5-3-11

9:30am

I'm still in a crafty mood this morning

so decided to try and come up

with some designs for a pair of jeans.

I can't afford stencils and

of course my printer hasn't worked

with no ink for quite awhile so

had to hand draw these design.

Not sure how I want to put it on 

the jeans but at least I have the designs

drawn out.  It would probably work better

on a lighter colored pair of jeans.

Colors on the butterfly

will probably be different.  I just colored

them in to see the different spaces

in the butterfly wings.

It's like having tattoos but they

are on jeans instead of getting the

real thing.

Different ideas I came up

with-

---------------------------------

The kids nor Tony could
believe I decorated my own
jeans yesterday.  Tony says,
where'd you get those jeans?
I don't remember those.
And when I told Jonathan I did
the design on my jeans he said,
nuh uh!  So I had to show him
the pictures I took of when I made it.
Now Jonathan wants me to
make him a pair.
So I've been trying to come
up with a design for boys.


11:00am


Here is my design with
sketchings of where I drew it
out first with pen.
This is to prove I didn't
copy it from the computer!

------------------------------


11:20am


Had to call mom to come get me
because the school called and
said Christopher was sick.
They said he had a temperature
of 99.8 and a cough.
That to me doesn't sound like a 
big reason to come home but
I went over and got him anyway.


I've been giving him cough syrup
with honey, cough drops &
hard candy to suck on.


Today once back home I 
slathered a bunch of Vicks
on the bottoms of his feet
and put his socks back on.
That's supposed to help coughs
so we'll see.

We stopped by Taco Bell for
a cheap lunch with the $2.00 meals.


---------------------------


Don't have to worry about
making supper tonight as I've already
got a big pot of ham & bean soup
in the fridge.  All it needs is warmed up.

I don't have any cornbread to go with
it which everyone likes.  I do have a
can of biscuits I could throw on
top of the soup while heating
 and make dumplings.


I am currently working
on writing up some
Jelly Belly cupcake ideas,
a recipe for Betty Crocker
when they have the cookie contest
and lastly, something for Jonathan
to take to school Friday for his birthday.
His birthday is Saturday.
He will be 10 years old.
I don't know if they are allowing
students to bring in treats or not to
school again.  I'll send them anyway.

So maybe I'll make cupcakes
and make a few extras to use
for the Jelly Belly contest.

I might also try my hand
with making fondant for the cupcakes.
Never made it before
but I see how nice it looks on cakes.

Fondant recipe #1


Fondant recipe #2


Marshmallow fluff fondant

Most people don't like the kneading
that it requires to make fondant.
If you don't have a mixer with
a dough hook try putting the fondant
in a bread machine and let
the paddle knead it for you.


---------------------------- 

5:45pm

I got Jonathan's jeans done.
The green could be darker
but the marker was running low.
I told him I made these for his birthday.
I also have to hem them.

-----------------------------


6:20pm


Supper-
ham & bean soup with dumplings.

----------------------------------


9:00pm


Tony got paged out.
I can't believe it's May and
he's getting no heat calls.

5-2-11

7:40am

Mom called this morning to say

they had just woke up and looked out

their window to see just up the street

about 7 cop cars including a sheriff

blocking off the street.  In the middle

of the street they were patting down someone.

Here lately we've been seeing

a lot of emergency or police vehicles

in our area.  Our truck driver neighbor

who is usually coming home from

a run around 7am is stuck at the end

of the street with his semi because

they have the road blocked off.

----------------------------------

8:25am

Truck driver neighbor said the
cops said they think they finally
caught the person that's been
breaking into cars and stealing
people's stuff.  News to me as I haven't
heard of any break ins recently.
Still not feeling any safer.  Where there's one
there's many more to follow.
I wouldn't be surprised if criminals
start siphoning gas out of vehicles.


Well it's time to start doing all
the bills, yeah me.  I sure wish
Tony's bonus would come.
They were supposed to of gotten
it weeks ago but because of a glitch
in the companies computers
it got delayed.  I was wanting
to pay off my bills from the ER.
And pay off any lingering regular doctor bills.
Tony's hospital bill is on a payment
plan supposedly as I arranged it on the
phone a couple weeks ago but have
yet to get any information about it
in the mail.
--------------------------------


9:30am


So this morning I was in a crafty mood.
Y'all saw where I purchase a bunch
of lace from the flea market this
past weekend.  I had a plan 
of what I wanted to use some of it for.
So I played fashion designer, lol.
I've got a large tote of jeans in the basement
that was left behind in an empty
apartment at my honey's work.
I like being unique and coming
up with my own designs for most
things.  So this large tote of jeans
will be my canvas to see what I 
can create with them.


