Townhouse Homestead Tuesday

This week was a shop at home week. Although we did pick up some groceries for my daughters lunches and things to cook with we are shopping at home first. It's becoming a waste not want not kind of life we are living but with the high cost of "everything" these days how can a person not become frugal. In doing so I think we are eating better and eating a better variety of good food. 

This is turkey noodle soup made of turkey and stock from Thanksgiving. I used no yolk noodles to make it a bit healthier and I have control of the salt and yes that is a home made roll. I like knowing what's in my food even though it's not always easy these days.

Over the weekend we had breakfast for dinner. From scratch home made waffles with home made triple berry syrup. Oh such a luxury.

I had a large bag of clean vegetable scraps in the freezer that needed to be boiled down for stock. With my new pressure caner I could now can it and not use my valuable freezer space. I knew I wouldn't have enough jars to fill the caner so I got to work preparing potatoes too. The clean potato skins were added to the stock pot. I had a great abundance of them because I bartered for them over the holidays for a sewing project. I also had a small amount of beef stock taking up space in the freezer that I knew I could cook down a bit and also put it up.

In the end I had seven pints of vegetable stock, two pints of beef stock and eight pints of potatoes. There was one pint of vegetable stock that wouldn't fit in the caner, so it will be vegetable soup one night this week.

This is a jar of ground dried orange peels. I have been working hard at including fresh fruit in our diets, but since I can't compost in the apartment I am always searching for uses for my scraps. These I will add to some soups and smoothies or make a citrus tea. I added some to sugar and made citrus sugar for my friends to add to their tea. In a special bottle it would make a lovely gift. 

I am enjoying my frugal life, having less yet having more.
Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful week. I hope I'm inspiring you to be frugal and thank you for inspiring me to live better.

Thursdays Threads

My favorite thing to do is sew. I think in front of a machine is where I am meant to be. My daughter is also quite a seamstress. We both find it very relaxing. Lately we've been trying to use up the multitude of scraps that every seamstress accumulates. It seems endless some times and the scraps range in size from half a yard to one inch pieces. Believe me when I say there are piles and containers and bags of them. 

I used a lot of red pieces of reclaimed sheet and one inch pieces to make this quilted library bag for my younger daughter. She likes a bag for holiday time. The lining is also remnants as is the cotton batting used to quilt it.

My eldest daughter made these sets of up cycled fabric napkins over the holidays. They are listed for sale at poetcharms.etsy.com. You can stop by and see all the wonderful items she makes. These were made from reclaimed fabrics and linens and they are 13 inch square. I'd show you the piles and bags and containers, but it is a bit overwhelming so I stay away until I have time to work. It is our goal to keep using and sharing the bits and pieces throughout 2015 so stay tuned for updates. For now I've got to go take care of conversation threads. Thank you for stopping by and have a great weekend.

Thrift finds and "freebie economics".

Not a lot of thrift shopping and picking going on here. We look mostly for things that are actually needed and it has to be special for us to want it. We have set a goal to re home in the next few months so my daughter is setting aside as much as possible to achieve that venture. We went out once for a day with a friend and my sister-in-law between Thanksgiving and Christmas and had a wonderful day. We found a few good deals. It's getting easier to hunt and pick just what you can get the most out of.

At one thrift store we found a package of orange ornaments that adorned our tree this past holiday season, an almost new pair of LL Bean low cut hiking boots for $5.99 that fit just right, a pair of mens Clark's saddle shoes that only needed the white laces changed out, one 1/2 pint canning jar and a darling leprechaun.

This pile of goodies was so cheap. I believe a couple dollars for it all. There was a Vera scarf, 18 tart pans, a resin bird, miniature Christmas ornaments a Kokeshi doll and a package of bristle brush Christmas trees. The resin bird went here:

We found a set of four glass spice jars and a beautiful vintage orange and gold floral table cloth and we are always getting orange and yellow towels for our retro bathroom.

After Christmas we dropped off donations and looked around the thrift store and found two sets of these wonderful floral sheets and the only other purchase we made was for this lovely Ben Seibel sugar bowl size vintage covered dish. 

Some of the purchases will be kept and some have been or will be added to the store inventory but all in all we just wanted to get out and have a great day with friends and family. Thrifting is more fun when you're in a group.

