Author: thefunkyfrugalista

I live in a cozy old home in the Piney Woods of east Texas. This is my journal Follow me on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/stacy.kappelmanbruce Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefunkyfrugalista

Day #22 – Crafty Day

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Since I’m basically stuck at home until my car’s appointment at the dealership I’ve been trying to keep myself busy doing some fun things around the house. It was extremely satisfying to scrape all of the seeds out of the giant sunflower.

This will be the second generation if these grow next year.

I’ve been wanting to bake some more clay. I played around with the molds and I think everything turned out pretty good. I just spray painted them all gold because I was using the turquoise and gray clay that we already had. I have a project in mind for them.

We bought solar lights months ago. I was going to use them in the backyard where we had our other lights before the neighbor’s yard people accidentally cut them. We really only use the backyard for the fire pit so if I hung them out there we’d really never see them. I decided to string two sets (they are so long) across the patio. I love the vibe they give. Boy, was it hot going up and down off the chair I was using. Thank goodness the mornings and evenings are tolerable.

I hung up the white curtains I found at an estate sale. Tomorrow we are going to tie dye them, or at least attempt to. They are too plain just white especially with all the color we have going on.

After we had dinner Hannah and I went on a walk. We always go by one of our favorite yards. It’s like a fairy garden.

I wish I had a green thumb like that.

Day #21 – Nightmare Closet + Yoga Cats

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Our bedroom closet has been on my to-do list for a while. As with most 1961 ranch homes the closets are small. It doesn’t help that Donny and I share it. Lately though it’s become more of a catchall and I just close the door on the mess. Today I decided was the day to tackle the beast.

Yes, that is embarrassing. I normally keep my clothes color coordinated, but that wasn’t happening.

Because my kids have a tendency to break hangers I’ve now got the extra ones stored in the Ikea bag.

It honestly did not take me as long as I thought it would to get it straightened up.

I organized Donny’s side also and our spare comforter and duvet cover were stored in the vacuumed sealed bags out of the way. An organized closet just makes all the difference.

With that out of the way I decided to work on a little art project that I’d had in mind for a while. Jackson had a yoga cat calendar a few years ago. I cut out the cats last year for another project that didn’t happen. I didn’t want to throw them away because they took forever to cut out.

This was a dry erase board that no one ever really used. Yes, it’s a bit quirky, but when you live in a plain rectangular house you need to give it some personality. It’s on our patio by the way. I hope it makes people smile.

I had to snap this picture of one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. I don’t know it it was because of the rain or what, but it’s just gorgeous.

Day #20 – Filed and Planted

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We finally found some pumpkin seeds at Home Depot on Friday. I’m actually late planting them this year.

I went ahead and picked up some marigold seeds since they are so good for keeping pests away. I read up how how to prep the pumpkin seeds for planting. I guess you are supposed to file the edges first with sandpaper or a nail file.

I was filing and watching Your Worst Nightmare because, why not. Plus I love true crime series. If you haven’t watched it, and like true crime, it’s on Hulu. Now back to seed prep. After filing the sides you soak them in hot water for 2-3 hours. This is supposed to soften the casing so the seed is able to sprout easier.

The ones in the white bowl were not filed. I just wanted to see if it actually makes a difference.

We didn’t really know where to plant them. We did pumpkins one year in the front and they took over the yard. I decided to go ahead and start some of them in empty strawberry and blueberry containers.

This table has come in so handy for use as a potting table.

The seeds I had leftover went into the pools where the cantaloupe vines are. The unfilled seeds are in the protected pool. The filed ones leftover are in the unprotected one.

Of course it started storming while I was trying to get the seeds planted. Thank goodness for chicken boots. They always save the day.

I’m so hoping we’ll have pumpkins that are ready by Halloween.

Day #19 – It’s My Monday

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Because Donny is off on Thursdays and Fridays we consider that our weekend. So naturally, that makes Saturday my Monday. Today I feel very accomplished. I got the kitchen cleaned from top to bottom. Made cookies. We don’t buy store bought cookies so that one thing I always have to a make sure we have on hand and we’d been out for a couple of days.

I managed to get all of the laundry done. I will have to say that our laundry room still smells a bit skunky, but at least the poor thing isn’t sleeping in there anymore. I didn’t realize that Donny got off at 5 instead of 7 so I was scrubbing the tub when I heard a male voice yell hello. I almost had a heart attack. And yes, 4 people use this tiny bathroom and we make it work.

We got a weather alert on our phones and then the storm hit. It cooled things off so much and there is nothing better than a rain shower in the evenings.

Donny even stepped up and cooked the steaks while I did the sides. That’s such a huge help for me because I really am not fond of cooking meat.

The steaks were cooked perfectly and so tender.

It’s so nice to have a day where everything gets done and no one is rushing around all stressed out.

