A Free Before & After With Huge Impact

I'm sorry I've been missing for a bit....my busy season has arrived both at work and in the garden at home, and that means a lot less time to bounce around blog land visiting my sweet friends.

But I wanted to check in today with a quick look back at one of the changes Sweetie and I made in the garden that made such a huge impact. 

Possible Solution for the Hydrangea Bed

Things are really starting to 'green up' around the mountain top, and the real planting season isn't very far away at this point....which means I am SOOOO excited to get my garden gloves on and get out there and DIG!! 

How I Hope To Cut Expenses Even More In 2019

Here we go, the start of a new year, and I see people posting all over blogland these huge lists of goals they have for the year. 

Honestly I find it kind of overwhelming to set those enormous goals for myself. I already feel as if I'm stretched too thin and need a clone. 

So, I'm focusing primarily on trying to cut my yearly budget. 

The Post I'm So Excited To Write

I have been SOOOO excited to finally write this post! 

It's been a long time coming, but it will all be worth it in the end!

Rainy Day Reading

It's a miserable, cold, windy, rainy, blustery day in the  mountains today. Not a pick of sunshine, just damp, dreary and downright chills you to the bone.

It's the perfect day for two things: making soup and reading a really good book.

I started my day by putting on a big crockpot of broth. It won't be ready until tomorrow afternoon, unfortunately, but when it's done I'm going to make a nice batch of potato soup.

Russet potatoes were on sale at the market this week - buy one bag, get one free. I had potato soup on my mind right away!

I started my broth out with the carcasses of 2 chickens - one I had saved in the freezer and one from Monday night's dinner. 

I added the following to the crockpot for this batch of broth:

1/2 bag baby carrots

4 stalks of celery, leaves included

1 head of garlic, unpeeled, cut in half

1 large sweet onion, unpeeled, cut in half

a handful of mushroom stems and pieces from the freezer

a couple of rinds of hard cheese from the freezer

1/4 cup peppercorns, whole

1/4 cup chopped dried parsley

4 bay leaves

1 tsp of Vermont Country Seasoning

Fill to the top with water, and cook on low for a minimum of 24 hours. I will actually cook this for about 30+ hours, until I come home from work tomorrow evening.

It's the perfect thing to make on such a miserable day.

I also have a perfect book for you to read on a day like this. I just finished this book and I am not lying when I say I could not put it down!

I absolutely love a book that grabs my attention like that! It brings me back to my childhood when I used to get so involved in a book that my mom says she could have a whole conversation with me and I wouldn't hear one word. I could tune everything and anything out!

This is that kind of book. The kind that reminds me how very much I love to read. 

The Forgotten Garden

I'm sure many of you have read it already....if you haven't, please pick up a copy asap! You will not regret it!

This is absolutely not a sponsored post, and no affiliate links. I just adored this book!

The story grabbed my attention from page one and every spare second I had found me going back to pick it up and read more, more, MORE!

One more page....one more chapter....one more hour...!

I've now downloaded samples of 3 of Kate Morton's other books and I can't wait to dig wholeheartedly into the next one.  I have just started The House At Riverton....I'll let you know what I think when I'm all done but I have high hopes for it after The Forgotten Garden. 

Do you have any books that you have read recently that moved you to the point of thinking about them constantly? If so, please share - I'm always on the lookout for a new favorite book!

No Spend Month - Final Recap

Hi Friends! I feel like I have so much to tell you all - it seems forever since I've been here with you, sharing the tidbits of my little mountain top life!

I've missed you all!

It was a busy, busy weekend in my world, unfortunately much of it involving that dreaded 4 letter word....WORK. 

I'm sorry it kept me away from all of you but I'm back now and I'm excited to share the results of my very first no-spend month with you all. 

Well.....I just about made it through the entire month without spending a dime! 

I made it right up until the day before it ended. 

What happened to break my no-spend month, you ask?

My gas light came on!! I had to pull into my local Cumberland Farms and fill up the tank. And while I was there I ran in for some bread, half and half, and Doritos. 

Yes, you heard me right. Doritos. 

I didn't mean to....it just happened. Hey, I'm not perfect!!