My quest to keep going with as many free items as I can has become more fun than challenging and this pile of goodies (a 20 roll package of Scott bath tissue, two large Folgers coffee, three movie boxes of M&M's and one lollipop) came to a total of $1.50 which was mostly tax. I was armed with coupons for free merchandise and rewards vouchers and I couldn't have been more satisfied. I will continue shopping this way until policies change or they just don't let me any more. Twice now I've used my rewards for this kind of shopping.

In the mail I received a free sample of Dove hair oil treatment and on Savingstar the freebies this week were corn muffin mix and hot cocoa.

Also received free this week were these metal display stands. Five are heavy metal stands and adjust in height and one is a sign stand. They nicely come apart for easy storage and my daughter will use these when she does her craft shows. A few more items out of the landfill. Being green and using "freebie economics" to help the budget has proven to be a positive change for us. I hope you all are doing as well as we are and thanks for stopping by.

Townhouse Homestead Tuesday

I don't know where to start today. It's been a busy first week to the new year. We've been organizing to make it a good new year and more efficient. The holidays were wonderful. My daughter gave me a Presto pressure canner. This has been on my wish list for almost two years now so imagine my surprise when I opened this gift. When I was raising my family I always canned and preserved and when I down sized I gave away my canner and most of my equipment. We took a trip to the store for jars and it was immediately put to work.

New years eve day was quite a productive day. After eating our share of Christmas ham and serving company ham and cheese sliders I began by making a pot of split pea soup from the bone and leftover ham. The result for this day was three pints of ham alone and nine pints of split pea soup.

Since it had been many years since I had pressure canned anything I was a bit nervous about my results. The worry was for nothing because everything sealed and I felt good about not wasting food. I couldn't fit any more in our tiny freezer so I would have ended up throwing or giving it away.

On new years day the canning continued and I put up nine pints of ham, bean, and carrot soup. This finished up most of the ham leaving a few pieces to put in breakfast sandwiches. So moving on to the small freezer and how full it was it became clear that I needed to keep going and use up what I had been tossing in there. 

I made triple berry pancake syrup as Christmas gifts and had plenty of fruit stored up to make more. I wasn't aware that it would make so much, but I ended up with seventeen (17) cups of triple berry syrup. I know it's a lot, but it is preserved and will keep. You must understand that my daughter and I are always taking trips to the wonderful state of Vermont and we have always purchased a bottle of this syrup at $8.99 for 8oz. It is wonderful that now we can use our adventure to discover something new in Vermont.

It was a busy three days, but it is all labeled and put away so we can move on to the next adventure.

I also received for Christmas my favorite book to take out of the library. How excited I am to have this in my personal library and to be able to take it out and just glance through it whenever I want. 

I know that a lot of us are on tight budgets and trying to eat better and this butternut squash soup has become one of our favorites. Easy to make, simple sage butter seasoning (made with the sage I grew this summer) along with salt and pepper to taste then add a few home made croutons from that leftover bread and you have a wonderful and inexpensive winter dinner. 

This is what's been going on here in the townhouse and 2015 is starting out in a very positive way. I wish you all a very good new year and thank you for stopping by.

Townhouse Homestead Tuesday

Finishing up the holiday baking and canning and have never been done this far ahead of the holiday. I've had so much fun trying new things and at my vintage age am learning so much. In the past I would stress the time to get things done, but this year I just let it go and it got done. Of course I worked all summer on my jams and jellies for gift giving. It feels good to know that I am NOT going to be up late nights finishing.

These are new to me this year. A young friend and I got together and made six batches of these no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies. They are so good and the recipe stretches to make plenty. After this day of cooking I discovered that the official name of these cookies is "Gorilla Poop Cookies". Of course we had the time of our lives laughing about it. I'm not only teaching but learning. Young people keep you alive.

Also new this year, yep never made candy before, are the crock pot peanut clusters, peanut butter fudge and peppermint bark. Now let me explain that we started shopping for some of the ingredients last spring. I was able to vacuum seal them so they'd be fresh when I wanted to use them. Our holiday budget was spread out over months instead of one big bill at holiday time.

