I was able to pick and use strawberries, raspberries, green onions, lettuce and snow peas this week from my garden.  I froze a pint of raspberries and there are many more to pick.

I picked snow peas several times, and got a handful each time, until early this morning, when the bowl just kept filling…I will share some and plan some meals around them for the upcoming week.  Yum!

For Ja’Ana’s birthday dinner, she wanted pizza, so Rob went to Little Caesar’s and got extremely inexpensive pepperoni pizza and some bread sticks.   I ate gluten-free pizza I had made and frozen a couple of weeks ago, saving around $20 or more.  Seriously.  It costs so much to buy gluten-free pizza from a pizza place around here.  Ice cream has been on sale lately, and so I’ve grabbed a few cartons to stash in the freezer for occasions that I know will come up.  I was able to pick enough strawberries from our back yard to serve with the ice cream.  J isn’t much of a cake person, so she was happy with ice cream.

I think we attended the last party for a while, last evening.  It was lovely.  All of the parties have been very fun, and we have enjoyed ourselves.  I am looking forward to settling down to normal, everyday life, though.  In my room, I’ve been tripping over bags of gifts, cards and decorations now for over a month, and I’m looking forward to cleaning it all up!  Most of it has been given out, so that should be quite easy at this point.

I cleaned, gardened, did laundry, etc. for 7 hours straight on Friday, at which point I plunked down on the couch and did not move for quite a while.  Believe it or not, I could do it again tomorrow–there’s that much to do:).  However, I will try to do a little each day, as I don’t have that kind of a block of time available this week.

I have been preparing for a backpacking trip on Friday.  I’ve already loaded the pack part way and have been walking around to make sure it’s as comfortable as can be, and not too heavy.  I’ve practiced putting up my tiny, little tent.  I’m going with the teen-agers from church, including Patsy and Alissa, and am not in charge, I’m just a woman sponsor.  I have absolutely no hope of keeping up with those young kids, so will let the youth pastor and his wife do that.  Instead, I will bring up the rear, at my own pace, and enjoy myself, nature, and being with the kids.  When I catch up.  Possibly much, much later.  But, I’ll get there.  After all, I’ve been taking Pilates for 9 months now.  Right?

We have gone through things in the shop, gathering up what I think I will need.  I haven’t backpacked for many years, so I’m trying to remember everything I need without being ridiculous.  I don’t want that pack too heavy.  We bought a few items we think I will need that we did not have.  I am taking all my own food.  Even though there are some of those freeze-dried meals available that Mountain House donated for the trip, they all contain gluten as far as I can tell.  I’m very excited, and will be packing and re-packing all week, I’m sure, in-between working, doctor’s appointments, and so on.

How did your week go?

This week was too interesting and fulfilling to be called “Weekly Update and Saving Money” like usual!  So I wrote a better title, but it’s the same post I do every weekend:)

We got to watch Michaela graduate from her program at school.  Not only that, but she was chosen to give a speech for the entire graduation.  There were only 2 who did, and she just marched up there and gave that speech.  She was amazing!  She did not seem scared or nervous!  Of course, afterwards, the family who attended ended up at Dairy Queen, her choice.

We did lots of fun things to celebrate the occasion.  She went with me and we picked Patsy up from school so she could attend the graduation.  I took them to McDonald’s and used my app to buy them each a McFlurry (buy one, get one free).  Her mom took her swimming and out to McDonald’s for nuggets and fries.  Then, to end the day at DQ?  A perfect day with perfect meals in her eyes.

Saturday, I finished up my bean cooking project by putting the refried beans into cartons and freezing them out in the shop, where the big freezers live.  I ended up with these 7 pints, plus a couple more that are in a bowl in the fridge to eat this week. It was very satisfying to be able to get that done.  We really, really prefer the homemade ones to the ones from cans.  We ate chili dogs for lunch, making a big dent in the chili.  I did cook a few more things as well on Saturday:  Potato salad, rosemary and olive oil roasted potatoes, and pasta salad.  The salads were for family Sunday dinner.  We ate the potatoes with some steak Rob bbq’d on Saturday, and he did more steak and some chicken legs for Sunday.  We had a few more family members than normal on Sunday, as we were celebrating several birthdays.

I worked in the garden quite a bit.  The raspberries are starting to get red.  But, the 2 I ate were extremely sour, so I am willing to wait a little longer:). I planted my watermelon and cantaloupe plants and a little more lettuce, and now–it’s really, really full!

