Category: Home life

Sunday.

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home life, JournalLeave a comment

Today I woke up knowing exactly what was on my to do list. I was going to steam clean the rugs, touch up the paint in the bathroom, start on the Halloween decorations and finish up the laundry. I had deep cleaned the bathroom the day before and had noticed that there was some water marks on the baseboards behind the toilet and next to the vanity. It seemed dry. It wasn’t. I ran the sink to see if any water came out onto the floor. It did. I don’t know why these things always happen on a Sunday. We rent our home and our landlords live 5 streets away. I immediately texted them and they were over in less than an hour. The easiest access to the leak was from the kitchen. This is how my kitchen looked.

You can see the water damage. Luckily the pipe is just dripping. they will be back tomorrow at 8 to cut open the wall all the way to fix it.

I had to move everything out because our kitchen is small and they need all the room to gain access.

It feels so empty and not like my home. When we were looking for a house to rent, it was smack in the middle of quarantine. Our lease was up at our other house and although it was twice the size there were problems with it starting to pile up. They were also raising the rent quite a bit. We just didn’t really like the house. We started looking and we found only 2 that were in the right school district. The first one was already rented so we came to see this one. There were no pictures of the outside and when we drove up we knew why. It was just a plain box. No landscaping and the whole house was white with chipped grey shutters.

When we walked in and both Donny and I looked at each other and said nope this isn’t going to work. It was small, half the size of what we were coming from, but the backyard was huge. There was only one bathroom, but everything had been very well maintained. There was carpet. Everywhere. And not pretty carpet either. Then we talked to the landlords. They were just so nice. They don’t ever raise the rent once you move in. Ever. And the price was less than most one bedroom apartments. They said we could put in flower beds and I could paint the front door and shutters. The only stipulation was that she didn’t want me painting the walls. They had been freshly done, in white, and I loved it. So that’s how we got here and we’ve been here for 3 and a half years.

I just covered the carpet with rugs. Lots of rugs. Now all clean rugs because I did manage to steam clean them today.

Cute runner I ordered off Wayfair.

Woven leather rug we got 90% off from Ashley and a vintage wool rug I got for $30 at an estate sale. The leather one is super hard to take care of though. You can’t use the vacuum on it. I have to use the brush attachment, but it was such a great deal I don’t mind.

I did get some of my Halloween decorations up outside. Yes, they are super cheesy, but the kids still like them because we’ve had them for years. We used to have 3 tombstones, but one blew away last year. We just make it work, cheesy or not, but most of the time cheesy wins.

I do love Halloween!

Prep Night

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home lifeLeave a comment

Friday morning I have the treat of getting a colonoscopy. If you’ve never had one, I haven’t, come on this fun journey with me.

I went to work this morning. The owner and I had already decided that working tomorrow probably isn’t a good idea. I was able to get everything done that was needed before the weekend.

Lucky for me there was only one smallish bounce house and a tarp to clean out. Not so lucky for me the weather was moving in fast.

Yep, I ended up getting soaked but I’m off for the next 5 days, so I didn’t really mind.

At 6:00 tonight I had to stop all solid food and start my liquid diet. I decided to go big and eat stuff I normally wouldn’t right up until that little hand hit the 6.

Lunch was chili cheese tater tots with mustard.

Mmmmm, super healthy, but not near as healthy as dinner.

Oh yeah, that is Long John Silver’s. And that’s my last food until Friday afternoon.

Truthfully, it’s not the fast that has me concerned, it’s what I’m having to take tomorrow. It’s scary and I’ll take you along for the ride so if you ever have to do a colon prep you’ll know exactly what to expect.

And what does your family do for fun on a Wednesday night? Ours goes to Walmart for popsicles and jello. I’m telling you, Wednesday at 8 is the time to go because there was hardly anyone there.

And yesterday I found this cute Lucky Brand tshirt dress, with pockets, at my favorite thrift store for 4 bucks. Since I ate such crappy food today I’m thankful for no waste band. The print reminds me of mattress ticking.

Yard Day

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home life, WeekendLeave a comment

This is how my day ended and I very rarely drink. It was actually a very good day where the temperature was not in the 100’s. I got a lot done, which means I am TIRED.