I made one last batch of holiday canning (can't tell you what it is) and what we are doing for decorating is done. I will be getting to some sewing to make myself a few new things for this new chapter in my life and relax while doing it because I've planned well and can enjoy the holidays.

For freebies and almost freebies this week I have a sample of hair elastics with a coupon toward a purchase, more salt to bake with, two boxes of Jell-o pudding (one was given to me), and Eucerine hand treatment. I received a coupon for a free tube and when I got to the store it was buy one get one half price, so I got two for $3. At a regular price of $12 for both I think I did okay. It all adds up and I am grateful.

Thursday Threads

With the holiday season in full swing and the madness of it all lingering over everyone it was with great pleasure that I accepted the invitation to spend some time out with my younger daughter. She invited me to go to a tree lighting festival and for a couple of hours we walked the street, enjoyed the lights, had hot cocoa, ate roasted chestnuts and candy canes and stopped for a slice of pizza. There were people singing Christmas carols and policemen on horseback. The firefighters decked out their truck with a multitude of lights and cherished the children's delight for it all. There were horse drawn wagons for riding around town  and decorated trees along the canal. Although it was rainy and a bit chilly we watched the tree lighting and enjoyed the music from a local radio station and it was then that the holiday to me got started.

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family and friend and the food was bountiful. We played games, watched the parade and a long lost movie I hadn't seen in years called Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas.

In my efforts to try and use up fabric and make new decorations for the new chapter in my life I finished these origami folded fabric wall hangings to match some previous Thanksgiving decorations. I'm addicted to folded fabric.

These vintage quilted squares I reclaimed after I fell in love with the bright colors. Although there are wear spots I managed to retrieve enough to make four vintage 16 inch napkins to add to my eldest daughters vintage decor collection.

I've been making some folded star Christmas ornaments for the girls to sell at a craft show and have found myself with this great abundance of leftover scraps. I cut strips down to clean 1 and a 1/2 inch pieces and began to just sew them together until I had four festive quilted coasters. I made a candle cozy out of a reclaimed linen by weaving velvet ribbon in it and hemming it. My candle likes to be involved in every holiday it can.

The only freebies this week was a coupon for a Jif Dipper and some Pantene shampoo and conditioner samples. I am grateful too for a gift of apples to cook with. I hope everyone finds joy in this holiday season and remember to see the blessings that you have. Thank you for visiting and have a wonderful week. 

Thrift finds, freebie economics, trying something new and the simple things.

On a recent adventure to do errands my daughter and a dear friend and I stopped at a thrift store. One we hadn't visited for quite a while. We have cut back on our trips to hunt because we've set a new goal for moving in a year and have been thinking and learning about what we would like to have as far as living quarters. This stop however was quite a great one and we got to pick and choose a few good things.

The best find was a large green Pyrex Cinderella bowl. This is a keeper and the price was $2.99. We found a bright floral table cloth and a double yellow daisy sheet and some vintage blue Christmas ornaments.

We found some other odds and ends that are always on our list. Canning jars at 49 cents, another small Pyrex Cinderella bowl, a terra cotta plant saucer, a basket for a gift basket and a pattern for a men's tie. The most exciting find for my daughter was a new with tags Holly Hobby doll. We left behind a lot of Pyrex that was not in good condition and some with bad chips but it was wonderful to find and be able to choose what was good. 

On our adventure to try something new the girls made honey oatmeal soap. I stayed out of the way for this one, but it seemed to be a simple procedure and look at the results. It's curing and will be ready for use soon.

Now getting to the freebie economics for the week. It wouldn't be a good week without candy and this week was a free York peppermint. I accumulated $34 in Staples rewards and cards over the past month and had my daughter take me to pick out a few items. We had no idea what we'd get. Our printer died and we didn't need ink so until we can get a new one I couldn't let this money go to waste. I purchased a 20 roll package of Scott bathroom tissue, two large containers of coffee and a three roll package of tape. In the end the total was $3.23. I had to split the order in two because I couldn't use them altogether on one order and that was fine. I think I did well. Then on the way into the thrift store I found a wrinkled up dollar bill on the ground and felt even better. Since I have little to no income at this time my daughter covers the overages for me and the dollar went straight to her piggy bank.