And just because. The older male cats love to play with Ruth. We think O’Malley may be her dad. He’s neutered now, but wasn’t at the time she would have been conceived. They both have the same strangled sounding meow. Anyway, she was tuckered out after a full morning of rough housing.

I hope everyone has a good Monday no matter what day it actually is.

Day #18 – Skunky

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Last night when we got home the little gimpy skunk was on the patio and crawled into the laundry room. I didn’t think much about it because I figured that he was just scared and trying to get away from us. This morning when I went to check to see if he was still in there I found him laying behind the dryer. He looked dead so we called Animal Control. Animal Control came out and checked on him and he was just sleeping. The officer didn’t want to remove him because it would startle the poor thing and he would spray. He told us to just let the poor creature wake up naturally and he would eventually come out.

A little after 9 I found him eating the cat food that is not supposed to be there, but I can’t not feed the strays. This little guy, from what I can tell, was probably hit by a car or in some type of accident. He has such a hard time walking. He kind of drags his legs. It’s heartbreaking to watch him try to make his way around. I would totally let him stay in the laundry room during the day if I didn’t have to do laundry.

Now about Wrigley the neighbor’s horribly neglected dog. When we left to go to the movies last night I noticed another citation on their door. While the Animal Control Officer was here I talked to him about the situation. He was the one who came out to speak to them. Apparently they are out of town, but Animal Control has been in touch with them. They are making them provide Wrigley more shade, going to the vet to get him in better health and he must be neutered. If they don’t they will be fined. I don’t think they will do it. Luckily I’m in touch with Animal Control and they are keeping me up to date. Today when I was mowing I couldn’t see him. He had dug a trench under their shed and was just laying in it. He will normally run to get pets when I’m mowing and likes to chase the mower when I mow by the fence. Nothing today. I’m just glad that he will, hopefully, get the help he needs.

I don’t know if mowing during a heat advisory was the smartest thing to do but it’s supposed to be raining all weekend. When I finished, clouds blew in and the wind picked up. It felt amazing.

One thing I have noticed about mowing and bagging the clippings instead of using the chute is that my grass has gotten so much better. Last year I had so many weeds and dead spots from me pulling up the weeds, that was a never ending task. It takes more time and energy to bag, but it’s well worth it.

Day #17 – Nothing Like a Small Town

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We decided to have a family night. I have been wanting to see Jurassic World since it came out. I saw that it was at The Morris Theatre in Daingerfield and it was only going to be there through tomorrow. It’s not a bad drive, only about 45 minutes. There were so many people compared to the last time we went which was in the middle of winter.

I’m sure everyone wonders why we don’t go to the new Film Alley that recently opened here in Longview, but truthfully, I love the old nostalgic places so much more. The concession stand is affordable and they have the best popcorn around. Not to mention their Dr. Pepper is spicy and strong. I rarely allow myself to have sodas, but here, yes. The movie was good, but then again, I love the Jurassic franchise. Jackson, who is more into indie films, didn’t love it, but I’m so glad he decided to go with us. Plus I wanted both of the kids to experience a theatre like I used to go to as a kid. I think they enjoyed the experience.

I love that the theatre is right in the quaint downtown area. There is just something about small towns that make me want to pack up and move to one of them. We parked on the side where some old apartments sit and this one reminded me of a pig.

Family time is so important, especially when the kids are getting older and beginning to live their own lives.

Day #17 – A little at a Time

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My goal this summer is to get the shed cleaned out. The weather forecast called for rain, but of course, it didn’t look at all like rain was anywhere to be seen. I decided that I’d just do what I could get done and then eventually the shed would be more organized. I noticed that when I was looking for tools when we were changing the spark plugs we had stuff everywhere. We have 2 tool boxes and they were a mess. I thought that would be good place to start so I lugged the two boxes onto the patio.

I took everything out of both of the tool boxes.

I washed them both out and let them dry in the sun while I sorted everything out.

Now we won’t have trouble finding what we need when we need it.

I also keep boxes in our laundry closet that hold the things that I use more frequently so that I don’t have to walk all the way to the shed.

And just as I was finishing up washing Hannah’s laundry from her trip, the sky opened up. It was such a happy rain, the kind I love best, where the sun was still peeking through and their was no wind. It was just the rain falling straight down with distant claps of thunder off in the distance.

Day #16 – Do the Right Thing

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If you have read here for long, you know about our neighbors dog Wrigley. I buy him treats, brush his coat (well, at least I try to over the fence) and I used to take him for walks. The neighbors ignore him. Once a day they throw food into an old cooking pot for him. He gets his water from the condensation drip from their AC unit. He barks for attention when they drive up, but they just ignore him. When we were hours away from the blizzard a few years ago, they were refusing to bring him in. I offered to bring him into our home and they scoffed at me. I told them that if they didn’t bring him in I was going to call the cops. They ended up bringing him in, but crated, in a too small crate, with limited outside time. When it was below freezing, we put hay in his lean to house and got a heat lamp for it. He always wants to play when I go into the backyard and I will give him scratches and run the fence line with him.

