Wee Ones

It was 82 degrees yesterday and the sun was shining. A rare sight this year but there it was in all it's shining glory. Where was I? In bed with a severe allergic reaction to new meds. I'm feeling a bit better today and guess what? It's raining! Again! This must be the most rain in the month of May/June that we have had in years.



The other day I was watering the "homemade" garden. I know, you're questioning why I would water the plants when we've had so much rain. But the bags are not open enough in the top to catch the rain. There are tomato plants in these bags. I looked in the bag getting ready to water it when I noticed a mass of twigs, grass etc. I was quietly blaming resident squirrel.









Upon inspection I found a nest. A little Jenny Wren nest.















I took a picture of one lonely wren egg. I hope it survives. I see Mrs. Jenny Wren swooping in and out of the bag so I know she's taking good care of her little one. Now if only, Mr. Bettis would keep his big mouth shut when he sees her going in and out of her home.
That dog doesn't miss a trick around here.









The knitting mojo has returned with a venegence. I'm casting on projects right and left.
I am smitten with Noro. I don't particularly care for the feel of the yarn but.....oh my......the colors. I an absolutely in love with color and this yarn has captured my love of color.
I have been wanting a log cabin Noro afghan and I hit the stash to start one. I will need to haunt online shops for Noro sales. So if you hear of any good sales, please let me know.
I've also started two shawls and now I'm crocheting two preemie hats for Hubby's co-worker who is the proud grandfather of twins. Unfortunately they have come into the world a wee bit early. The little girl weighs in at 2.7 lbs and the little boy is 2.0 lbs at 26 weeks. I know the mother and father will appreciate the wee hats.

Frugal Living

This post is a mish-mash about frugal living.
I have decided to post frugal tips that I have learned or need to learn.
My grandparents lived through the Great Depression and quite a few wars. My grandmother just turned 89 yrs old last week. My grandfather served in WW 2. So did my father-in-law and I can only say that I hope their service was not in vain.
The saying, "use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without" is necessary in these difficult times.
My grandmother has made it very clear that the turn to go farther in debt will only compound the nation's problems and it is going to get much worse. She has deep concern for future generations given the government's decision to create a HUGE debt. I certainly didn't want to hear this, but my grandmother says it like it is.
I think we all need to listen to the wise elders of this country. Let's give them credit where credit is due, folks. They really do know what they are talking about.

It is necessary for this household to make drastic cut backs and I will be spending a lot of time finding ways to accomplish this task.
I called the cable company and cut back to minimal service. Resulting in a $40 savings per month. I heard a few moans and groans from the other residents in this house but after a few weeks, they have managed to adjust. I am still debating on cutting out cable all together.
Playing games, doing puzzles and of course knitting fills in for sitting like a couch potato.

We have also cut back the trips to town. We go once a week now. So if we missed something on the grocery list. Too bad. Chips, tonic, (yes I said tonic. I told you I live in the Appalachian's.....LOL), cookies etc have been eliminated from the grocery list. Once in a while I need something but I must become resourceful and use the noggin' for something other than a hat rack:).
Here's an example: I needed a pot scrubby. So I crocheted this little ditty from Red Heart yarn. Took me 15 minutes and I had a reuseable pot scrubby. The DH just shook his head, however, after using it he said it was the best scrubby we have ever owned. So it's handmade pot scrubbies from here on out. Just toss them in the washer with your towels and it's ready to be used again. This resulted in a $2.79 savings per month.

We purchase nothing unless it's on sale. I found pork chops at a bargain price. My family prefers Shake 'n Bake but I was out of it. No extra trips to the store resulted in creating my own Shake 'n Bake recipe.



One sleeve of saltine crackers put in a ziploc bag crushed fine
Dash of Paprika
Dash of Garlic powder
Dash of Ground Sage
Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and shake
Moisten pork chops and shake in the mix. Bake at 425 F until done. The family loved them so I won't be buying pre-made mix anymore. This cost me 36 cents to make vs $2.69 per package.




I am starting on gifts early this year and I finally finished one Leyburn sock. I made these from the top down. Don't ask me why, I have no idea why I didn't do the toe up version.
But I like them and I think they're going to be mine instead of a gift.
I have plenty of time to make gifts. Right?