On our recent trip to Ft. Stevens, Patsy and I enjoyed climbing a watchtower in Astoria, and enjoying the view of the big bridge that spans the Columbia River. Beautiful, and free:) The girls rode bikes, clammed, fished, read, and I continued to work on school with Ja’Ana. We are not quite finished, having lost some time with the move. We had to go over to the valley for a family event, and brought one of the cousins back with us.
We enjoyed roasting marshmallows and hot dogs one night with her.
I sewed Patsy a dress. I used 50% off patriotic fabric from JoAnn’s, but chose one that was summery enough to go past the 4th of July.
We got the garden in shape before taking off for the beach again. We were able to harvest veggies to take with us. We used lettuce in many meals the past few days. I was able to take a huge salad with us to my sister’s house for our family Sunday meal.
I had not grocery shopped since we moved, except for a few dollars here and there. This past week, I spent $58 on groceries. I am finding it do-able with the new $50/week budget I am sticking with. I “shopped” from my food storage in our storage bins and freezer and used as much garden produce as I could. I also made another meal from the fish we caught and froze.
We are at Newport, Oregon this week. We took our bikes. We took our first family bike ride in years. Rob wisely bought me a helmet, as bike riding is not my strong suite. I am happy to report that neither I, nor anyone else, fell off. We had a great time.
Since we have a foster/adopt park pass, we save around $30/night, every time we camp. Of course, there are rules about how often you can use it, etc., but they are very generous. We are really loving having this option during this summer of change.
We are also saving money by not having internet, but I must admit it is frustrating to have to drive somewhere to catch wi-fi. We also have been able to use Rob’s Mom’s garbage can each week, as she does not fill it, so we have no bill for that. Of course, at campgrounds, you can throw your trash and recycling away there in the proper area. We don’t have our phone land line anymore. We have no house payment. We are still spending money for gas, food, cell phones, the camper, and a few other things. Overall, though, we have reduced the bills tremendously, and that is helping us get through the summer without feeling any pain at all! What a blessing!
Leave it to a teenager. Working hard in the garden with the earphones helping along. Patsy’s dress is cute. Perfect for the 4th and all the warm weather. Navy looks good on her. Sounds like a really enjoyable summer after all the hard work of packing up.
Yah, that cracked me up, too! She wanted money for a youth group outing so not only weeded 18 rows, she raked between the rows! Gotta love youth group!
Neat! My one son was stationed at Astoria a few summer ago (Coast Guard). This past weekend we were seeing the Columbia River, near Stevenson, Washington. We traveled there from the Portland airport so now I can understand the landforms you are seeing (although I suppose it is flat near Astoria)! I’m about to pick lettuce right now..must be a good time for lettuce! Andrea
It’s great you got to come to our area. To get to Astoria from the Willamette Valley where I live, you have to travel over the coastal range. After coming down the other side, there is a variety of terrain on the “beach” side. Some is flat, although the town of Astoria itself is very hilly. If you have every seen the movie “Goonies” it was filmed there–lots of big, old houses on a steep hillside in the actual town.
We have eaten so much lettuce, we may turn green. I can’t wait until I have enough time on internet so I can see your garden pictures. My time right now is so limited that I’m struggling to get any for just reading, which I love doing. I’m trying to be very careful to not use too much internet data on my phone, and have the entire family waiting patiently almost every time I catch wi-fi at Starbucks, etc. This too shall pass–I just need to have patience.
I so love this time of year when my garden is producing. I planted turnip for the first time and harvested yesterday. I made the Prudent Homemaker’s turnip gratin. Wow, was it good. I did adjust the recipe slightly by using a 4-cheese ‘Italian’ cheese blend rather then the mozzarella in the recipe. And I was able to hand slice the turnip thin enough – good thing since I don’t have a fancy mandolin or any other tool. But a sharp knife and patience was enough. Also scaled the recipe down from a 9X13 pan to something just for me for dinner and leftovers for lunch. Winner!
Love the dress you made and seeing the pictures. Cheers, SJ in Vancouver BC
I love the gardening, too. I am picking things in-between trips and eating them up–then dashing home for more:)
You’d be amazed at what things I’m substituting for my kitchen gadgets I usually have on hand, that are all in storage now. It’s amazing at what I thought I needed, that I’m finding a way to do another way! (Such as using a grill basket for a lettuce washing basket/strainer, etc.)
I love the pictures! Rob, Ja’Ana, And Patsy look like they are having a great time. I am very impressed that Ja’Ana hoed that much garden ( what a great kid). Good luck with the house hunt this week.
There’s nothing like a little motivation when it comes to Ja’Ana hoeing:)
Thanks. We are going out again at noon today to look at (hopefully) 3 more houses.