It's my page and I can post if I want to.

Regardless of how you feel about Covid, Masks, Hydroxy, etc, you need to make an informed decision, and do what is right for you and yours.  The Physicians at American frontline Doctors have come forward to tell about how they are successfully treating Covid patients in their practice, but because their treatment isn't going along with the mainstream Media, it's being deleted as false on Facebook, Youtube and Twitter.  That's a nice way for the powers that be to censor what we hear, see or read.  This flies all over me, and Liberal, Conservative or Libertarian that should fly all over you too.  So I'm sharing this here.  

Here is the link to Physicians with American Frontline Doctors video: https://www.bitchute.com/video/43kczPmQDeq6/

While I'm at it:  https://www.bitchute.com/video/jPK3VSixGhBV/?fbclid=IwAR3hZZc3DN1FxDhYJs_r0Ram_sWLVOINpqw4J51h1HmwJe1Wj6tGk30RWaY

Ironically, many of those that vote conservative and therefore, more than likely for Trump, are actually going against his administration on masks, and the effectiveness of shutting everything down and sheltering in place.  

Those who are anti Trump, or liberal tend to be the ones saying mandate mask wearing(unless you're protesting), shut down( unless you're protesting), We're all gonna die!etc.  

Time to get informed, make a decision, and maybe question some motives.  All I'll say.

Please watch.

Neener Neener! Doctor visit

Doctor visit today!  I had my yearly check up with my Endocrinologist.  

Last year I was on Pravastatin, per my cardiologist and seconded by my Endo Dr, to lower my already normal cholesterol levels.  Cause since I had a heart attack they want it lower than normal (what?).  I didn't want to be on it, but hubby wanted me to be on it just until I had labs drawn to see if it would work.  Well those labs came back and my cholesterol went up!  So off that med I went.  

This past year I haven't been on any cholesterol lowering med.  Don't get me started on weather or not cholesterol is the culprit.  That's another story.  I do know a cholesterol med isn't anything I need or want.  I was on half the lowest dose and was still experiencing some pretty worrying side effects.  Chest pain being one.  Yea, not a good side effect for someone who's just had a heart attack.  

So no Pravastatin for me at all this past year.  In all honesty, I haven't been "On program" eating until very recently.  I was still eating healthy, but just too much of a good thing.  

So even with all that, I have to report that my cholesterol came down!!!!!  No med, no real weight loss, but my cholesterol came down.  The doctor even said I did better without the med.  She's totally on board with what I want to do.  I've made a believer out of her,  Yay!  

Oh, and just to share it all, A1C was 5.2; totally normal, no sign of diabetes or pre-diabetes.  All tests were in good range.  AND  according to their records, I'm down 2 pounds from when I saw her last.  That's really saying something since I went up and then down.  So yay!!!!

A Successful week all round!

Good morning world!  How's everyone!  I'm fit to be tied today.  I've successfully completed a full week of healthy eating and activity.  The scale has awarded my efforts with a 5.6 lb weight loss.  Now some of that may be water weight, but it's no longer there is my point.  I use a website to keep track of calories called www.sparkpeople.com.  Each week I record my weight (well I'm supposed too, but some weeks I haven't recently).  I looked back over the last 6 months of recordings, and have not weighed this weight in 4 months,  

I've worked out or been otherwise active every day this week, but it's my eating that sealed the deal.  That's been my main issue.  I'm an active person in general, and while I did avoid the treadmill like the plague (or I guess in our day and age "The Rona!"), I've been outside most days doing rather physical work.  My eating was the problem.  I couldn't seem to get that under control.  It was like I had an angel on one shoulder saying "You don't need to eat that", and a devil on the other saying "one time won't hurt".  One time won't hurt, but a string of ones times will.  

If anyone is wondering what plan I'm using, I've gone back to what I know and what worked for me, and is working for me now.  

1.  Real food, nothing diet, nothing artificially low or nonfat, no processed food.  While I can and do have an occasional form of bread, the vast majority of my carb intake comes from fruits, veggies.and dairy.  When I am having some type of bread item, it's limited, whole grain, and unprocessed.  

2. Portion control.  People turn off at this one usually.  I've found the vast majority of folk want something where they can eat as much as they want with no calories to worry about.  Well I do too!  I want a Million dollars as well!  Our bodies work very specifically.  It is calories in, calories out.  Doesn't matter what diet plan you're on, trust me, it's still calories in calories out.  It's even more important for me because I have an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto Thyroiditis.  Basically my immune system attacked my thyroid, so mine doesn't work anymore.  I've been on meds for this for 30 years.  Due to this, my metabolism is slower, and I need to keep my protein high normal and my carb level low normal.  Spark people helps me do this because they break everything down so I can see what I ate in each category.  So to be accurate, I have to weigh or otherwise measure what I eat.  I guess it can be a bother, but I'm just used to it now.  

3.  Counting calories.  Naturally this goes with portion control.  This is my boundary line.  I can choose to eat whatever I want, but I can't go past my boundary line.  By the same token, I need to make sure I'm eating the minimum calories for my body to function.  Too few calories and my body will hold onto weight to protect me from the famine we are obviously in.  Nice body to protect me so.

4.  Quality-  I get more food, and am more satisfied when I choose quality foods; whole foods, fruits veggies, good fats ( and yes butter is a good fat), and unprocessed foods.  1200 calories of highly processed foods is void of the nutrients the body needs.  It doesn't stay with you very long.  It has a lot of filler, chemicals, etc that the body doesn't recognize.  1200 calories of quality foods has all your body needs,  When the body has what it needs, it won't trigger you to eat.  Yes, your body can do that.  Weird cool!  As a result, you're more satisfied.  Whole fat dairy is way better than low or nonfat dairy.  Great thing with whole fat dairy is I can eat less of it and fill in with a fruit or veggie.  

