Feathered Friday

Just when we thought we were done with baby chicks for the time being, a hen surprised us by showing up with 6 adorable, extra tiny, fluffy chicks last week.  This was close to the time we had two chicks hatch in the incubator.  It is not normal for a mama hen to accept any chicks other than her own.  The common response is to kill any other little ones.  This hen was especially sweet and docile so we decided to try and see if she would accept the other two chicks.

She happily accepted them as her own.  Can you pick out her adopted children?  They are the two larger, brown colored chicks on the left side.

W also put her remaining 4 eggs in the incubator, and one of those hatched.  Once again she accepted this new baby.  She is now mommy to 9 cute babies!

In the Garden - Mexican Sour Gherkin Cucumbers

Each year I add to the list of things I grow.  W and I both tend to lean toward something unusual or something that we cannot easily buy in our local grocery store.

He first saw these unusual little cucumbers in an issue of Mother Earth News. I  am always up for growing anything.  In our garden he picks out stuff and helps with the early manual labor.  After that I am on my own until it is time to harvest.   He was drawn to the look; they appear to be tiny watermelons.

I purchased my seeds from Baker Creek.  I started them in small peat pots and then transplanted them straight into a container.  They quickly grew up the cages I placed over the containers.  The vines are covered in these tiny watermelon like cucumbers.

They have a slight sour taste with hints of citrus.  W noted that they had a bit of a watermelon rind taste.  Perhaps it was the look that influenced our taste buds.  We have been just eating them fresh, but I plan to pickle some this week.  From everything I have read, they only do well as quick refrigerator pickles.

These will definitely be staying on my list of plants to grow each year.  They are not only fun to see in the garden but also delicious to eat.

Weekly Savings

All of the hard work in the garden is starting to pay off as it is producing well.  This week we harvested squash, zucchini, cucumbers, onions, lettuce, potatoes, and herbs.

I bought 4 pounds (two 2lb packages) of country style ribs for just 39 cents. The meat was on markdown due to a fast approaching sale by date.  I cooked one package and vacuum sealed the second.

One of my splurges is a coffee subscription for fair trade, shade grown coffee.  My aunt gave me several packages of coffee beans so I have postponed my next coffee delivery.

My foot is finally healing, and I have been able to wear shoes again.  My usual shoes are a bit too tight on the toe and area of the foot that were broken.  My doctor had recommended that I try Crocs.  I searched on eBay and found a pair in my size (women's size 4) for just $8.  They do not look like they were ever worn.  They fit well, are comfy, and are easy to slip on and off.

I spent several evenings reading in the backyard.  Leo loves when I sit out there as he is happy to hang out with me.  It is generally cooler than in the house plus I have plenty of free light to read by.

I used some yarn leftover from other projects to make two small gifts - a hat and a dish scrubbie.

It was a quiet week but often those are the best!

Pantry Challenge Update

This week the garden production was in full swing.  I expect that for the next few months I can base meals on what we are harvesting.  Not having to buy produce certainly helps the grocery budget.

Meals:

Weekend meals (Saturday through Monday) tend to be on our own.  W works a 12 hour shift on these days  With the weather heating up he rarely wants anything heavy and often wants nothing at all.  Normally his weekend supper is cereal.  I eat leftovers.

Tuesday:  We had banana sandwiches with chips for dinner.  Supper was tuna and crackers, cheese, and veggies (carrots and cucumber mainly).

Wednesday:  I baked two loaves of French bread first thing, and we had French bread pizza for lunch.  Supper as usual on Wednesdays was popcorn for movie night.

Thursday:  We had ribs (I got a great deal!), squash, cucumber, and salads.  All of the vegetables were from the garden.

Friday:  I served leftover ribs, a squash/zucchini casserole, salad, and potatoes with a cream sauce.  Once again the veggies were from the garden.  Supper was pancakes using my favorite recipe.  It mixes up nearly as fast as the box mix and tastes so much better.

Now for the spending....

