Journey through the crossroads...

been wonderin' where i've been?

2008-06-08T23:42:09Z

i have been around.

there has been a lot of life changes for us. the first and most stressful was my partner's mother hospitalizations and surgeries. it was a long and hard time and she passed away last month right before mothers day. so we have been dealing with that and the after effects.

i have been having health issues myself and with the price of everything going up and up had to get a job outside the house.

but we are moving through everything and hanging in there.

i will be updating more now that things are feeling more under control and settled.

we are experiencing hot weather here in upstate new york and that is wearing me out. thank goddess for the a/c!!!

back to life...

2008-03-07T20:22:51Z

I am getting there slowly but surely.

Who knew this flu could have me down for so long?

Besides the flu I have been doing a lot of planning for spring cleaning, garden planning and some much needed spiritual maintenance.

It is raining right now and the snow if finally melting...I can see grass!!!

Things are churning in the cauldron and on the verge of blooming...life is good.

mutant alien flu virus

2008-02-29T18:28:36Z

Yes...this is what I have. But I am getting over it.

Today is the first day this week I have felt human. I attempted to do a few housewifey things which I have neglected all week (yes folks I have really been sick. me not houseclean?). I vacuumed and dusted the livingroom and did a couple loads of laundry. Then I left the water running in the kitchen sink and decided that that was enough I had better go sit down and take it easy. I blame it on the clogged and congested head.

Dinner preparation is staring at me. We have been making-do and doing take-out all week. I will admit that not worrying about cooking has been fun but I guess we better get back to reality soon.

I am still going to take it easy the next couple of days because I can not shake this horrible cough. But next week it is back to the old bump and grind and I have a long list running in my head of "stuff to do".

visiting granny obama

2008-02-25T14:43:11Z

video link - http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=d52de8ae7a335bc93876caa227d1ece04ac1a4bc

article link - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/opinion/24kristof.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

in other news...

i am sick, sick, sick...

argh...i feel like hell.

is winter over yet?

update

2008-02-19T13:06:03Z

I am still around...just taking care of some needed *me* stuff. Lot's of new things brewing and new revelations...many that will take some time for me to get used to.

Anyway...just wanted to say I am here...just not very visible at the moment.

vote for mazie!!!

2008-02-13T18:21:46Z

i entered mazie in the bissell most valueable pet photo contest.

please go vote for her by clicking here (she is number 6861).

grand prize is getting your pet's photo on the pet hair eraser vacuum package and $10,000 donation to pet cause of winner's choice.

weekly prizes are drawn and one pet hair eraser vacuum is given away (we really need this).

it's a long shot but ya never know...spread the word if you will!

thanks!

house blessing

2008-02-08T12:51:10Z

Today I am burning a combination of Lucky, Money Drawing and Steady Work incenses.

The house smells good.

May this intention be spread out into the Universe and may the Goddess bring it on home to us.

pic post

2008-02-06T16:23:14Z

The bathroom wall...I love these colors. I loved the shell string lights (on the left) but they didn't work for very long. I want to take the shells off and put them on another string of lights. just haven't figured out the best way to reattach them.

Top of the entertainment center.

In the kitchen...ontop of the microwave. Yes...these are permanent fixtures...even with the Halloween theme. I love the jack-o-lantern with the witch hat cookie jar.

Another permanent Halloweenie themed thing in the house. This is above the doorway going into the office/laundry room/cat room.
It says "Stop in for a spell".

stolen from sweetcharity

2008-02-06T14:40:42Z

Yes, morning is my time of the day. Early morning...I love it. I like to wake up and take my time getting on with my day. Since I like to get stuff done early I like to rise early so I have more time in the day.

Anyway...I haven't posted much lately. It has been rainy around here lately and I have been enjoying it.

I just finished mopping the floors and now I have to do some dishes and that is that for the day.

The one good thing I have noticed is that I have been doing really good at grocery shopping...stocking up on stuff and buying more with coupons and sales. Therefore I don't have to grocery shop as much...just to pick up a random perishable thing here and there.

That makes me happy.

The thing that doesn't make me happy is I have noticed that my carbon monoxide detector goes sometimes off when I used my Swiffer Wet Jet. It has happened at least three times. I wasn't sure why it would happen but I finally realized today it does it when I use that damn thing.