5.  Move.  Gotta be active.  I did get back on the treadmill.  I will be on it this week too, but I will also be outside taking care of animals, the garden, digging, etc.  I will be active, and I will do something structured.  I will say, pick something you can live with.  

Other tips I would give is to get a decent nights sleep, make sure your drinking water, and relish ( no pun intended) the victories no matter how small.  Keep your eye on the prize.  There are times when I won't lose, or will have a bad day.  I will get up dust myself off and keep moving forward.  Over a two year time span I put on 15 pounds.  My old self would have added all 63 pounds back plus some, but this time I never totally gave up.  I kept trying at least.  I would much rather lose 15 pounds instead of 63.  

So last week is a victory.  Yay!  Now to start on this week.and we'll see what happens!  I would love to hear other success stories!  Won't you share yours!?

My New Mantra

I've written about how much of a struggle the past two years have been regarding my health and weight.  As a result of that struggle, I've slipped into old habits of beating myself up when I gain, or have a bad day.  When I fall short of what I want to do.  

Those comments I make to myself, can pile up.  If you were under verbal abuse from someone every day for 2 years, it would take it's toll.  Subsequently, I've been my own worst enemy in that I set myself up to fail, then berate myself over the failure.  

Yea, that's not happening anymore.  My new statement is "I'm worth my taking care of myself, and my husband is worth my taking care of myself".  This goes both ways.  My hubby is so good to work out diligently each day, taking one day off in a week.  Whenever I comment on how good he looks, his response is always "I'm doing it for you babe".  He doesn't just mean to look good.  What he's saying is "I love you so much I want to spend as much time as possible with you".  He does it to stay healthy so we have more time together in this life.  He deserves I feel the same way, and act on it.  

Saying I want to spend the rest of my life with him, yet not doing what I can to insure it's a good long time, is disingenuous. 

That's my earthly motivator.  

God see me as special too.  Should I ever falter on that one, I can remember this:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you received from God?  You are not your own.  You were bought with a price.  Therefore Honor God with your bodies."

Psalm 139:13-14 "For you created my inmost being.  You knit me together in my mothers womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Your works are wonderful.  I know that full well".

1 Peter 2:9 " For you are a chosen people (person), a royal priesthood, a holy nation. God's special possession that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light"

What are your motivators?  Whatever they are, have them first affirm how wonderful and special you are!  Never lose sight of that.  You are not defined by a scale, your clothes, or how your day's going.

Remembering THAT Girl

Look at that girl!

This picture was taken not even 2 years ago.  It'll be two years this summer.  I have no make up on.  We were camping as well so, hair not styled and got my play clothes on.  We were in the middle of a hike; a hike of a moderately steep trail, and hubby decided to take a picture.

I love this picture.  You'd think I would've been embarrassed with the lack of grooming, but I wasn't.  I love this picture because of what it represents.  I was 63 pounds down from my starting weight, not my highest weight, but my starting weight.  You can see me at my highest weight below.

  At 51 years old I had finally figured out how to be healthy.  I was feeling good.  I'd go shopping for clothes (cause it was fun now), find something I'd think I couldn't wear yet, try it on anyway, and find it fit!  I moved easier, had more energy, wore comfortable clothes because they fit!  I was chomping at the bit to be active.  I wanted to move. The girl in the first picture had it all together.

Then the heart attack happened barely 2 months later.  A heart attack with no visible reason why.  For 2 weeks I was told to not do anything.  I couldn't even lift a gallon of milk, they said.  Then I couldn't workout unless cleared with a stress test and I needed to go thru rehab.  That wasn't for another 2 months.  Rehab told me I was to never get my heart rate above 124, so while my muscles were like "Hey we got this", the rehab folks (party poopers) would slow me down, and I wouldn't even be breathing hard!  In the midst of all that I was on two meds that had a side effect of chest pain.
 What?

 I spent a lot of time talking myself down off the ledge.  Rehab was the only place I felt comfortable exerting myself because I was on a monitor, but the exercise I was getting there was no where near what I had been doing.

Another side effect of one med was a panicked feeling.  That med went the way of the dodo after Christmas, but while on it, the least little twinge and I was panicking.  Since the other side effects of both meds were chest pain, well yea, not a fun combo.  Hubby wanted me to stay on the second med( the non panicky one) until my labs were done that following Sept ( as in this past Sept).  This med was supposed to lower cholesterol (but I never had a blockage?)and reinforce me artery walls.  So, okay.  I'll stay on it.  My OBGYN told me later that Magnesium would reinforce my arteries as well.

 Really? Hmmm.

So, I got my labs back that September and my cholesterol was up.  Still normal, but up from what it was.  So was my weight; not much, about 5 lbs.  In came the Magnesium, out went the cholesterol med.

During all this, Pre-Menopause showed up.  With that came sleepless nights, crazy carb cravings, and three day long head splitting headaches that no med could touch.  I would get back on track eating wise only to have one of these hit and disable me for 2 or 3 days.  Now we have the pandemic, quarantine, and items out of stock at the store.  Wild ride.

Are these excuses?  Some, maybe.  But in all honesty it's the only way I can explain the toil the past almost two years have taken.  I've had good times too, some milestones I wanted to hit I did, But the woman I am now is not the woman in that picture.  At least not yet.