I also had to buy some scratch offs for a dear colleague who was retiring this weekend. I wanted to put them in with her retirement gift.....hey, you never know, right? 

Back to the no-spend - here were my tricks for making it through:

1. I stocked up. I knew I was going to really give this a try so before I began the challenge I made sure I had what I needed in the house as far as groceries and supplies went. 

2. I limited my trips in the car. Right before I began the challenge, after I ran all my errands and stocked up, the last thing I did was pull into the local gas station and fill my gas tank to the tippy top. I would have made it through the whole month without filling up again if it hadn't been so cold! I had no choice but to warm up my car well before driving to work. Oh well, it is what it is!

3. I used credit card points. I have my Chase Freedom card linked to my Amazon account. I use my Chase card for many, many things to collect as many points as possible. Whenever I get Chase points, they show up as a credit on Amazon that I can use whenever I want. I saved them this month for any "emergencies" that may come up....like buying a retirement gift for my colleague! 

4. I had my daughters chip in. They are both off the mountain much more frequently than I am and I had no qualms about asking them to bring back fresh produce. I'm still waiting for the wine to be restocked. I guess I won't hold my breath.  

5. My sweetie helped out. We have a 'deal' that whenever either of us is going to the market, we check in with the other to see if there's anything we need. I did not take advantage by any means but when I ran out of Greek yogurt, my sweetie picked it up on his trip. 

6. I shopped my freezer and my pantry. I used the fresh produce first, obviously, but as that ran out I went to my freezer and pantry for canned and frozen fruits and vegs to get me through. Meals were planned around what was already in the house. I even made a fabulous cake for the retirement party from what was in my pantry....I'll share the recipe another day. 

7. I kept lists. Instead of running out to pick up a few things as they were needed the items were simply put on the shopping list. One shopping at the end of the month, and we're all stocked up again. Since I absolutely hate grocery shopping I might try to do this more often!! One big shopping, once a month!

8. I kept busy. I did projects around the house using things I already had, which gave me the feeling of having something new without actually buying anything. Win/Win!!

9. I made do. Isn't that what it's really all about? Going back to a simpler way? Back in the 'old days' if you didn't have something, you made do. Today we are so quick to go out and buy what we 'need' or go online....but do we really need it? Really? 

I think my biggest challenge through it all was not feeling 'free' to go out and do what I wanted to do, as I was strictly trying not to spend money for the month. No days off the mountain to just visit a nearby village and wander around the shops. No bringing home Chinese Food when I didn't feel like cooking....although Sweetie did bring in a pizza this weekend. No stocking up on wine even though I'm pretty much out of whites. No splurges, no treats. No "I feel like getting a manicure." No new shirts or shoes. 

But all in all, it was a good challenge and I will most definitely do it again. January is a great time for this type of challenge - it's good to rein in the spending after the holidays and also to bring a little 'discipline' back into the routine. Let's face it, we all let things slip a little during the holidays - we eat too many sweets, drink too much eggnog....spend too much money. 

Do you think you could do it? Do you think you could go an entire month without spending on anything other than bills? 

No Spend Month - Week Three Recap

I can't believe it's been three weeks since I began my first no-spend month! I doubt that there has been another time in my adult life when I went three whole weeks without spending any money (other than on bills, of course!) and it feels amazing that I have made it this far!

The challenges have been few, as apparently I did quite a good job of prepping for my no-spend month. We certainly haven't struggled with food, that's for sure! I've been using up the perishables first, of course, and then going to the freezer to supplement. 

My daughter also picked up a few bits of fresh produce when she was at Trader Joe's so that helped. 

As you can see, my produce tower still looks pretty well stocked. Take note of the bananas and avocados in the second tier - my daughter bought those and they are still there because I happen to be allergic to both bananas and avocados! Otherwise they would have been all gone by now. 

I'm on my last bag of sweet onions. My potatoes are starting to grow eyes so I'm using them up these days. The sweet potatoes will need to be used in the next couple of days as well. I generally just wrap them in foil and pop them in the crock pot on low - they are cooked perfectly when I get home. Just remember to line the crock pot with foil as well - sweet potatoes leave an awful mess when they 'leak' out of the foil wrappers!

