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Tuesday, April 30, 2024

My Thrifty Week - Post #11



It's been a very long time since I've posted a 'My Thrifty Week' post but, in future, I really need to get on the ball and get back to basics. I hope to make 'thrifty week' posts a regular feature.

Here are a few of my latest 'thrifty' finds...

- Kerrygold Unsalted Butter was on markdown at Walmart. I bought 4 packages for $2.50 each. Normally, they're $3.98.



- A friend gave me three bunches of fresh green onions. I sliced each bunch up and froze in batches. I will use them in upcoming recipes.


- Speaking of onions...I found onion sets (package of 100 bulbs) at Walmart marked down to $1.00 on clearance. That's a penny a piece for fresh green onions right out of my own garden! 



- The hot water tank went out (again!). Parts are ordered and should be here by early next week. Bright side? Until it's fixed I'm saving $$$ on liquid propane. 😉

Update - They sent the wrong part and, as of now, the part needed is NOT on order. Hopefully, they will get things straightened out and the right parts will be on their way soon.

- Sheet sets were on markdown at Walmart yesterday for 50% off. I found a lovely Better Homes & Garden twin sheet set for the roll-away marked down from $21.98 to $11.00. Very pretty!

That's some of my recent 'thrifty' finds. Feel free to share some of yours in the comment section below. 

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Monday, April 29, 2024

Master To-Do List and Menu Plan Monday - April 29, 2024

It's Monday evening and, as you can see, I'm running late again.

Wildflower Daisy Bouquet

I'm still not feeling 100%, but am well enough that I was able to accomplish a few things this past week and weekend.

Iris Blooming in My Garden

The van is inspected and licensed for two more years, my doctor appointment went well,  and I got in a full day of work on Saturday. 

Painted Rock Found By Granddaughter, Esther

We've had a lot of rain this past week. The grandsons and I went for a drive last night to explore some of the area flooding.


The Road We Used To Live On Out In The Country

You Can't See It, But There's a
Bridge Under All That Water


This week's master to-do list...

- Clean house
- Do laundry
- Wash bedding
- Weed-eat
- Sow zinnia seed
- Turn the calendar page
- Figure May budget and bills
- Pay bills
- Do the banking
- Shop for groceries
- Make saltdough ornaments for an upcoming program
- Attend an online meeting for work
- Work Truman Days in Lamar

Pair of Blue-winged Teal in a Flooded Field

This week's menu plan...

Monday - Sandwich and baked potato
Tuesday - Tuna and noodles with green beans
Wednesday - Homemade pizza
Thursday - Cashew chicken with brown rice and stir fry vegetables
Friday - Turkey Italian sausage, pasta, sauce, and garlic bread
Saturday - Breakfast for supper
Sunday - Leftovers

Passover Moon 2024

Well, that's all for today! I hope you've had a nice Monday and I wish you a great week ahead! 

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Friday, April 26, 2024

The Basics of Homemade Cleaning Supplies

(Reprint of blog post dated Tuesday, March 8, 2011 with a few corrections or comments made along the way.)


I've made my own homemade cleaning supplies for many years and have never regretted it. Occasionally, I have slipped back into the convenience of purchasing ready-made laundry detergent, but am never as satisfied with it as I am with my own homemade. Even though I have shared some of these recipes before, I thought I'd share my basic cleaning supply list of homemade formulas with you today...


ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER
 Mix in a sprayer bottle:

1 T. ammonia
1 T. liquid laundry detergent
2 cups of water

This recipe costs virtually nothing to make and, in my opinion, works as well as, or better than, the 409 All-Purpose Cleaner that I used for years at almost $2.50 a bottle! 

(I'm sure that 409 All-Purpose Cleaner costs way more than $2.50 a bottle now!!!) 

HOMEMADE GLASS CLEANER

Mix in a sprayer bottle:

1 cup rubbing alcohol
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon ammonia

This is the best glass cleaner I've ever used and it's streak-free!

