The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here. I finally got some painting done, although it wasn't the walls yet.

My bedroom has suffered from a bad case of piles for as long as I can remember. My goal for the past year has been getting all the piles off the floor. I want to be able to sweep easily.

Earlier in the summer I asked my hero, TopDad to build me a bookcase to fit between the two closet doors. He finished it before school started, last month, but it took me awhile to get around to painting it.

After three coats it was ready to install!

Including a special shelf of all my Korean goodies.

I've painted the new front door also, but it's not installed yet. When it's done I'll post the before and after pictures.

Now for the ugly:

I took the trash and recycling out to the alley and as I walked back my left ankle rolled under and I came down on my right shin on the edge of the cement. Just call me Grace.

We had a visitor on Friday, for the high school homecoming:

Yes, that's Dandylion, the college student.

And finally, an early morning moon heading for the western horizon:

Inch by painful inch, I'm making progress on my home. Each little step fills me with joy and gratitude as I get my house in order and make it beautiful.

Frugal Friday

Recycling an ordinary item

I got excited when I found this bundle at the thrift store recently:

I carefully broke off the clip ends of each one:

And they became these:

Just wanted to share in case you hadn't thought of this one yourself.

Orphan Socks

How I Solved the Mystery of the Missing Socks

I do laundry differently than just about everyone I've talked to or read about. Everyone in our family has enough underwear, including socks, to last up to ten days. Once a week I wash clothes by people--in other words, I do all of my laundry together on one day, my husband's laundry another day, our children's laundry a third day. I don't gather up all the whites every day and do a load, that involves to much time consuming sorting at the end. I know that when I pull laundry out of the dryer I can take it all into the bedroom of the owner, fold it and put it away quickly. I combine children's laundry as necessary; and when Noble lived at home I did mine and hers together. I do laundry only three or four days each week, two to five loads a day depending on whose I'm doing. I combine some things when I need to, for instance I have only one pair of jeans which I wash when I'm doing my husband's jeans.

Years ago, when I had four little boys at home, I set out to discover why there seemed to be missing socks in every load. I refused to believe that the washer or dryer "ate" them. To solve the mystery I gathered up the boys laundry and mated the socks BEFORE they went into the washer. If any didn't have a mate, I searched until I found it. They hid under beds, under or behind dressers and nightstands, between the sheets of the bed, in closets, and toys boxes. (You know how messy children can be!) After a few months of this I reasoned that no socks were ever lost in the washer or dryer. After I went through that exercise I stopped mating the socks before and set up a small basket near the dryer; when sorting and folding dry laundry I put any orphans in the basket until there are a bunch at which time I mate them up and put them away. Problem solved.

Another thing that helps is that I buy the boys different brands of socks so that I know whose is whose. (Is that grammatically correct? Or just colloquially correct?)

Cotton and Linen and Wool, Oh My!

Yesterday I spent three hours organizing my fabric store room. Seriously, I have enough to open a small store. I had gathered everything (I thought) into one place, then I found a few more things still in the old sewing room and brought them up. As I usually do when I clean a whole room I began in one corner and worked my way around the room.

I opened up the first tub, saw what the majority of contents consisted of, made a label (a piece of used paper and a Sharpie) and pulled out anything that wasn't supposed to be there; then on to the next tub. I ended up with twenty-two tubs, full to overflowing, and one empty (which came about because I shared a whole bunch with someone).

  1. cotton - plaids, stripes, gingham
  2. cotton - holiday, novelty prints
  3. quilting fabric - red, pink, orange, yellow, cream, floral on light ground
  4. quilting fabric - green, blue, purple, brown, black
  5. wool
  6. quilted double-faced, fleece, knit, terry cloth
  7. cotton dress goods
  8. solid colors - denim, cotton, linen, pique, etc.
  9. assorted, miscellaneous scraps (still needs to be sorted)
10. flannel scraps - less than one yard
11. flannel yardage - longer than one yard
12. U.F.O.'s (Un - Finished - Objects)
13. unbleached muslin
14. corduroy
15. silkies (real and otherwise)
16. linen, canvas, duck, upholstery
17. curtains (already made from other homes, waiting to be recycled)
18. interfacing
19. more flannel scraps (needs to be sorted)
20. costume fabric (mostly leftover from a biblical project)
21. white fabric - bleached muslin, eyelet, white on white stripe, etc.
22. unfinished quilt projects

Plus three tubs of "pretties" such as tablecloths, doilies, napkins, dresser scarves, tea towels, etc.