That is scary. I am not sure what is in that cleaning stuff but I am gonna get me one of these as soon as I can afford it.

lost

2008-01-30T13:26:16Z

Man I can not wait for Lost to begin tomorrow night. I am excited about watching the recaps tonight though.

I am moving our pizza and dessert night to Thursday night in honor of the best show on tv returning. I have been craving rice crispy treats so that is what I am making for dessert. I like to use half regular rice crispys and half cocoa crispys. Is it crispies or crispys? Actually I think it is technically Rice Krispies. LOL.

Anyway...it is raining today. I have to mop the floors and do a load of sheets and towels. Then I am done done done with housework for the week. That is nice. Just the regular picking up and straightening but nothing too unbearable.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store and bought a pint of blueberries. I plan on making blueberry muffins this weekend. Oh yeah!

Okay...on with the cleaning. But first some wheat-free frozen waffles and yogurt.

today i must...

2008-01-28T14:29:09Z

~tend to the office/laundry room. how fast it can get out of control.

~vacuum livingroom and walkways

~clean the bathroom

~work

~make baked spaghetti for dinner

I am getting a late start doing all of these things. I spent way too much time catching up on email and perusing online communities I don't visit often.

Okay...onward and upward with...stuff...

feeling behind

2008-01-22T14:24:12Z

I am feeling behind on everything...even though I really am not behind. I guess it is just that I am struggling with a back and neck ache that won't go away (for a couple of weeks now) and PMS.

For today:
a load of laundry (in the washer)
clean bathroom
dust and vacuum
figure out dinner
make a couple of phone calls about taxes and work

I haven't been really good at keeping with the meal planning as I should be. Maybe tomorrow I can concentrate enough to create plan for the next couple of weeks. Tonights dinner, I think, will be chicken salad sandwiches...which sounds really yummy to me right now for some reason.

Maybe I will bake some bread. The smell of baking bread always raises my spirits...even though eating too much of it makes me sick. LOL.

Getting back to planners....I found this blog with pics of a lovely planner this woman made. I have done BOS's like this...covered three-ring binders in fabric and made pockets and such. Why didn't I think of this for a homemakers planner? Great idea!

Hot Coupon World

2008-01-18T20:45:41Z

http://www.hotcouponworld.com

I just found this site. Actually I found it a long time ago but haven't really dug into it until today.

Holy moly this place is filled with the most hard-core couponin' people ever. This makes me want to get more serious about coupon clipping just to see how much I can save.

Tons of information and tips. Find out how to save the most at specific stores. Trade coupons. Find coupons. Learn how to get stuff for free.

So far this is the best site I have found for coupon information...it is free (and that is for me) and it has more information than you can shake a stick at.

Definitely check it out but be ready to be slightly overwhelmed.

I plan on tackling it a little each day.

Their forum on stockpiling is out of this world. Anyone who knows me knows I am slightly obsessed with emergency preparedness. I haven't been able to stash away much due to trying to make ends meet for just day to day needs. I have learned a lot on this forum alone on how to stock up for little or no money.

Check out the stockpiling pictures thread.

today's food test

2008-01-17T19:32:01Z

I wanted to make some kind of fried-but-not-fried-chicken. So I decided to take the box of brown rice cereal out the cupboard and crush some up. I added seasoning and plan on coating the chicken with that. Let's see if it works. Hey it works with corn flakes...so why not? LOL.

Besides that we are having roasted red potatoes and squash. I am too tired to do anything other than that today. It can all go in the oven at the same time and voila DINNER!

I am wondering if there is a bulk food store around these parts. I would really like to go back to buying stuff by bulk and limit the containers we are recycling and throwing away. Plus it is cheaper. When I lived in Minneapolis there was a co-op that had a great bulk food section...everything you can think of even soap and cat litter. I miss that.

Seems I need to do an internet search...

office de-cluttering in pics

2008-01-10T15:27:07Z

Yesterday's mission was accomplished. I got the office/laundry room/cat room de-cluttered and more organized.

Most of what I got rid of was paper that either needed to be filed or thrown out. I moved everything and dusted and vacuumed so it feels much better.

Before: File cabinets (stacked on top of each other to save space) and magnet board.
Just plain cluttered and not very useful.

