Jello With Fruit

I love jello, especially with fruit added. Peaches are what I use the most.

Begin with a large can of peaches; drain the juice into a measuring cup and cut the fruit into bite size pieces.Bring to a boil 1 cup of water; add to 1 package of jello (I like to use strawberry/banana); stir until dissolved. Next, instead of adding 1 cup of cold water add 1 cup of juice from the peaches; stir.

Now add the peaches and chill. This is so yummy, especially in the summer time.

Rag Rug pt. 5

Oh how I have little patience for hand work!

Today I cut another t-shirt and added it to my slow going rag rug.

I like the feel of the rug and I like the colors but I do not like the time it is taking me; so, I have decided to do away with the rug idea and use it for a table runner/hot pad combo kitchen utensil.

Goodbye Ice

Our beautiful ice has now melted.Since it is still a little cold in the house I decided to bake a pound cake. I have always wanted to make one of these.

Unfortunately it looks prettier than it tasted.

Ground Beef Bargain

Today, along with my normal coupon bargain shopping, I found ground beef at a good price; Wal-Mart had marked their 5-pound packages to $6 each which came out to $1.20 per pound.My freezer barely had enough room for more meat but I just couldn't pass up a good deal; especially since the last ground beef sale was for $1.99 per pound.

A World of Ice

Today we woke up to a beautiful world of ice and a temperature of 16-degrees.We left the house an hour early so we could drive 20 to 30 mph. all the way to town.

The sun finally came out around 5:30;

A perfect end to a perfect day.

A Change in the Weather

We have been having some really nice weather lately with temperatures in the upper 70's; so nice in fact that I recently purchased a very large bag of potting soil so I could begin my garden seeds.But today I have been reminded that winter is still here.

We are having cold, cloudy and lightly icy weather.

A Fun Filled Evening

Yesterday our local Mr. Gatti's had a free buffet meal and tokens for the first 400 college students with proper I.D. Jonathan took Elizabeth with him; for the price of her meal, just over $6, the two of them spent over 2 hours eating and playing.

When we arrived at the store the line was already wrapped around the building and going down the street.While the kids played I shopped at Bath and Body Works. My sister sent me a gift card for $15 that was given to her by her job. This was my first time shopping at Bath and Body Works.

I found shampoo marked 75% off and paid $1.87 per bottle; plus I purchased a small lipstick case for $4 (this was the regular price) for Elizabeth to use for her chap stick. I paid $1.46 out of pocket for all the loot.

The Pound Store

Locally we have a Goodwill store called "The Pound Store". This store is not a traditional thrift store where items are separated; instead items are placed in large boxes and put into rows.

The pound store is the only thrift store that hasn't been going up on their prices. So, finding bargains here is still possible as long as you do not mind digging around.

However, shopping at the pound store for a specific item, or a certain clothing size, is virtually impossible since each day the boxes hold different merchandise.

When I have time to kill I like going to the pound store just to look around and see if there are any hidden treasures. This week I stumbled upon an over sized wicker basket that is perfect for holding fruit.

This basket is roughly about 1 1/2-pounds; at the pound store non-clothing items sell for 65-cents per pound so this basket cost me about $1.

Clothing sells for 85-cents per pound; shirts average 50-cents each, jeans run about $1 per pair and coats tend to sell for around $2 to $3. Last year I found a very nice girl's coat for less than $2; it cost me more to have it dry cleaned than the actual cost of the coat.

Curtain Repair

Lately I have felt very lazy with little interest in beginning any new sewing projects. So today I decided to repair Elizabeth's curtains; since I knew it would be a short project.I had made these curtain several years ago but made a small mistake in the top hem that fits over the curtain rod. Although the curtains fit the rods fine, when you try to open them up the extra fabric bunches too much and I was tired of having to tug when opening and closing the curtains.

So today I ripped out the old stitching, added a strip of fabric, and re-hemmed them. Now they work perfectly and I am very please with how much easier it is to open and close the curtains.

Thrifty Lunches

When we go to town it is usually for the whole day. Sometimes we order lunch from the dollar menu at a fast food restaurant but this can add up after awhile. So, one way we save on the cost of eating out is to bring lunch from home; and to make this fun we like to use vintage lunch boxes.Elizabeth thinks it is fun to use a lunch box even if it is only filled with snacks.

We usually bring iced tea or water to drink;

But today we brought some of our bargain orange juice.

Peanut Butter Deal

On Sunday, after church, I went to Walgreen's to buy some peanut butter that was on sale for $1.99 each. If I purchased a total of 8-jars I would also get back $10 in Register Rewards; so my final price on the peanut butter was 74-cents per jar.

Soon after purchasing these I learned about the peanut butter incident and called Skippy; the recording states their peanut butter is not involved in the current incident and not to worry about their products.

Another great deal at Walgreen's this week was Mauna Loa chocolate covered macadamias;

These nuts are so good but expensive, however I was able to buy them at 50-cents a bag using a Walgreen's in store coupon.

Rag Rug pt. 4

Progress is still slow on my rag rug; but it is beginning to take shape.I am planning on putting this on the bathroom floor next to the tub;

And the space there is narrow so the rug will not have to be too wide.

Shooting Lessons

Jonathan has been wanting to teach Elizabeth to shoot since she was pretty little;And since the weather is nice today;

She began the first of her lessons with a BB Gun.

Bummer

For the past year our local Goodwill stores have been going up on their prices. It didn't bother me too much since I still had two other thrift stores that offered bargain prices; that is until today.In the past this curling iron would have sold for $1 but today it was priced $2; still a good deal when compared to new but it is hard adjusting to higher prices.

ABC's

The other day, while at the library, Elizabeth found a Sesame Street Cookbook.This was the first recipe she wanted to try.

I thought it would be easy to find alphabet noodles but it wasn't; we searched three stores before finding some.

Thankfully I had some chicken stock in the freezer so Elizabeth could have her soup this evening.

It was a big hit!

A Coupon and a Markdown

Our local Target had Quaker Chewy Granola bars on sale for $2 per box and I had a coupon for $1 off a 2-box purchase. My final price was $1.50 per box.

But my best deal today was an unexpected bargain;Orange juice marked 75-cents per carton; it was so good the kids and I finished one off before we even made it back home!

Potato Pancakes

When I was growing up my mom always made potato pancakes; you begin with leftover mashed potatoes;To this add one egg;

A small amount of flour;

And a little milk.

Continue adding milk until you have a thick batter.

Spoon the batter into a hot skillet;

Cook until golden brown on each side.

Serve warm.

Sometimes my mom would add leftover corn to the batter but I like them best plain.

On Line Shopping

Seldom do I purchase on line except for occasionally I will purchase on e-bay. However, after Christmas I was reading about a 55% off fabric sale that I could not resist… I love my new fabrics but “shame on me” I didn’t need anymore fabric!

Pizza Pizza

Yesterday, Elizabeth and I went to the library; we love to get books with lots of pictures and fun information.One of the books we checked out was about pizza; it is loaded with pictures...

Which made us hungry.So we made pizza for lunch!

Rag Rug pt. 3

I have always loved creating things "The Old Fashion Way" but I cannot imagine pioneer women being as slow about it as I am!
I have only just completed my second ball of yarn and I still have two more shirts to cut up before I can even begin the crocheting part of making a rug.