Weekly Goals Update Week 48

I started off so good with the goals and updates.  Then life got in the way.  I have decided that some need to go on the back burner for the rest of this year. 

1. Completely Finish the New House & Update Property
This was a crazy month.  Honestly I feel like every one of my goals took a back seat, and I accomplished close to nothing.  W did finish the touch up painting in the hall and foyer.  I picked out and ordered a door handle for the pantry door.  We hosted Thanksgiving at our house.  My focus was on cleaning and preparing for that.  This week W is working on vehicle repairs.  He is putting house projects aside to get two of our vehicles plus the golf cart running again. 


2.  Plan Ahead for Holiday & Birthday Gifts
Birthday gifts are done for the year.  I finally found books for the four nearly six year old girls.  I bought two books from The Princess in Black series.  My two year old niece liked Cat so much that I ordered Moo for her.  I might get that for the two year old nephew too.  I need to get pictures together for my parents' photo calendar. 

3.  Use the Garden to Be More Self-Sufficient
Nothing happened in the garden this past week.  I do need to harvest some peppers this weekend.


4.  Take One Class a Month
I need to focus on baking holiday goodies.  I doubt that I will get around to any classes until after New Year's. 

5.  Pack Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes on a Budget - Done
The boxes were sent to a local collection location earlier this month.  They will then go to a distribution center before being sent out to the children.  I used trackable shoebox labels so I will find which countries the boxes go to.


6.  Boost Savings
Hmmm....November was a spendy month.  We purchased the fence, but it ended up being higher than quoted.  We also adopted a puppy.  We did not know that he was sick, and he ended up spending 5 days at the vet.  Thankfully that bill was lower than expected, but it was still an extra expense.  We are still focused on saving, but at this point it will be paying ourselves back.  Life - it goes that way sometimes.

Weekend Book Reviews

Knit to Kill by Anne Canadeo is part of the Black Sheep & Co. Mystery series.  There are other books in the series, but this is the first one I have read.  I was not at all lost.  The characters were introduced well.  While knitting plays a big part in the book, it is not the main focus.  A group of knitters heads to a resort for one last fling before one of them is married.  The weekend gets off to a rough start when they witness a nasty argument.  One of the men involved is murdered the next morning.  The women's hostess and her husband are in the middle of the investigation.  The knitters decide to help solve the mystery.  The friendship aspect of the book was wonderful.  The mystery had some twists and kept me interested until the end.

Lea Wait's Thread the Halls is the sixth book in the Mainely Needlepoint Mystery series.  It is Christmas in Haven Harbor, Maine.  Angie has big plans for Christmas that get side tracked when her friend Patrick's movie star mother plans to visit with several famous guests in tow.  When one of those famous guests is murdered, Angie finds herself in the middle of yet another murder mystery.  The setting of this series draws me in every time.  The characters are a nice mix, and Angie is a great heroine.  This book easily stands on its own, but I recommend reading the entire series!

Much Ado About Murder by Elizabeth J Duncan is part of the Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery series.  This is the only book in the series that I have read, but I had not trouble following the characters.  Costume designer, Charlotte, is thrown for a loop when the current director quits suddenly.  The star of the play demands that the new director be Edmund, who is someone she worked with previously.  Things go from bad to worse when Edmund is found dead of a suspected suicide.  Charlotte must uncover the truth to keep the play on track.  This book got off to a slow start.  Once I really got into it, I could not put it down.  The varied characters and side stories were added bonuses.

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

The Wildlife Gardener by Kate Bradbury focuses on creating wildlife habitats in the home garden.  The book will help you welcome everything from birds to creepy crawlies.  Each section includes 10 things to do for the particular species of wildlife.  Most of the included projects are very easy and can be done with items already in your garden.  I think my favorite is the bumblebee nester.  The final plus of this book is the list of plants including trees to plant for wildlife.  This is a great book for gardeners who want practical advice for welcoming wildlife into the garden.

Valerie Bertinelli's Valerie's Home Cooking promises recipes for family and friends.  I found many recipes that my family and friends would enjoy as well as some that I would love.  The all-in-one breakfast smoothie is one that I would not want to share.  I am excited to try my hand at homemade tater tots.  I was disappointed that so many of the recipes were for alcoholic drinks.  Overall this is a good and useful cookbook.  I would actually make many of the recipes rather than just read the cookbook!

Looking at the cover of The Artful Baker by Cenk Sonmezsoy I thought it would be way above my home baking skills.  I was pleasantly surprised to find myself marking recipe after recipe to try.  A few were more adventurous than my liking.  Overall I was pleased with the mix of recipes.  I decided to try the recipe for dulce de leche brownies. It mixed up well and the flavors were good.  My problem was with the baking time.  I had to back them almost an hour before they were done in the center.  This made the edges a bit over done.  I think they would have baked better in a quarter sheet pan.  I am not writing the book off completely, but some adjustments do need to be made. 