After: More organized. Old papers gotten rid of from the board.

Before: My junky desk. I had a bunch of papers in the bin on the shelf that needed to go somewhere and stuff justing sitting there making me crazy.

After: Much less crazy. The bin on the shelf is empty save for a couple of things that I need to give back to my sister. I have to keep those two things on the printer to keep the cat from making the printer a bed. *rolls eyes*

Before: Book shelf. This is supposed to be home to craft supplies that I haven't organized yet. Most of this crap has to be put into storage.

After: More organized (stuff on bottom shelf ready to go to storage). Now I will have room to store craft supplies once I get that figured out. The altar on top is kind of a make shift mish-mash that I really need to tend to.

Before: Laundry Area. Clothing that are dry that need to be put away. Just pitiful.

After: Much better!

Before: Table. Messy messy.

After: Less messy. Okay so Smokey has made the blue storage bin his bed now. That bin needs to go back out into the shed but since I put his bed up there he refuses to let the bin go back into the shed.

So that is that. Next week I am tackling my bedroom closet which involves getting some craft stuff more organized...again. I have done this a couple of times but can't seem to get it all into an order that is workable for me. This is the downfall of living in such a small space.

I made D rolls the other day. She loves to take pictures of my homemade cooking.

Today's dinner is bean and rice enchiladas. I soaked the black beans over night and now they are cooking on the stove with a little of the chicken stock leftover from the chicken I cooked the other day. Smells yummy in here.

Still working on planning my planner. Maybe I will take some time today to really sit down and figure out how I want it all laid out. It feels like one of those lazy days where sitting and thinking is a lot of fun!

more planner planning

2008-01-09T14:34:15Z

I found this blog with a fun vintage planner created by the blogger.

From there I found the link to DIY Planner and they have tons of free-to-print planner and calendar page for various things. Definitely a good resource!

Today I am busy de-cluttering the office/laundry room. This tiny room is my home office, laundry room and cat room considering the litter box is in here and the cats love to look out the window in this room.

It is a challenge to keep it organized and lately it has been driving me crazy. So my goal is to get rid of a bunch of clutter and see where that leads.

edited to add: I came across another planner site..Household Notebook...great ideas and free-to-print stuff too.

Money Saving Mom

2008-01-08T13:18:04Z

The Money Saving Mom blog is a great way to find deals and frugal tips. I have a CVS Extra Care card that I never used until I read that blog.

Today I am heading out to CVS with my card and some coupons I found on that blog.

Also...there is a great $15 off a $15 purchase at Lane Bryant coupon found here. (good through 1/13). My mother gave me a Lane Bryant gift card for Christmas so I plan on using them both this weekend.

planner

2008-01-07T19:26:56Z

I have always kept a calendar/planner for work and appointments and stuff. Recently I have seen that I need to also keep to-do lists and notes on everything. Call it old age or whatever but my mind is a sieve lately.

So, I have been online searching out household planners and organization. I have come across a few that I like but don't have everything I need. My goal is to come up with my own that is specific to me and has everything that I need in a planner.

Here are some links to inspirations:
http://www.donnayoung.org/household/index.htm
Yearbook for the HomeKeeper - love the vintage look
Brocante Home Chronicales HouseKeepers Planner - another lovely vintage one
Motivated Moms
Organized Home - some good tips and info

For mine I need:
a calendar with holidays and moon phases
to-do lists
work schedule
housewifey/cleaning schedule
grocery list and shopping info
important numbers and info
a place to take notes
craft and creative section

It needs to be portable. The big binder isn't going to work for me. I like to have one place for everything and I like to carry it with me. Things like important household papers, manuals, lists can stay at home in a binder.

So that is the beginnings of my brain-storming for this project.

Oh yeah...and it has to be cute!

snack food ideas

2008-01-02T19:50:37Z

I need to come up with some easy, cheap, healthy snack foods with a shelf life. Something like granola or crackers but wheat free. These past few weeks I have been eating way too much wheat and am now feeling the effects of that. Blech. So this means finding something that I can snack on every few hours to keep me from feeling woozie.