I saw the above picture the other day and I thought about that girl.  Who she was, how she felt, and decided I want her back.  At this point I'm up about 15 lbs.  I look at my clothes and some I know I can't wear, and others I hope I can still wear.

Still in the Pandemic, pre-menopause is still a factor.  In fact, just had one of those headaches 2 days ago.  I've got to work my way thru this.  I want her back.  I know she's there inside probably rolling her eyes and tapping her foot waiting on me to get my act together.

I had a glimpse of her today.  I got a good nights sleep last night.  I awoke refreshed and raring to go.  My hubby thinks it was too much caffeine, but it wasn't.  Maybe a combination of morning coffee and sleep gave me energy I haven't had in a long time.  On the heels of that thought came the realization that I've been existing for a while on 4-5 hours sleep, carbs, caffeine and nerves.  Not a good combo.

That's about to change.

The number one thing to cure a black thumb

I love to garden!  While raised by parents who gardened extensively, as a kid I hated to get in the garden.  I would've rather cleaned house than have to work in the garden.  As an adult that changed.  My mom once told me of all of her children I was the last one she thought would garden, and at the time I was the only one who did.  It all started with two tomato plants, and now?

I'm telling ya, once the garden bug bites, there's no going back!  There's always one more thing to try, one more experiment.  Volunteer garden plants love my garden so much they come every year.  My garden is The Place To Be.  I'm just sayin.

 In the past, I've had people tell me they have a black thumb, not a green one.  "I can't grow anything" they tell me.  Well I'm here to tell you the secret to curing your black thumb.

Are you ready?

Are you sitting down?


Time.

That's it! Time.

I know right!?  It really is that easy.  Plants already know what they need to grow up and produce, but it takes your time with them to make sure they have everything they need.

We don't have children, just ignore them, and say "I can't raise kids".  Now I'm not saying my plants are as important as my children.  But the premise of raising both holds true.

Plants take time.

Time to walk among them and see how they're doing.  Do they need water?  Are they thriving?  Are there weeds taking nutrients that are meant for them?  Do they need harvesting?  You know there are a lot of books and websites that can help you trouble shoot any problems that might arise.  That's all I do.  If I see a problem I don't have an answer for, I look in a book or surf the web.  The answers are readily available.

Time to pull weeds, give them water, give them nutrients as needed, loosen soil so they can breathe, and address any other situations that arise.

I understand people have busy lives, and can't have a big garden.  There's no rule that says you have to have a certain size garden.  It can be one plant or hundreds.  It's up to you.  Just don't have more garden than you can handle.  Start small.  There's no greater feeling than to see that first plant breaking thru the ground, or that first bloom, or even that first tiny veggie.  Nothing tastes better than something you picked that day to eat.

So start small, but start!  Don't let this be something that intimidates you.  You won't regret it.  You just might find out you enjoy it.  Fresh Air, sunshine, good workout, the sound of bees buzzing and birds singing.  It's a wonderful combination.  Well worth your time.  And when the time comes(cause, fair warning, it will) that your garden is producing enough to put away for a rainy day, you'll look with satisfaction at those jars lined up on the shelf, or in freezer bags in the freezer.  You'll have a little smile on your face as you casually stroll past the canned vegetable aisle, or frozen vegetable/fruit aisle.

Umm speaking of getting bitten by the gardening bug.

Herb-a-palooza!

I've had herbs as part of my garden for years now; Mint, Oregano, Lemon Balm, Lemon Thyme, Parsley, Basil and Cilantro.  Plus, now thanks to a very nice neighbor /distant cousin ( Dad's side of the family) I just met, I have Rosemary.  I've pretty much spent my time moving the herbs around and keeping them under control; all but the Parsley, Cilantro and Thyme.  FYI, Mint and Lemon Balm spread!  I just couldn't think of what to do with all of it!

Well that is changing.  I'm making the most of everything in my garden.  Nothing is being taken for granted.  These are the things I've learned about all of my herbs.

Mint- Can help with upset stomach.  Although it can exacerbate GERD symptoms so don't use if you have GERD or really bad acid reflux.  Mint helps with getting a good nights sleep.  It can also help relieve stress and anxiety.  It can help reduce inflammation as well.   Members of the mint family include:  Rosemary, Lemon Balm, Oregano and Thyme.  I didn't realize they were related when I planted them, but, there ya go.  While each one of these are related, many of them have their own uses aside from the obvious culinary uses.

Lemon Balm- Is the closest in appearance to Mint.  In fact, in order to tell which is which I need to pick a leaf and smell.  Not a bad job.  Smells good!  Lemon Balm has antiseptic and antibacterial properties.  It also can help increase appetite, and sleep.  It's known primarily as a relaxation herb.

Oregano- Can help for coughs, asthma, and other respiratory ailments, UTI, Menstrual cramps, and even rheumatoid arthritis.

Thyme-  Any type of Thyme can be used, but what I grow is Lemon Thyme for my cough medicine.  It can also help with sore throats.  It has Antibacterial properties.  There are some that say it can help with hypertension and even yeast infections.

Parsley, Cilantro , and Basil; I'm growing primarily for culinary reasons. The Cilantro and Parsley I can dry, but I have yet to find a good way to store Basil.  For that reason I have a plant in my kitchen that I'll use fresh, hopefully all year round.  I have 9 other Basil plants I need to do something with.  Probably give them as gifts.

Most of these herbs are being used by me primarily for culinary reasons, but I also plan using them for medicinal uses if need be.  It's nice to have the option. For that reason I've been drying herbs as they're ready.  I'm getting a little behind on Mint.  It's growing faster than I can dry it, so I need to be doing larger batches of Mint.