Jake spent the night last night, and I’ve been toasting hot dog buns, as the bread seems to have become moldy, made popcorn, cup of noodles, and other “Jake” food.  I’ve been reading endless Berenstain Bear stories, and we are now on “The Long Winter,” our 5th Laura and Mary book.  Now, I’m having to find true stories about Laura, as well, to read.  He can’t get enough.  To make it better, his class at school studied pioneers, and they played a copy of one of the old shows for the kids.  He was delighted.  He knew who Nellie Olson was, as already didn’t like her, so the show was way more fun for him to watch. He made a yarn doll at school, but quickly pointed out that it was different than the one Ma made for Laura.

Now, we are going to pack a picnic and take a drive to a lake or river, where our plan is to let him throw as many rocks as he wants to.  Sounds like my kind of day.  Hopefully, I will get some great pictures and will share them later in the week:)

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This has been quite a week.  I’ve had many, many appointments for the kids, Christmas decorations to put up, school, work and more!  We finally gave in and got pizza Saturday night, but otherwise, we’ve done pretty well at keeping it frugal during such a busy week.

I was delighted to accept this little artificial Christmas tree from my friend, Harnet. A friend who was moving gave it to her, but she already had one, and offered it to me.  I was especially glad to try it out, because last year I had to put a tree up in the garage, since the living room is so small.  I was not happy with that arrangement, and wanted something better this year.  I’ve never used an artificial one before, since I live in Oregon and am surrounded by inexpensive green, live trees, but thought I’d try it out.  It works great in the small space I have.  We are thinking about getting a fresh one and putting it outside on the deck, with only lights.  We will see how far we get on that idea.

Patsy and I went upstairs in the shop and only brought down the lights, ornaments and nativity we wanted to use.  Of course, I don’t need as many ornaments as usual, with a small tree and this will make clean-up easier. The only thing we bought so far was a poinsettia for the piano.  I even found some extra candles up there that I can use.  I put up a nativity scene, and found the advent wreath.  There are some stockings, but I may need to sew up a few more.  I did find some Christmas fabric in my stash the other day, so now I’m set, since I found the existing ones to use for a pattern.  Or….there’s always the dollar store if I run out of time:)

My sister, Rosalie, Ja’Ana and I had a day with Danait and Harnet.  One of the fun, free activities we did was take Danait to the library for a reading program/story time.  After story time, they did a craft where they rolled pine cones in suet and bird seed.  Rosalie helped her put it outside on her deck when we went back home.  I hope some birds come.  She was really excited and hoping they would.  Harnet wanted to study, so that’s what we did while they did story time.  She has tests coming up for school next week, and is a very diligent student.  We did over 2 hours of homework that day.

We got her Christmas tree up with lots of help from a very excited 3 year old.

Harnet wanted to learn how to make tacos, so, while we did more homework, Rosalie ran down and got some tortillas and things to add to what she already had, and I showed her how. We also showed her how easy it was to make quesadillas for Danait from just cheese and tortillas. She loves Mexican food, so was very excited to learn, and sent pictures of Danait happily munching soft tacos today!  Now, she has a couple more super easy meals, that they like, to make on busy days, and she knows just what to buy to make it taste the way she wants it.   I think we will have to show her about the bulk spice bins at Fred Meyers, since that is the spice Rosalie got.  It is clearly the most economical way to get spices, but a little daunting unless we show her exactly which one to get, since all she ever saw was a bulk plastic bag with a little tag–no label, of course.

As usual, she fed us another wonderful meal.  This time, it was  brown lentils made with beri- beri spice, and a stew of beef, potatoes, and a spicy sauce.  She had injera bread, and I took some brown rice to share, as I can’t eat the injera since it contains barley flour with the teff flour.  We always enjoy the sour cream she offers to us to cool it all down a bit and then we had coffee:)

It took me many, many hours (I’m slow when it comes to computers) but I finally figured out how to load the pictures and am now back to being able to take more, and post like I used to.  Because the hard drive was gone, there were a lot of programs to get up and running, and a lot of pictures to transfer from my phone, as they were all gone.  It’s even better, because now my phone transfers the photos automatically to the computer when I take them.  I just kept at it and did not have to beg or pay anyone else to fix it.  I’m saving those options for the next big problem:). Hopefully, my blogging will get back to normal this week!

I put together these taco rice bowls from leftovers left through out the week.  It felt good to take the odds and ends and make something new.

