Month: August 2025

Day #57 – 5 Years

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Since we have a lot of running around to do tomorrow today was our “lazy” day. I decided to go through my phone and delete pictures that were just taking up space. I found the pictures from the listing of our house. If you have read here for long, you know that we moved in the middle of quarantine and that there were only 2 houses for lease in the school district that we needed to live in.

Our first impression when we walked in was “no way can we live in a house this small”. It really didn’t help that there was brown carpet everywhere. But like I said everything was shut down, they were raising our rent by a whole lot at the other house, we had no idea what the economy was going to do so we decided that we could just make it work. The biggest pluses were that the landlords were so nice and the rent was so low I thought the house must not have a/c. (it does lol)

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We put in the flower beds. It was basically just a white box.

I got permission to paint the shutters (I want to repaint them again) the door and the trim. I think it just has so much more personality now.

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Just the basics. There were only 3 pictures on the listing. This one, one of the hallway and the bathroom.

It’s still very small, but now it has some love in it. I hope when people come over they feel like they can make themselves at home.

We were going to buy here a few years ago, but there were some problems right at the very end. I’m glad because it was a rushed purchase and I’m pretty sure this isn’t where we want to live for the rest of our lives. I’m still voting for New Orleans.

Day #56 – Avocado Seed Liniment

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Since I made some guacamole I decided to go ahead and make some more of the magic avocado seed liniment. I spent most of my day like this.

I am sore from head to toe from all the yard work I’ve been doing. I’m pretty sure I have a pinched nerve in my shoulder so I’m trying to ease that with my TENS unit. My lower back and legs are sore and for that I’ve been using the avocado seeds.

I had three avocado seeds and that’s plenty.

Chop them up. The “skin” normally just falls off, but if it won’t come off it’s okay.

You just fill the jar with 91% alcohol and let it sit. The one on the right is my older one. When I need it I just dip and cotton round in and rub it on the part of my body that’s sore. You can also put it in a spray bottle. Avocado seeds are known to reduce inflammation and I’m here to say that they absolutely do.

Day #55 – Kitchen: Ambient Lighting, Helpful Hints, New Curtains

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Yesterday I thrifted the new lamp for the kitchen. I also went back that same day and picked up this owl light. It used to be a wax melt warmer in it’s heyday, but since the bowl part didn’t make it to the thrift store, it’s now just a cute little owl light.

It’s made a huge difference in our night time kitchen.

Since I had moved the elephant lamp to the top of the cabinets, I put the little lamp I got yesterday in its place.

I was getting tired of the battenburg lace curtains on the dining nook’s window. You can see a part of them above. I remember that I had seen some lace ones at the thrift store while I was shopping yesterday. I grabbed Jackson and we went to see if they were still there. They were, but I knew I’d have to cut them off to get the right length. I cannot cut a straight line to save my life. Low and behold, right next to them was a lace tablecloth. I knew I could make this work better. I just folded it in half and draped it over the jute rope I had been using for the curtain rod. Curtain rope?

So much better because more light gets in. I would have never put anything curtain-wise if we hadn’t put the chicken coop right in front of the window. I’m using “we” loosely here.

I do think the creamier color is just better suited more than the stark white.

Since we have such little space I needed to ways to help with some of the issues I was having. I hated the recycling just sitting on the table until someone decided to take it out to the bin.

I just put a washtub on a plant stand and now we just carry the whole tub to the bin.

I use a new kitchen linen everyday. It would either pile up by the sink or pile up on the washer until I did the next load. It would drive me crazy.

Just nail a basket to the wall and problem solved.

I’m pretty sure I have the Chicken Fried Rice recipe in one of the other blogs. I made it again tonight because It is just that good. Gavin, Hannah’s boyfriend, had dinner with us. I doubled the recipe and we have leftovers to eat on tomorrow. I’m already thinking about it.

Now I’m going to go finish cleaning the kitchen and then finish reading my book. It’s so good and I now I want to read all her other books.

Day #54 – Fall Prep + Thrift Haul

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Because the heat index was supposed to hit 105 today I decided to get an early start on prepping for our fall garden. Technically, this is Donny’s garden. Mine is at the end of the front flower beds, but I guess we are now sharing the big enclosed one. It was a mess! We had neglected it once we realized that our huge tomato plants were only going to give us the two tomatoes we had already picked.

