8-31-13

1:45pm

Me and hubby went to a couple yard sales.

It's getting hot and humid outside!  Yuck.

I was in search of some clothes for my 7th grader

and maybe a thermal coffee pot.

Well I found clothes for my 8th grader.

I got 11 shirts in his size which is not a size

you would usually find at a yard sale

for $5.50 or .50 cents each.

I was stocking up at that price!

4 of the t-shirts that are either solid red or blue

will have to be worn on weekends, holidays

or vacations.  They are not allowed

to wear those colored t-shirts to school.

I also got me a purse for a buck

and a box of 25 tea light battery operated candles 

along with extra batteries all for $1.00.

I have plans for them as Christmas gifts.

Gotta plan now while I can snatch up some cheap stuff.

2:20pm

Hubby mowed the backyard grass while I got

to use the new weed trimmer.

Have I mentioned it's hot and humid outside!

Ughhhh!!

It's 87 degrees and feels like 93.

----

8-30-13

3:25PM

Hubby has today off instead of Monday for Labor day.

This morning we went and cashed in a little

scrap metal and made about $83 from it.

When hubby has off work while children are

in school we go to our usual place for breakfast,

Tee-Jayes!  YUMMY

It doesn't happen but only a couple of times

of year to be able to splurge on something like that.

After breakfast we walked around Oxbow at 

Hoover Reservoir.  It was so sticky and humid out

and I thought by walking in the woods and by water

it would feel better...not!

You could actually see a haze in the air.

Couldn't wait to get back in the truck

where the air conditioner was.

From Hoover we stopped at a couple of

yard sales.  Hubby snapped this shot of me

browsing a garage sale, lol.

Nothing to see here.  It was a dude's sale

with sports cards and guy things.

Only bought from one sale though.

I got hubby a leaf blower/vac with all attachments

and bag for $6.00 

and

a lithium battery operated weed trimmer

with charger and 2 batteries for $8.00

and lastly an emergency 40 channel

CB radio with antenna and case for $2.00.

We now have 2 emergency CB's for our vehicles

and a regular CB with antenna for the house.

If ever the telephone lines go down,

cell service or internet goes out,

we still have a way to communicate with one another.

Had that happen once for a week or more

and hubby was on call at work.

That was not fun.

And while cruising through neighborhoods

looking for sales I spotted this sink

with faucets and a little copper piping

on someone's curb.  Well I just had to stop and pick it up.

This will probably fetch us about $8 or so at the scrap place

for the brass, copper and stainless steel.

4:00pm

For supper I decided on Little Ceasers pizza.

So much for a hot and ready pizza when you

had to wait 5-10 mins. on them to be made.

In return for our wait they gave us

free bread sticks and dipping sauce so it was all good.

8-29-13

1:45pm

Three months ago I ordered one prescription refill for

myself through our mail order prescription plan.

Three months ago that was $200.

To me that is expensive but not as expensive

as yesterday when I went to refill that same prescription

only to find out it is now $300!!

I've fallen and can't get up!

Let's just say it didn't put me in the greatest of moods

now having to worry about something else I have to pay for.

I don't like Obama and this new health care thing!

I can't afford insurance for my own family

let alone trying to pay for welfare/no insurance families.

He's gonna drown those who are barely keeping

their heads above water now!

Then those people will have to go on welfare

to have the required health insurance

so where is this getting anyone?!

In other news,

let's hope the US doesn't strike or invade Syria.

If they do that could mean a financial crisis again for us,

not that we are totally out of the recession just yet

because I feel we are not.

If they do strike, stock markets will fall,

gas prices will soar and that will mean

higher prices for food or whatever in stores.

And lastly in the news that I just read about

that I thought others should prepare for,

A Power Grid Down Drill conducted by the government

This is supposed to happen around mid November.

I don't have all the details as I just found out about it 

so you may wanna Google more info about it.

8-28-13

7:45am

There is an advantage to getting up earlier now.

8:30am


Got a load of laundry going in the washer and dryer.
Then went outside and washed up a bunch of crates.
Then decided to go down in the basement and
defrost the chest freezer.  It hasn't been
defrosted since moving here!
I still use a timer on it to help on electricity costs.
  It will run 12 hours during the day
and at night will shut off for 12 hours.

I remembered while out on a call the other day
at hubby's work he had a broken refrigerator 
that had an ice clog in the freezer 
not allowing the fridge part to keep cool.
He used a heat gun to remove the ice.
I don't have a heat gun at home but
got out my hair dryer and used that to 
remove the ice.  Sometimes I'd close the lid
with my arm stuck in the freezer with
the hair dryer to help hold some of the heat
inside to help melt it all.

In 10 minutes or less the sheets of ice
on the sides of the freezer fell to the bottom
which was covered with towels to absorb any water
and to catch ice.