My next projects will be to further organize the quilting fabric into individual tubs by color so I don't have to dig; and further divide the novelty/holiday tub.

As we say in our family "I'm upcited!" My big sewing season is beginning and I'll be able to find fabric easily, put fabric away easily, and not have to buy more because I can't find what I thought I had.

One thing leads to another

A friend of my mom's told about the day she noticed some dust on the window sill of her laundry room and wiped her finger in it to see how thick it was; pretty thick, so she got a rag and dusted it, then noticed how dirty the windows were so she washed them; which led to washing the curtains, which led to sweeping the floor, but before she could do that she had to put away a whole bunch of things that were out of place; and before she knew it it was time to fix supper! I was teen at the time and hadn't yet had one of those days.

Ever have one of those days?

Just wanted to announce that my laundry room is clean and tidy again. We've had the cats in there because of the extreme cold and our Tim had barfed in the laundry sink and on top of the chest freezer. That is what started it all. Cleaning up that led to sweeping, which led to moving things around and putting things away; I cleaned the litter box before we could smell it; and found a kitchen cabinet door I had taken off that still had the handle on it which I removed and put on the drawer where the handle (wooden) is stripped. Whew. Got everything put away, all the dust swept up and the room looks roomy again! Now I can start on the actual laundry.

Although I'm behind on my other work, I thought that unclogging the laundry room was a good use of my time for this morning, what with the snow falling outside and all.

This is going to be meaty

It's the first of a new month--The start of my keeping track of what I spend on groceries, toiletries and household supplies.  I ALWAYS spend lots at the beginning of the month for the simple reason that I get my "allowance" at the beginning of the month.

Spending so far  on groceries: $289.25. This includes 2 month's worth of meat, 7 cases of canned goods, a month's worth of bread (my oven is still not reliable enough to bake bread) and English muffins. The only other things I should need this month are milk and produce, which I buy every seven to ten days.

Spending on toiletries and household supplies is: $80.73 which includes some things from Don Aslett's Cleaning Center, my favorite place for cleaning supplies.

I know that many people use baking soda and vinegar and such for cleaning, but I don't. Years ago when I first read Don's book "Is There Life After Housework" I read his debunking of the use of those things. I think they are great for certain applications, but not for everything.

When I got home from shopping I put everything away except the meat and canned goods. Then I set up for processing the bulk purchased meat into meal sized portions.

I bought ten pounds of ground beef, four (double) chicken breasts, and two pounds of regular sausage.

Bulk purchased meats

 I gathered the tools I need to process the meat into meal sized portions: kitchen scale, masking tape, Sharpie marker . . .

Tools needed to process

 . . . and a bunch of plastic containers.

Assorted plastic containers

 I weigh out the portions I want, for example I wanted three portions from each pound of sausage, then I put the meat in a container, put the lid on it, rinse my hands, then put tape on the lid and write the date and what's inside. All that's left is to put it in the freezer.

First Batch Completed

I won't bore you with pictures of all the other. Some of the chicken breasts I divided and some I left double, then labeled accordingly so I can choose whatever I need for a meal or recipe. The ground beef I portion in one pound and half pound and fill up the containers. This has been a way to save money by buying a lot of meat when it's on sale, portioning it up and freezing it. No waste and I can see at a glance what I have in my freezer.