I'm starting to work my way through the fall produce now - I left it until later in the challenge as it lasts so much longer than things like fresh green beans, spinach, etc. 

See that monster green squash? I grew that baby in my little veggie garden - I had no idea what it was until my dear friend Maureen identified it for me! 

Apparently it's a Hubbard Squash - it seems the squash plant I purchased at the nursery was mislabeled as Acorn Squash. I still don't know what I'm going to do with it but at least now I know what it is. 

I still have that beautiful pumpkin also that I bought ages ago at the farmers' market - I had no idea what I would do with it but after that absolutely incredible Pumpkin Lasagna I made over the weekend I am definitely going to do the same with this pumpkin!

I'm completely out of fresh fruit and have been resorting to frozen fruit on my Greek yogurt in the mornings. I was also out of Greek yogurt but my sweetie picked up some when he was at the market - thanks, Sweetie! I just pop the frozen berries in the microwave for about 30 seconds before dumping them on my yogurt and it works like a charm. 

My grocery list is growing and growing....

....I have no doubt that next Monday when my challenge has ended I will need to hit the market on the way home from work!

My gas tank is a little over 1/4 full. I'm not sure I'll make it through to the end but we'll see. 

My wine supply is dwindling.....I'll have to re-stock after the challenge. Of course, I am still waiting for my daughters to replace all the wine they drank....ahem. 

I'm still puttering around the house, doing this and that, but not spending any money on the updates. 

My recent post on the lack of a proper entry in my house prompted me to finally hang some hooks by the kitchen door. 

I bought a few of these hooks back when I was moving into this house - there's one on the back of the other door that leads to the deck, also. And one in my daughter's room, by her door. I think I have one more, possibly two, in my utility room, just waiting for the right spot. You can't have enough hooks in my opinion!

Over the weekend I moved my Fiddleleaf Fig into the dining room so it can get some more sun. It seems to be kind of naked on one side, probably because I had it over next to the fireplace. Hopefully it will start to fill out now. 

And then I read Sarah's post about her Fiddleleaf Figs and how she makes the leaves shine - guess what I did last night while dinner was cooking?  It works like a charm - thanks, Sarah!

After dinner, when I went out to let the pups out, the moon was incredible and the sky so beautiful I had to run back in for the camera. 

And yes, I am still putting on my holiday lights every evening. I haven't unplugged the lights around the eaves yet....that will happen soon. The lights on the deck railing will stay - I use them all season when I sit out on the deck in the evenings. 

Seriously, just look at that sky! Gorgeous!

I'm thinking the full moon last night must have had something to do with the beautiful sky this morning as well. 

I feel so blessed. 

No Spend Month - Week Two Recap

It's a bitterly cold day in the mountains today with wind chills in the negatives. 

A great day to stay indoors if ever there was one!

I wish I had that option. Instead I was traipsing around out in the frigid wind with my contacts freezing to my eyeballs. 

What does this have to do with my no spend month, you ask?

Well, this frigid weather might be the cause of me breaking my no spend month!

These photos are of the beautiful frost on the windows in my garage. The frost makes the most gorgeous lace window coverings!

It also means I have to run my car for a while before I ever head out of the house. 

Which means my full tank of gas may not last the whole month as I had hoped. 

I'm at a half tank right now. It's not looking good to make it through to the end. 

However, my remote start is such a blessing on these frosty mornings I couldn't possibly complain!

Other than that, my no spend month is going quite well!

The shopping list on the fridge is growing by the day. 

But there are still plenty of meals left in my freezers and pantry so no worries there. 

I have been unpacking some last boxes of items from the move - things I bought ages ago and didn't know quite where to put them.  They've been hanging out in the garage until I figure it out. 

This lantern I originally bought for outside my garden cottage but when I unwrapped it I was concerned the wood would take too much of a beating out there. 

So, in it came....and I moved things around until I found the perfect spot. 

Doesn't it look great on the built-ins in my master suite? 

When my no spend month is over I may get a LED candle with a remote for the lantern. 

Or maybe I won't. We'll see. 

Another little happy spot in my bedroom is this vignette on top of my dresser. My daughter gave me that super-cool gold sparkly peacock for Christmas and it made itself at home nestled in my bird mirror. 