HOMEMADE CARPET FRESHENER

1/2 cup of borax
1/2 cup of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cloves and/or cinnamon (cloves help keep moths out of the closet too)

Or, if you've got pets, instead of the spices, use about 20-25 drops of sweet orange oil (I use the spices AND the orange oil), which is a natural flea repellent; be sure to mix in the oil into powder mixture thoroughly and never use directly onto your pets.

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP - LIQUID

1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap
½ cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
½ cup 20 Mule-Team Borax powder  
 
You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size.

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan.  Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts.  Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket.   Now add your soap mixture and stir.  Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir.  Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel.  You use ½ cup per load. 

(Note: The finished soap will not be a solid gel; it will be more of a watery gel. And the soap is a low sudsing soap. You won't see suds, but that's okay. Suds are not what cleans; it's the ingredients in the soap.) 

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP - POWDERED

2 cups finely grated Fels Naptha soap
1 cup 20 Mule-Team Borax
1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda

Mix and store in a coffee can or what have you. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons per load.


HOMEMADE FABRIC SOFTENER

6 cups water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups hair conditioner (the best I've found so far is Suave Ocean Breeze...Mmmmmm!) 

(I don't know if they even make Suave shampoo anymore...haven't even looked for it in years...but am re-thinking products like this anyway due to their liberal use of sodium lauryl sulfate. More on that at another time, but you might research it and check your ingredient lables.)

Use as you would any softener (I use mine in a Downy ball). It won't leave a residue on your clothing or towels. 

Well, these are just a few of the homemade products that we use in our home. I find their cleaning ability equal, or superior, to what you would typically purchase at the local retail stores, and only the Lord knows for sure how much money we've saved over the years since switching to these products.

Happy Cleaning!

~Rebecca

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The Basics Of Homemade Cleaning Supplies (original post)

Monday, April 22, 2024

Master To-Do List and Menu Plan Monday - April 22, 2024

It's late Monday night and I'm just now getting around to sitting down to the computer. It's been a full day to say the least, so I'm going to make this short, sweet, and to the point.


Wildflower Bouquet


This week's master to-do list...

- Clean house
- Do laundry
- Celebrate Passover
- Go to the doctor
- Get van inspected and licensed
- Work


 Latest Iris in Bloom
So pretty!

This week's menu plan...

Monday - Chicken, potatoes, and green beans
Tuesday - Seder supper @ daughter and son-in-law's
Wednesday - Turkey burger with sauteed potato, green pepper, onion, and biscuit
Thursday - Fish sandwich and sweet potato fries
Friday - Cashew chicken with rice and broccoli
Saturday - Breakfast for supper (or leftovers)
Sunday - Cheeseburgers, macaroni and cheese, and butternut squash pie

Four Generations
Youngest Son, Anthony, His Youngest Daughter, Sophia,
My Aunt Geneva (my mom's baby sister), and Myself

Well, that's it for today! I hope you've had a nice Monday and wish you a great rest of the week ahead!

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Monday, April 15, 2024

Master To-Do List and Menu Plan Monday - April 15, 2024

Good morning! It's Monday and we're half-way through the month of April! I cannot believe how fast time is just zooming by! 

I'm behind on going through pictures. Here are a few from Easter 2024...


Sixteen of My Twenty-Three Grandchildren

The Girls - Easter 2024

The Boys - Easter 2024

Audrey and Sophia
Oldest and Youngest Granddaughters Present
Easter 2024


What a week and weekend! Still recovering from being sick, two trips to Kansas City, back to work for the first time since mid- to late-March (only made it a half-day, but made it through the program.), had weekend company, and helped Amanda with Amber's baby shower. Whew! I was (and still am) beat, but that's okay! It's was a great week and weekend!

Toads and Frogs of Missouri Program on Friday
(The children were making toad homes out of flower pots.)


Baby Shower on Saturday


Now it's time to get back on track and get this house back in order after being sick so long and having so much going on! Let's get started on today's post...shall we?

Indian Paintbrush


This week's master to-do list...