Frugal Friday - Odds and Ends

Progress Report on floor: The old carpet must have been carpet and pad integrated and the pad must have been adhesive because it left a horrible residue on the beautiful wood floor. I used a paint scraper to get it up and in some places had to use an orbital sander to remove it. (Perhaps a chemical would have done the job, but I'm trying to be frugal here!) Now we are left with the decision "to refinish, or not". Even where the pad came up easily it left a slightly hazy residue on the floor. My feeling is that as long as the room is empty, let's refinish and then we can enjoy moving in to a room with fresh paint and a fresh floor.

Yucky residue.

Yucky residue scraped off.

Area where I used the orbital sander to remove the yucky residue.

 Now on to more fun things:

Bad photo of Tim with a piece of popcorn clinging to his side.

Calico napping in Dr. Hair's laundry hamper.

JET (purple shirt), Dr. Hair (white shirt), and two of JET's roommates
Occasion: JET's birthday on Sunday

JET, the birthday boy & PFCMom, the birthday dinner planner and provider

What's a young thing like you doing with a face like this? Where did my youth go?

Okay, now for some frugality:
What do you do when you find at the store a bag of bananas for a buck?

They aren't bad, just a little spotted on the outside. First we eat a few on cereal for breakfast, a few more in smoothies and then the rest . . .

These bananas are actually a few days after I bought them and yes they are really ripe.

are smashed up, measured and put in freezer containers with lemon juice for banana bread. 

Containers of 2 cups of mashed bananas and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.

When I want to make some bread I take the container out of the freezer and thaw it overnight on the counter (or in the fridge, but it takes longer), then I can make bread in the morning and the house smells good all day.

Here's another little frugal practice of mine.
See that brown thing that looks like a trash can next to the night stand in my bedroom?

PFCMom's Bedroom

That brown thing is actually two paper grocery bags, one slipped inside the other with the top folded down, which I use as my trash receptacle. This one has lasted two years (see the autumn scene?). I didn't have money to buy one, couldn't find one I liked anyway, so I made one.

Repurposed paper grocery bags

A friend of mine repurposes tin cans for all sorts of things, sells them at craft fairs and gives them as gifts. These are two I use as "pencil" holders. She got the idea from a craft magazine that showed painting on terra cotta pots. She didn't want to spend money on pots and looked for an alternative. I think the cans are terrific. (When I get my Christmas stuff out I'll show you the one she made me that I think is absolutely darling.)

Repurposed painted tin can pencil holders

 And last on our tour today, a way to corral those water bottles:

Basket for bottles

I searched thrift stores for a basket deep enough to hold the tall bottles; I had tried short baskets but the bottles would topple and scatter. This one keeps them nicely corralled on top of the fridge. 

Neat and tidy bottles

Just a note on searching for things at thrift stores--Be patient and go often. Those are the keys to scoring treasures at tightwad prices. The other rule is to buy when you see it, she who hesitates is out of luck. The item won't be there next time. I have never regretted buying anything because if it doesn't work out I can always re-donate it. But I have truly regretted NOT buying items, thinking I'd go back for them later. Wrong.

Have a great weekend!

Countdown Begins

Two weeks from today school begins in our town! Gadzooks, where did the summer go?

We're still working on our new house, but progress is slow as we are not under any deadline to finish, and I refuse to begin a second room until the first one is completely finished. I don't want to be living in a house of unfinished rooms. So I do a little here and there and we'll see what happens.

Yesterday I had the boys sort through their clothes to see what they had and what they needed for the new school year. I got out our storage box of "grow into" clothes and found I had enough shirts to meet their needs, plus shoes, Sunday slacks and belt for Dr. Hair. SCORE! That leaves jeans for both boys, and all new underwear for Dr. Hair (Dandylion got his for his June birthday).

JET has a birthday this month and I promised him new jeans and Sunday Shoes too.

PW is registered for classes at Utah Valley University and has found an apartment and roommate so he is excited, and we are pleased that things are going well for him.

Noble is enduring through her third and final semester at Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. She celebrated her 23rd birthday last Saturday by going to California Pizza kitchen where she had a Pear and Gorgonzola pizza, which she said was divinely yummy.