It makes me smile every time I look at it. 

So, the puttering continues, moving things here, there, and yonder for a fresh look without spending a dime. 

I unpacked two copper candle sconces that I'm considering hanging on either side of the TV in the living room. 

We'll see....I'm still figuring it out.  I'm so hesitant to commit to the holes in the walls it's comical!

Keeping busy without buying a thing - I have to say I'm really liking this challenge. I find it refreshing to 'make do' - it's freeing, somehow. Reminiscent of a simpler time. 

Halfway through.....let's see how I feel this time next week. 

How's your January shaping up? Are you sticking to your goals? 

No Spend Month - Week One Recap

What a difference a day makes!!  Yesterday the rains poured out of the heavens all day long, leaving behind raging creeks and flooded areas in the low spots on my property. Temps were unseasonably warm (once again) and the snow was melting off the deck. 

This morning, we were back into the frigid temps expected in January and the snow squalls were fierce!

Can you see the snow out the window? 

Just a few minutes later the sun was beaming through the same windows - so bizarre!!

I'm not complaining - I love it all!

As you know I got off to a little bit of a late start on my no-spend-month so I'm keeping on track with my actual start day of Monday, January 4th. 

That means I've officially made it through the first week of my first ever no spend month - woo hoo!!

For the most part the first week wasn't too tough. I had taken the time to plan and prepare so I was in good shape to start the challenge. 

I think the part I did not take into account were the variables in my life. In my house. 

And by variables, I mean my daughters. 

For instance, I bought a giant package of baby spinach so I would have it to make a few salads or omelets. 

And when I went to use it? Gone. Into a smoothie. 

Also, I knew I had a well stocked wine stash downstairs. I collected it for about a year before I moved here and had a nice collection going. 

So I'll be all set on wine for the month for sure.....right? 

Nope. Apparently many of my white wines got up and walked away....now when I feel like a glass of white wine what happens? 

Mommy was NOT happy. 

Other than that, the no spend challenge is going well. 

The fresh fruit and veggie tower isn't empty yet. When it is, I will revert to frozen fruits and veggies. 

And my daughters can also replenish the tower which is only fair. After all, they are in their mid twenties and working full time. 

Ahem. 

I've been jotting down things as needed, just as I always do. The only difference being this time I'm trying to hold off as long as possible before going to the market. 

This little guy is sure happy I stocked up on seeds and nuts. They go through the seeds so quickly in these cold temps and I'm so glad I can help them out. Hopefully I'll make it through the month with the supply I have stored in a metal bin in the garage. 

I still managed to get a few projects done, without spending anything. 

My sister gave me a beautiful family portrait for Christmas and I've been trying it out here and there, trying to find the right spot. 

When tidying up my utility room this past weekend I came across these other two black frames I had bought last winter. 

Insert free online printables of Parisian scenes and I finally have something hanging in my hallway! And, of course, I can change out the printables on a whim, which I love. 

I've been looking for something for that wall for 9 months now so I'm very happy with the result. The hallway feels finished now.....finally!

Across from the black frames I hung this wreath I got ages ago from Thistlewood Farm's collection at Painted Fox - it's made from the bark from a birch tree and I just love it! It's been in the shipping box, in the Big Green Monster, for months now. Every now and again I would take it out, hold it up on different walls, and put it back in the box. 

Now it has a home.  And my hallway looks fresh and new and I didn't spend a dime!

Another project that was completed this week was swapping out the microwave. And let me tell you something, it's about time!

When I bought the house, the microwave had a crack in the frame of the door. My sweetie glued it and we touched it up with paint and it was ok for a while. 

But over Christmas it became this:

The crack became a full fledged break and the glass inside the door was falling down. Glue wasn't going to work this time! Duct tape to the rescue....temporarily. 

I ordered a new microwave online and my daughter picked it up the very next day. 

And then it sat in the guest room for a couple of weeks until we could get it installed. 

(Did you notice a pattern here? The guest room seems to be the dumping ground for everything that's temporarily displaced!)

Anyway, the new microwave is finally in and the old one went for a trip to the dump. A one way trip. 

So, despite not spending money this week things are getting done, which makes me happy. 

