterday and wetting it down, I went back out this morning and watered it again.  I tried to get enough water on the ground to moisten it well but not necessarily enough to to soak the ground.  It took about an hour to hand water the whole thing.  Rain was originally expected for Tuesday but the rain came in a little early with a soft rainfall about 7 pm.  We may have more rain later tonight and tomorrow.

I washed four loads of clothes yesterday (including some towels and linens) but found enough for at least one more load today.  I have the dishwasher running now.  I have pulled a small steak out of the freezer for tomorrow's dinner.  I will stick it on the grill and then make a pot of Steak House Noodle at DH's request.

I am moving towards a Spring/Summer menu with more vegetables, salads, etc. and less starches; fewer desserts with more fruit, hot tea.

I mailed our tax check today so I can officially stop worrying about that task.  

Sunday Seeding

It was still a bit cool and windy today so we didn't get around to seeding until nearly 3pm.  We put out three different seeds: Rebels Tall Fescue in the sunny, dry areas; Pennington Sun and Shade Fesue in the slightly shady areas; and a Shade Mix in the area on the side of the house that gets very little sun.

After DH got it spread in sections, I started watering by hand to moisten the soil.  I will be watering (probably by sprinkler) each day for the next week or so.  Some days it may be twice a day.

Super Saturday

Saturday was an unusually cold and windy day for a week into April.  We had planned to cut, aerate and overseed our lawn.  The wind was just too strong so we postponed the seeding part.  

We started by cutting the lawn.  On the first pull of the lawnmower, the pull corn snapped so we had to immediately stop and fix that.  Thankfully, we were able to use the cord we have for now.  After getting it to crank, I mowed the lawn and then hooked up the aerator and ran it over the lawn, twice in some places, to get some good chucks cut into our hard soil.  (I'd love to bring in a load of dirt to supplement the soil, but that just isn't happening.). 

DH also worked on getting the car washed and cleaned on the inside for sale.  

We finished out the day with a cookout and bonfire at DD and DSIL's house.  Sliders, dogs, sides and salsa.  Afte we lit the fire (fueled with mostly the branches and limbs from our yard cleanup) we roasted some marshmallows and listened to some tunes.  It was a bit chilly but the fire kept us reasonably warm.  We headed home about 10 leaving them with all the grandchildren.  They were planning a spend the night party with everyone "camping out" in the living room.  Wonder how that went?!

Frugal Friday

So far, I've spent no money today except for somegrass seed we picked up after  dinner.  We have tried to find a lawn service that will help us to get more grass and less weeds but they all want to just come spray whatever is on the truck.  The smallest monthly fee we found was $40 per treatment (month).  We have decided to try it ourselves for now.  Our grass seed was $80 for a large bag of Rebels fescue seed and a small bag of Pennington sun/shade seed.  We will mow, aerate and seed tomorrow and then start watering Sunday because a frost is expected tomorrow.

Just regular household chores today with laundry and dishes.  

I picked up a prescription from the drug store that was a $0 copay and checked out four books from the library instead of buying new or buying kindle formats.  They did not have the one book I originally went for but I selected a different series instead.  (I have a goal of reading a minimum of 12 books this year.  So far, I've read four.)  I am completely caught up with the current episodes of When Calls the Heart and looking forward to the season finale Sunday night.  Now, I am watching Call the Midwife (from the beginning) on Netflix.

Dinner will be the leftover beef pot pie from yesterday along with a small green salad.

Despite the cold temperatures (64) and windy conditions today, I was able to repaint the top of our rain barrel and put it back in place.  I think the wind helped to dry the paint very quickly despite the temperature.  

I continue working on my new quilt and discovering better ways of doing things along the way.

A not so thrifty Thursday

I read that today was National No Housework Day.  I guess in many ways, I celebrated by not doing much housework.  I did make the beds, run the dishwasher and cook dinner but that was about it.

The high point of my day was meeting a friend for lunch.  We have had to cancel on each other a couple of times so when she texted me Wednesday afternoon with the suggestion, I was happy to agree.  My lunch was less than $10 which was a happy surprise.  I got a giant salad at Doc Green's and it was delicious but absolutely no way I could eat it all.

We had the opportunity to catch up with each other and our families.  We known each other and worked together for 11+ years.  It was a nice respite from the everyday.

I had planned to make a beef pot pie for dinner using some cooked roast beef in the freezer.  When I checked my pie crust, it was expired so I needed to run to the grocery store for a replacement.  The pot pie was delicious.  I added a single potato and a handful of carrots which were boiled and added to the pie.  We have half of it left, perhaps we will have that for dinner tomorrow with a small salad.  That would be a real money saver.  At the grocery store, I picked up the pie crust, coffee (on sale), a jar of cherries and a package of sliced cheese. 

