Elsa’s dress is a new-to-us dress this week from a garage sale. I reprogrammed the drip system to water a few minutes less per day, since the weather is starting to cool down (I know these are high summer temperatures for many of you in colder climates!). I opened the windows to cool the house…
Last week was a busy week! I sprouted alfalfa seeds. I made steak sauce. When we were asked to bring a refreshment to a cub scout event, we brought popcorn that we popped on the stove, rather than making cookies (which would have been a lot more money). I watched some shows for free on…
Last week was a super busy week and I didn’t get to post my goals for the week. I did get three bathroom drawers organized (Wren and Liberty organized one of them) and went on one bicycle ride. I took the slats off of two benches and decided which slats from three benches were in…
I made a cake from scratch for Liberty’s birthday. That is an Armenian cucumber. I harvested some Armenian cucumbers from the front garden, including one super large one. I canned 14 pints of dill pickles. I also picked a few apples from the garden. I cut tarragon, basil, Swiss chard, and green onions from the…
I thought I’d share with you the gifts that I made Liberty for her birthday. I made her this necklace and this bracelet. I bought the pink beads many months ago at Michael’s when they had a 40% off bead sale. This was one of the least expensive stings of beads. The chain and 2 jump…
I took my gardening goals off last week because I thought I wouldn’t have time for them. I ended up filling two trash cans from the garden anyway, with a few weeds and mostly with a tomato plant that succumbed to disease. I also ended up doing a little bit of fall planting of seeds. I…
Our unusual humidity continued, so I collected water from the drip off of the air conditioner for several days this week and used it to water the potted fruit trees on the back patio. We had rain! This is turning out to be the oddest weather year. Normally I can count one day in January…
I took some new photos of Ivory this week and I decided to print the one that you see above. I cropped it closer and turned it sepia for the dining area, but I also printed it in a 5 x7 to go on my nightstand similar to how it is above. (I ordered pictures at Sam’s…
Thanks to some unexpected summer rain and cooler temperatures (caused by a tropical storm) I was able to turn off the sprinklers and drip system for days, saving us money on our water bill. I also opened the windows in the mornings and was able to cool the house for a while in the morning…
Last week was all about making repairs. I mended a pair of pajama pants, a jumper, a handkerchief, a napkin, an apron, two dresses, a pillowcase, and a basket liner. I sewed a button back on a jumper, and I mended the embroidery on another jumper. I shortened the sleeves of a t-shirt for Elsa and I…
In addition to my listed goals, each week I also plan to bake bread, prepare a Sunday School lesson, make all meals and snacks, teach school to the children, do laundry, etc. This week I plan to make yogurt and granola, bake yeast breads 3-4 times, bake quick breads at least twice, and…
This past week was a week of freebies more than a week of active frugality. We were given a bag of apples from someone’s tree. We received 10 pounds of ground beef that someone was getting rid of, as it had been in her freezer for over a year. She gave it to us in…