FYI:  Mint tea with milk and sugar is REALLY GOOD!.  I've also made a small batch of Mint extract.  Last time I made Mint Extract I made a huge batch!  You can see how I did it on my "how to's" page.  That was too big a batch, so I'm tempering it down a bit.  I also really packed those mint leaves in the jar.  I used a jelly Jar this time.  Perfect amount.  So far I've also made one batch of mint jelly.  Looks pretty in the jar.

You don't need a dehydrator to dry herbs.  All you need is an oven with a working oven light.  You lay out your herbs in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Place the cookie sheet in the oven with only the oven light on.  Some herbs will be done over night, some take a little longer.  You'll learn which ones are which.  Just check them after about 12 hours.  If they need more time, put them back.

Once the herbs feel crispy and crumble easily, remove them from the main branch, and crush them til they look like what you would think dried herbs would look like.  I'll remove all of mine to the cookie sheet I placed them on originally, then crush them and place them in a jar in my cupboard.

I FEEL THE POWER!....Of Vitamin D

We have had a long, wet winter.  We've had some cold days, but mostly just this damp, seep into your bones, chill.  Think " the Moors"in a Jane Austin Novel.  It has rained, and rained, and rained.  We had over 10 inches of rain in February alone!  That kind of cloudy damp condition all the time can make even the most stout hearted lover of winter, rethink things,  That's me.  I usually love winter, but this year I've just been waiting on the rain to end.  We would have a couple of rain less days; not necessarily sunny, but no rain, and then the rain would come in full force.  FINALLY yesterday started a, hopefully, 5 day dry spell.  We have more rain on Tuesday scheduled, but it's less than an inch which is awesome!  Maybe my back yard can be less of a sponge.

You don't really realize how much you need the sun until it finally arrives!  That's under normal circumstances.  Under a "quarantine"( no I'm not sick, just following the stay at home request), being able to go outside and work in the garden is PRICELESS!

We need sunlight!  It's what gets us Vitamin D the all natural way.  I think I was a quart low.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/vitamin-d-and-your-health-breaking-old-rules-raising-new-hopes


So for the past few days I've been outside"playing".  Getting the garden ready to plant.  I have Broccoli, Red cabbage, spinach, lettuce, cilantro, carrots, yellow squash, garlic, Parsley, Lemon Balm, Lemon Thyme, Mint and Oregano already in the garden.  We've been picking from the lettuce, spinach, cilantro, and other herbs.  I use the Thyme for cough medicine.

All of the herbs are being harvested and dried in our oven.  It's easy to do.

Simply wash them, drain them well, then spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Put the cookie sheet in the oven with only the oven light on.  This usually take about 12 hours.  Sometimes a little longer, you want them crispy and easy to crumble.  When they're ready, let them cool a little them crush them and store in a jar.

I've been drying some thing or another pretty consistently.  Tonight is a little Cilantro.

While all of these items are in the garden already, it's only because I've been slowly but surely putting them there come rain or shine.  I've also been reclaiming the garden.  With all the rain we ended up with these shallow root weeds that spread.  You can see what I'm talking about in the bed center right.  That whole bed is covered.  I haven't gotten to it yet.  I've been removing weeds to get the beds ready to plant.  It was while doing that I found 4 cilantro volunteers!  I have found the easiest way to grow cilantro is to buy a plant and plant it.  Get frustrated when there is a hot spell and it goes to seed before you can use it.  In frustration, just scatter the seeds.  Ignore it til the following year.  Then enjoy the pants that wanted to be there.  Lol.  The two beds in the center of this picture are actually growing garlic and mint.  Strawberries are in the cinder block holes.

.

I needed this sunshine.  I needed to be out doing something in the midst of all this craziness in the world right now.  Something that didn't require baking thank you very much!  I have to confess in my effort to not let anything go to waste, I've let everything go to my waist!  (see what I did there?)  The guys are happy (smile).  Mom's baking!

So what are you up to in order o pass the time? 

Rethinking how I do things

Hello Everyone!

We're hunkered down here in the homestead; just like everyone else I suppose.  We're living thru a historical moment with this Covid-19 virus.  In all honesty, it still feels surreal to me.  Surreal , but serious.  Please, please please, take this serious.  This is not the flu.  This is way different.

My family doesn't leave the house except to go to work.  I have three men in this house still working.  I'm very thankful for that, but nervous a well.  When they get home from work it is in the shower for them and in the laundry for their clothes.  Because they're working and coming home, I'm reluctant to go anywhere or have anyone come by; for others protection as well as our own.

I say that, but old habits die hard.  My first thought is "oh I'll just run down to (fill in the blank)".  Grocery stores, Walmart, Lowes, all these places are still open.  We can go thru a drive thru for dinner as well.  But here is what I'm learning, and believing.  Just because someplace is open, doesn't mean I have to go there.  *** And can I say, if you do have to go there, please don't wait in long lines for the store to open.  Go somewhere that's already open, or wait til your favorite store is open.  If you're standing in line with 10 other people, then you're in a gathering greater than 10!  You're at risk!***

Now don't get me wrong.  I'm trying to do my part to help the small businesses in my area, but I have to do so in a way that protects them and my family.  For that reason I'm re-thinking how I do things.