Now since I had all the food out of the freezer it
was time to better organize it.  It sucked
having to remove each item to get to things
in the bottom of the freezer.
This is where the crates, small plastic totes
and a couple fabric totes come in.
I put all the food in them.
I managed to get 3 plastic crates
and two small plastic totes in there.
Then there were a couple of gaps around
the sides that would not accommodate 
any more plastic totes or crates so
that's where the fabric totes fit in.

Now when I need something I won't have
to dig around in the freezer.  Just pull out
the crates to get to things!
Each tote or crate is organized into categories
like breads, meats, fruits & vegetables and
already made meals.


---

8-27-13

7:30 - 9:00am

I've spent the last hour and half making 6 freezer

meals from the 7.60 pounds pork roast

I made up yesterday in the crock.

I put each meal into gallon size freezer bags.

Large zip bags store flat and make it nice

to be able to store and stack in the freezer.

-pork & mac (1)

kinda like tuna and noodles only made with cut up

pork, elbow macaroni, cream of mushroom soup,

celery, carrots.

-Pork Hash (1)

Cut up pork, shredded potatoes,

italian dressing, parmesan and cheddar cheese,

garlic & herbs, onion powder.

-Sauerkraut, pork & potatoes (2)

-Cut up pork for quesadillas.

spoon onto tortillas

with some cheddar cheese and fry in skillet.

Serve with ranch dressing dip.

-Hawaiian BBQ Sub Sandwiches. (1)

Cut up pork.  Put 1/2 can pineapple in food processor

and bbq sauce and combine together.

  Stir in pork.  Serve on grilled buns.

9:30am


And in other news today...
If the US strikes Libya we could be under a financial crisis
once again.  Stock markets will drop and gas
prices will soar.  If gas prices rise too much
then the cost of food and other things rise as well.
So be prepared!
I remember when a gallon of milk was almost $4 - $5
a gallon when gas was on the rise like that.


---


1:45pm


Just awoke from my nap to see this on Facebook...

Man Says Thieves Stove His Wallet,
Killed Puppy During Attack On Trail.

That's not even cool with me.
This is one of our trails we walk all the time.
As a matter of fact we were just there last night!!
There was another news story recently
in the same area where a dog had bit someone.

See in the news photo the large overhead power lines?
Here's the same ones I photographed last night!
I had taken the picture because there was a deer
standing up ahead just as the trail starts to
curve to the right.  Picture was crappy
because I took it quickly and didn't have time
to set the camera on the right settings.

---

8-26-13

7:50am

This week is supposed to warm up with humidity

into the upper 80's and lower 90's....YUCK!

As long as the mornings are in the 50's to 60's with

lower humidity I'm still opening up the windows

for a couple of hours to let some fresh air in

and giving the air conditioner and

electric bill a break.

Looks like this is going to be a crock pot

or stove top supper week or do anything

oven related as early as possible in the mornings.

I came home from the bus stop this morning

and already have a cake going in the oven.

I'm doing a devil's food poke cake

with cooked banana cream pudding.

Once cooled I'll warm up some leftover

chocolate frosting in the microwave and

spread it over the top of the cake.

Next I've got a 7.60 pound pork steak shoulder butt 

in my biggest crock with a package

of sauerkraut and brown sugar.

This to us is a real treat as we never can afford

cuts of meat like this.

We know our butcher and when we visit Kroger

he always points out where the best meat deals

and mark downs are.

At .99 cents a pound this hunka hunka burning love

will make quite a few meals at that price!

I can break it down once cooked and package

it up in freezer zip bags and freeze til I need it.

Saves so much time when making meals

when the meat is already cooked and you just

pull it out of the freezer and warm it up.

Over the weekend while at hubby's work

we found a nice microwave.

I'm putting it back for Christmas for my son.

While visiting his apartment I noticed

he had a huge 1980's looking microwave that 

his dad gave him.

I thought I would bring him up to the year 2000's

with a model that was about 25 years newer!!

Plus it has a rotating dish so that food cooks more evenly.

I think anything else we find between now

and Christmas for their apartment

will be put back as Christmas presents.

They've pretty much got the basics now

to get them going.

I'll make sure to put the gift tag to my son

on the larger items that way if something

happens between the two she doesn't run

off with all the stuff I got saying it was hers.

You just never know these days.

They are not married.


4:00pm


Looks like another yucky Winter according
to Farmer's Almanac.
Plus I have seen another all black Wolly Worm
which means a cold Winter.

---

8-23-13

7:40am

Taking mom out to some yard sales this morning.

Haven't been yard saling in awhile so we'll see how it goes.

In search of some Christmas gifts to put back.

3:20pm

Got back home from yard sales around 12-1:00pm.

Here's some goodies I found.

