Planted seeds in the raised box in the back yard. I'm trying bush beans (usually an easy crop), tomatoes, and a mix of salad greens. The last time I tried to grow Manoa lettuce, it tasted so bitter, we fed it to the rabbits... We'll see how these come out.
My next project was to get some towels hung on the line. With our still, humid day they took all day to dry and were stiff as a board... Next time, I may try some vinegar in the rinse water to see if that helps. I'd love to hear your suggestions on how you keep your hung laundry, especially towels, from becoming sandpaper.
I got my reclaimed wood birdhouse painted. Actually, I enlisted the help of Andrew and his friends ~ Tom Sawyer-style. ("Look how much fun I'm having painting. Want a turn?") The did a great job. Thanks, guys!
The next project for Frugal Friday, was to try a batch of homemade yogurt. The Frugal Girl's recipe looked so doable, and had to try it. I've always thought that if you can read, you can cook, so I'm pretty game to try anything. I love yogurt, and to have some that is totally sulfite friendly would be great. The only ingredients are milk and a bit of yogurt as a starter.
While the yogurt was...doing whatever yogurt does in the cooler, I turned my attention to the house. Why does it seem like whenever I have lots of ironing and housework, the humidity soars. My beautiful clear morning turned to this:
Mug-gy! Oh well, sweating is good for the pores, right?
My frugal dinner plan was individual chicken pot pies. I love to make them in ramekins. Everyone gets their own. I asked my star pie crust maker, Rebecca, to whip up a crust for me, while I put together the filling. I used roasted chicken thighs, left over rice, frozen peas and carrots, and a homemade white sauce. When I find chicken thighs on sale (here, that means $1.69/lb.) I roast them all at once and bag and freeze them in meal size zip locks. That cuts down the time it takes to put dinner together. I just defrost the chicken and add to my recipe. I used a pumpkin cookie cutter to cut the pie crust for the top (and don't use a bottom crust). With the left-over pie crust, I made a peach pie with canned peaches. I know, not the best, but in Hawaii, fresh peaches are pretty hard to come by. Mainland produce is picked early so it will transport well, but not much flavor is developed. Even when Costco brings them in, they are expensive. Not Frugal Friday fare. The pie turned out pretty well, even though I got the top a little too brown.... No pictures of the food, too busy.
Finally the clouds gave way to rain, then it cleared beautifully.
The clouds turned fluffy and pink in the setting sun.
So, my attempt at Frugal Friday turned out pretty well. I felt productive, anyway. This also ends our "fall break" from schooling. Although I did get to some projects that have been on my list for awhile, I didn't do any advance lesson plans. That is what will occupy the remainder of this long weekend.
I love the feeling that a break in routine gives. I'm refreshed and ready to get back to the schedule. I heard a quote from Dr. Laura, "Quality of life is determined by what you make of it, not from what happens to you." I can agree with that. Yes, this season of my life is filled with the business of kids' schedules, schooling, church responsibilities and financial pressures. But one of the things that I can control is what I make of my life at this point. My attitude can determine the quality of my life. That's what I'm really trying to focus on. Not only for me, but for those around me. That includes you, my friend. Now go eat some yogurt! *;)
I had some store-bought yogurt just now -- does that count? My friends have made their own, but I haven't taken the plunge yet. Looks good!
ReplyDeleteYour photos are great - I can feel the humidity rise and fall by looking at them!
xo