I did end up purchasing a few items this past week.  I bought bananas, lemonade, peaches, fresh corn, buttermilk and 4 pounds of ribs.  I spent a total of $9.52 leaving me $16. 49 for the last week of May.  I am certain that I can stick to that budget next week.  My best deal this past week was the 4 pounds of ribs.  They cost a grand total of $0.39.  That comes out to 10 cents a pound.  They were on markdown with a quick expiration date.  We ate one package and I vacuumed sealed the other.

Weekly Savings

I decided this week to take time to write down a couple of money saving things each day.  At the end of the week it is often hard to remember those small things.  It often seems that those small things do not matter but combined they do equal to savings.  I also think the little things put me in a mindset to do the big things.

I used an empty dog food bag as a trash bag.  I had a few things that did not need to sit for long in the kitchen trash can.  I used something I was going to throw away anyway and saved an actual trash bag for later use.

I made my own hummingbird food.  We get piles of hummingbirds in our yard.  Watching them at the feeders is good entertainment.  It is worth the cost/effort of making sugar water.

I spent some time reading a book outside one evening.  It was cooler there than in the house.  No electricity was needed for reading.  Leo was happy to sit beside me in the grass.  He loves to have someone outside with him even if we are not doing anything but sitting.

I decided that the porch needed a bit of color  Most of my plants are ferns or succulents since they tolerate the heat better.  I purchased a vibrant green coleus.  It added a different pop of green, and I can take cuttings to root and get more plants.  I also bought a six pack of portuluca (moss roses) and ended up using them in four different pots.  I put one in each of two hanging baskets.  Two went into a planter with a spider lily, and the final two went into the pot with the coleus.

I burned my arm while making bread - long story, but I am clumsy.  I immediately grabbed some aloe from one of my plants.  The burn is still quite bad but would have been much worse without the aloe.  Aloe plants are very easy to grow and having one in the kitchen is helpful.

I listened to the Essential Oil Revolution presentations for free.  I took my tablet around the house while I cleaned or worked on some craft projects.  I discovered some wonderful new blogs and learned some new things.

Pantry Challenge Update

A little over halfway through the pantry challenge, and I hardly feel that I have made a dent in the pantry or freezer.  That is a good sign that I will have no trouble making it to the end of this month at least

Meals first:

As noted last week - Weekend meals (Saturday through Monday) tend to be on our own.  W works a 12 hour shift on these days.  With the weather heating up he rarely wants anything heavy and often wants nothing at all.  Normally his weekend supper is cereal.  I eat leftovers.

Tuesday - I made baked fish with herbs from the garden.  I fixed a Parmesan pasta which is basically cooked spaghetti noodles, Parmesan cheese, a bit of butter, and parsley.  It is similar to the boxed mixes - just as quick but much healthier.  I made slaw with the last of the cabbage.

Wednesday - Big salads - a bowl full of lettuce, chopped tomato, cucumber (from the greenhouse), a bit of cheese, homemade croutons (from the end pieces of bread I made), baked chicken tenders, and homemade ranch dressing.

Thursday - We planned to go out to eat with a couple of W's clients this evening so I planned a simple lunch.  We had turkey sandwiches (cooked turkey from the freezer) on homemade bread with a few chips and pickles.  

Friday - We had leftovers from our meal out.  I added in some potato salad and rolls to finish off the meal.  If W eats a large mid-day meal, he is rarely hungry at night.  I try to have a snack at least.  This night I ate whole wheat crackers with natural peanut butter.


This past week's dessert was lemon bars for my dad's birthday.  He is a big fan of any lemon dessert.  As usual I cut back on the sugar amount called for in the recipe.  I did use fresh lemon juice from lemons I had in the fridge before I started the challenge.


Now for the amount spent.  I bought a 5 pound bag of potatoes, and W picked out a bag of grapefruit to take in his lunch. The sales on fruit were non-existent this past week.  I spent $6.94 for these two items.  I had $32.95 left in my monthly budget.  After this week I have $26.01 left.  I really hope to do no grocery shopping this coming week.  I will have to see what the sales ads have to offer though.

Furry Friday - Cat Edition

Paris

Lucy