My yard was bad. It needed mowing, all of the dead plants needed to be pulled up, we needed mulch. You name it, it needed it. Up until a few weeks ago Donny was working an hour and a half away. He’d leave at 6 and not get back until 10. He was also working 6-7 days a week. It was rough. He was exhausted and I was juggling everything else. With the awful heat and his being away, our yard suffered. So today, we woke up, and got busy.

We have white vinyl siding on our house and it will grow green algae after a rain. I got that wiped off and the windows washed. The beds needed a bit of weeding so I got that done while Donny mowed the backyard. While he mowed the front I got the shed cleaned out and pulled out all the Halloween stuff.

I moved 27 pots that Donny will be able to use in his greenhouse that I got him for his birthday. Hopefully we will get that put up soon. We ran to Lowe’s and picked up 4 bags of mulch and 3 small mum plants because after I pulled out all the dead cucumber vines I had a big ole empty spot.

I was shocked at the price of plants. A solo cup size Rosemary was $19.98! A Black Eyed Susan, same size, was also that price. Are they insane??? Anyway ours were 3 for 10, not too bad.

The new mums all potted. I’m going to repaint the stepping stones. They’ve seen better days.

No more algae.

Freshly laid mulch!

How cute is the Boo Yah sign? I love Halloween!

I still have a lot to do tomorrow, but I’m feeling so much better with all we accomplished today.

Fall(ish)

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Today it was 71 degrees when I took the kids to school and it never got above 100. So, yes, in my mind it is Fall. The morning glories were in full bloom which are right outside our kitchen window.

I’ve noticed people have started putting out Halloween decorations. Ours are kept in the shed in the backyard. Because of our homicidal rooster, that sent me to the ER a few months ago, I’m going to have to wait until Donny’s next day off. Jackson and I did find this cute little guy at an estate sale. He was 10 cents so we couldn’t pass him up.

Now it’s time to relax and watch a movie. I don’t know about you, but we never ever turn on the big light.

One Week

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A week from today we will be on a train heading to Chicago. It’s an almost 20 hour trip. I’ve never been to Chicago and although I’ve checked the weather and it’s going to be really cold, I think we’ll still have fun. We’ve booked an Airbnb in Logan square because I just prefer that over traditional hotel rooms. With 4 of us we won’t feel all cramped together.

So this week will be spent making lists, getting the house ready for our cat sitter and making sure we don’t over pack. Not gonna lie, I’m a little nervous.

in other news our garden is coming together nicely. We have radishes popping up. The onions are growing along with the tomatoes, potatoes, beets, spinach, kale and romaine. We’re waiting for a few other veggies to sprout and I’m trying to be patient.

Donny made the raised bed because it was just easier than digging. We got all the lumber free from his work because it was leftover from the remodel. We had to fence it up due to the chickens and cats digging around. So far so good. Since we try to do everything inexpensively I have a beet box that was actually the top of a dog house. Luckily we don’t have an HOA 🤣 We also have two kiddie pools that we used last year.

I’ve also been looking for the perfect shoes to take on our trip. We were in tractor supply getting a rain barrel when I found these boots. They’re the perfect color, waterproof and so comfortable.

i think they’ll do the trick

Saturdays Round Here

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By Saturday evening, we are all pretty much worn out. Donny works until 3. Hannah has theatre practice until 1. Plus just the whole wind down from the whole week especially if there was a football game on Friday.

I normally don’t feel like cooking on Saturdays so we try to make it some kind of make your own. Yesterday it was nachos. I LOVE nachos. They are easy, versatile and everyone can make them exactly how they like.

Everyone gets a foil lined baking sheet, loads on their toppings and pop it into oven. Mine had refried beans, sharp cheddar, cotija cheese, bell pepper, onions, tomatoes, lettuce and avocado. Everyone else had chicken on theirs, but I’m not a big fan of chicken. I mixed some taco seasoning in sour cream and it was the perfect easy meal.

It’s also the perfect time of the year for scary movies, couch laying and blankets. So that’s exactly how I ended my night. We’re rewatching Stranger Things again. Not super scary, but oh so good. Two more movies that get a thumbs up are The Lie and I Can See You. Both are on Amazon Prime. If you’re into something a little weird and sci-fi-ish check out the series Utopia on Netflix.