While I was out, I ran by my local quilt store and purchased two yards off Kona fabric ($8.50 a yard).  I was surprised at their price which was 15% less than the normal price Hancocks was charging.  I didn't even consider going to Hancocks since I've heard that their prices have all been jacked up since they have been taken over by the liquidation company.  I picked the Kona peacock color to use as a thin border around the two large stars.  (There is also a turquoise color that is a bit darker.   May use a few stripes of that on the back.)  I started working on this this evening but it is a persnickety undertaking.  I'm learning as I go.  

I think I am going to add a border around one length of fabric - maybe four inches in the same fabric or perhaps the lighter color tan that is in the star.  I will be making additional diamonds from the patterned fabrics and place randomly along the seam line.  I thought about making more stars but that would only take away from the flash of the big stars. (This is definitely a project that is developed as it goes.  I may change my mind again as I get to that point.)

I'm also thinking that the back will be a pieced back using any scraps I have and purchasing some additional material if needed.  

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

I'm not sure how I got so behind on posting.  

Monday I made a trip to the grocery store to pick up some essentials and a few items on sale.  I was able to pick up three more packages of lean ground beef which I divided into four packages, vacuum sealed and place in the freezer.  I cleaned the microwave, fridge produce drawers and cabinet doors around the stove.

I also put the remaining limbs into two bags for the trash man.  Laundry and dishes.

Tuesday was a half day of chores and kiddie watching afte lunch.  Regular things like trash to the curb, laundry, dishes, dinner.  We've been trying to get a lawn service to advise and treat our lawn but we've been unsuccessful in getting any type of personalized attention.  They just want to spray whatever they have on the truck.  DH and I decided that we would cut the lawn Friday and then aerate and seed over the weekend.  We were looking at a minimum of $40 per month for any service.

It's our contention that simply killing the weeds would simply leave us with a bare lawn for the summer.  Our plan is to seed this weekend then fertilize this spring (next few weeks).  Any weeds that survive the new grass will be killed later in the summer just before reseeding in the fall.

Wednesday.  It's supposed to rain tomorrow so I decided earlier in the week that I would pressure wash the deck and front porch to get rid of the pollen.  It was a little chilly for this chore but after struggling to get the washer cranked, it's done.  It looks so much nicer and I hope it will be easier on my sinuses.  I washed two loads of clothes and unloaded the dishwasher.  

Some of my projects for the rest of the week and next week include a trip to give away items, detailing a car we have for sale, an oil change on that car, lawn work detailed above, pulling weed in the juniper planter, some paint touch up and paining the trim in the master bathroom.

On the work front, I plan on visiting with some placement agencies next week to see what type of jobs they have now (temporary) and what they may be able to offer (permanent) that is in my scope.

Sewing:  I will be completing the second paper pieced star tonight and will move forward with appliquéd get them to the quilt front tomorrow and Friday.  I need to visit Hancocks to see about their inventory and prices and I need to see about quilting thread and backing at Joann's.  I may have batting for this project on hand.

The Weekend

This past weekend, we enjoyed some time together and tackling a few chores.  Most importantly, we were able to load up all the sticks from the yard and carry them to DD and DSIL house for a bonfire next weekend.  I had spent the last few weeks pruning shrubs, taking down dead limbs, etc. from all the trees I our yard.  Some of the clippings have gone into yard waste bags and were picked up by the trash collectors.  What remained was too difficult to get into those lawn bags.  

We also spent some time cleaning and organizing the garage.  A big bag of garbage went away along with some half empty containers or weed killer.  I heavily sprayed some of the ivy in the back yard so I was able to throw them empty containers away.  

I have a small collection of things that also need to go to Goodwill later in the week.

Fabulous Friday

I started working on our taxes a few weeks ago and got to the point that most of our deductions were entered in.  (Usually at this point in the process, the amount we owe decreases from the original data entry.). The program was showing that we were going to owe $3800 in federal taxes .. in addition to what we already had withheld.  I was so terribly upset.  What a hit to our funds.  How could this have happened?

Well, as it turns out, the filing deadline was beginning to loom.  With just two weeks left, I decided to bite the bullet and finish the deed.  I jumped in today and fairly quickly finished the data entry.  Imagine my surprise when the amount due was $1400 versus $3800.  I was so excited and relieved that I almost cried.  I got a bite to eat and went back to it is ensure that the figures were correct.

Everything looked go so I proceeded with the state filing.  They owe us money!  Woo Hoo!

I may not have saved us money today and this fabulous result may have had nothing to do with anything I did, but the end result is that we get to keep lots more money in our accounts.  That is such a relief as I continue to look for a new job.