19 Handyman magazines $2.00

and a fish identifier book for .25 cents.

A couple screw on umbrellas $1.00 each.

You can already see where I'll be using them, lol.

That will be nice to have when sitting out in the hot sun.

Couple of games for the kids for Christmas $1.00 each.

Gerbil/Hamster cage $2.00

Bag of tubes to go with cage $1.00

Cordless floor sweeper

with rechargeable battery and charger $2.00.

This works nice on hardwood and tile floors!

For supper I'm making chicken ala king.

I put a chicken breast in the crock with

a can of chicken broth and added a packet

of Lipton's veggie dip mix.

Once done I removed the chicken and cut it up

into small pieces.  In the broth I added a couple

packets of sausage flavored country gravy,

returned the chicken in the crock and added

some cut up canned carrots.

Waiting for the gravy to thicken.

While waiting for that I put a couple of cans

of biscuits in the oven to serve the chicken gravy over.

---

8-22-13

8:30am

With the morning being in the 50's & 60's

I've been opening up the windows

and giving the air conditioner a break for about 

3 hours each day before any heat or humidity sets in.

Once I see the temperature creeping up

to the mark I have the AC set at is when

I go around and close the windows

before it kicks on again.

I have not one but two 

Better Than You Know What Cakes

going in the oven.

I have an order for one and the other one

I am making for my family.

This cake took first place in a dessert contest I entered

and then for a second year in a row I 

got an order from hubby's coworker for one

for his birthday.  He only had one request,

instead of Heath bits on top of the cake he

wants crushed up Butterfingers.

1:15pm


Got supper thawed out and marinating.
We're having baked pork chops.
Right now they are sitting in some stir-fry sauce,
some pineapple rings and pineapple juice
from the can they came out of.
Will serve with some rice and 
then later on will have cake for dessert.

4:40pm


Got two cakes done today, have pork chops in the oven,
got 2 loads of laundry done and working on more.
Have a bag of mixed dehydrated veggies with seasoning that
I am putting in the food processor to make into smaller pieces.
Will add this to the rice I'm making with supper.
When I boil the rice I add soy sauce to the water
so the rice will soak it up and add more flavor.

5:45pm


Sups on.  Looking good for just throwing things together.

---

8-21-13

4:00pm

Today went very well with being the first day back to school.

No problems or complaints, whew!

Got supper going.  I'm making potato soup

with the ingredients seen below,

potatoes, mashed potatoes, sausage flavored gravy,

smoked sausage, onion, carrots, celery, green pepper.

I also made up a batch of homemade sugar-free soda.

I'm trying something different by using

a couple packets of wylers/hawaiian punch packets

that are usually gotten 10 for $1.00.

For the potato soup I cut up some potatoes

with the skin on and put into a pot of boiling water.

Once done I'll drain off the water.

In pot add 2 cups milk and packet of gravy mix.

Cook til thickened.

In a food processor add carrots, celery, onion and green pepper

and pulse til everything is combined.

Add to pot of gravy and cook til veggies are done.

Slice and cook smoked sausage in skillet

and add to pot once done.

Stir in potatoes.  Add more milk or water to make more soupy.

If you want a thicker soup add in mashed potatoes.

I also added in some velveeta cheese.

I love soups.  You can make them however you

wish with whatever ingredients you have on hand.

I ground up the veggies so the kids wouldn't take

notice of what all was in there.

This way they are still getting their vitamins

from veggies.  With back to school means

back to bringing home sickies so boosting

their immune system with some added fruits and

veggies when and where possible along

with their vitamin supplements.

Now I don't know how my stomach will react to 

all those veggies.  Crohnie's have to keep a food diary

(I do it mentally) of everything that 

irritates the stomach, intestines or bowels.

Like I know not to eat salads that it will

mess with my system.

The other day I had some fudge and each time

I did my stomach just gurgled and carried on.

I had to ask mom what ingredients she put in it

to try and figure out what my system didn't like.

Now I'm wondering if it's the peanut butter

that was in it that caused it.  I haven't had any peanut

butter in a long time but the rest of the ingredients

I have eaten without problems.

8-20-13

9:00am

This morning I already have the crock pot going with supper.

I added some deer tenderloins,

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 3 tbs. worcestershire sauce,

water to cover meat half way,

then sprinkled the meat with a packet

of meatloaf seasoning and a packet of sloppy joe seasoning.

I also added in baby carrots and a small onion.

Later on I'll boil up some potatoes on the stove.

I don't think potatoes get done enough

in the crock so I do them separately.

I think today I'll do a history lesson about

a home on Westerville Rd.

I love learning about old buildings around Ohio

especially ones near where we lived.

When visiting a cemetery in Westerville on

Dempsey Rd. we found the name Jonathan Noble

on a tombstone.  It was from the 1800's.