This is my very favorite blanket. We jokingly call it my baby blanket because it literally puts me to sleep. This is going to sound weird, but I love the way it smells. I can’t describe it, but if comfort had a smell, this would be it. I now get it when babies get upset when their blankets get washed because it doesn’t smell the same for a while. I recently spilled salsa on mine and it completely changed the scent and took a good week to get it back.

Also, I’m not a fan of pumpkin spice, so I’m not sure why I picked this up, but it’s so good! Not too pumpkiny, but just right.

Hope you too had a relaxing Saturday

Problem Solved

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home lifeLeave a comment

Years before I met my husband, I purchased a piece of furniture that started it’s life as a kitchen island in my Austin home.

It’s moved everywhere with me and even survived almost 4ft of water in the 2016 Baton Rouge flood.

It’s been an island, bar, tv stand and entry table, but the one thing it’s always been is a scratching post for the cats. I’ve tried everything to keep them from mauling the legs, including wrapping the legs in foil. It worked as long as the foil was on, but it wasn’t the prettiest solution.

This is what they’ve done to it.

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It was bad! And made me sad until I came up with a solution that I thought might work. So I gathered up what I needed and spent the entire morning getting busy.

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And guess what? It worked.

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It just took a LOT of jute rope, a staple gun and a hammer to tap in the staples securely. I just wrapped, pushed up and pulled tight. I have a nice friction blister on my finger to prove it. The cats can now scratch to their heart’s content, although now they don’t seem to want to.

On another note, Donny took over cooking for the day.

 

 

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That’s over an inch of flies. They just flock to this smelly contraption and once inside they can’t get out. It’s truly been a game changer. A gross one, but hey, I’ll take it. If you have outdoor fly issues, this is 6 dollars well spent.

So after grilling and watching fly death, we came in and Donny made pickles. He makes the best pickles ever! Puts the store bought ones to shame.

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You Deserve a Donut

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home life, Weekend2 Comments

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I love breakfast food, just not in the morning. This household tends to eat brunch. I love brunch. It covers two meals with one, but teenage kids tend to be hungry in the mornings (all the time) and I honestly hadn’t planned a thing for breakfast. Oops.

I got Donny up and we decided donuts were in order. Only problem was, since we moved, we didn’t know where the closest donut shop was. I suggested going to Jimmy’s Donut where we used to go before we moved. Donny wanted to find something closer.

Disclaimer: Jimmy’s is roughly 2.5 miles away, but when you live in a smallish town, anything over a mile seems FAR.

Problem solved. Less than a mile away we found this.

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I judge every donut shop by their eclairs. If they can’t make a good eclair, it’s a no for me. Eclairs are my all time, I should just chew them up and plaster then on my hips, pastry.

I spied some in the very back of case. Whew, we didn’t have to go anywhere else.

Another problem I have is wanting to choose a little bit of everything. Donny is MUCH better at ordering so I just stepped back and let him do it so we wouldn’t have a 50 dollar donut tab. Not kidding, it’s happened before when I went by myself.

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Let the feast begin.

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For the record, us hungry adults had already taken ours out when I took this.

But the best part was…

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My oh so delicious, completely passed the eclair test, breakfast. Didn’t you know that weekend breakfast calories absolutely do not count.

While the kids were just hanging out and Donny and I were watching Harlen Cobin’s mini series Safe. (He’s one of my very favorite authors and if you like a good, twisty, who done it, you should definitely watch it on Netflix) I had an idea I wanted to try and that meant a trip to Hobby Lobby.

I’m hoping it’s going to work. I’m going to work on it today and if it does I’ll share it. It includes this.

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900 feet of jute rope!

It doesn’t include this, but when you find your favorite candle that you thought was discontinued, and it’s 50% off, you add it to the cart. We had a 40% off coupon so it’s kind of like the candle was free. (My frugal rationalization kicking in)

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It smells clean and fresh and is not over powering to where it gives you a headache.

