Here are some photos of the garden taken last week. Also, one of Sugar Daddy looking over my shoulder.

Soooo....money is REALLY tight for all of us. I'm trying to be as frugal as possible. I got on this website that gives you tips and advice, but I was already doing most of that stuff anyway!! How much more frugal can I be? I do not buy magazines anymore, or makeup, or clothes, or anything fun. I don't even go to Goodwill to buy - they are too expensive!! Even the Penny Pincher thrift store in town has raised their prices.

I'm starting to panic for Christmas.

I'm tired of this...so I will now switch to positive mode.

Yesterday I canned 6 jars of tomatillo salsa. It is really tasty on top of chicken and cheese enchiladas. I also made some borscht. I had roasted some beets last summer and then froze them to see how they would do. They did great! Retained their shape and flavor. I love this borscht soup that I make out of my Soup Cookbook. It has beets, carrots, cabbage, onion, garlic, and tomato. All in a chicken broth. I make some latkes to go with. My kids eat it up, I think because the beets turn everything a pretty pinkish-red, and they can't tell what all is in it. They super-love the latkes, which are just grated potato, a little flour, salt and pepper fried in a little oil, then kept warm in the oven. YUMMY. I pretty much cooked all day. But I did go to the garden and plant some lettuce and broccoli raab, just to see it it would do anything. I also planted some in my boxes, so if it gets too cold I can bring them inside.

Today is my one day out of the week. I need to grocery shop, take in recycling, drop off stuff for Goodwill. So, I better get started.....

Fashionistas

This is what happens when you let your kids use your camera. Yeah, and they use up about 50 pictures!!

Who's Your Daddy??

Sugar Daddy, that's who! Don't know if I told you, but our chicken Sugar Baby turned out to be a Sugar Daddy. This is him with another boy (no name yet)basking in the sun. There can be tons of trouble if you have more than one roo, so Sugar is probably going to stay, iffuns he don't get sassy!! Don't ask me what I'll do with all the bantam roos, they are so cute.

Coop Progress

The weekend was a relative success. We all managed to go to church and get some work done around the house. The chicken house, that is. I am posting some "in progress" pics. I am going to stain or paint the outside of it for now. I would like to put cedar shakes on it, but can't afford that now. So, I get to pick out a color for paint. I LOVE THAT!! I was thinking....green? What a shocker, yes my house is green and anything I can get my hands on turns green, including my piano. But I just love it, so green it will be. I want to go to Ace hardware and check out the B.M. historic colors. They have great colors. I love colors. Rainbows and ponies.....hmmmmm.

So, I also like chocolate. The dark chocolate box mix brownies by Giant Eagle. Yes, yes, I know it is loaded with chemicals. But I love it. Oh yes, and I love no-bake cookies, the kind with oats and peanut butter and CHOCOLATE. Plus, I love pumpkin cookies and banana bread with chocolate chips. I made a terrific recipe I got from Alicia Paulson's blog of her version of Nigella's b. bread. Oh my, we ate a loaf and a half in one evening. For real.

So I have decided no more paper napkins. So I sewed up some really easy fabric squares out of fabric I already had - just zig-zagged the edges. I have told everyone they get one per day. Does that sound gross? Well, if we have company I promise I will have clean napkins. My next quest is the paper towels. Of course, I already try not to use them. I have quite a rag-bag collected, but sometimes you just want to wipe up something gross (dog puke) and throw it away and never think of it again. I just can't stand myself being so green...geez I am really terrific. haaa. Seriously, I don't feel like I've had to change all that much. My mother was the original green earth mama. She always composted (neighbors thought she was a weirdo) and saved everything for multiple uses. She still has glass mayo jars from 1976 that stores leftovers. Just kind of kidding on that one. She is my model for living simply, and that kinda annoyed me when I was growing up. But now I appreciate it, in fact try to emulate her. She is my hero!!

What's Up, Doc?

I know, I know. You thought I was dead..but I'm not. I have just been so uninspired to write about my life. How many times can I say "I hate summer vacation" or "I can't wait for school to start"? Well, summer vacation is over and life can resume as normal, or not. It makes be feel bad that I like being by myself so much. I think I must be very selfish or something. I just love it when everyone is gone for the day and I can get my stuff done. It is the only time I can think! But to update on what is happening: Maddie started 5th grade and is completely stressed by the new responsibilities being required of her. Claudia is in 2nd grade and loving it. I have been cutting and laying tile in our screened-in porch. I need to grout (maybe today?). JP had his big truck show and it was a success. I have a strange rash that I thought was poison ivy, but I'm not so sure now. I have been rug-hooking in an attempt to finish that project, plus I am knitting on a wrap that Mom got me started on. You know, a row here and there. The musical "One Bad Apple" was fun and a great diversion from my summer activities. The chickens are now almost 12 weeks old, and I have a lot of roosters!! They love to start crowing at 5am. We lost crooked beak chicken. Okay, I might have had something to do with that. And Genevieve, the chicken Megan named, mysteriously disappeared. Truly. No sign of her since. I have some pictures to post, but honestly, it takes forever to upload them. I am considering doing away with the land line and using cell phones only. Then getting satellite for the computer. The money would probably equal out in the end. So, stay posted for more pics and what-have-you!!! (honestly!!)

Dial-up is stupid

I have been having so much trouble getting and staying online because of crappy dial-up. I know, I should pay the million dollars and get satellite or some new-fangled technology. It just hurts me to think about it. So, I have to gripe occasionally about my misfortune and then move on. Moving on..

Maddie is going on a NEW YORK ADVENTURE with my sister, Paula. They leave tomorrow on the train and will come back Sunday. Paula has is all planned out. They are going to Statue of Liberty, China Town, The LION KING (I am sooooo jealous), Empire State Building, Tavern on the Green, American Girl store, Toys R Us, and many other places. This is such a big deal for Maddie!! Although Paula seems pretty excited, too.

And am I nervous or worried??!!?? Sort of!!!!!!!

Chickens love Japanese Beetles!

Yes, it is true! I have the chickens outside in a modified, screened cagey thing. When they find a beetle, they go berserk, holding it in their mouths and running willy-nilly all over, all the while peeping crazily!! Of course, all the chickens follow and try to steal the beetle. In my opinion, if the dumb chicken would just act nonchalant, then NOBODY would even know she had something. HA HA. At any rate, they are getting big, so here are some pictures!