Doings

I've been getting rid of more things!  I'm reinvigorated to clean out the house. The rainy weather is probably helping with that, as I have trouble feeling comfortable and cozy if there is a cluttered house around me. 

Just today, while recovering from a minor illness, I cleaned out some old photos. I decided to get rid of photos in which people are blurry, it's just scenery, or get rid of all photos but one in a grouping where they are very similar. This is difficult for my husband. I asked his permission on a few that involved a hiking trip from the 90's that he and a buddy went on, and he just didn't want to talk about it. His reasoning is he is tired at the end of the work day, which I completely understand. But if it was a morning he would also have an excuse. :)  He just doesn't want to deal with it, and rarely wants to get rid of anything. It's just who he is. He is a fantastic human being, so I'll forgive him for this little flaw. Lol. 

I am, however, determined to rid this house of anything that is mine that I don't need or anything that is ours if I feel comfortable making the decision to toss. 

Last week I found a whole stack of old computer CDs to throw out. 

I had been holding on to these books for some reason, which is strange because I generally read a book then get rid of it. These books still look brand new so I gave them to someone who is making a dog lovers basket for the silent auction at a banquet our humane society has coming up. 

And yes, in a sense I did "get rid of" this sweet foster boy, Simon. He is now named Victor and has a wonderful mom and two Boston Terrier siblings who are his best buddies. 

 

Lately

Lately, around here I have:  

picked up a humane society dog from her spay and transported her back to the shelter.  (She's a sweetie and traveled so well in the car), 

had a bowl of yum--brown rice, broccoli, carrots, sprouted teriyaki tofu, and tamari, 

finished bottle feeding our last kittens for a while.  These three are still here but they are around 9 weeks and 2 pounds so they can be spayed/neutered whenever our next appointment is, 

been swimming a couple of times with this guy, who loves to jump in the pool and make a big splash, 

transported this cutie pie, Smudge, (a former foster), to Petsmart where she got herself adopted a few days later.  

made a couple batches of massaged kale salad with strawberries and coconut for Mr. GV, 

packed up this little one, Shirley, 

and her sister, Laverne, and wished them a happy life as they went off to one of our adoption partners, 

went with my mom, sister, and this guy to a local consignment sale, 

where I bought two things:  a stack of people magazines for $2 and a tuxedo T-shirt for my nephew.  Tacky as hell but he loved it and so do I, 

managed to accomplish some reading, of course with some help, 

took some more picture of Simon (the tiny trio is named Alvin, Simon, and Theodora) because of some interest in this sweet Siamese boy, 

made Happy Herbivore's Taco Soup (good but IMO needs more liquid to be more soup-like), 

and found that our local chain grocery store now carries vegan cookie dough.  Most of the time I make mine from scratch but I wanted to support their vegan choices so bought a container.  My nephew got to enjoy the first half here after an especially good day at school and the other half was taken to a board meeting for the humane society.  

In addition, we cancelled Hulu!  That's $7.99/month we won't be paying.  We can still see all the shows on Hulu that we want, they just won't be available until 8 days after the broadcast showing instead of the day after.  We are watching less and less TV so that suits us just fine.  

Frugal doings

We have had lots of expenses around here lately.  But it's no fun to focus on that, is it?  So let's just rejoice in the few frugal items, shall we?

*I made a trip to the big city recently to transport a cat to Petsmart.  While there I stopped at Moe's to pick up dinner for Mr. GV and myself.  On Monday's Moe's has $5 wraps.  Of course it is always cheaper to eat at home, but after having been on the road for a few hours and busy all day, this was a planned event.  So I will take the $5 wrap.

*I have discovered the joy of my sister having a pool at her apartment complex. I have red hair (well I did before the aging process made it look like I've dyed  it blonde!), blue eyes, the whitest white girl skin, AND a family history of melanoma. So I've never been a sun worshiper or one that is able to hang out at the pool all day. But now with my sister less than 10 minutes away I am able to go over and enjoy a dip for an hour or two at the time, for free. 