For example:

This is the time of year we put in our garden.  I've planted seeds and they're doing very well.  But there were things I needed; mulch for the walkways between raised beds, pine straw for on the beds, and I also needed potting soil.  I didn't want to go into a store.  Plus I wanted to shop locally.  I tried a local hardware store that has a well known name, but is independently owned, and was told they aren't doing deliveries.  Okay.  Then I'll look elsewhere, and I did.  I ended up ordering from a small family owned feed and seed store near by.  Their prices were much better anyway, and he delivered what I ordered to my house.  I was able to stay far away from him as he unloaded everything I purchased.  I supported a small local business, and was able to get what I needed and stay on track with the garden.

Another item that needed our attention was the housing for our small bantam chickens.  With the arrival of spring their egg laying has increased.  Problem was they were in the Rooster run and it was never designed for hens.  It needed to be re-designed so we had access to the eggs.  My first thought was I would just have to run to Lowes and grab some stuff.  But then I stopped myself and asked myself did I have items here I could use, and not make the trip to town.  Well, we did.  Now granted, when you make do on something, you don't have plans or measurements to follow....ehh it can kinda look like the villains lair in the old Batman series, but, hey, it's functional, and it will do until we can make a trip to town.  Point is.  We thought things thru and ended up not going.

As for provisions,  I was fortunate that I had already done the monthly grocery shopping the Friday before things went south( no I did not buy toilet paper.  We already had some).  So we are pretty well set.  Plus I keep a pantry.  It wasn't my normal pantry as I had kinda slacked off in recent months, but we're okay for a bit.  I've been tempted to go to the store to pick up a few things, but have decided against it.  This has forced me to really push myself into A) using anything and everything I have in my pantry/freezer, and B) Learning what all I can make on my own.  As it stands now, I will never by Mayonnaise, ketchup/ BBQ sauce, flour tortillas, or peanut butter granola bars at the store.  I already don't buy Bread, English Muffins, Bagels, Dog treats, choc syrup, jams/jellies, Season Salt, Taco Seasoning, Granola/Cereal.  It's become a challenge to me now to see how far I can make this stuff go.  Technically I get more grocery money in 2 weeks when Hubby gets paid, but there is no guarantee I'll be able to shop like I normally do; by the month and stock up when an item is on sale. We have a local farmers market that has ingeniously adapted to where you can call them ahead of time and give them your order.  You let them know when you'll be by, and they will bring your order out to your car; wearing gloves and the whole bit.  They're a mile from my house.  Since they're a farmers market, I'll utilize them when I need some fresh items.

The garden is starting to produce a little spinach and lettuce.

Plus the hens are really laying now.  We're getting 8-10 eggs a day.  And I just found out you can FREEZE raw eggs!  How awesome is that!  This is one of those times where gardening and raising chickens is more than a hobby.  It's also one of those times where I say to myself I will do this as long as I can.

More than likely you are cooped up like we are.  I have a friend who took this time to learn to make her first bread.  It turned out beautifully.  Don't you think?

Now is a good time to do all the things you've been meaning to at home but just didn't have the time. Sure it's not a vacation you would choose, but now that you have it, make the most of it.  You never know what you can accomplish!  See what happens!

Here's to "making the most" posts!

Good morning! Hope everyone is doing well, especially with all this virus hulla ballo going around.  I could throw in my two cents worth, but 2 cents doesn't go as far as it used to.  Nope, instead I'll stay in a practical frame of mind.

This post has been a few days coming.  Mainly because it took a few days to get things ready.

Back around Thanksgiving I bought two rather large turkeys on sale at our neighborhood Kroger for .47 cents a lb.  There weren't a lot of great turkey sales this past year, sad to say.  This one was the best, but limited to two.  Since I was limited in quantity, I had to make the most of the ones I chose.  So I bought two ginormous turkeys.  Between 20-25 lbs.  I cooked one around Christmas and did all this then as well, but this go around I wanted to share the process.

Turkeys bought on sale can be great resources of meat, and broth.  Pus there is a side benefit for my furry friends and feathered food producers (Chickens).

This bad boy weighed in at 23+ lbs.  I placed it in the fridge to thaw for about 3 days.  Then came the day of.  Since I'm making a whole turkey anyway, turkey was on the menu for that nights dinner.  Saves me from having to do anything.  Win win.  Anyway, I put the turkey in my trusty old roasting pan and baked for almost 5 hours til done.  Once dinner was over, and the turkey had cooled, I deboned it, while placing all the bones in my crock pot.  I ended up with a huge breast in my fridge to use for sandwiches.  Plus all this other meat!

Having all the bones, giblets, etc back in the crock pot, I proceeded to add some celery (2 large stalks), some carrots,half a large onion, couple of tsp salt, and 2 tbs vinegar.  I then covered the whole shebang with water, put the lid on and set it to low.  

It cooked for over a day, maybe 30 hours?  Then I turned it off to cool.  Once cool, I strained off all the broth that had been made and placed it in the fridge for the fat to solidify on top.  The scraps were tossed to the chickens!  This morning, out came the broth.  I scraped off the fat at the top and put it in a jar to make dog treats for the fur babies.    I brought the broth to a boil and then proceeded to can 4 quarts of bone broth.  Liquid gold!  This is the stuff that make's homemade chicken noodle soup cure what ails ya.  

As a side note, these quart size jars range in age from a few years old to way older.  I've inherited jars from my mom, and my grand mama.  In fact one of these jars is a commemorative jar celebrating the bicentennial of the USA!  Can you see it?  

How bout now?  Lol.  So from a 23 pound turkey, I was able to use just about all of it.  That's the best part of stretching what you have.  Make sure you get the most bang for your buck!

