Blog

Some friends of mine who moved away earlier this year came for a visit. They asked me Monday morning if I wanted to go on a spontaneous road trip with them to Lake Tahoe (a 7-hour drive away). I said yes, and we left Tuesday. Some things we did to save money on the trip:…

We took everything out of the pantry and washed everything in the pantry (shelves, jars, the walls, the floor, etc.). We then reorganized the pantry, changing where we keep everything. What I buy and cook has changed over the years, as both my tastes have changed and food prices have dramatically increased, and the order…

I harvested roselle hibiscus, okra, a lime, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and basil from my garden. I started sewing an apron for my son for Christmas in his favorite color, using duck cloth that I already had on hand. I ordered a couple of Christmas gifts on sale for a daughter. I combined that order with…

Hello everyone! My pause from blogging ended up being a lot longer than I planned. Among other things, I was able to finish several major repairs to the irrigation (including building all new valve boxes in some of my older valve boxes) in my garden with my father’s help. This was of utmost importance, and…

I harvested eggplant, red noodle beans, and cucumbers from my garden. The children and I attended the wedding of a close friend in another state. The wedding was near where my eldest lives, so we stayed with her and got to visit. Traveling is expensive, so making trips often is cost-prohibitive. However, since I had…

I harvested Metki and Indian Snake cucumbers from the garden. I harvested a zucchini and used it to make a zucchini cake. I read an e-book from the library called The Great Divide, a historical fiction piece about the building of the Panama Canal. I limited my trips and combined errands whenever possible. I canned…

I harvested Armenian cucumbers, a Metki cucumber, red noodle beans, basil, a small eggplant, and garlic chives from the garden. I found a new YouTube channel for learning Urdu that I started following. I don’t really have time to watch videos, but I have found that I can listen early in the morning while watering…

It’s been an expensive (and busy) last several weeks! I needed to replace three daughters’ wardrobes and personal items almost completely after they lost them all in the boat fire that they were in. We did find some deals on some items and for now, we have held off on replacing their sleeping bags. We…

I harvested cherry tomatoes from the garden. I sowed seeds for red noodle beans and Armenian cucmbers in the garden. I collected shower warm-up water and used it to water potted plants in my garden. I repaired two irrigation leaks in my garden. I gave my boys haircuts. A woman in a local garden group…

I cut roses from the garden to enjoy inside. My vases are from Amazon here. I attended a free symphony performance from Henderson Symphony. Here are the details for my outfit: the dress is Lauren Ralph Lauren, purchased used via Thred Up during the pandemic (when dresses were selling for extra cheap); the necklace is…

It’s been a busy last three weeks! My car overheated a few minutes from home, and I had to replace the radiator. While they had it out, I had them check the drive belt and replace it (it was wearing). Since it wasn’t much more work, they only charged me $25 for the labor. I…