New Flowers & A Garden

 

I had the most fabulous weekend.  Saturday morning we took an early morning trip to the nursery where I was instructed not to look at prices and fill up my cart with all of the things I wanted.  I was also coached not to over think things and told that whatever hit the cart had to stay there.  I faltered only once when I thought I might be getting carried away and fretted about the prices of some of the larger potted perennials I had chosen.  Once I was told to knock it off I was good.  I’ve never had the opportunity to do that before and it truly was a blessing and very much appreciated.

 

It's always good to have some helpers

While the BFF spent the day golfing with his buddies I spent the day in my yard and garden.  Digging in the dirt and planting flowers to my heart’s content.  First up was to fill my flower pots and get those set in place.  I have one by the front gate and one on my porch.  Such a beautiful greeting as you approach my home.  Next, I was all about adding new perennials to my flowerbeds and sprucing those up a bit.

 

I couldn't resist these sweet little geraniums

Bell peppers, zucchini, cucumbers with a trellis
& garlic, on the far left

Sunday I still had at least half of the flowers sitting and waiting for my attention.  Before I got started however, I went outside and planted the vegetable garden - six tomato plants, five bell pepper plants plus some green bean, cucumber and zucchini seeds.  In my veggie garden I have my first ever crop of garlic that I had planted in the fall, a volunteer cilantro plant and my rosemary that I planted last year.  A good start and I have plans for more.  I hope to add more herbs very soon.

 

I planted the tomatoes alongside the deck this year
You can see the new flower bed next to the chicken coop

Ever since I built the chicken coop I’ve dreamt of adding a flowerbed and at long last that is what I did.  I’m super proud of this bed because I used items I already had by repurposing an old tree ring that I no longer had a use for and all of the soil came from my yard and the compost bin I built last year.  I added stepping stones I had on hand so I can still easily access the coop and planted lavender and salvia.  I added the angel with the idea that this could be kind of a memorial garden.

 

The front flowerbed by the gate is filling out nicely

I replaced the blueberry bush that didn’t make it over the winter in hopes that this one will be happy and grow strong.  I could tell by late August into September that the one I’d planted last year wasn’t doing too well so it wasn’t a huge surprise to find it had died.

 

I can't get over how big my rhubarb is this year

The view outside my kitchen window makes me so happy

I added a butterfly bush next to the backyard deck.  My hope is that between the salvia, lavender and the butterfly bush I’ll attract enough pollinators to my vegetable garden.  As I had stated this time last year my backyard is still very much a work in progress.  Over time it will change and evolve into the yard and garden of my dreams and so far I am absolutely loving it.  So what do you think?  It’s coming along quite nicely, wouldn’t you agree?

 

Summer Bucket List Challenge 2024!

 

I’m coming up with a list of items I want to complete this summer and I’m almost done with it.  A new little challenge for myself.  Do you want to join me?  I hope you will.  We need to have some fun and do some things we otherwise might not get around to doing.  It is far too easy for the summer to get away from us.

 

Here is the challenge.  Come up with ten things you would like to do this summer.  It can literally be anything.  And!  You get to change your mind at anytime too.  If you decide there is something else you’d rather do you can definitely make that change.  And!  If you want to do more than ten things you can!  But for sure, at least ten things.  Come up with ten things you want to do and then do them.

 

I think it is going to be a really fun challenge.  If you want to share what you are doing, I’d love to hear about it.  I will share mine too.  So how about it?  Want to create your summer bucket list?  Let’s do it!

 

My Tireless Retirement – Week 110

 

Boy oh boy did we ever get some stormy weather on this particular week.  They even said we might get some snow, but it never got cold enough for that to actually happen.  Thank goodness!  It rained so hard one night we lost power for only about a half an hour during the night.  We definitely need the moisture so I couldn’t complain, but it did hamper my original plans for gardening and planting some flowers.

 

It had been a good three weeks since I stepped into a grocery store and I was craving a fresh, crisp green salad.  My crisper drawer was looking pretty pitiful and I was getting low on cream (God forbid!) for my coffee so I decided it was time.  Due to the weather I decided to drive to work one day and made that trip count by stopping off at Winco on my way home to pick up groceries.  I made sure I got the heavy stuff that was on my list, such as flour and canned goods, since I had the truck to transport my groceries home.  I also scored a five pound bag of potatoes for only 98¢!

