Savings and Goals Journal #23

We got back into our normal routine this week. Grampy is back at work, Thanksgiving is over, and we are looking forward to celebrating Christmas!

In the Kitchen

I’ll be doing a mini-shopping trip to pick up some items on sale this week: Clementines, sugar, sausage, chicken and beef, and a “value deal” that includes bagels, cream cheese, precut fruit and a container of orange juice for $5. We will use the sausage to make sausage balls to have on Christmas morning. My daughter has been wanting bagels for weeks, so she will enjoy them. They are not something we buy often.

I made two pans of cornbread. One I left plain, and to the other I added a cup of shredded cheese and a 4-ounce can of diced green chiles. I have found I can wrap pieces of cornbread in plastic wrap and then put them in a freezer bag in the freezer. When we want cornbread, we just unwrap it and warm in in the microwave for 15-30 seconds.

This week’s meal plan:

In the Garden

I can’t believe how much I already want to be out in my garden, but the days have been pretty cold. As I write this it’s 8:00 a.m. and it is fifteen degrees outside. Brrrr! By lunchtime it will be in the 40’s, so I will go out then.

I’ve started my experiment growing lettuce, spinach and Swiss chard. Somehow, I’ve ended up with no kale seeds, which was disappointing. The seeds are currently planted in their little mini-greenhouse on top of my upright freezer. Hopefully my experiment will work! I’ve never grown anything in the winter, but I’d really like to get more use out of our little greenhouse, other than just to house seedlings in the early spring. I do plan to decorate the outside to look like a gingerbread house for Christmas. 🙂

Earlier this week, I cleaned out both of our chicken coops and hauled five wheelbarrow loads of wood shavings and chicken stuff to the garden. I left the gate open and soon, a bunch of chickens were in there spreading it around for me.

Home and Family

We rearranged our living room to accommodate the Christmas tree. We put the couch in a spot we hadn’t put it before. In doing so, I realized that once we take the tree down, there will be the perfect spot to put the grandkids’ toys and make a play area that will be much more out of the way. It can be a bit of a challenge finding space for everything with five people living in an itty-bitty house, but we always figure it out!

My older daughter is planning to visit on the weekend. We are planning to make our traditional Christmas cookies from our family recipe. My grandbabies are the sixth generation to help make cookies from this recipe!

I’m planning to ask my daughter to help me with some computer stuff while she’s here. We make a calendar to give as gifts using photos we’ve taken through the year. My daughter has always done all the computer work. This year I am trying to make it myself, and I need help! 🙂

My Christmas shopping is finished, with the exception of a few things to fill stockings. I will wrap presents in the upcoming week using Christmas paper and bows I’ve had forever that I am trying to use up. My mom is sending what she got the grandkids with my daughter when she comes, so I will wrap those for her.

Once I’ve finished the calendar and decorated the porch and the greenhouse, I will start on my sewing projects. I am going to use fabric I have on hand to make baby doll blankets for my granddaughter and little totebags for both my grandson and granddaughter. If I have time, I am going to make one of the rice-filled heating pads for Grampy.

Have a wonderful week!

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