I just knew I was going to find a snake, I didn’t though. It took a lot of elbow grease and sweat but I finally got it cleaned out.

I did keep two of the most promising looking tomato plants. They have some blooms on them but if they don’t look like they will be growing any tomatoes, they’re out.

I had a HUGE weed pile and luckily was able to fit it all in one of those big yard waste paper bags.

After a much needed shower we had a unexpected, yet wonderful, rain shower. It cooled things off considerably. I decided I needed to get out of the house so I drove around the corner to Big, our favorite thrift store. I actually took my time today because the kids were busy doing something or other and wanted to stay home.

I have no idea why this is so blurry, but it’s a gray tank top type shirt. It’s the kind I just love to wear on hot days.

Another wonderful blurry pic, but it’s a lacy tank top that will go perfect with this gauzy peasant skirt I have.

They were just putting this out and I grabbed it because it will be perfect for fall and winter. It’s by Steve Madden, in excellent condition and I just love it. Especially because it was only 4 bucks.

Cute little candle holder.

I needed a small lamp because I love the ambient lighting I’ve been seeing in kitchens lately. Of course it was too big to go on top of my cabinets so I just switched places with a smaller one I already had that did fit.

I finally found a butter bell! I have been wanting one for a while now but I just didn’t want to pay full price. The color didn’t come out right, it’s actually mustard yellow which fits perfectly in our kitchen. It was on $2

I love background instrumental music. I found this flute album for 50 cents and it’s beautiful music. (I already tried it out) The kids get restless when I’m looking at book so today I got to peruse the bookshelves to my heart’s desire. I found some good ones, I think. I have already started reading Big Woods. When I was ready the synopsis I saw that it’s set in Longview. I’m 42 pages in and don’t want to stop reading it. I googled the author and she wrote Hunting Wives. I haven’t watched the series on Netflix yet. The funniest part is that it’s about Longview. I found it in a Longview thrift store, but it’s from Eastlake Public Library in Eastlake Ohio. So bizarre.

Now I’m going to clean up the kitchen and get back to reading.

Day #53 – Putter Around Sunday

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Yesterday the heat wiped me out! I was going to take today off, but there were some things that needed to get done. I had notice that the shelf I made out of the sign was pulling apart at one of the edges. A little e6000 and a heavy cookbook will hopefully take care of that. It has to cure for at least 24 hours though.

Donny makes fun of me because I have one laundry basket that is fine and normal and one that has cracks that pinch you if they’re not taped up. I like having two if I have a lot of laundry because it makes it go faster on all the transfers. Who cares if it has tape on it, they stay in the laundry room when I’m not using them. We had this conversation because I was taping the broken one up again this morning. It still works fine.

I have started writing all my recipes that I use often in my recipe binder. I’ve just been using an old scout notebook of Hannah’s.

I made a really good recipe tonight called Mission Trip Breakfast Casserole.

I did not use 2 pounds of cheese. That is a lot of cheese. I used two 4 oz blocks of sharp cheddar. I would also probably add 1 1/2 – 2 rolls of sausage. I only used 1 and I think it was a little sparse on the meat. Here’s what it looked like all stirred up.

After baking.

I think it was a hit because we only have 4 people in our family and I only had one small bowl of it and this is what is left.

I also left out the tomatoes. Jackson is not a fan of them.

In other cat news, Milo only will drink out of a glass whiskey tumbler. Since he has a large head, when it gets about 2 inches low he knocks it over. I tried to keep up with filling it up but it always ended up spilled. I found a bowl that he’ll drink out of and not knock over.

Baby Ruth is probably not going to let Hannah use her backpack because it’s her favorite place to nap.

Monkey found the plant water even though her water gets changed every morning.

Cats are so silly.

I also have a Wrigley update. They still haven’t given him shade, but I went out to play with him and he’s so clean. He hadn’t had a bath in 5 years and he’s like a different dog. He’s so energetic. It’s amazing what being clean and unmatted will do for a dog.

Day #52 – One Thing Leads to Another

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I knew when I woke up that I was going to get the weed eater out and finally get the front done.