Pinto beans..not just for chili. Who knew! (recipes enclosed)

I eat dried beans.  I do.  Usually in something.  Usually in Hispanic cooking; but I rarely eat them just by themselves.  That is until last night.  Oh my!

A couple of weeks ago I cooked a ham in the crock pot.  Turned out great!  The meat we used for dinner that night, and subsequent lunches and breakfasts thru the week that followed.  The fat was taken off and given to the chickens.  They love that stuff!  It's funny to watch them when they get something they love.  It's like watching chicken football.  They grab a piece and run to a corner somewhere trying to play keep away from the other chickens who are convinced they only want the piece of meat another chicken has.  Anyway, I digress.

So after all of those uses, I still had these wonderful juices from cooking the ham in the crock pot.  So I did what any other sane person would do.  I stained out the broth and placed it in a container to let it cool and solidify the fat that would rise to the top.  It did, and I pulled out the fat and put it in a jar.  That will be for the dog treats.  That recipe calls for 1/3 cup of oil.  I'll use the ham fat to replace that.  The dogs won't complain.  The broth I stored in the freezer until yesterday.

I've cooked dried beans before with a ham bone, and while it added some flavor, it wasn't much different than water to me.  But because people cook beans with ham, I decided to cook these in the ham broth.  I cooked 2 lbs of beans.  I had about 4 cups of broth, so I added enough extra water to cover the beans.  That broth was pretty concentrated anyway.  Then I let the beans slow cook on the back of my stove...all day.  This made a big pot of beans; about a full dutch oven's worth.  We didn't eat nearly what was cooked.

Yesterday was a baking day.  I made loaf bread, bagels, and granola.  Since I was baking anyway, I used up some cornmeal and made two pans of cornbread; one was for dinner, and one was for the freezer.

I liked these beans so much, I'm using some of the leftover beans for re-fried beans today.

Re-fried Beans 

1 quart of cooked pinto beans with the broth
1 quarter of a large onion, finely chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
Olive oil or Lard

Heat a little oil or lard in a skillet,  I use a cast iron skillet, but any will be fine.  Once oil is hot, add your onion and garlic.  Saute until they start to brown.  Then add your pinto beans with the both.  Add a little water if you need to in order to make it soupy.  Let it simmer for a bit.  I've let mine simmer about a hour.  The beans should thicken up as they simmer and the water cooks off.

Now I just mash mine up in the pan and don't use additional oil for frying, but if you want to, you can heat another skillet, add some oil, and mash your beans up as they fry in the skillet. 

I just mash mine in the skillet where they are.  This keeps some of the fat and calories out, and also keeps dishes used down to a minimum.

Can't have re-fried beans without tortillas so here ya go!

Flour Tortillas

4 cups all purpose flour
1 ts salt
1/4 ts baking powder
1.4 Cup of lard or softened butter
1 cup ( plus up to 2 TBS ) warm water

Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder.  Cut in the lard/butter (I used Lard).  Add the water little by little, tossing to mix.  If you need to add the extra 2 TBS of warm water, you can, but do it a little at a time.  You want the dough to stick together, but not be real sticky.  You'll add water, toss, add water, toss, until the dough forms a ball.  Just until the dough forms a ball.  Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces and shape them into a ball.  Cover them and let rest for 15 minutes.  Once 15 minutes have past, take each ball and, on a floured work surface;  flatten it with the palm of your hand.  It should be about 3 inches in diameter.  Once you've flattened each ball, start with the first ball you flattened and roll it thin, about 1/8th inch thick. Repeat this process with all 16 tortillas.  I stacked mine loosely on a plate.  Heat a skillet well on low-med heat.  Add a little oil or lard.  You should only have to do this once.  Fry each tortilla 1-2 minutes each side.  When you see little brown spots on the cooking side, it will be time to flip it to cook the next.  As each tortilla is completed, remove and put on a plate and keep covered by a towel.  Makes 16 tortillas.

Here's a pic of the finished product.  I had to take these out of hubbys lunch, as these were the last ones!  So, sorry the pic isn't great.

Our Terrific, Frugal, Very Good, Never Bad day (recipe enclosed)

Hello!


How's everyone?  We're doing good here.  No rain today so that's great!

Hubby has no where to be.  He is normally off on some wrestling venture as a mean ole manager, a ring announcer, or a Friend in low places.  Today , and this weekend, he is home.  Yay!

We decided to enjoy the day together.  Now at our age, that means we went to run errands.  We picked up Chicken feed, bird seed, and potting soil (needing to start my tomato plants).  I needed some zip ties for a doll I'm repairing.  For fun we bought a new bird feeder for the front deck, and a hummingbird feeder for the back.

My hubby is a big spender let me tell you.  Nothing is too good for the little wife!  We had a gift card for use at Racetrac; where we each got a cup of freshly ground coffee.  We had lunch at Subway.  Lol.  We like Subway.  It keeps us from straying too far off the healthy eating plan.

After lunch it was off to Goodwill to see what we couldn't live without.  The first Good will was a bust, but the second one was a charm.  We found

A full box of hanging file folders-  I've been needing to buy some more, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.  To get the box new would have cost us $10.  We got them for $3.  New box.  It had been opened, but still had the full amount in it.

7 heavy identical glass drinking glasses. 7 was a good number because we had a matching glass at home.  It's partners had long since met a drastic fate.  Now it has a new family to call it's own, and we have a setting for 8.  Yay!

A Blue Ray of the movie "Australia".  Hubby was on a mission it seemed.  I used to have this movie, but it was accidentally left in a DVD player we donated.  Hubby was determined to find this movie again.  He was very proud, and I was very happy.  Guess what we're watching tonight?