Jeans- free
spray paint- about 1/4 can (if that)- .12 cents
lace- .25 cents


buzz from paint fumes- free- lol


My pair of .37 cent designer jeans-
Go easy on me as these were
only the first pair I've ever done.

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11:20am


Started working on my soups.
Skimmed off any fat off
the top of the soup base then
pureed it in the food processor.
Next I divided it up among two pots.

In one pot I added a large jar of
mixed beans along with
half of the leftover ham cut up.

In the other pot I added a chunk
of Velveeta cheese
and the other half of the leftover ham. 


Then in yet another pot I peeled 
and chopped up some potatoes.
Once done they will go into
the velveeta soup pot for
ham & potato soup.


--------------------

We went though a jar of
banana peppers this weekend.
I saved the juice to add it to 
some more pickled eggs I'll make
in the near future.  I think it
would give them a good taste.

-----------------------------

12:10pm

Finished making the cheesy
potato & ham soup.
I had about 1/4 box of instant
mashed potato flakes, not enough
for a meal.  I added that to the potato
soup to thicken it.

I only used half of the potatoes
I boiled up for the potato soup.
The other half I added some sour cream,
butter, salt and garlic powder
along with the rest of the instant
potato flakes & a little water and whipped together.

These mashed potatoes can
be served with my bacon wrapped
chicken breasts later this week.

Well all is quiet and it appears
to be a yucky looking day outside.
A great time for a nap!


---------------------------------


5:40pm


My honey just got home from work.
He's got the pager this week.


He dived an Easter Lily today for me.
He said it looked so sad that someone
had thrown it away so he had
to rescue it.

Easter Lilies can be planted outside
in the garden so to throw it out
seem like such a waste.
Why not enjoy it's beauty 
every year?

5-1-11

8:45am

Breakfast- ham, egg & cheese sandwiches.

I sliced and fried up some ham 

in a skillet with some sugar free syrup.

4 eggs- .48 cents

leftover ham- .10 cents

2 cheese slices- .20 cents

(each cut in half to make 4)

4 leftover hamburger buns- .40 cents

Total cost- $1.18 for 4

or .29 cents a sandwich.

McDonalds wants around

$2.70 for one breakfast sandwich. 

And if ya ask me it tasted much

better and was more filling

than any McDonald's breakfast sandwich!

------------------

Do you have a cheese thief in your house?

If I don't hide the cheese in our home

it will be gone within a day or two.

And with the rising costs of food 

going up we won't be able to enjoy

cheese on our food at that rate.

So here is my solution to that-

Unwrap and hide the cheese slices

in a butter or cool whip container.

The kids are none the wiser

and the cheese lasts much longer!

-------------------------------

8:56am

It appears that the neighbor

who had been in the hospital
for a week

is just returning home.

She had 60 stitches in her head

due to a brutal attack that happened

in her drive way this past week.

-----------------------------

Yesterday at kroger I found

more of the pectin in the mark down.

This time around I grabbed 

all the boxes they had.

Reg. $1.29 each.

Marked down to .79 cents each.

I now have a supply of 12 boxes

which should last 3 months 

and 1 week.

Double that to 6.5 months if Tony reduces his

pectin grape juice from 8 ounces

down to only 4 ounces daily.

------------------------------

9:00am


Well we are going to try a different
plan of attack of trying to go to
Menards today since yesterday
they were jam packed.
Gonna be heading over there soon.
I hope by getting there early on
a Sunday while people are in 
church we can get in the store.
They open at 8am I think
on Sundays.  6:30am the rest of the week.


------------------------


11:30am


Back from Menards and Henderson Rd.
Kroger to get Tony's prescription.


We got these items free-
3 yard sticks
2 painter's hats
2 small flags


Menards deals we got-


32 pack double roll toilet paper- $4.99

10 cans of black and white
spray paint- .50 cents each.
Some of the white spray paint
will be used to paint the 
shutters on the house.


24 ounce bag of cheese puffs- $2.99
large bag of Doritos- $1.99

6 pack of mission style solar lights- $4.99
Might go back and get another
set for the corner garden in the 
front yard.