We ended the evening picking up Taco Bell (I know it’s not real Mexican food, but it’s my guilty pleasure and I’ve loved it since childhood) chilling on the couch and finished watching Safe.

I normally skip the intro, but the theme song was SO good, I listened to it every single episode, then I even looked it up on YouTube.

You really should listen to it. You can thank me later.

Backyard Campout

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Home life, WeekendLeave a comment

With the quarantine being lifted more and more each day, we decided to let the kids each invite a friend over for a backyard campout.The weather has been so iffy lately, but today there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

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The guests were due to arrive at 3. Donny and I decided to work on the yard before everyone showed up. I finally repotted some plants, got my planters hung up and found a useful place for our chalkboard that no longer fit in our house.

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When the kids arrived they all piled into my son’s room to play jackbox. It’s a super fun interactive game. You buy game packages and everyone plays on their phone. Hours can go by and you don’t even realize it. It’s been a great distraction with being stuck at home.

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With the sun getting lower, it was time to set up the tent.

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After we chowed down on hotdogs I asked the kids if they wanted to walk to the park. It’s half a mile away and I fully intended to go with them. Donny was pressing me to let them go by themselves. I was sure, 100% positive, that they’d want me to go. Nope, they didn’t. I have to admit that I was a little crushed. The helicopter parent in me was panicking. Thoughts were running through my mind about everything that could and surely would happen to them. Thanks to Donny, the sane more rational one of the two of us, he talked me off the ledge. For the record, they did call me to come pick them up, so that’s a little win, right?

When it got dark we made the quintessential camping dessert. Smores for the win.

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By this time it was getting late. Donny and I were tired and the kids were ready for parents to go in so they could hang out. Yes, there are both boys and girls staying in the tent, but they are all just really good friends. Remember, helicopter parent here. I watch and listen very closely.

They wanted the giant, bright gulag-ish interrogation light that we have in the backyard off. I’m sure my neighbors were happy about that too because I’m pretty sure it illuminates their bedroom pretty good. We left them with glow sticks, flashlights and I left the twinkle lights on in the patio (aka carport).

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Now it’s bedtime and morning is going to be here before we know it. I hope we get some sleep.  I’ve checked on them more than I care to admit.

The Same But Different

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn Easy meals, Home life2 Comments

Yesterday I realized that I do the exact same thing every morning. My dog Marty wakes me up around 5:30. I let him out, make coffee and then either read or watch a documentary on Netflix. I’m an morning person, so I try not to wake the rest of my family who is definitely not.

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I’ve been watching Dark Tourist. It’s really good, if you need something to watch.

When Marty comes in, he knows he gets a treat and will not let you forget.

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He then gets his bone, tries to bury it under the rug, realizes he can’t, so he puts it against the wall so he can guard it because he just knows the cat is trying to get it. Every. Day.

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When Donny wakes up we decide what we’re going to do for the day. He grabs coffee and goes and checks on the garden. He loves the garden. It is a mobile one and he grew it from seeds.

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And I finally have flowers on my morning glories that we also grew from seed.

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When the kids wake up we normally go for a walk. It’s been rainy so lately we’ve had to go between rain showers.

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I am not a huge fan of shopping. I know what I need, try to find the best deal I can and get it. I needed a pot to grow my pineapple top in. I was pretty sure I could find one at Ollie’s. We hadn’t been to this one since it had opened, but I managed to find the perfect planter and for a steal.

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Natural Grocers is right next door. Have you tried the Mad Hippie skincare line? I love it. It’s not too expensive and works really well. I was out of my vitamin a serum and picked up some night cream too.

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How great is that packaging?

Winding down the day, I make dinner. We’ve been trying to eat cleaner and lighter. I’ve stopped doing heavy side dishes. Sometimes we don’t even have sides. Tonight I made a bacon, onion and cheese frittata. We just had watermelon and pineapple for sides. Super easy and everyone liked it.

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I had made a big batch of berry sauce to go with pancakes for brunch. There was some leftover, so I baked a pound cake to use the rest of the sauce. Turned out like a scone and although if you let the sauce absorb into your slice it was ok, I wouldn’t use the recipe again.

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But the sauce was delicious!

I can’t wait to see what today brings ❤