- Clean house
- Do laundry
- Wash bedding
- Clean out and rearrange the fridge
- Figure mid-month budget
- Do the banking
- Pay mid-month bills
- Prepare for and present a program on Indian paintbrush at the local library
- Pick up a few things at the grocery store
- Trim up yard edges
- Get zinnia seed in the ground
- Work

Letter Received From 6-year-old
Granddaughter This Week

This week's menu plan...

Monday - Leftover Casey's chicken strips from the weekend, instant mashed potatoes, and oven-roasted carrots
Tuesday - Turkey burger, baked potato, and oven-roasted carrots 
Wednesday - Fish sandwich (on Good Earth Roll) with sweet potato fries and steamed broccoli
Thursday - Soup and sandwich
Friday - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans
Saturday - Homemade pizza
Sunday - Homemade chicken nuggets, Sue Gregg's cheesy potatoes, and oven-roasted carrots

Sunrise Over Liberal
(The old elevator used to set at the end of this street
and be in all the pictures taken there.)

Well, that's it for today! Have a nice day and a great week ahead!

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Spring Bucket List 2024

Spring has arrived in all its glory! Here are some of the things that I hope to accomplish and enjoy throughout the season of Spring 2024...



"For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations."
(Isaiah 61:11)

- Write my spring bucket list
- Plan my spring menus (these will be posted each week in my 'Master To-Do and Menu Plan Monday' posts)
- Celebrate Palm Sunday
- Celebrate Purim
- Get together with the aunts
- Renew my conceal and carry permit
- Celebrate Resurrection Sunday
- Taste a morel mushroom
- Observe the solar eclipse
- Celebrate spring birthdays with the children and grands
- Gather a bouquet of ox-eye daisies
- Assist with and attend a baby shower for daughter, Amber
- Plant a garden and watch it grow
- Observe Indian paintbrush blooming on the prairie
- Enjoy a rainy day
- Present spring nature programs at work and at the local library
- Observe sweet williams growing along the banks of a country creek
- Go for a walk in the woods
- Pick up bedding and vegetable plants at the Amish Greenhouse
- Present a nature program at the Golden City, Missouri public library
- Attend Spring Training @ Roaring RIver State Park
- Cook burgers on the grill
- Attend a 'Little House' meet and greet
- Renew tags on van
- Deep clean the kitchen
- Plant zinnias
- Smell lilacs
- See a brand new baby bison
- Observe a bird's nest with eggs in it
- Clean out and organize the garage
- Pay closer attention to labels and start eliminating health and beauty products that contain sls

Well...that's some of what I hope to observe and accomplish this spring. What's on your Spring 2024 bucket list? Please feel free to leave a link in the comments below so I can visit your site, as well!

Untl next time...
~Rebecca

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Monday, April 8, 2024

Master To-Do List and Menu Plan Monday - April 8, 2024

I've been quite ill for the past couple of weeks, and even though I'm still not operating at 100%, I am extremely thankful to be getting back on track...in some areas anyway...like (as abbrivated as it is), being up to writing this post! 😊

  • Solar Eclipse 2017

  • This week's master to-do list...

    - Watch today's eclipse (WITH proper eclipse glasses, of course; was supposed to go out of town to be in totality, but, plans changed, and with me being sick, it wouldn't have worked out anyway...disappointed, yes, but, oh well...we will be in 94% obscurity here, which isn't bad...as long as it's sunny) 😳
    - Clean house
    - Do laundry
    - Pet sit for a friend
    - Get ready for and host weekend company
    - Work 
    - Attend a baby shower

    Path of Totality 2024

    This week's menu plan...

    Monday - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, oven-roasted carrots, and Good Earth Rolls
    Tuesday - Turkey burger and baked potato, with sauteed green pepper and onions
    Wednesday - ?
    Thursday - Broccoli, cheese, and rice casserole (freezer) with oven-roasted carrots and Good Earth Rolls
    Friday - ?
    Saturday - ?
    Sunday - Leftovers

    Solar Eclipse Program 2017

    Well, I better be going. I'll be working from home today in preparation for two upcoming programs and the eclipse will be underway shortly. 

    Darkness at Mid-Day
    Solar Eclipse 2017

    Have a nice day and a lovely week ahead!

    Until next time...
    ~Rebecca

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