I wasn’t planning on doing the back, but Mr. Laurence was outside doing the neighbors yard so I decided to go ahead and do the back side of the house, around the shed and around the coop. I guess I never realized how much of an arm workout that is. I figured I’d go inside after that, that is until I realized I had never cleaned out the deck box.

There was so much stuff that needed to go into the shed. We had just gotten lazy and instead of walking it back there we just tossed it into the box.

I still have some solar lights that I’m not sure where to put yet. I moved all the car cleaning stuff in here. I also moved the potting soil and some extension cords. After toting all of that stuff to the shed I decided to clean off the patio of all the random garden tools and pots that we weren’t using. I swept and wiped down everything because even though they are finished with the road there is still so much dust.

I cannot wait to start having dinner out here again. It’s just been so darn hot.

Monkey’s food and water stay on the table because she is so finicky and likes to eat by herself.

We always keep a gap on the plant tables because, well…..

I got some more pothos propagated. I’m hoping they do okay. The sun in this area isn’t bad until about 4 pm and then it’s like a Lazer.

One plant we have no problem growing is grain. This fell from the bird feeder. We thought it was corn at first. We’ve just let it grow to see how big it will get.

Since it was an excessive heat day, I’m exhausted and am going to watch a movie, fold some clothes and just relax. I hope everyone had a good Saturday. Sometimes I feels good just to get outside and sweat.

Day #51 – Sasquatch’s

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I noticed that I was running out of the cacao that I make the coffee drink out of. We went to Sasquatch because they carry the best quality for the cheapest price. That was all we went for. I went to the baking area and they were out. The store restocks on Thursdays so Fridays are always the best time to go. I wasn’t going to grab a cart, but while I was in the baking area Donny had already grabbed one and was shopping.

When we were going to checkout I asked the owner if he knew when they were going to get the cacao back in. Luckily one of the girls that worked there heard me and said she thought they had some in the back. I got 2.5 pounds for $15, which is a fantastic deal. We ended up spending a little less than $40 and got all of this.

The two packages of goat cheese was free with any $5 purchase.

We also got a case of these for $5. I’m not a big advocate of chips, but when they are this inexpensive I’ll get them for the kids. I honestly didn’t realize just how many were in here and the big box really didn’t fit anywhere so I thought I’d just put them in a trash bag.

Not much better. They will be eating chips for a long time. All in all the trip turned out to be a good deal.

Donny had to run and get milk and came back with the best thing ever.

I finally got a good watermelon. The last one was so bad. It was pretty to look at, but it was tough and I didn’t know watermelons could even be tough. No more watermelons from Aldi.

Day #50 – Swiss Chicken + Wrigley Update + Anniversary

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Well, I’m halfway to the 100 days. It always seems like time moves so fast lately.

I have to add this recipe because It was SO good. It’s from the Tasty Recipes from The Texas Hill country cookbook from 1999.

I’m not a huge fan of chicken dishes, but I will definitely add this one to the rotation of meals. I think it would also be good if you cut the chicken in pieces also and used shredded Swiss cheese. Anyway, however you make it, it will be a hit.

If you don’t know who Wrigley is, he is our neighbors very neglected dog. VERY neglected! I had called animal control for a wellness check for him. They were not happy with what they saw and gave them stipulations that they must abide by. Well, nothing had been done. I emailed the animal control officer who I had talked to and she told me that they have a visit scheduled for tomorrow to check on the progress. Tonight when Donny and I were leaving the house I saw that their gate was open and the wife was backing their SUV into the carport. When we got home Wrigley was back in the yard. I’m hoping that he went to the vet or groomers. His coat looks better. We have lived here 5 years and that dog has not had a bath the whole time. How do I know this? I brush him over the fence because they never have. I mowed today and for the past couple of months he hasn’t had energy to get up and come to the fence. I think even if they do eventually comply they still will never take him for a walk, go into the back yard to play with him, he’ll only get the food thrown into the old pot they use for his bowl with not even a backward glance.

Today is also the 9 year anniversary of being rescued off of our roof after having to spend the night on it.