Almost as happy as the sunshine that was pouring into the dining room when I was packing my lunch for work. 

Isn't that just the sweetest sight on a Monday morning? 

What brought a smile to your face today?

Mouth Watering Meatloaf

I think one of the most comforting meals on a cold winter's night is meatloaf served with mashed potatoes and gravy. It's one of my all time favorite meals. And it's one of my sweetie's favorite meals also so we both get pretty excited when I make it!

And I must say, I make a pretty darned good meatloaf. 

Not to toot my own horn or anything. 

Ok, maybe just a little. 

But look - see? Isn't your mouth watering just looking at this?

It wasn't always like that. I remember when I first moved out on my own many, many years ago I missed my mom's meatloaf something terrible. I thought, ok, how hard can it be? Get some chopped meat, add a bunch of stuff into it, and it's meatloaf. 

So, I bought some chopped meat, added all sorts of spices and herbs and steak sauce and who knows what else and popped it in the oven. 

And it was AWFUL!! Barely edible! I called my mom and she told me to keep it simple - meatloaf should be simple. And she was right. 

I made it Mom's way for a long time and then started playing with it just a little as I got more into recipes and cooking and became a full fledged foodie freak. 

Well, I'm going to share my recipe with you. 

It's not hard, and this recipe makes enough for more than one meatloaf, so you have some for the freezer. 

Ok, here we go. 

I started with 3 lbs of ground beef and 3 lbs of ground pork.  

I would buy the ground meatloaf mix at the market if they had it, but since they didn't I went this route. If they have the meatloaf mix, feel free to go ahead with that. You'll need 6 lbs total for this recipe. 

Mince one head of garlic and saute it in a little butter, just until golden. 

For onions, I used the onions I had saved from my onion-butter tomato sauce. 

Remember that recipe? For the simplest, most amazing tomato sauce? 

Well, if you make the sauce first, you can save the onions to use in your meatloaf, like I did! I had onions from 3 batches of sauce in the freezer which I thawed and then chopped fine and threw into the meatloaf. 

If you didn't make the sauce - first of all, why not? Second of all, you will need to chop two large or three medium onions fine and saute them until translucent. 

After the onions and garlic have cooled a bit, throw them in with the chopped meat. 

Whip up 2 extra large or jumbo eggs with 1/3 cup tomato paste, and salt and pepper to taste. I go light on the salt and heavy on the pepper for health reasons. 

Note: since I used the onions from the tomato sauce, I only used one egg and no tomato paste. 

Add 2 cups of seasoned breadcrumbs to the mixture. I added them dry because of all the moisture in the tomato sauce onions but if you are not using those tomato sauce onions you will want to soak the breadcrumbs in a cup of milk before adding to the mixture. 

Give it a good mix with your spoon and then you have no choice but to dig in with your hands. 

I don't like that part. But it's necessary, to feel the texture. The mixture should be moist but yet stay together. If it's not moist enough, add a little more milk. If it's too moist, add a little more of the breadcrumbs. 

I added a half cup of finely chopped parsley into the mix next and a little more salt and pepper. 

Another good mix with the hands and we're ready to form loaves. 

Look at all that goodness in there! 

I make my loaves large enough to feed 4 and a bit. 

The bit either ends up as second helpings or lunches. 

This meatloaf fed 2 of us at dinner plus 4 packed lunches. 

Plus a little for the furballs. They're good girls. 

I also got 3 more for the freezer out of this batch, same size loaves. 

How awesome is it to have a ready to go meatloaf in the freezer for a busy day!

Right before I bake it I brush a little BBQ sauce over it. 

Bake at 375 for about an hour (for this size loaf) and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing. I usually finish making the gravy while the meatloaf is resting, using the pan juices and the water from the potatoes as my base. You can find the basics of making gravy from pan drippings here.

I serve my meatloaf with gravy, mashed potatoes, and peas. 

Because my sweetie likes to mush the peas into his mashed potatoes. 

He's weird like that. 

Add a glass of good Cabernet Sauvignon and I'm in heaven. 

All for less than $2.00 per serving, which includes the gravy, potatoes and the peas. 

Not too shabby!

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