So then we headed home.  The plan for dinner was turkey burgers with oven fries.  That is until I got home and remembered I was out of ketchup.  Ooops.  We were home by then and there was no going out again.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.  Right?

Yall I made Ketchup!

(Here comes the recipe)

Ketchup

1 can tomato paste
1/3 cup distilled vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
Good dash cinnamon
Good dash paprika
1/3 tsp ground allspice
Good pinch of ground mustard
Good pinch of celery seed
1/2 tsp onion powder

Whisk all in sauce pan and simmer about 5 minutes.  That's it.  I put the homemade ketchup in an existing ketchup bottle and no one is the wiser.  It's good.  Seriously.  Never buying ketchup again.  that one little can with vinegar, spices, and water made about 18 oz of ketchup.  The cheapest ketchup I can find that has no high fructose corn syrup in it is about $2 for 16 oz, and that's not even organic!  Mine cost me about .40 cents. I'd say win win!

Now what else can I make!  What kind of convenience foods do you make in your homestead?

Odds and Ends

It didn't rain today!  That is amazing.  My back yard, however, is like a wet sponge.  (Sigh) and it's supposed to rain tomorrow.  According to the meteorologist, this is a pattern we will have for the next 3 weeks.  UGH!

Oh well.  Either way, I had to take the opportunity available to get outside and get some long over due work done.

My main thing was to get the rooster Run cleaned out and ready to house the Bantum hens (and rooster).

We bought a chicken house.run that's supposed to house 3-4 birds.  (Eye roll) it barely houses the 4 Bantums.  So the Rooster run has been readied now and the little darlings are on board.  Moving them was fun.  One got out.  Note to self:  Bantum chickens are harder to catch...BECAUSE THEY FLY!  This hen took off and flew half way across the garden!  But, I was patient and just kept herding her to where I needed her, and eventually I won.  Neener, neener.

 Contrary to the phrase "chasing chickens", ones doesn't actually chase the chicken.  That is highly discouraged.  You will tire yourself out.  The best thing to do is walk slowly, and purposefully; heading off any avenue of escape until you have them cornered.  Then you catch whatever part of the chicken is handy.  So eventually I got her in.  Another of the hens, and she is a full size hen hatched by the tiny Bantum mama, literally started screaming when I caught her.  Interesting sound.  But she calmed down as soon as she realized she was just moving.  So all in all they all got moved and are happily ensconced in their new digs.

Also on the chicken front, we're getting about 4 1/2 dz eggs a week now.  So I'm starting to sell some to offset the cost of feed.  I sold 2 dz today for $6, and plan to sell another 2 dz tomorrow.  I'll do that every week or two.  As we get more, I'll be able to sell more.  That's a nice little benefit. But don't worry, we will still have plenty of eggs for us. 

After all that fun, it was a just matter of repairing the hoop house cover, and cutting the grass.  Yep! We've had mild enough temps to where the grass is growing.  Well the weeds are growing.  It was getting bad.  I'd put pre-emergent on if it wasn't for the fact we'd have no lawn.  lol.  Cutting the grass was interesting on the low end of our property.  It is a mucky yucky mess.  Had to drive very slow to keep from getting stuck.  But I really didn't have a choice.  It needed to be done.

So all that and throw in some kitchen cleaning, floor sweeping, bed making, and doll clothes sewing, and all in all a productive day.  My house is a mess.  The yard needs still more work, but I put in a full day.

That's the important thing.

"You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you"  Psalms 128:2

Rainy Days and Mondays

Had a bit of a sad morning today. We lost one of our oldest hens today. I just think at her age, she couldn't handle all the damp cold we've had recently. We had 3+ inches of rain this past Friday, then turned off cold really quick, and 4+ inches of snow Sat. Then today is the start of another cold 3+ inches of rain today and tomorrow. This has been our weather pattern in the last month. Just can't seem to dry out. I found her semi conscious in one of the nesting boxes when I went out this morning to check on everyone. I brought her into the house and put a warm towel in a box and let her have her last little bit of time in a warm dry area with no other hens walking all over her(yes they were doing that very thing). Chickens, especially these are cold hardy, but I think this was just too much for her. She was 6 years old. Heat lamps can be dangerous, and so we have opted to not put them in the coops, until today. After finding her, I made an executive decision and pulled out the heat lamp and put it in the coop to give them a warmer, dryer spot to stay. For safety, it will be turned off tonight, because we will be asleep and can't watch it. Plus the light can mess their sleep schedule up. So turned off tonight, but in the mean time, it will give them a dryer spot and warmer spot and when they are getting ready for bed, they will be gathered together for warmth. It will go back on tomorrow during the day.

It must be good. I just went outside in the rain to check on the rest of them. The light is still on, and just about every chicken we own is in that one coop next to the light. I'm glad it's helping, I just feel bad we had to lose one before we did this. Smh.

Finally!

Whew!  It has been a long month in regards to our food budget.  The joys of having 3 paychecks in a month is tempered by having to stretch what grocery money you had into 5 weeks instead of 4.  That can get a little tricky.

In addition, I made the mistake many make, I think, after the holidays.  We wanted to get back to eating healthy.  I wanted to encourage everyone in our household to do the same.  While not buying diet food, I did purchase a lot of things I don't normally buy.  My son likes salmon, and wanted to have that on hand for meals so he could stay on track.  I agreed to buy him 1 weeks worth of salmon and asparagus (ours isn't up yet), but he had to take over the rest if he was to stay on it.  I bought protein bars, thinking this would keep me from having to bake cookies.  Both sons enjoy these.  Yes, it did make it where I didn't have to bake cookies, but was way more expensive than if I had just baked cookies, and I question if it was the healthier alternative to home made 100% fresh ground wheat cookies.  So I read the label....yea... I think the cookies would be the better alternative all round.  I bought other things as well.  These are just a few examples.