 

One of my projects this past week was to make myself a super comfortable sleeping pad to take camping with me this summer.  I want to get back into tent camping this year because I can go places you just can’t quite get to in a motorhome.  I ordered a cot sized mattress topper as well as a zippered washable cover from Amazon (my second order of 2024) and was able to use the foam I bought at Fred Meyer last year to make myself a nice little mattress.  I don’t care for the camp cots because they wiggle and creak too much for my liking.  I think I will be able to sleep quite well now even if I’m in a tent on the ground.  I’ll definitely let you know.

 

On Thursday I had invited friends over for supper.  I made a lasagna and a fresh green salad as well as a pan of fudge brownies.  I sent them home with half the pan of brownies and was left with two servings of the lasagna to enjoy the following week for quick suppers.  Spending time with friends is just the best!

 

Although I do not have any type of a travel budget this year I have been researching some travel options and making plans.  Since retiring I’ve yet to do any real traveling and I feel it is time for me to do something about that.  My biggest problem is that I have way too many travel options which makes it quite difficult for me to make a decision.  Poor me.

 

Meals I Prepared: 

With Cinco De Mayo last Sunday I used that as my excuse to prepare and enjoy a few delicious Mexican food meals.  Mexican food is definitely my favorite so I decided I’d start by making a big pot of homemade refried beans to have on the side as well as to use in making some freezer burritos for quick and easy meals in the future.  I also put away a couple containers of refried beans away in the freezer to use later on in recipes or as a side dish. 

Sopa Seca (literally translates as “dry soup”) was my soup meal last week.  I love that it is so flavorful and just the right amount of spicy.  My recipe makes quite a bit so I divided it in half and put one half away in the freezer and then enjoyed the other half throughout the week.  I paired chicken quesadillas with refried beans and a salad for three meals last week.  I also enjoyed a couple of the freezer burritos along with the Sopa Seca for a full week of delicious meals.

 

I do hope that all of you moms had a wonderful day yesterday and were showered with loads of love and appreciation.  I got to enjoy picking out flowers at the nursery, which has become a tradition for me, as well as some wonderful food.  It was truly a great day.  Feel free to share what you did on your special day in the comments. 

 

FYI - My retirement week runs from Friday through Thursday.

 

 

 

REAL Food Recipe – Pork Fried Rice

 

Fried rice is one of my favorite super thrifty meals.  It comes together rather quickly, especially if you have leftover rice already on hand to use up, making a great option for a busy day or evening.  Here is my recipe for one person or two if you use it as a side with another meal.

 

Pork Fried Rice 

1 cup steamed rice

2 Tbs. diced ham or 2 strips bacon, sliced

1 or 2 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup frozen peas & carrots

1 egg, beaten

1 Tbs bacon fat or oil

1 Tbs soy sauce 

Over a medium high burner heat oil in a medium pan or wok. Add ham and onions, cooking until onions just begin to soften.  Add peas & carrots and continue to cook until thawed.  Make a well and pour in the beaten egg.  Scramble egg and mix into the meat and vegetables.  Add rice stir fry to combine well.  Stir in soy sauce.  Serve.

 

I usually serve this with a green salad or a nice bowl of soup and some Asian condiments like garlic chili paste or sweet chili sauce.  It is definitely a much more affordable option than takeout and every bit as delicious too.

 

 

Minding My Pennies In Retirement

 

With rising costs it seems to me that the pennies matter more now than ever.  Because of this I find myself spending less and less and doing without more and more.  One might think this a bad thing, but truthfully I am discovering I really don’t need very much to live a simple and content life.

 

Before I purchase anything I search my home first to see if I already have what I need or if I can find something else that will work just as well.  If I still feel the need to buy something I will wait for at least 24 hours to make sure it is something I truly want and want to spend my money on.  If I decide to go ahead with that purchase I will then search for the best quality at the lowest price available.  I will often purchase products from stores where I can use a gift card to shave more off of the price whenever possible as long their quality and pricing is in line with being a good value.

 

Going without items isn’t the worst thing in the world, especially at this stage of my life as I’m trying to move things out of my home rather than bring things into it.  Instead of acquiring more things I find myself in more of a use and replace mode.  I’m using up what I already have on hand and then deciding if it is even something I need to replace.  Quite often I’m finding that I’d rather not purchase a replacement of most of the things I’ve used.

 

Last year I purged clothing on two separate occasions to make my wardrobe much more practical and manageable.  Several months ago I had three pair of socks that were worn thin so I purchased three pair to replace them.  I could’ve purchased more socks than that, but I just didn’t need any more at that particular time.  Right now I’m trying to maintain my current wardrobe inventory without expanding it.  When I do buy clothing items I only purchase items on sale or on clearance.  I will even ask for something as a gift for my birthday or a holiday if that is appropriate.

