Money is a singular thing.
It ranks of love as man's greatest source of joy, and with death as his
greatest source of anxiety.
-- John Kenneth GalbraithI must make sure this is NEVER, ever true for me and mine. What a dreadful way to live!
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Monday, December 1, 2014
Assorted and Random Round-Up
Today the blog hit 20,000 views. Hugs to each and every one of you!
I'm making progress on my tile testing! I found a spray that smears a tiny bit when applied but that has held up to the water overnight test and the wine test. Next up: boiling water. I'll give you all the details if
My Mac and I are still trying to decide if we are going to commit. I have spent some very frustrating time on it, but there are features that I like.
We earned $8.92 from 11 Amazon purchases this month. Thanks to everyone who shopped through the Amazon portal!
I'm making progress on my tile testing! I found a spray that smears a tiny bit when applied but that has held up to the water overnight test and the wine test. Next up: boiling water. I'll give you all the details if
My Mac and I are still trying to decide if we are going to commit. I have spent some very frustrating time on it, but there are features that I like.
We earned $8.92 from 11 Amazon purchases this month. Thanks to everyone who shopped through the Amazon portal!
Swimming Lessons Photo Essay
Because my niece is so cute and happy in these pictures and I'm proud of her progress.
Plus a reminder--if you arrange for a child to have swimming lesson, you could save a life.
Plus a reminder--if you arrange for a child to have swimming lesson, you could save a life.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Learning to use iMovie
Here is a beard oil commercial for my husband's company Charlemagne Beard Oil. It's his first stab at using iMovie on the new Mac. He adapted a template from iMovie to make it and I'm impressed that he managed to do this in only half an hour. Yes, my sweetie is super cool!
Garden Total = 147 pounds!
We met our goal of more than 100 pounds from our garden! Not bad for 4 plots totaling just 64 square feet. We were also somewhat less than dedicated, I have to admit.
That's the good news.
The bad news is that it didn't make much of a dent in our food budget. Although we spent less on groceries in September and October, the overall summer grocery cost was still higher than last year when we didn't garden. I think that's due mostly to Belovedest buying lots of gluten-free speciality foods.
The other good news is that we ate healthier. So instead of pasta for dinner, we had pasta and fresh carrots. That's also why the budget didn't show much improvement - we added food from the garden rather than eating garden food in place of grocery purchases.
Still more good news is that we have 20+ bags of frozen tomatos in the freezer. (Next year: canning. But since it all fit in the freezer, I didn't see much need to can.) We also have enough frozen basil to last us all winter, plus we gave away bags of it to friends and neighbors.
And the final good news: my husband bought a book on making gluten free artisan breads in five minutes a day. I'm really hoping he uses it!
Here's the breakdown by food type, all listed in pounds.
tomatoes = 105
potatoes = 12
strawberries = 11
carrots = 6.7
purple beans = 4.9
chives = .4
basil = 3.4
cucumbers = 1.6
Lettuce = .9
peas = .4
leeks = .4
shallots = .17
As always, we learned a lot and as always.... we are going to change some things next year.....
That's the good news.
The bad news is that it didn't make much of a dent in our food budget. Although we spent less on groceries in September and October, the overall summer grocery cost was still higher than last year when we didn't garden. I think that's due mostly to Belovedest buying lots of gluten-free speciality foods.
The other good news is that we ate healthier. So instead of pasta for dinner, we had pasta and fresh carrots. That's also why the budget didn't show much improvement - we added food from the garden rather than eating garden food in place of grocery purchases.
Still more good news is that we have 20+ bags of frozen tomatos in the freezer. (Next year: canning. But since it all fit in the freezer, I didn't see much need to can.) We also have enough frozen basil to last us all winter, plus we gave away bags of it to friends and neighbors.
And the final good news: my husband bought a book on making gluten free artisan breads in five minutes a day. I'm really hoping he uses it!
Here's the breakdown by food type, all listed in pounds.
tomatoes = 105
potatoes = 12
strawberries = 11
carrots = 6.7
purple beans = 4.9
chives = .4
basil = 3.4
cucumbers = 1.6
Lettuce = .9
peas = .4
leeks = .4
shallots = .17
As always, we learned a lot and as always.... we are going to change some things next year.....
Friday, November 28, 2014
RE: Christmas Shopping
I'm not really into buying lots of stuff for Christmas.
In fact, I'm already done, except for making a photo book with Mom, a fun gift we are going to make together.
But if I were going on a Christmas shopping spree, I'd probably do it on-line. Yes, it might be a tad pricer when you include shipping. But I could finish the whole thing in an afternoon, everything would come in easy to wrap boxes, and I could find just what I wanted.
Plus I could support my favorite blogs without adding a cent to my cost! (Psst.... over there on the right.... see the portal?) The "Links" page also has links to some of our CafePress T-shirts. Any and all purchases are very much appreciated!
In fact, I'm already done, except for making a photo book with Mom, a fun gift we are going to make together.
But if I were going on a Christmas shopping spree, I'd probably do it on-line. Yes, it might be a tad pricer when you include shipping. But I could finish the whole thing in an afternoon, everything would come in easy to wrap boxes, and I could find just what I wanted.
Plus I could support my favorite blogs without adding a cent to my cost! (Psst.... over there on the right.... see the portal?) The "Links" page also has links to some of our CafePress T-shirts. Any and all purchases are very much appreciated!
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