I got some groceries at Grocery Outlet, as it had been about 10 days, and before Thanksgiving before I bought a bunch.  The tomatoes and avacados came from that trip, and were very reasonable.  They really made the leftovers tasty!  I just stocked up on basics–things like carrots and milk, yogurt, and whatever else I needed that was a good deal.  I got the shrimp I wanted for Christmas Eve fondue. At that store, things are usually quite reasonable, but you have to grab them when you see them, as you might never see them again!  The rest of my needed items came from Fred Meyers, as Grocery Outlet also may not even have some of the things on my list on any given day.   The best bargain we got was Rice Krispie treats for 50c/box of 8.  Rob got a case and took them to school.  We like to get things like that for the classroom where he works, as they use them constantly to reinforce good behavior.  We prefer home-made ones, but they are not allowed at school–store bought is what they want, so when we see a good deal, we grab it!

The week’s offerings included barbecued chicken a few times, tacos several times, salads, African food (Harnet always sends leftovers as well as feeds us), and crispy chicken strips.  We had rice and potatoes, along with frozen veggies as well.  And pizza.  Yum!

This next week is pretty busy, too.  It’s just that time of year.  But, I have a plan.  I want to make some chili and refried beans, for starters, and those favorites will help the week go easier.  I’ve got some beans soaking right now, and will put them in crock pots tonight, and deal with them in the morning.

Of course, baked potato bar is always welcome around here!

I was able to buy 8 avocados for $2 at Grocery Outlet.  One of the kids “arranged” them, and I though it was kind of pretty!  I bought very few groceries this week.  Frankly, I didn’t have room for both groceries and Easter food in my fridge.  I used a ham that I got on a good sale after Christmas, potatoes I got a while back for 50c/5 lbs., home-canned green beans, mango lemonade I got for 99c/jar a while back…..things like that.  Plus, Patsy made Jello for the holiday.

She colored a dozen eggs with a kit from the Dollar Store.

One of the challenges for me this year was making Easter special.  Since so many of us get together every single Sunday, I wanted this to feel special.  First, a few more family members were able to join us, which was very meaningful to me.  I added a few decorations, and special foods, especially dessert.  We don’t always have any on normal Sundays.  It turned out very well.  Everyone had a good time, and we were able to visit more than normal.  The younger kids, especially Jake, enjoyed hiding and finding eggs.  Everyone enjoyed candy, chocolate cupcakes,  and cake.  People pitched in on the dishes, and I’m all ready to get back to normal tomorrow, which is nice, with no big mess left behind.

We were able to teach 2 classes at a 4H workshop on Saturday, to a total of 21 kids.We had them make beef stew in a Dutch Oven, make fire starting kits, and roasted marshmallows.  We talked about fire starting and safety, how to care for cast iron, and a couple of ways to cook over the fire–open fire and charcoal.  We were able to use very inexpensive ingredients, and had some stew left over for our dinner that night.  It was a class where the kids that were 7th grade and up were encouraged to help teach classes to younger members at a county-wide event.  So, Rob and I had Patsy, Ja’Ana and Alissa help us with the classes, and they were wonderful help.

We roasted Peeps in honor of Easter.

Then, we packed it all up, took it home, and put it all away.  Rob and I both enjoy doing this kind of thing, so we were both happy at the end of the day.

The week ended up both frugal and fun, which is a great kind of week to have!  How about yours?

When Easter comes on Sunday, I plan to spend as much time with my family as I can.  First, we will attend church, then come home to dinner.  5 of my children will be here, along with some of their families, along with other extended family.  We are planning on 18 this year.  Because I want to spend time at church, then come home and visit, I am doing some things ahead of time so I will not be stuck in the kitchen for too long.

I am serving ham.  I will defrost one I got for a really good price after Christmas, and pop it into the Crockpot Sunday morning.  I may put some glaze on it, I haven’t decided yet.

Potatoes will be on the menu as well.  I will likely serve them mashed with ham gravy I make from the juice from the ham.  Or, I will make scalloped potatoes (what Alissa wants), twice-baked potatoes (which we all love), or ???  Both of those last 2 could be made tomorrow and just warmed up, so I’ve done both of them in the past as make-ahead alternatives.

Vegetables will be plain green beans.  One of my daughters is allergic to many, many things and that’s what she would like and can eat.  They are already home-canned.  It doesn’t get easier than that.  I prepped them 2 summers ago:)  Sometimes we will have a veggie tray, or pickles on a tray.  I may do that if I’m in the mood or end up with extra time, but we are having salad, and no matter how big our eyes are, our stomachs can’t eat too much, and that kind of thing is often leftover.