 

To extend the life of my clothes I hang dry a lot of my stuff on laundry day.  I am also really good about mending holes or worn spots right way as well as replacing buttons or snaps before they get to the point of no return.  I can repair snags and runs in knitted items too.  I’ve done mending or hemming for several of my friends in exchange for a lunch out or a favor in return although I’m always quite happy to mend items with no expectation of anything owed.

 

Simplifying my meals and meal plans has helped me to save a ton of money so far this year.  I’m also focusing on using items I already have on hand before I purchase any new items, which has helped me to keep my food waste at pretty much nil.  The upside has been that I’ve become much more creative and resourceful when it comes to my meal planning which has been a lot of fun.  I also find I’m cooking less often, have less work and clean up to do and I am saving a lot of time and energy.  Win-Win-Win!

 

As I’ve shared previously I’m riding the city bus more and more, even to run errands and do my grocery shopping.  It has been very nice not to feel the effects of the rising gas prices at the pumps lately.  In the process I’ve been getting much more exercise on a daily basis.  I’m sleeping better, gaining some lost strength and endurance back and meeting some wonderful people along the way.  I’ve even inspired some of my co-workers get on board and ride the bus or use their bicycles.  Additionally, I had signed up with Share The Ride Idaho and recently I signed up for a couple of challenges to complete in the month of May.  They are giving away gift cards upon completion.  Yay!

 

To “earn” extra money for the things I purchase I will download digital coupon offers from the stores I patronize.  I pay for pretty much all of my purchases throughout the month with my credit card and then pay it off in full before I accrue any interest.  I earn rewards points on that card that I can redeem for gift cards to stores and restaurants.  I’ve done surveys for gift cards and I participate in Fetch rewards which gives you points each time I upload one of my receipts.  It will take me a while to earn enough reward points to redeem for a gift card because I don’t shop very much these days, but every little bit helps.

 

At the time of each purchase it may or may not seem like I’m saving all that much, however over time it really does add up to quite a bit.  Is my quality of life compromised?  Not at all!  If anything I feel like my quality of life has dramatically improved this year.  I feel supercharged and exceedingly happy pretty much all of the time.  Kind of funny, huh?

 

Affordable Mattress Project

 

I need a comfortable mattress to take camping with me this summer.  I want to do some hiking and camping in some of the beautiful remote areas in Idaho and that means pitching a tent.  With that in mind I know I’m no spring chicken and I want to be comfortable so I get some good, comfortable sleep.

 

Last summer I had purchased a foam camp cot pad at Fred Meyer, but from past experience I know they aren’t bad, but on their own they don’t hold up too well.  I didn’t want to end up getting it all dirty and having pine needles stuck in it or have it get torn by getting caught on things.  I knew I wanted a protective cover, but I also wanted it to have an added layer for warmth and comfort.  Nobody wants to feel a rock or lump of earth poking them in the back nor do I want to end up stiff and sore in the morning.

 

After a fair bit of research I came up with a plan and I ordered a camp cot mattress pad to add to the foam pad.  I also ordered a washable and breathable cotton mattress cover that zips closed so it will stay on nicely and not allow anything to get inside and damage the mattress or allow it to get dirty.  It was easy to assemble the foam pad and the mattress pad using the corner straps that came on the mattress pad.  With a little finesse I was able to slip both the foam and mattress pad into the cotton cover and get it zipped up.

 

I need to be able to roll it up enough for it to fit inside the backseat of my truck or inside a plastic tote so I used a wide piece of elastic I happened to have in my sewing stash to make a stretchable band to go around the mattress after I rolled it up.  I was also able to add my travel pillow and tuck it into the band.  Perfect!

 

Everything came together as I had hoped it would.  After laying on it for a while I know I’m going to be comfortable and will be able to sleep very well on my summer adventures.  I spent $28 on the foam pad last summer, $38 on the mattress pad and $19 on the cover.  I didn't think that was bad at all.  The bonus of having this little mattress setup is that it will be perfect to have in case I need an extra place for a guest to sleep and it won’t take up much space at all.  I personally can hardly wait to try it out myself.  Yes!  I'm so excited!