There is also a street off Westerville Rd.

just South of 161 named Jonathan Noble

so I looked up the history of him.

This home sits just South of 161 and is on the East side

of Westerville Rd.  It is a wooden rusty brown color.

Jonathan Noble moved there in 1820.

Underneath the exterior and interior of the house is an

actual log cabin.  The home was slated for demolition

and had sat empty for awhile.  Vandals made their

way into the house and put holes in the walls.

That's when the owner discovered that

the home was actually a log cabin covered up

and decided to restore it instead.

Jonathan Noble was one of the first settlers in this area.

He was born Feb. 22, 1776 and died in 1832.

He was a veteran of the War of 1812

and migrated to Blendon Twp. from Connecticut.

He had 2 wives and 12 children and is buried

in Central Cemetery on Dempsey Rd.

He was born the same year the 

Declaration of Independence was signed.

Noble covered up his log cabin so it would

look like his neighbor's homes.

In those days living in a log cabin was too "primitive"

and when a family was financially able they would

either tear down the log cabins and make a home

of brick or cover over the logs with wood siding.

This cabin was covered with Poplar siding around

1830 and 1840.  Then in the 1940's another

outer layer of wood siding was added.

This is the only log cabin remaining in Franklin county.

An addition was added to the back of the house later on.

The main house had 4 rooms total, 2 upstairs and 2 downstairs.

A huge fireplace and hearth used as a pioneer kitchen

is on the North wall of the house.

The living area also had a fireplace and was on the

South side of the home.

The two upstairs rooms were bedrooms.

The current owner uses the downstairs 

as his office for Reiner Realty.

The 4 rooms in the new addition (not made of logs) are used as

the main living quarters of the current owners.

The Nobles had a 250 acre farm that spanned 

from Alum Creek to Cleveland Ave. through

what is now known as Minerva Park and Strawberry Farms.

There still is an original well and outhouse

on the home's property.

22 graves that sat 1/3rd mile from 161 and route 3

were removed and placed in Central Cemetery in Oct. 1902.

At one time Westerville Rd. used to run on the

East side of the home.  It now runs on the West side.

The original front door faced East and later

on another door was cut on the West side.

When I was younger I always walked the dirt trails

back to Alum Creek from our home to go fishing.

I used to sit upon a wall of rocks and had always

wondered why those rocks were there.

I had been told a farmer many many years ago

had built a dam across Alum Creek.

Now I wonder if that farmer was Jonathan Noble

because it wouldn't have been that far from his home.

Today when I revisit that old fishing hole of mine

I see that the wall is slowly deteriorating away

and looks nothing like it did years ago.

It extended out into the water further

and looked like steps on one side that

I would sit and fish on.  Now it's overgrown

with trees and weeds.

6:00pm

Hubby's running late tonight with a couple

of on call emergency calls.

Looks like me and the kids are eating supper without him.

I got a recorded message from Columbus City Schools

saying they are short handed with bus drivers

to expect delays until the end of September

while employees go through driver's training.

Elementary schools could run about a

half hour behind each day til then.

What I would like to know is what the schools

have been doing during the Summer

that they just now realized they don't

have enough bus drivers?!

10:00pm

Since hubby was running behind this evening

I took my son over to Walgreens to get

his 7th grade booster shot.

Hubby was home by the time I got home.

But not for long since we got paged out

for a fire.  Oh boy gee, here we go.

Full moon is upon us.

Before getting to his work hubby had called

another coworker who lives on the property

and left them a voice mail to see if they could

go check the situation out.

Well this person never called back.

So we get there and there are firetrucks everywhere

including the hook and ladder.

Nothing major but it could have been if it hadn't

of been for a neighbor who called the fire department

because of hearing a smoke detector going off

and smelling something burning.

It was Asian residents who left something cooking

on the stove.  They were not home obviously

and the firemen had to break in the door.

So we had to stay to fix and secure it.

It was a newer resident and we found her

phone number and called to tell her what had happened.

I don't know if she just didn't get the seriousness 

of what had happened or how bad it could

have gotten but this person just had the 

attitude like, oh well.  

"oh, I must of forgot to turn the stove off, hee hee,

sorry for your inconvenience."

Uh, ya could have burnt down the whole building!

And that steel door the fireman damaged

will cost a LOT for the resident to replace!!

Good thing they require renters insurance

on all their residents.

As for the coworker who didn't return our call

soon after calling him around 8pm

well he decided to call us back at 2:45AM!!!

What an idiot.  I had a hard time falling back to sleep

after that thinking it was another page to go out on.

I'm half asleep while hubby was talking to him

on the phone and I was singing,

"I'm gonna kick somebody's ass!" in the background

for waking me up!!

Calling at that hour of the morning was ridiculous!