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

The Quiche and the Dead by Kirsten Weiss is the first book in the Pie Town Mystery series.  Val is recently separated from her fiance but happily the owner of her own pie shop.  It seems like life might be turning around until a customer drops dead after eating a quiche in her shop.  To save Pie Town Val and her crust maker, Charlene, must solve the mystery.  This is a good start to a new series.  I would like to see more background information on the town and human characters and maybe a bit less focus on Charlene's narcoleptic cat.  The main mystery might not have been the strongest, but the mini mysteries were fun.  I would happily read more from this series.

The second book in the Berry Basket Mystery series by Sharon Farrow is Blackberry Burial.  Marlee, owner of the Berry Basket, is excited for the summer tourist season and the celebration of the Blackberry Arts School.  While out planning one of the activities, Marlee finds a long dead body with the help of a great dane.  When it turns out to be a woman who disappeared from the school 20 years ago, the reunion takes a sad turn.  Marlee finds herself in the middle of another mystery.  I liked the first book.  My only problem with this one is Marlee's fiance.  He is not exactly husband material so I am curious to see where this goes as the series develops.

Cremains of the Day by Misty Simon is the first book in the Tallie Graver Mystery series.  Tallie is recently divorced from her wealthy husband Waldo.  She is now cleaning the homes of the people she used to call friends.  This is her way of not getting sucked back into the family funeral business.  Her new job is even less exciting when she finds the body of one of her employers in a closet.  That is only the start of everything that is going on in this book.  I did enjoy the book, but a bit less chaos would be a good thing. 

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Weekly Goals Update Week 45

I had started this earlier in the week but never got around to finishing it.  I am posting it late.  Sorry for the lack of pictures!

1.  Completely Finish House & Update Property
I painted the aquarium cabinet with some help from W.  The thought of painting it was much worse than actually doing it.  It took part of day to get it all painted and put back together.  It looks so much better.  We decluttered a bit while we were at it.

W also put some more molding down this past week and ordered the new fencing.  I am not sure what is on the plan for this week.  I expect some touch up painting will be on my list.


2.  Plan ahead for Birthday & Holiday Gifts
I plan to work on handmade gifts this week. 


3.  Use the Garden to Be More Self-Sufficient
The artichoke seedlings are doing well.  They are too small to be set outside.  I am keeping the pepper plants and greens watered.  Otherwise I am in between seasons.


4.  Take One Class a Month
I hope to get back on track with this goal during November.  I might tackle an easier class with the holidays looming.


5.  Pack Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes on a Budget
Done - I finished packing the boxes with help from the youth.  I just need to go through the last 50 and give them a final check.  They will be ready to send out next week.  I plan to take a few weeks off and then organize the leftovers for next year.


6.  Boost Savings
I feel like we have been spendy lately.  I did a big stock up trip to Sam's.  I wanted to get it done in advance of the holidays.  Crowds are not my favorite thing about this time of year.  We also paid our house insurance for a year, auto insurance for six months, and property taxes.  I stick up money monthly for these expenses, but it is a big amount going out at once.

52 New Recipes: Cheeseburger Soup

Since I am trying to focus on using what we have on hand, I was happy to find a cheeseburger soup recipe that used onions, potatoes, carrots, and celery.  As usual I made just a few changes. 

First I cooked the meat, onions, carrots, and celery together all at once.  That is a personal preference since I feel like it blends the flavors together.  Also it kept me from messing up another dish by setting the meat aside.

Second I added beef broth rather than chicken broth.  It enhanced the burger flavor a bit more.

Third I added in a homemade version of the block processed cheese.  I cannot eat that processed cheese stuff.  I will spare you the gory details, but it shall never pass my lips again.  This trick makes any cheese melt as creamy as the block stuff.  You can buy sodium citrate from Amazon.  It is truly magical. 

Finally I used a cup of half and half simply because we were out of milk. 

It was delicious.  The soup was creamy and filling without being too rich.  This is going into the regular meal rotation.  I did freeze the leftovers and will serve them with a salad later in the month. 

Weekend Book Review: Queso!

Queso! by Lisa Fain offers readers regional recipes for the oh so popular cheese dip.  I admit that I was a bit scared to get this book.  You see I do not eat the blocks of processed "cheese" that are normally used in queso.  I was afraid I would not find anything to make.  I was happy to find that many of the recipes use cheese.  For those of us who fall into the anti-processed cheese category, the author solves that problem with a sodium citrate cheese sauce.  While the name is not the most appealing, the finished product is.  It allowed me to make a block of colby cheese as smooth and creamy when melted as the processed cheese.  It was even better since it tasted like real cheese.  I have used the cheese sauce in other recipes calling for "you know what" and it worked perfectly. 