*I have been to very few yard sales this season, as I really don't need anything. However, on a whim I stopped at one this summer and found a large box full of Archie comic books. I loved this series growing up, and my nephew does too. He has been digging into the box each time he visits my house. I can't remember now exactly what I paid, but I want to say it was $20. That's a huge bargain for something that we both enjoy. 

*I made a visit to Goodwill and found 3 shirts and 2 sleep pants. I'm thrilled with them all. I have very few decent shirts. When you are in animal rescue you rarely have a call to get dressed up!  

*I've been getting through a few books lately and putting them in a bin to be sold at a large used bookstore. I also cleaned out underneath one of the cabinets in our built-ins. These were books that we had read and saved. I save very few books. Typically I read one and then out it goes to be sold or loaned out. Mr. GV has favorites that he does like to save, however. So I was pleasantly surprised when he agreed to get rid of several books!  

It's Been Forever

Life has been CRAZY BUSY these past few months. I have become even more involved with our local humane society and have fostered multiple kittens, several who have needed bottle feeding for a few weeks at the time. This means getting up every 2-4 hours throughout the night when they are small and you are also limited in how long you can be gone from the house.  Right at this moment I have three bottle feeders who are transitioning to wet food but still need a bottle 3-4 times a day. I am sitting on the bed typing this on my phone while a little grey tabby girl hangs out in my lap and a Siamese boy lays on my chest. Their little brother, all black, is in bed. 

I have a little more freedom now that they are a bit older and I am getting more uninterrupted sleep at night so I feel like doing things during the day. Things like, oh, cooking and cleaning. So my husband is a bit happier too. Ha!  

This week I have my nephew since we are in the week between kids' club (summer daycare) and the beginning of school.  Yes, here in the Southern U.S.  we send out kids back to school in the humidity of early August. Ugh. Yesterday I had some shopping to do, plus other errands: pick up scrub pants for Mr. GV that were altered at the dry cleaners, pick up his antibiotic because he got a bad dog bite Sunday while riding his bike that required stitches, and drive to my mom's town to check on her cat while she is on vacation. 

Today's plans involve going swimming with my nephew and them playing some Disney Infinity with him. I might actually get in some reading!   We need to take two other older kittens that my sister and nephew are adopting to get their rabies shots but I'm not sure if that will happen today or Thursday. 

I miss blogging and hope to get back to it. I need to remember that I have the Blogger app on my phone and perhaps I can get out a post every now and then! 

Here is Alvin, one of my current bottle feeders.  Excuse his cruddy eyes. They all have a very common kitten ailment right now where they get weepy eyes. They are getting ointment on them twice daily but it makes a crusty mess. 

Pile o' kittens 

Yard sale and other frugal doings

We are gearing up for a HUGE yard sale at my mom's house in a little over a week.  The best part, for me?  So far I have very little in the sale!  But I have been getting rid of things, which means most of it has gone to Goodwill or other charity organizations.  Which means I don't have to deal with as many feelings of "Oh maybe I should keep that..." or feeling sad that something is going away.  

I do have a few other items to take over, things that my husband thinks are worth selling and not just giving away, plus items too big to be donated:  electric lawnmower, patio furniture set, and some electronic items.  If these items don't sale at the yard sale, I will put them on Craigslist.  

I do have a couple things I am waffling over:  sets of dishes that belonged to my grandmothers.  My mom saved a set for each of her three girls.  My sisters don't want them though, and are settled enough to take them if they wanted, so they have been stored at my house for quite some time.  I'm ready to get them out of here, but it is tough because of who they belonged to.  

Funny thing though---I have no memories of my grandmothers using these dishes! These must be ones that were put up in china cabinets, bought and stored away, or used before I was born.  I have other items that belonged to my grandmothers and and actually have memories attached to them.  OK....I think I might have actually talked myself into getting rid of the dishes just now!