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I am so thankful that Donny had foresight, although we honestly didn’t think we would need it, to put the ladder outside by the roof so we could climb up. This picture was taken in the early morning because it was late at night when the flood hit. I will always be thankful for the Cajun Navy and just all of the people of Baton Rouge that worked together to rebuild the city.

Day #49 – College + Thrift

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Today was “orientation” for incoming freshman. It was basically following signs to make sure everyone had their ducks in a row and could start their classes later this month. Jackson really didn’t have to be there (we didn’t know this) because he had completed everything. Hannah was in the system but we could never pull her up. They took car of that and we just need one more thing for her to get completed. Such a weight taken off. They are both excited about starting and everyone at registration were so nice.

Kilgore is such a good junior college. I’m glad they are both going.

We were all having so much fun we decided to go thrifting. Both the kids love to do this. Actual retail stores overwhelm us all, plus we love the thrill of the hunt. We first went to Big (gifts of grace).

I found these two wonderful smelling, never used candles and this table runner. The candles were $2 and the runner was $3. I always like to know what people pay for things. I’m nosy like that.

Next we went to Goodwill. They are right by each other and right around the corner from our house.

I found this cute shirt that I’m sure I’ll be wearing quite a bit. It was only $4.99

Jackson was finished shopping for the day so we dropped him at the house and Hannah and I went to relish (born again thrift). We have nicknames for the different shops. This one has always smelled like relish to us. They must have changed the Scentsy scent because this time it smelled like caramel.

I found this taped up case with some cool charms and beads. I needed some beads for a project and this was only $2.

I’m always needing this sized frame. The two of them were 50 cents each. I loved this vera Bradley pattern and needed a new wallet. It’s in excellent condition and was only $3.

We found this cute backpack for Hannah. It was only $10 and it”s in like new condition. She did get a few more things at the other shops, but I really only post what I get because they like to keep their stuff private. I just need to wipe this down before I give it back to her.

All in all it was a good day. It even rained and stayed cool-ish. I will take any break from the heat in August.

Day #48 – Grocery Haul (Aldi Editon)

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Last night I made a grocery list of everything I will need for my recipes for the next 10 days. I will always shop at Aldi first because they have the best prices for most items. When I checked out my total was $216 which is much higher than normal, but recalculating I actually have enough for 12 dinners, plus breakfasts and lunches. I also went way earlier than I normally do (10 am) and there was hardly anyone in the store. I’m always nosy about what people buy so I thought I’d share what my family uses.

I use the sausage patties for Jackson’s Bobs (breakfast on a bun). Both kids like making the chicken fries in the air fryer so that’s an easy lunch for them. I normally don’t buy tater tots or hash browns, but I need them for 2 recipes.

I only needed 1 large pack of chicken and a smaller one, but the smaller one was way more expensive per pound so I’ll have 2 more meals and that’s okay by me. Some people don’t like buying the rolls of ground beef, but the 80/20 from Aldi is actually really good. I’ll be using a large portion of it tonight for teriyaki meat loaf.

The kids love the hamburger pitas so I always get 2 boxes when they have them. The Angus burger patties make making burgers so much quicker and they are really good. Jackson saw a recipe for cream cheese honey burgers so we’ll give them a try.

We go through a lot of cheese. Hannah is the ham eater and she loves making wraps for a quick lunch.

We already had peppers, avocados, brussel sprouts, apples, strawberries and blueberries so I just needed a few fruits and vegetables.

I’m not a huge fan of the canned cream soup, but two of my recipes called for it so I picked some up. We are not eating the cat food, I’m not that frugal, but the kitten is still having wet food in the mornings.

I normally don’t buy bread, but I’m making more uncrustables for Jackson. We don’t go through that many corn tortillas. The chickens like them for their snack. Speaking of chickens, yes, I had to buy eggs. the chickens can’t keep up with our demand.

Of course I had to get a watermelon. I’m going to be so sad when they are out of season.

So that’s the Aldi haul. I think it was a pretty good deal for what I got. It also gives me peace of mind to know I have everything ready to go for dinners. Except, I forgot hamburger buns so I’ll probably just bake some. They taste way better anyway.

One thing I can’t get at Aldi is my laundry soap. Luckily Drug Emporium is right around the corner. Jackson and I ran up there and they also had my favorite popcorn on sale.

I am definitely shopped out now.