A few weeks ago I noticed that he wasn’t getting up when I went outside. They have no trees so he normally stays in the dirt against the house. I called him over and noticed that his eyes looked like he wasn’t feeling well. He jumped on the fence and I saw that his chest area had lost all of his hair and it looked like elephant skin. When I got close he looked so bad. I had seen an animal control truck parked in our neighborhood last week and pulled over to tell her the situation. She gave me her card so I could call. I was on the fence, but when I was petting him on Saturday and he was so lethargic I decided that someone had to do something. Today I called and asked for a welfare check. I didn’t think they had come, but when we were headed to the grocery tonight I saw something taped to their door. It was a citation.

I hope he can get the medical attention he needs because he is such a sweet boy. I took this picture of him today. Just a warning, he looks rough.

Day #15 – Polishing the Present

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The morning started off a bit rocky. I went outside to get the cat bowls to wash. A skunk had sprayed the day before and I couldn’t exactly figure out where it had sprayed. Oh, I found out, it had sprayed the bowls. So that was fun. My hands and the bowls had to get a good scrubbing.

I had to bathe the kitten because she is too young for flea medication. I had run her bath in a bowl and was putting her in when I got a call from my daughter who lives in the Hill Country. It scared the kitten so she scratched me trying to get away when I answered the phone. My daughter told me, “our house is flooded”. I immediately think it’s from the flooding in Kerr County. Nope. Her husband had hung up a heavy wood Astros sign on their house. It fell off and knocked the spigot off and water was shooting out like a fire hydrant. The water got into their living room. Luckily it wasn’t too bad.

Then I heard something that resonated with me. Polishing the present. It’s doing little things in the moment to make life better for you. This is what my 100 days is about and today I did just that. After tidying up the house I steam cleaned the carpets, which always make me feel better.

The bottom rug is woven leather and takes a while to dry but they look so much better even damp.

Then I lit my incense and read a book.

There is just something about incense that is so calming to me.

I have been wanting to read this book since I picked it up at the nickel book sale a few months ago. I decided that today was the perfect day. I’m almost finished and it’s so good. I highly recommend this author.

Oh and I had forgotten that I glued my Cole Haans soles back on. I could have taken them to a cobbler, but I had to glue so I thought I’d just give it a shot. The soles weren’t all the way off but were coming loose and this glue is amazing.

Hannah is coming home tomorrow and I cannot wait to see her. It seems like she’s been gone for months.

And just because they are best friends:

Day #14 – Hard Day’s Work

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I love a hard day’s work. I sleep better. I feel like I have accomplished what I set out to do. It’s just a good feeling. This morning I got back to work on the windows. I had to sand them to make sure I didn’t have a lot of loose paint. I don’t love painting, but I do love the results.

I didn’t tape off the other windows. This was my last one and my hand was so tired I didn’t think I could free hand it as well.

It’s amazing what a difference a little paint can make. I still need to scrape off the old paint on part of the window, but the new paint hadn’t dried yet.

While I was outside painting Donny was cutting back the Morning Glory and he also cut the giant sunflower off.

Once you remove the outer cover you will find all of the sunflower seeds.

I’ll use them to plant more next year.

By this time I was a sweaty mess so I went inside to cut up a watermelon. The chickens love when I do this because they also get a treat.

I didn’t want to stay inside because I was already sweaty. I cleaned out the grill and started weeding the garden. I found aphids. I cannot stand those bugs so I sprayed them with Thieves and dumped out morning coffee grounds where I saw the little rascals. I don’t know if that will work, but they didn’t seem to like it at all.

My poor hydrangea was not happy in the pot we had her in so I decided to try and save her by planting her in the ground. I hope she lives. She is getting new growth since we moved her out of the direct sunlight, but she still wasn’t thriving. We’ll see how she does in the front.

I have a plan for the planter she was in. It has a trellis because Jasmine was originally planted there but it died during the winter.

I finally hung up our flags. I think they are perfect for Summer.

We had to run to Walmart when Donny got home and although they did not have pumpkin seeds, I did find this poor unloved plant for $5. Let’s see if I can nurse it back to health.

Two completely random things that happened today. I found that Walmart makes gallon sized tea bags. I make tea almost everyday and these are going to make it so much easier.

I’ve also never had a cat that likes to watch TV. We had the soccer game on and as soon as she saw what it was she climbed her little butt right up to the screen and tried to get the ball.

My thoughts and prayers are still with the people affected by the floods in the Hill Country. I heard that Kerrville and Hunt are being evacuated due to more rain coming. It’s such a devastation situation.