In other frugal items:

-I returned an air filter that Mr. GV picked up at Lowe's.  It was the wrong size, and since I had to go to WalMart anyway, I just got a credit on my card and bought it for half the price.

-I've been doing some surveys for General Mills for a while now, and just cashed in for a $75 Amazon gift certificate.  

-I also cashed in enough MyPoints for $50 from Amazon.

-I'm trying to remember to use Ibotta and the other grocery apps when I am going to buy something anyway.  Some times it just seems like too much effort to scan in the receipt.  lol

-I've been saving a decent amount at the grocery store with coupons and sales lately...27% and 30% recently with some free product coupons and clearance items.

-We are now taking out cash once every two weeks for grocery items and eating out.  It's been a good way for us to see how much we spend on those items.

-Today I am going to the bank to put in our income tax refund, a check from my mom for something I bought for her online, check from a friend for something I picked up out of town, reimbursement from my mil for her cell phone service, and from my bil for his portion of flowers for a funeral.  Everything except the IRS check (obviously) all came out of our checking originally, and we are just being paid back.  However, since we've already spent it and managed to get by without that money for the last few weeks, I'm going ahead and putting it in savings. All of this is going into our short-term savings, and I am thrilled that our car savings is steadily moving up.  I am determined to pay cash for the next one just as we did for the last one, and every bit we save up is less in stock we will have to cash out.  

Silk cashew milk

(BzzAgent provided me with a coupon for a free product, but no other compensation.  Everything I write is always going to be my own opinion, good or bad.)  

I am picky about vegan milk that I am going to be drinking or using in cereal.  In recipes, just about any kind will do, as long as it is unsweetened and unflavored.  Vanilla flavored milk is just not very good in cornbread, for example.  

For drinking purposes, I find rice milk too thin.  Almond milk is OK, and soy milk is fine too, but I don't love them.  Cashew milk though.....it's a winner to me.  Silk cashew milk is creamy and doesn't have the "watery" taste to me that rice milk does nor does it have the aftertaste of some vegan milks.   I have been enjoying it with peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and I already know it will be great with cereal.  I can imagine how great it will be with hot chocolate too!

I will be buying this product again, at my own expense, that's for sure.  

Frugal doings

Some frugal things lately:

-I received a free book entitled Between You and Me:  Confessions of a Comma Queen.  You are asked to review it online, but not obligated.  I'm pretty sure this book is going to be something I enjoy! 

-In the mail today, I got a flyer for $5/$25 at a newly remodeled Dollar General store.  While I don't normally shop there, I will visit and see what they have.  This would be a good time to buy staples for the local humane society.  They can always use peanut butter (for treats and giving meds), laundry detergent, and trash bags.  

-I have a couple of books, also received as review copies, that are part of a series I enjoy.  But I would like to read them in order, so have been catching up by checking out books at the library.  Unfortunately, I've reached a book they don't have.  I was all ready to go on Amazon and buy it, when I remembered the READS program where I can check out books for the Kindle app for free.  I went in and they had the book, so I put it on hold and should have it within a couple of weeks.  I prefer to read paper books, but don't mind reading on my phone every now and then.  

-We were able to add to our car savings this week:  My in-laws are part of our cell phone account because it is cheaper for them.  They were able to drop their home phone and their home internet after my mother-in-law got a smart phone.  They give us money every couple of months to cover this.  We go ahead and count this as extra money and put it into car savings since we can cover the bill with our income.  We also received a refund on our escrow account.  With both of those items, we were able to add $383.26 to our car savings.  

Marathon and shopping

Recently Mr. GV and I headed out for an out of town overnight stay.  He was participating in his first full marathon and it was too far to drive the morning of the race and still get a decent night's sleep.