TopDad is stressing over all that needs to be done to be ready to teach classes at TWO schools this year. Enrollment is down and he is (sort of) half time at the two schools. Always a new challenge.

I'm getting ready to teach early morning seminary again this year--my two students are our two sons. We'll study the New Testament, which we read as a family last year.

Catch Up Time - In Pictures

April 22 we had a Korean Meal to celebrate Noble's selection for the six-week immersion program in Korea. We enjoyed Noodle Bowls (Spicy Beef, Spicy Chicken and Spicy Kimchi) with steamed vegetables to put on top. Everyone ate with chopsticks! (Saranghae, Miyoonah!)

PW & JET

TopDad

Dandylion & Dr. Hair

PFCMom

I participated in an Apron Swap at the blog Down To Earth by making these two aprons and sending them to gals in Australia:

From them in return I received these two lovely aprons!

Thank you Fay!

Thank you Jacqui!

While with my Father in San Diego I had a three generation photo taken:

PFCMom - Grandpa W - Noble

Here's my traditional Mother's Day photo for 2012:

Back: Dandylion and Dr. Hair
Front: PW, PFCMom and JET

PW's been making faces since he was born!

Lastly, I had the frugal thought today to label important cords so I know what appliance it goes to; seems every time we move we gather up a bunch of electronics cords and no one knows what piece of equipment it goes to, so we discard it, only to find later that something is missing its cord. Solution? Label the darn things!

And that's about it. Noble is giddy with excitement about her departure Saturday, May 26 for her adventure in Korea; PW works long hours at two jobs, saving money for college this fall; JET is busy working for his college's TV studio and a contract project to promote tourism in Western Iowa, as well as his regular job as a lot porter at a Chevy Dealership; Dr. Hair is currently in San Antonio with his High School Band; Dandylion is home enjoying summer and helping us around the house. TopDad and PFCMom are working together on projects at home and enjoying some couple time.

Mom's Cafe

When our chuns were very young we ate at lot of fast food. So much that our pre-schoolers knew the names of the restaurants better than the church we attended. Sad, I know. We have lots of funny stories from that time, such as, Elder PW saying "No!" to the question did he want to go to McDonald's; he wanted to go to "Mc O'Bells", the name stuck and we refer to it as our favorite Irish Mexican restaurant. (Except I try really hard not to eat at fast food places, for about the last 15 years)

One day while running errands the chuns asked about eating out and I said, "We're going to Mom's Cafe." Ohhhhh, a new place, they were so excited; until we drove into the driveway. But the name stuck and my kitchen and dining room forever after have been known as "Mom's Cafe." My children tell me I'm the best cook, but that's only because they haven't eaten at really fine restaurants. I accept the compliments gracefully and gratefully.

A while ago I began putting together a cookbook/homemaking book with recipes, tips and practices from Mom's Cafe. It is a long process and could consume all my available time. My goal is to have it finished to give to the chuns when they get married and establish their own homes.

Today I sorted a whole bunch of loose recipes into file folders representing the categories within the book:
Beans, Lentils & Rice
Breads, rolls, muffins
Breakfast
Cakes, Brownies, Sweet Breads
Candy
Casseroles & One Dish Meals
Cookies
Dessers: Cobblers, Jellos, Tapioca
Drinks & Smoothies
Ethnic & Foreign
Holidays
Lunches
Meats: Beef, Fish, Lamb, Pork, Poultry
Pies & Cheesecakes
Potatoes
Salads, Dressings & Dips
Snacks & Appetizers
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Vegetables & Fruits

There are other sections for meal planning and shopping, as well as cleaning and laundry, including recipes for homemade cleaners.

Here's a snapshot mid-sort of the recipes:

Now everything is in labeled file folders and the plan is to use the recipes and decide if it's a keeper; if it is I'll type it up, print it off, put it in a sleeve and add it to the master copy of the book.

At least at this point, recipes will be easier to find than looking through a three inch stack!
How do you organize yours?

De-Cluttering Monday

Noble introduced me to Miss Minimalist last year. Although I'm not ready to downsize to 100 items and live like a Nun, it has helped me to move in the direction of owning less.