The author gives readers a history of queso as well as an in depth descriptions of chiles and cheeses used in making queso.  I marked a variety of recipes to try including Bacon-Green Chile Queso Burgers, Greek Queso, and Spinach Queso Blanco.  With this book you can be the hit of any party, if you are willing to share!

disclosure:  I received this book through Blogging for Books but was not otherwise compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh promises 110 recipes for sweets and baked goods.  This cookbook definitely delivers.  I would not consider these everyday dessert recipes but many could be.  Thanks to online shopping I was able to get the halva I needed to make the tahini and halva brownies.  They are as addictive and delicious as described in the book.  My mom could not stop talking about how good they are.  I marked several other recipes to try and am expecting the same great results!

Steve Bender's The Grumpy Gardener is an extension of the popular Southern Living column.  Since it is one of the first sections I read in the magazine each month, I was thrilled to see a book was being written.  I was not disappointed.  The book is a wonderful mix of Bender's saucy humor and valuable gardening advice.  While some gardening books are tedious, The Grumpy Gardener is entertaining and fun.  It is a great addition to every gardener's library!

Someone's Mad at the Hatter by Sandra Betting finds hat and headpiece designer Missy working on New Year's Eve without eating any lucky black eyed peas (a Southern tradition).  Her day becomes unlucky when she find a body behind her shop.  It turns out to be a wedding planner.  With the murder hurting her business, Missy sets out to solve the mystery.  I enjoyed the book although I did not find either of Missy's love interests to be worth her time.  Perhaps her boyfriend, Ambrose, was just having an off book.  The book stayed true to its Southern theme which I greatly appreciated. 

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Frugal Friday

As I mentioned in my Weekly Update post, I took Tucker and Libby to the low cost clinic to be fixed.  At our local vet having a boy cat fixed is around $90 with the girl costing more.  I spent $80 for both cats to be fixed and receive their rabies shots.  The people at the clinic are wonderful.  I dropped off the kittens that morning and picked them up that afternoon.  My mom took her kitten Mozzie to be fixed at the same time.  It makes taking in homeless kittens a bit more affordable.

I looked at buying invitation envelopes for my Thanksgiving note cards and Christmas cards.  I could get 100 pre-made envelopes for around $11 online.  A pack of 250 sheets of cardstock was less than $8.  I have plenty of glue sticks bought during the school sales.  I have an envelope tool/scoring board that makes them easy to make.

I got two Amazon gift cards from Coke's new reward program.

I ordered two inserts for my door mat for free after using a gift card earned through Swagbucks.

I ordered Woman's Day and Good Housekeeping subscriptions from Recycle Bank.

I gave myself a Halloween manicure.  It was nothing fancy, but I expect it would cost me more than I would want to pay at a salon.


I had a nice dinner out at a women's ministry meeting at a nearby church. 


We have used the heat/air minimally as the weather has settled into what passes for autumn in the south.


I made cookies instead of buying candy for Halloween. 


I did the usual:  packed W lunches, hung out laundry, and planned meals from the pantry/freezer.

52 New Recipes: Jalapeno Popper Deviled Eggs

I am completely off track with new recipes.  While I have been trying a bunch to go along with cookbooks I am reviewing, it is not easy to share those.  I decided to simply jump back in and start from where I am.

This week's new recipe is jalapeno popper deviled eggs.  These are so yummy and are now my favorite deviled egg recipe.  I adjusted it slightly.  I skip putting a jalapeno slice in each egg.  Instead I leave the seeds/membrane in when I dice up the jalapeno.  It adds an extra bit of spice without being too hot.  These have been a hit each time I made them.  I plan to add them to my Thanksgiving dinner spread.

I love using this deviled egg tray.  It has a nice area in the center for me to add sliced jalapeno peppers.  It gives people a clue that the eggs are spicy and allows those who want more heat to pick up a few slices. 

Yard Sale Chair Makeover

Last year W and I purchased a sad looking chair at the Peaches to Beaches yard sale.  It had good bones, but that is the nicest thing I could say about it.  I think we paid $10 for it.  I neglected to take a great before picture.  Here is a mid-deconstruction picture.

The bottom had a cushion which we tossed.  The back had a piece of cardboard covered with fabric.  Each arm was padded.

W opted to get rid of the padded armrests.  We picked out upholstery fabric on sale from Joann's.  He used a couple of old pillows to re-pad the the seat and back.  The back also got a piece of beadboard as we did not want to cover both sides of the back with fabric.  Here is the finished product.

We added decorative nail head strips to cover the edges where it was not perfect.  W painted the chair with a spray primer and a chalk finish spray paint.  We were really pleased with how it turned out.  I think we have about $60 in the chair with the fabric being the most expensive part.  W is in no rush to go into the upholstery business though.