He checked in on Friday night and got his registration packet.  Does anyone know what this thing is??  It was one of the freebies in his bag, along with a coozie (keeping it for the nephew's water bottle) and a key chain that floats (already put in the Goodwill box.)  

The next morning dawned wet and gloomy unfortunately.  Mr. GV had to run for a couple hours in the rain, wringing out his shorts as he went.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  Eventually the rain cleared out and the temperatures stayed decent all day.  

So, I had about 5 hours to do whatever I wanted.  Most businesses in the town didn't open until 9:00, so I had a couple hours to kill after I saw Mr. GV off on his marathon.  My first stop was Kroger, where I bought the fresh cut fruit (pineapple, strawberries, blueberries) that he likes to have after lots of physical exertion, and a few groceries to take home.  After that I thought about going to Target but decided I would just spend money on things I didn't really need if I went there.  

I then headed to Goodwill.  One of the first items I spotted was the train in the picture below.  Oh my gosh!  I had forgotten all about this train.  You see, I had one of these when I was little, and I loved it.  There is a little cap that's supposed to be on the whistle's top, and when you wind it up, the parts start moving inside and it plays "This Old Man."  I kept that train in my buggy for a while, before I decided that even at $1.99, it wasn't worth hanging on to this piece of nostalgia.  I've been getting along just fine without this item in my life, and will continue that way.  I have a picture of it, so it can spark a memory when I look at that.  

I almost bought a basket that matches two that I already have on a table in my kitchen.  It's the exact same style, a miniature laundry basket.  This one was painted green though, and I prefer the natural look.  It wasn't worth my time to try and get all that paint off, if it's even possible.  And I put a Pokemon book back that I was picking up for my nephew, J, because I didn't want to wait in line for just that one item.  

Next I checked out a store called "Dirt Cheap."  If you mind things being messy, you do not want to go into this store.  Packages are open and things are shoved everywhere.  However, there are lots of goodies from places like Target.  I still didn't find anything here that I just couldn't live without though.  

Next stop was Lane Bryant, and I did spend some money there.  I needed new undergarments, and I got them as planned.  Then a quick stop at Panera for a couple bagels and I was on my way to Ross.

I was on a serious hunt for that basket I talked about earlier.  Either that or 3 complimentary baskets I could put on that table, and move the two other baskets back to my laundry closet.  I noticed the store was arranged differently and there were no baskets to be found.  Whoops!  There is a Kohl's, Ross, and Marshall's all in the same shopping center, and I went to the wrong store.  Next time I will check out Marshall's for sure.  

I did find a small item (can't show here since it's for a family member) and took a picture of this cute bag to send to a fellow humane society volunteer.  She loves dachshunds.  And I found out her second love is purses!  I offered to buy it since it was the only one there and she could just pay me back, so that's exactly what I did.

I took a quick spin at Books-A-Million and talked myself out of buying anything since I have shelves full of books at home and am currently reading a book from the library.  I did succumb to two boxes of Thin Mints from the Girl Scouts outside the store, mainly because I wanted to show support for the fact that they are VEGAN this year!  

The time was closing in on Mr. GV finishing his marathon, and I wanted to be there to document it so I headed to the finish line.  He had not made as good a time as he had hoped.  I know the rain didn't help, and he also had some leg cramps and had to switch to run-walk intervals.  But he finished.  It didn't matter what place he finished in....he ran 26.2 miles!  

With his finisher's medal.  He is amassing quite a collection of them.  

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And just a couple of random pictures from the last few days:  I had some potatoes that were starting to get past their prime, so made a batch of mashed potatoes, found a box of Earth Balance Mac and Cheese in the pantry, and a Gardein roast and gravy in the freezer.  (Mr. GV also had cranberry sauce and some previously cooked collards.) Yum!  No real vegetables here, unless you count the little bit of kale that's stuffed in the roast, but oh it was so good. 