And another blueberry plant- $4.98


The 2 blueberry plants and
1 raspberry plant along with
6 solar lights I consider my
Mother's Day gifts.


After reading some about
growing fruit bushes I realized
I needed a second blueberry bush
so it could pollinate one another
to produce fruit.  Raspberry bushes
are self pollinating.


At Kroger I grabbed a handful of
things to make meals for this week.

I have a ton of buns leftover from
Tony's pot luck they had.
They ended up using other buns
so I am left
with an over abundance of buns
that will not fit into my freezer.
I found a package of pork ribs
in the mark down area for $4.13.
I also got a bottle of bbq sauce.
Will make pulled pork sandwiches.


Next I got a can of no beans chili for $1.19.
Plan to mix this with some melted
velveeta cheese and top some 
tortillas ($1.99) with it to 
make nachos.  Also have some
banana peppers, sour cream
and green onions to put on top.


3 packets of country gravy
($2.10/3) for soup base.
Will use up leftover potatoes,
onions in freezer and remaining ham
chunks for a ham and potato soup.


Next is a large jar of mixed beans.
Will boil down the rest of the ham
and remove from bone for
some ham and bean soup.


A package of flour tortillas $1.19.
I have some chicken breasts in the freezer.
I plan to fry up one breast into strips
then mix in some rice and
a can of cream soup and make
burritos.  


And lastly, another package of chicken
breast from the freezer.  Wrap with
bacon slices and serve with
melted Swiss cheese on top.


----------------------------------


Well it's 12:30pm.
Need to get some groceries put away
and start on laundry.
Can't wait for the rainy weather
to clear up so I can start hanging
the clothes outside to dry.

Tony's outside working in the yard
putting down some more grass seed.
We got some baby grass growing
in the part of the front yard
that a backhoe dug up while
working across the street.

------------------------------

12:30-2:30pm

Got all the bunches of lilac that

I clipped from the bush the other

day bundled up and hanging

upside down in the basement

to dry out.

Got a couple loads of laundry

that I did this past week brought

up and getting ready to put away.

Got one load washed, dried and hung up.

Another load in the

washer & dryer.

Got Jonathan's room tidied up somewhat

because it was too the point

I couldn't get to the closet

to put clothes away.

Tony threw down some grass seed

in the backyard by the shed.

I went out and staked & roped

off the area to keep the kids 

off of it til it grows in.

Made up a batch of 

pectin grape juice.

Got my ham out with bone

and threw it in a large pot

with water.  Added some diced onion

and carrots.  I'm gonna dissect the ham

from the bone after while then divide

the ham and broth up into two pots.

One for ham & beans and one

for potato soup.

I also started an early supper.

Threw a can of no beans chili,

a 1/3 block of velveeta cheese

and a tad bit of milk into a pot

and have it warming on the stove.

I will serve this over tortilla chips

or doritos.

-----------------------------------

I checked on my concord grapevine today
to see if it would need pruning
and got a surprise.
It's half way up the fence already.
This is the most growth I've
seen from it the last couple years.
I figured it being a young plant
would take time to get established.
I haven't seen grapes yet.
Might give it a drink of miracle
grow in the near future.
Wish I could find a cheap arching trellis
for it to grow on.

I checked on my raspberry and blackberry
plants from last year that are still
in their pots.  I'm not seeing any 
new growth with them.
I'm wondering if I should toss them
or just wait and see.


I want to start planting my blueberries
and raspberry soon.  
Still on the lookout for
another blackberry if the one
I have doesn't survive.
Menards didn't have any blackberry plants.
We have a slope in the back of
the yard along the fence which
is a pain to mow.  I figured I could
plant the fruit bushes along the
fence where it slopes.
I could run wire between the posts
of the fence to give the bushes
the support they will need
once they get bigger.

------------------------------------


5:20pm


After a few hours of simmering I removed
the ham from the broth water and dissected
it removing the bone and any fat.
I got more ham than I expected.

 I whisked 3 packets of country
gravy into the ham broth.
 The soup base the ham cooked in
with carrots and onions will
be use in ham & potato soup
and ham & bean soup.
I'll divide it up tomorrow
and start making those soups.
For now it will cool
so I can put it in the fridge.

I have one child that doesn't
like carrots and one that doesn't
like onions. And even though this
soup has both I will puree the soup
mix in the food processor to finely 
chop up those vegetables to make
them barely noticeable.
This way they will still get their vitamins.
I'll then mix in the rest of the ingredients.


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