Two other factors have come into play recently. One was helping my mother, and sisters-in-law, clean out my younger sister's room after she died. My sister was confined to a wheelchair most of her life. She had several hobbies and interests, all of them heavy on the stuff. She loved make-up and nail polish, and had tons of both, along with dozens of bottles of perfume and bath products. She was a "Stamper" and had hundreds (maybe thousands, since I'm not sure what they cost) of dollars worth of stamps, ink, paper, paper cutters, doo-dads, and such. All her life she'd been given stuffed animals and had kept most of them. She never got rid of clothes as she outgrew them. We must have had a dozen large garbage bags of clothes to go to the charity shop. Oh, one other thing she loved was jewelry, she could have opened a store!

Helping my mother sort through this and bag it up was interesting. To me it was just junk to be gotten rid of, for my mother it was all kinds of memories. What it taught me is, of course, that we leave all our stuff behind when we go home. I knew that, but had never gone through the actual clean out before. Second, that the most valuable things to leave behind are not material goods; it's the journals and photo albums (if they are well labeled) that are the most valuable, as they are a record of a specific life lived. I have often wished my grandmother's had left journals and photo albums. I don't feel I know them well enough. My father and grandfathers each have written a personal life history; those are precious volumes to me. My dad has been really good about putting together and labeling photo albums. My mom is currently working on her life story.

Clothes, dishes, jewelry, knick-knacks, toys, hobby supplies, furniture, music cd's, DVD's, and any other personal belongings usually get divvied up, sold, donated, or trashed. Unless it is an unusual piece or it has specific sentimental value to another family member, it is simply excess junk.

The other factor in moving me toward a less encumbered life has been children leaving home. I don't need so many things in the kitchen, or the linen cupboard; outgrown games, toys, and books can be donated; the fact that we live in a much smaller house than we did five years ago helps too. There just isn't room here for all my "stuff." Plus, the fact that some of it has been packed up for the past three moves means I probably can get along without it. I also want to get rid of the cost of our storage unit. Little by little I'm proceeding toward my goal of a place for everything and everything in it's place.

Today I went through my kitchen cupboard where I keep serving bowls and such. I removed duplicates and excess, reminding myself that I have enough and some things can serve in multiple ways. I rearranged what was left and it sure feels good to have more room in the cupboard.

Our town has a community-wide yard sale in the Spring so I'm preparing for a big sale. Whatever is left will be taken to my favorite thrift store.

P.S. Happy Birthday to Elder PW - He's 21 today!

First Task - GET ORGANIZED!

Despite my best (or more likely because of my worst) efforts my sewing room is always a disaster area. I get fabric out for a project, decide that's not the perfect one and get out a whole bunch to sample and then never get it put back again. I have leftovers, patterns, mending, ironing, filing, piles of donations, off season clothes, and anything else that doesn't have a place all stacked and stashed around my room. It is a mess! And I have the pictures to prove it.

View from the door

My sewing desk

Most of my fabric stash (with some stuff on top)

Just today I got the totes of fabric into the corner and sorted some piles of fabric back into the appropriate totes. I love fabric and have lots! And I plan to use lots this year. I'm so inspired by the many other bloggers that I'm committed to making my daughter and myself some wonderful new clothes for spring.

But first I have to get the room organized so I can set up a cutting table and work space that really allows me to work.  I'm also wanting to share some of my fabric with others who could put it to good use. I'll think some more on how best to do that, as I have only eight readers and two of them are family.

I'm excited to report that I have been a really good girl for the first two days of the new year and the bathroom scale is showing a lower number than on the last day of the old year. It is encouraging!

In other news, we got a wonderful email from Elder PW saying he received the Christmas package and enjoyed all the goodies. Dr. Hair and Dandylion don't go back to school until Wednesday so I don't have the house to myself just yet, but they helped take down all the Christmas decorations and tree today and get that all stowed away in the basement for another year. It's so nice to have strong (and willing) young men to help lift and carry heavy things.