Miss Emma has been dying to go out for weeks now.  We have hawks that are known to carry off cats and small dogs, and we also can hear coyotes in the distance.  And so the cats have to stay inside.  Do I feel guilty for not letting them loose outside to hunt and run around?  Nope.  It's my job to protect them from the dangers that they don't understand.  

And so Emma now has a halter, and she is loving getting to explore outside. The others don't seem too interested, so thankfully I don't have all of them trying to get out the door whenever it opens!  

Review: Simple Truth Products

Recently I joined Kroger's Simple Truth BzzCampaign and was sent a package containing a bottle of Simple Truth Organic Ready to Drink Tea Energy Beverage and coupons for free Simple Truth chocolate bar and bread.  (I was also sent a coupon for free Greek yogurt, but as a vegan, I did not use this coupon and will not be reviewing the product.)  

You will see TWO chocolate bars in the pictures below, one provided by the Simple Truth campaign and one paid for out of my own pocket.  That is because I discovered Simple Truth Organic Dark Chocolate Bars way before I joined this campaign, and buy them just about every time I make a trip to the grocery.   

All three varieties available at my Kroger (Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate with Quinoa, and Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt) are vegan.  Before this I ate chocolate chips as my chocolate snack of choice because of lack of availability of animal-free chocolate products in my little town.  Bonus:  they are organic AND a Fair Trade USA product.  

I'm going to be completely honest about the Simple Truth Organic Ready to Bake Bread.  It is still in my refrigerator waiting to be baked.  I am making some mushroom barley soup tonight though, and I plan to bake this Roasted Garlic bread and serve it alongside the soup.  I feel certain the bread will be delicious (Hello---roasted garlic!) but I already know I like the list of ingredients:  ORGANIC WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SEA SALT, ORGANIC ROASTED GARLIC, CULTURED ORGANIC UNBLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, YEAST.  No long list of preservatives or ingredients of undetermined origin?  Yes please!

I am not a tea drinker so my husband tried out the tea that was sent along with the coupons.  Unfortunately, he did not enjoy it.  On a scale of 1-10 he gave it a 3 due to it having a sour taste.  He believes it was the Guayusa ingredient that added the taste he did not like.  This is a product we will not be buying in the future.  

A few tidbits about Simple Truth products:

• Simple Truth products are easily recognizable by their clean packaging, along with the green circle logo that states either "Simple Truth" or "Simple Truth Organic."  
• You can find Simple Truth products on almost every aisle of participating stores, including the Kroger family of stores.
• If you would like more information about these products, please visit SimpleTruth.com.  There you can find digital coupons, find out more about available products, and make a shopping list.  

Disclaimer:  I was provided with a bottle of tea and free coupons for both the chocolate bar and bread.  No other compensation was provided.  All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.  

The Year of Decrapification

So much stuff!!  From where does it come?  Well, we all know the answer to that:  it can only come into the house if the occupants let it.  

I finally got my act together enough to clear out the stuff I had put in my nephew's room here at my house.  Most of this has already been taken to the Goodwill donation truck.  Another small box is going this morning.  And then there are a few things that are going to my mother's house to be stored in her shop for the yard sale we are having this spring. 

Items from Mr. GV's closet:  coat, shirts, exercise clothes, hat, tie, etc. 

Prom/banquet dresses from 25 years ago.  Why was I hanging on to these?  Sentimental I guess, but now I am so glad they are gone.  The black one might be stylish enough to wear even now but the rest?  Maybe someone would like to make cute pillows or dress up clothes for their girls out of them?  

A wreath that was a gift when my Dad died.  It hung in my spare room (now cat room) where I didn't have to see it very often.  Although it's pretty, it makes me sad to look at it because of the event associated with it, so out it goes.  

Totally random items--water bottles, thermometer, phone case, microwave turntable, storage containers, fanny pack, shoelaces, and so on. 

The few toy items I had.  

Electronics!  Is this the bane of everyone else's decluttering process?  I put the cameras, phone, GPS, and one of the cords in a box for the yard sale, but the rest is gone to GW.  