Salad:  My mom is bringing it.  Now, that’s pre-preparation for me.  Just ask her to do it!

Fruit:  My sister is bringing it–either chunks, or salad, or whatever she wants.

Rolls:  I made gluten-free rolls this morning and froze them.  I used a recipe from the magazine, “Gluten Free & More.”  I got it from their website.  I will probably buy a package of wheat rolls.

Candy in Eggs:  My Easter bunny Aunt Janet will bring that as she has done for many, many years.  She fills the plastic eggs with candy.  The kids know that after we play “hide the eggs” a few times, they have to empty all the candy into a bowl and share it.  I also heard one solemnly explaining to someone recently that then they have to give back the eggs so she can fill them next year.  And she does.  Such a fun tradition.  They find and hide them multiple times, usually.

Other allergy friendly food:  My daughter will bring some things she can eat, and we are all welcome to dig in, too.

Other things:  People can bring, or the kids can cook, whatever takes their fancy, so I’m never sure what is going to come, but it’s all good.  Patsy is making green Jello in fancy little dishes.  That can also be made ahead.  She will do it today, Friday, and they will wait in the camper fridge until Sunday.

I hope I get around to Deviled Eggs.  We love them.  I boiled some eggs yesterday.  We will probably have Patsy color 1 dozen and I will make these from the other dozen.  They also will wait for Sunday in the camper.

Tables:  I got the table in the garage enlarged, tablecloth on, and put pansies along the middle.  I will sprinkle wrapped candy down, and that’s it.  The table is set up already.  The candy is not, or there won’t be any on Sunday!  Ja’Ana purposely picked pastel shades of pansies and Patsy put foil around the cartons to keep water from leaking through, and to make them look better.  We may add ribbon if we can find any.  We will bring a table for food in and put it in the dining area against the wall so people can move freely, while the food is served buffet style.  We will put the regular table in the living room, and many will eat there.  It may be nice, so I dug out an outside tablecloth for the table on the deck and several will eat out there, hopefully.  So, that’s almost all done, already.

My mom and I sent Rob shopping for paper plates and napkins, etc.  None of us wanted to wash all the dishes for 18 people by hand.  Neither did we want to drop our dinners.  He got really nice, sturdy plates and pretty Easter designs on the paper goods.  We will use regular silverware, and have plenty of other dishes to wash, but people will pitch in.

Dessert:  I made a gluten-free angel food cake from the Taste of Home website.  Then, using another idea from that website, I cut it into 3 layers and put rainbow sherbet in between the layers.  It’s in the freezer, waiting for me to “ice” it with whipped cream, and pop it back in there.  It will be waiting for Sunday, as well.  My oldest daughter is bringing some dessert, and we will all get candy.  We will not go hungry for sugar, or anything else.  I’ve never tried the sherbet/angel food cake before, but I wanted something make-ahead that looked special for the holiday.

Drinks:  I will make lemon-water and serve some Mango Lemonade I got a while back.  I may serve soda, coffee, and tea, as people desire.

It’s shaping up to be a great day, with much of the work done ahead of time.  Do you have things you make ahead?  After all, we’ve still got most of 2 days left–there’s still time for ideas!

Recently, Dover Sole was on sale.  I remembered a simple recipe a woman at a fish counter had told me years ago, and I thought I’d try it again.  It’s very simple, but elegant.

I bought 1 lb Dover Sole, and laid it out flat.  I took my garlic-salt grinder and ground garlic/salt all over the fish.  Then, I sprinkled it with thawed salad shrimp, probably about 1/4 lb in all.  It was not a thick layer of shrimp.  I then took some habenaro cheese I’d gotten at Grocery Outlet a while back and sprinkled shreds sparingly over that.  The original recipe called for pepper jack cheese, and I think that would have been better.  Even the sparing layer I added made it pretty spicy!  I then rolled it up, placed it on a foil-lined baking sheet and sprinkled it all with Lowrie’s Seasoning Salt.  The smaller rolls-ups took about 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.  The larger ones took about 17 minutes.  This made 7 roll-ups.  The yield would depend on the size of your fish fillets.

For our family, that was more fish than we needed for one meal.  Since only Ja’Ana likes fish , we were really only feeding 3 people with this, and I think I could have gotten by with 1/2 of a pound of fish.  Because it was so spicy, a little went a long way:)  Also, Dover Sole is a soft fish, and I was very careful to not over cook it, as the butcher warned me that it would be very easy to over-do.  It was a nice change from our usual fare.