The most exciting thing for me this week was the blossom on this Christmas cactus. Three years ago my sister-in-law gave me a cutting. She was sure it was from her white cactus plant. I loved and watered and tended to this plant with such care and was rewarded with the proof that it sure is white. When I was working at The Home Depot a few years back I had seen one and didn't get off work in time to make it mine and had wanted one. The universe gives gifts in such special ways. This plant is named Junior. You see I have a larger pink Christmas cactus plant she also gave me as a cutting many years ago and on one of it's bad years I salvaged a cutting from it and got it to come back to all it's glory. In my small room on a very small table I have three plants. There is Senior, the larger pink cactus that made a miraculous come back, Junior the white cactus and "the third" which is the salvaged cutting from Senior. My happiness is in the simple things.

Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful week everyone.

Thursday Threads

It seems that as the end of the year approaches and the holidays get closer and closer we take more time to do the things that "need" to be done and not the things we "want" to get done. As I'm maturing I am wanting to spend more time enjoying my sewing, cooking, gardening and learning. It's a different time and I have discovered what makes me feel alive. I don't need to compete with anyone. I need to let go and enjoy the world around me and be grateful for all things. I know that I'm not going to do everything perfectly and that too is alright. Nothing is a mistake. It's all a lesson. I am now taking the time to do those things that I want to do. 

I have many things that I want to sew. My daughter has mounds of fabric that are available to work with. I have some too, but her collection is larger and more vintage. I made this collection for our little space. I'm not quite ready for Christmas although I have been working on home made items all year for gifts. This is for Thanksgiving. More seasonal than themed. It's a table topper, four mug rugs and four napkins. Just a little something to dress up the counter for Thanksgiving and get a couple of yellow ware bowls out for goodies.

This project is a round table topper and two dinner size napkins along with two small mug rugs and two tea size napkins. All from about 1 1/4 yards of fabric, a package of bias tape, and some leftover pieces of cotton batting. 

I got my little sewing bag out and have started making folded stars for my daughters craft show that is held annually at her college. It's fun to have the little things to offer for sale to students on a budget and it uses up all the pieces and scraps from the sewing studio.

On the gardening side all that is growing now is a celery stump and green onions. They regrow well in water but after a while they wash out so I put the onions in soil and as soon as the celery gets stronger roots it will go in soil. We have so little light in the townhouse so having an herb garden inside has proven to be tough. I'll keep trying until I get it. The top of the refrigerator has become the best spot so far. We think about and are planning our next living space and one of the features is going to be large windows and just enough space to grow more of our own food.

To make ends meet I try to take advantage of free offers and coupons. This weeks freebies included a sample of Gevalia coffee that makes four cups, two samples of tums, two packages of Ovaltine, some granola and an oil hair treatment. The supermarket had a promotion and we got a free cake mix, 2 litre bottle of ginger ale, a loaf of Italian bread, 3#"s of potatoes, 3#"s of onions and 1# of carrots. I also cashed in a coupon for a free can of tuna fish. I'd rather be growing my own, but until the time is right this is what I'll take advantage of. I'm already thinking about next years canning and I hope I can take better advantage of the farm markets. I want to thank you for stopping by and visiting and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Townhouse Homestead Tuesday

Just a lot of little stuff going on here. LOL Did some cooking.

Donuts for Halloween. Eight people shared two and a half dozen donut holes and six donuts. They were good.

Made some Pita bread for cucumber sandwiches, white garlic pizza and chicken wings and it may look like a lot of wings but if these guys were two inches long we got lucky.

Roasted up some winter veggies to go with chicken for dinner. Here I have butternut squash, potatoes and beets with olive oil and rosemary.

Harvested another bowl of spearmint and yielded two cups of dried leaves for tea BEFORE the complex without notification came through and chemically treated the gardens and all of my plants are now contaminated. 

I bundled up in four layers this past Saturday to join my daughter at my grandson's football game. They lost, but played hard.

Did a bit more sewing for the store. I just love mug rugs.

And the freebies just keep on coming. This is the past weeks goodies.

Candy, gum, cat food, oatmeal facial mask, Halloween stencils, toothpaste, earplugs and some personal care items. There were others but I ate them. :)  So for not much going on there sure was and will be. We grow and learn every day and let go of what we can't change. Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful week.