Houseshoes, notebook, floor puzzle, knife, bag.  Plus a small box of items GW would throw out so I'm going to put them at the yard sale as free.  

Puzzle, lampshade, belt, child learning cards, MY GRADUATION HAT from 500 years ago.  Yep I'm sure someone will want that piece of cardboard and fabric.  

A nice storage container on wheels.  The top is slightly bowed because I had heavy items on top of it, but if counterweight is applied I think it could be fixed.  When you get rid of lots of things, you have no need for as many organizational containers.  

Capri jeans that have multiple buttons for the fly and a couple pillowcases.  

Purses, a few clothing items, horseshoes, water shoes.  Duffle bags are going to the yard sale. 

All going to the yard sale:  guitar (being returned to my mom who is the actual owner for her to sale), kid's chair, fireplace screen, camping mat, photo printer. 

I am SO glad to get these things out of my house.  There is still quite a bit to be done.  It's all the hidden type of items now:  old laptops in the top of a closet, not really bothering anyone but getting on my last nerve because I know they are there, sentimental items packed away in a closet, too many T-shirts clogging up a dresser drawer.  

Pressure Cooking

 I grew up only knowing pressure cookers as something to be a little bit scared of, and was constantly told to stay out of the kitchen when canning was happening because it might blow up.  My parents and grandparents raised large gardens and there was always canning to be done before the season was over.  It was a big process but it was the way things used to be done when my parents and grandparents were growing up, and I am glad to have experienced it.  The heat and the jiggling of the pressure cooker are memories of my childhood that I doubt I ever forget.  Neither will the rows of beautiful vegetables and soups disappear from my mind's eye.  

But today's pressure cookers are much safer and now I know they are not just for canning!  For Christmas, I requested and received Vegan Pressure Cooking by JL Fields.  And last week I was ready to give the first recipe a try.  

Mr. GV is a big fan of mushrooms and also of greens, so the Beans and Greens Soup from the cookbook was the perfect recipe.  Verdict?  Delicious! The vegetables were cooked perfectly and the flavor was great.  It's a little spicy for my taste, but Mr. GV likes the heat so it is perfect for him.  Next time I will probably make it a little less spicy so that I can enjoy it as well.  

I've also cooked in the pressure cooker a few more times since the beginning of the year.  I made black eyed peas twice.  Easy peasy.  (Ahem.)   I rinsed my dried beans (no soaking needed) and cooked on normal (high) pressure for 10 minutes.  I also made brown rice using the recommended times in Vegan Pressure Cooking and it came out perfectly.   I just might be able to get rid of my regular rice cooker!  

A new year

Happy new year everyone!  I've been gone since mid-November.  Lots of life to live and I put the blog last.  I do enjoy posting here and having a place for memories, so my intention is to get back to posting more often.  

To start off the year, I decided to make a list of things I'd like to work on, and I thought I'd share that with you.  I'm not going to beat myself up if I don't do them all, and in fact some of them might drop off my list as time goes on.  We will see!  

2015

-Reading:  Set a goal, something fun—alphabetical, one fiction/one nonfiction, or other ideas to just read more.  I have shelves full of books that I want to read. 

-Blog:  Get on a regular schedule for posting, even if that is just once a week.

-Kitchen:  Homemade bread, try new recipes, use up pantry items, set a grocery budget

-Declutter:  One in/one out rule

-Household:  Set up a regular cleaning schedule  

-Exercise:  Get back to walking and rotate dogs to take along

-Photography:  Learn to use manual settings

-Humane society:  Promote on social media, work on grants, new adoption ideas

-Use it or lose it:  Cookbooks, electronic gadgets, kitchen items, clothing.

Would anyone else like to share a list of goals or just an item you would like to work on in 2015?  Good luck!  I know even those who say they don't make resolutions or set goals probably still have at least one thing they would like to change about their life.