 

My Tireless Retirement – Week 109

 

April turned out to be a particularly busy month for me and it seemed to go by in a flash.  I’ve completed quite a bit of work inside and outside of my home and I’m pretty proud of all that I’ve been able to accomplish.  I pruned fruit trees, cleaned up a lot of yard debris, pulled up a boatload of weeds, set up the bird bath, prepared the raised garden beds for planting and even purged a few things.  Inside my home I started a new quarterly housekeeping checklist which helps me to maintain my home with a little bit of deeper cleaning, I’ve purged and reorganized some stuff in my garage, purged and shredded papers and some lists I no longer needed, purged and donated some craft supplies and used up a bunch of extra stuff I’ve had lying around the house for a while.  I definitely feel like progress is being made.

 

As I’ve headed into May it appears I’m going to be just as busy as I was last month and I’m quite happy about it.  I love to be busy, especially when it is a productive busy.  Last month I worked part time five days a week and was hoping to get back to my three to four days a week, however we had one of our part time employees that I job share with quit so we are punting until we get another part timer hired on.  With a little bit of finagling they were able to get me scheduled with a weekday off three out of the next four weeks and then I just requested some time off around the Memorial Day holiday which they also worked in.  That will work!

 

One of the projects I needed to complete was to fix the front driver’s side turn signal as well as one of the side marker lights, both of which had burnt out.  This has been an ongoing project for a while as my truck is older and they no longer make the replacement bulbs for the turn signals.  I was able to easily find the bulb for the marker light and get that fixed, but I literally had to do quite a bit of research to figure out which bulb I could use.  I was about at the point of going over to the dealership and visiting the parts department for an overpriced bulb, but I was able to find what I needed, at Wal-Mart of all places, and now, three weeks later that project is completed.  Hurray!

 

Since I was at Wal-Mart I made my trip count and picked up a short list of items I needed including a can of brake fluid to top up the reservoir on the truck and some garden supplies, especially fruit tree spray for the apple and the pear tree.  This is the time of year I need to get them sprayed so we don’t end up with wormy fruit.  At least that is the goal.  Wish me luck, it has been a struggle.

 

One of the items on my canning list this year was to can up some beef roast for my LTFS.  I had picked up two pot roasts I had found on clearance so I decided to pull those out of my freezer and once they were thawed I cut them both up into pieces and was able to fill up three pint jars.  Although they were raw packed I did add a little beef broth au jus to give the roast some really good flavor.  I love to use this for quick meals or to add into rice.  I can also use a little bit of cornstarch to thicken and make a roast beef and gravy to serve with potatoes or rice.

 

Meals I Prepared: 

I made some really good and tasty meals last week.  To begin with I put a pint jar of ground beef and a can of beans I had in the pantry for a while along with a bit of water into my smallest slow cooker to make a tasty chili bean soup that I topped with grated cheddar cheese and a dab of sour cream.  Very simple but it was amazingly delicious!

 

A couple of baked potatoes “baked” in the microwave made for two delicious meals when I took one and stuffed it with steamed broccoli and topped it with grated cheddar, sour cream and diced cooked ham that I had leftover from a ham steak I had thawed the week before.  I had just enough leftover soup, just over a half cup, to place inside the other potato and topped with grated cheddar and sour cream to make a chili stuffed baked potato.

 

The other quick meal I made was to combine a boxed rice mix I had kicking around the pantry that I wanted to use up, a quarter cup of extra rice and a pint jar of pot roast in au jus that I had canned in 2022.  I mixed it all together and cooked it on the stove with a pint jar of beef broth in place of the water that the mix called for.  It was surprisingly delicious, had some really grate flavor, and made four servings.  I ate three and placed one serving into the freezer to have later.  I roasted some frozen cauliflower and some broccoli in my toaster oven.  I sprinkled with seasoned salt and tossed with butter for a great side for this meal.

 

Although our weather was all over the place I was still able to get outdoors and spray the fruit trees and all of the shrubs, get the last flowerbed cleaned up as well as do a final general clean up of the yard, both front and back.  Things are looking pretty ship shape around here, even though a couple big windstorms left me with more debris to clean up, which I did, I still managed to keep things neat and tidy although everything could probably use a good leaf blowing.  Still, my yard has never looked better and I am super happy with it.

 

While I was at Wal-Mart I went ahead and picked up a new larger flowerpot to replace the brittle and well worn one I had next to my garage door.  I revitalized the old potting soil with some rabbit pooh and after placing cut up branches in the bottom of the new pot as filler I put the soil back in.  I am so ready to go and pick out something at the nursery to put in the new pot as well as some of my other ones.  Hopefully this weekend I will be able to do just that.  Anyone else ready to plant some flowers?  Or a garden?  I just love this time of year! 

 

FYI - My retirement week runs from Friday through Thursday.