This was also a time where things needed replenishing.  Some things that I buy in bulk, only have to be purchased every few months or so.  In addition, there were things I had stocked up on in the past that were allowed run out, hoping I would see the items on sale for restocking; sugar was one of those.  I never saw sugar go on a good enough sale.  It went on sale once during the holidays, but it was a limit of 5 4 lb bags of sugar.  That lasts us about a month or so.  Not enough to really replenish anything.

For all of these reasons, January was a tight month when it came to the food budget.  The benefits of this are:

 A)  I have really used up items in the freezer and pantry.  The past couple of weeks, maybe longer, have seen my menu planning based on little bits of things in the pantry, fridge and freezer.  Many times it's re-purposing left overs. 

B) It has pushed me back into what I know and that it scratch baking on a grand scale.  All our breads, cookies, breakfasts items, etc have all been made from scratch.  We haven't been starving, but everything I had to eat, had to be combined to make what I needed.  There wasn't much of  "I'll just grab something".  At least there wasn't until I made it.  This even went so far as making the dog treats.  I have to say I had gotten comfortable buying these in bulk at the warehouse store, but ran out a few weeks ago.  I've decided to keep that going.  It's better for them, and it isn't too had to make these.  If you would like the recipe, it's on my "Pet Care" page.

C)  It really cleans out the pantry, fridge, and freezer!  Makes it really easy to defrost the freezer, organize the pantry, and wipe out the fridge.

So today is the day I finally get groceries!  It's still tight, but that's okay.  I have new resolve to keep doing what I'm doing.  I should have been doing this all along.  But, you know, even a Frugal maven can have an off day (er week, ah month).

So in preparation of today being grocery day; yesterday was spent, primarily, in the kitchen.  I made English muffins, bagels, sandwich bread, hamburger buns, dog treats, coffee creamer, and chocolate syrup.  Granola and cookies will come this afternoon.  I'm out of oats.  I get them today.

Can I just add here, all this scratch baking doesn't take long.  It isn't too hard.  If I can learn to do it, and do it, so can you!  Yes, I was in and out of the kitchen yesterday, but it isn't where I stayed.  The time spent making bread items, is mainly in waiting for it to rise.  It takes about 15 minutes to mix and knead bread dough.  The rest of the time is spent waiting.

I fell into the trap of wanting things convenient.  Yes, buying something pre-made is easier, and if you have little time, then that's what you need to do.  But if you can, then try it.  Start small, make a few things that aren't too taxing.

"A penny saved is a penny earned".  Just remember Uncle Sam hasn't yet figured out a way to tax money you save, but he does know how to tax money you earn.

Has it been that long!?

Wow!  It has been that long.  I would like to say I got busy with life and couldn't find the time to blog, but that's only a small excuse.

Fact is I was frustrated.  Frustrated with how things had been going health wise.  Frustrated for you guys in the fact that I wasn't posting much worth reading.  At least in my mind I was thinking that.  I have to say I missed writing though.

First and foremost this blog has been a journal of sorts.  There are times I will come on here and read old posts to either a) remember something that happened b) remember a recipe (I know.  I should remember my own recipes, but this is how I write them down) or c) motivate myself.

It's been a hard 18 mths since the heart attack.  I am, as of this past September, off any med except my thyroid med (which I have taken daily for 31 years), and an aspirin a day.  The last med I was on was the Pravastatin.  I was on half the lowest dose prescribed.  They wanted me on it to A) lower my cholesterol, and B) strengthen my vessels.  My husband wanted me to take it for 6 mths until I had my labs done in Sept.  So I did.  Then I had my labs....Guess what!  Cholesterol went up!  Yea.  Go figure.  Plus a side effect was really sore shoulders.  So off of it I went.  My OBGYN recommended I take Magnesium 500 mg to help strengthen my vessels, so I take that as a supplement in lieu of the cholesterol med.

Now I'm trying to get back on track with my healthy eating and moving.  I did have some victories this past year.  For my Birthday, Dh and I went hiking 5 miles ( 2.5 up and 2.5 back), up to a beautiful waterfall.  I even went so far as to climb a really steep part of the falls to see additional falls behind the initial fall!  I would have never done that before!

And just recently Dh and I went and hiked Tallulah Gorge.  I think it was 1082 steps down and UP!  We made it though!  It was a milestone I wanted to achieve ever since the heart attack.  You see we had walked this twice before and I wanted to do it again!  Not a great picture, but give us some grace.  We're still learning a smartphone.

The frugal black belt is still in place.  It had to be last year because we were paying off hospital bills, then we had to build our Health savings account back up.  We are still needing to be frugal for other reasons: Our car isn't getting any younger, and we will need to be thinking about buying another one.  We still have things here that need to be addressed home wise.  Groceries aren't getting cheaper and we still have our two youngest home.  We've had some big dings on our savings accounts more than once.  The latest ding was having to pay a goodly sum to put down our cat of 20 years.  She had CHF, and couldn't breathe.  Precious girl.

So I'm going to start posting some more about things going on here, good, bad, and boring.  It helps me, and if I can interest anyone, then that's a big plus.  Thanks for taking to time to read, and I hope it won't be too boring.