Stocking Up

Was anyone else as disgusted as I was by the debate last night? Seems that the only thing they accomplished (to me) was blaming the other one and dancing round the issues. Our pastor summed it up on Sunday - do they both think they are so all fired important that they can single handedly change the course of this nation and the economy in 4 years? It's taken years to get into this mess - it will take years to get out of it.

We've been watching groceries go up and up and up. I've really started cooking from scratch (you know it's bad when I'm attempting to bake pies for something different besides the usual chocolate chip cookie or granola bar in our house- LOL) but of course, cooking from scratch means you have to have the ingredients on hand (as I found out when making bread on Sunday and ran out of flour).

So yesterday I went to a bulk food store I had heard about by my work. Those stores are dangerous for me:

Of course, I can't leave them in the little plastic baggies they came in, now can I?

This is just a small portion of what I got. Of course, then I had to clean out my freezer to make room for all the flour! And the donut flour, and the pancake mix, and the .......you get the idea.

But....I got a copy paper box and a brown bag of stuff for $30 or so - and I know I had 20 lbs. of different flours in that box (all purpose, bread flour, wheat, cornmeal, pastry flour). And bacon bits, chocolate chips, candy corn, pretzles, 4 jello mixes, baking soda, baking powder, cinamon (all were 1-2 lb. bags) m&m's for baking, pecan pie mix (just add water - even I can't screw that up), pecans, a 5 lb. bag of trail mix for $2.49, yeast, dry milk, oats, egg noodles and elbow macaroni.

This week and next we are stocking up on other basics - and hopefully this winter I won't have to go to the store but for milk, cheese and the like.

And, just to have some pretty pictures, here's some pictures from Jessie's field trip on Friday:

Don't let the sunny pics. fool you - it was freaking freezing!

Kris

Ooops

When the mess got cleaned up last night (I found 3 complete kits for table runners - which I have never made), I made a list:



This is ONLY what I have started, not what I am intending to start. Of course, now I have to figure out where I'm going to store all these rubbermaid containers (3 of them) of fabric.

And this was our yummy dinner from Sunday night:

Of course, we had enough for leftovers for last night, and finished off the bread this morning for breakfast.

On Saturday Todd also cut our 3rd cutting of hay. I think he is hoping it is dry enough to bale tonight or tomorrow night, with any sort of luck. And it looks like we have a cow who is not bred. So she will be going to the sale barn on Monday. We like all of our calves to be born February to April - makes them easier to wean all at once. Occassionally we'll let one slip through if it's due May or early June, but if she got bred this heat cycle, her calf would be due in July. To late for us.

Dis-organized Mess

Do I get points for admitting that I can be the most un-organized person around?

This is my fabric stash:

And this chest is full of specialty fabrics (fur for the bear costume I made for Tyler for Halloween 1 year, and who all knows what else).

And about 1/2 of this is projects in the works, that I have everyintention of doing, just I can NEVER find the pieces for each of these projects. Part of the problem is, I have a double bed in my sewing/computer room. Yes, I have 1 bedroom sized room that I can spread out it. No one ever comes to visit (well, hardly ever) and I tend to spread out and use the bed as my great big storage counter.

So tonight, I'm organizing. And NO. NEW. PROJECTS. until I get some stuff done.

Because, ironically, I am the one that CANNOT work in chaos.

Go figure....

Kris

Fun times.....

Where in the heck did the weekend go? I hope all weekends are not like this one. No pictures yet - I left my camera at home this morning....I'll upload some when I get home this afternoon.....



Friday, Jessie had a field trip to Hale Farm & Village. It was sooo cool. I have always said I could live in the 1800's (or live like an Amish) but my one requirement would be a shower every day. The place was very beautiful, and the kids hopefully learned a lot about what life was like back then.



Then Saturday, it was soccer games all morning long. A friend and I volunteered to work the concession stand - that was rough getting there by 8:30 (and it was freaking freezing too at that point). Tyler scored 2 goals for his team. Seems the other teams are watching him and ganging up on him to keep him away from the goals.



We went to the Outlet Mall by us Saturday afternoon. What can I say - the kids needed some new shirts for winter, and when I find them 2.99 and under, I stock up. I tend to not buy anything full price, unless it's at a secondhand store or Goodwill. And usually I stick to Children's Place and Gap clearance for the kids' clothes - I found Jessie 2 shirts at Gap that were 97 cents each (I got her 2 shirts, Tyler 2 pairs of boxer shorts and a polo shirt, and 2 short sleeved tshirts and 2 long sleeved shirts for me and spent $12).



Yesterday was church and absolutely nothing at all. Other than spending about 3 hours in the kitchen making bread (from scratch) and a roast and potatoes and carrots. And I made coffee cake and rice krispy treats.

I can tell it's fall - I'm getting the urge to cook more. Friday night we had meatloaf and mashed potatoes, one night we had chilli......BRING ON FALL.

Give-Away

I just found this cute little giveway over at A Country Girl at Home.

Hard to believe it's October, and fall is here.....

Kris

What I am working on

while at the hospital:

One for me, one for my Mom. Once the pumpkins are sewn down, it's put borders of homespun around them, quilt and bind. Fall (and Halloween) are coming and will be here before we know it.

Jessie sailed through this procedure, and asked the doctor if she could go to soccer tonight. Her surgery was over by 3:30 and we were OUT OF THERE by 4:30 and home by 5:30, with pizza for dinner. Which she ate a McDonald's happy meal (she couldn't wait to eat for the hour drive home) and then 4 slices of pizza......

Kris

Here chicky, chicky.....

Last night we got the next boxes all cleaned out for the chickens and put fresh straw in. The first batch were 15 weeks old this past Monday, and while we probably have another couple weeks, one of the oldest hens (a barred rock) has been jumping in and out of the next boxes and digging around in there. So might as well make it a little more comfortable for her in there (I actually thought she wouldn't fit in them - she is that big). Tyler can't wait to go collect eggs every day (although I'm sure that will get real old, real quick).

My parents came down on Sunday, and took 2 of our hens home with them. Mom had wanted black and white chickens to start with, and ended up with golden comets and white ones. So we were happy to spread some of the chicken love around. Todd tried to give them a rooster or 2, but they have neighbors to close to them. So far though, none of the roosters are fighting or getting mean - which is a good thing.

And upon looking at the Jersey Giants a little closer - we think the hatchery made a mistake. One of the Jersey Giants has a definite comb and wattle - and he just towers over the others. The other 5 look identical. We were supposed to have 2 Jersey Giant roosters and 4 hens, but we are thinking we ended up with 1 rooster and 5 hens.

Today is a short day of work for me - Jessie has her surgery this afternoon at 3:00 so I'm leaving here early so I can pick her up right before she would eat lunch at school. Todd is staying home and will pick Tyler up from his babysitter's, get him some dinner (probably Subway) and take him to soccer practice.

See ya,
Kris