I am thinking:
Nuts (although I am allergic to most. Almonds I am okay with though)
Dried Fruit (which I could mix with the nuts for a trail mix type of thing. not sure how expensive it is though. note to self to check next time i am shopping)

and that is all I can think of right now. Hmmm...there has to be something else on this list. Yogurt and fresh fruit is always good but it goes bad too easily. I am wanting something I can buy a lot of and have on hand. I will have to do some research online because my brain obviously isn't cooperating with me at this time. LOL.

on the to-do list for this week and next week:

make appointments for a bunch of doctor stuff
plan kitchen cabinet re-arranging (still haven't figured out what is going to work for me yet)
make laundry soap
catch-up on laundry
re-arrange and clean out dresser and closet (which means getting rid of some stuff and re-constructing other stuff)
menu plan
grocery shop
stage two of organizing craft boxes

heard last night...

2008-01-01T15:21:05Z

while watching the ball drop in times square

dawn: we will go there someday.
me: nah. i have no desire to go to times square on new years eve. now if you want to go to brazil for the festa de iemanja then i am all into that. that is more exciting to me.

2008

2008-01-01T14:58:23Z

Here's to a happy, prosperous, peaceful 2008!

More to come soon in this journal. I have been taking it easy and spending less time online during the holidays, but I will be getting back to posting fun housewifey stuff and whatever else comes to mind.

Blessed Solstice

2007-12-21T15:20:50Z

So I am finding out that I over plan for my menu. I have more leftovers then I imagined and that means the food is lasting longer than I expected and that is a good thing.

Tonight is pizza night again. We are in love with the pizza crust that I make in the breadmachine and are making Friday night pizza and movie night from now on. Tonight will be *Shrek the Third* and probably more of *Heroes Season 1*.

This weekend involves making cookies for family and friends. I have been looking at cookie recipes all day and really want some cookies right now. But I will refrain and eat something sensible for lunch instead.

Nothing else much going on right now on the homefront. Just maintaining and waiting for 2007 to be over. It was a trying year although it went by really quickly.

2008 is going to be better and much less stressful.

Menu Planning

2007-12-11T13:43:10Z

This month is tight money-wise. Even though I am sick I still have to do some grocery shopping because we are out of most everything. Also living in such a small space with little kitchen storage means the pantry empties quickly.

Last month I spent around $150 dollars on 11/12 and it got us until now. My goal this time around is to spend $100 to get us to this time next month. Cooking from scratch and having more soups, casseroles, etc. is a great frugal menu making tip.

Menu planning in advance, I have found, is essential to saving money. But sticking to the menu is the key, so planning meals that don't require a lot of prep and clean up are necessary for me to stick to it. I can't do a major cooking and cleaning every night for dinner. Also making extra to freeze for later helps.

Anyway...here is the menu plan for the next couple of weeks.

The rest of this week:
Chicken Wings/Legs, Rice
Rice & Beans
Turkey Chili
Pizza
Rice & Lentils
Pasta

Next week:
Enchiladas with ground turkey
Turkey Burgers
Pasta
Rice & Beans (leftover and frozen from last rice & beans meal)
Pizza
Chicken Wings/Legs
Ranch House Chicken Casserole

The next week:
Chili (leftover and frozen from last chili meal)
Pasta
Rice & Beans
Cinnamon Chicken Orzo
Pizza
Turkey Burgers
Chicken Soup

For side dishes I will be doing brown rice, roasted potatoes/veggies, salads, steamed veggies...whatever I decide to fix that evening. Almost everything provides enough leftover for lunch the next day. Breakfast is usually cereal, on the weekends I will make pancakes, eggs, breakfast burritos, etc.

So I need to make up pizza crust dough and some bread this week and I will be all set.

Now I need to go refine my grocery list to make sure I only get what I need.

an update

2007-12-10T17:10:24Z

Yes, I am still sick. Can you believe this? It is like some kind of mutant bug that has attached itself to me. I was beginning to feel better last week and then this weekend I had a relapse or something.

I am usually not the kind of person to lay around and relax but I am determined to get rid of this nastiness once and for all. So I am just hanging out at home and watching tv and movies until this passes.

I don't feel like posting much of anything these days...but when I feel better I promise to get back on track.

still around

2007-12-03T18:58:44Z

I am still around...just have a bad cold and haven't been online doing much of anything other than staring at the monitor.

I should be back on track in a couple of days.