2nd Week in August

Things continue to need addressing at the house so I have again not made a meal plan and continue to wing it.


Sun Aug 7th:  Fried rice I made using leftover rice, some fajita chicken and  the rest of some mixed veggies I had on hand.

Mon Aug 8th:
lunch- ate at home because my car had to be towed and I was waiting to see what was up.
dinner- Jolean's Cheese Potato and Smoked Sausage Casserole. This is my go to a lot of the time when I have leftover smoked sausage. I used up most of the potatoes I have left at home also.

Tue Aug 9th:
lunch- turkey and cheese sandwich with watermelon
dinner- pancakes and eggs

Wed Aug 10th:
lunch-ate out with coworker
dinner- Lasagna Roll Ups. I used this idea but left out the cinnamon and spinach as I did not have any. I also added ground beef to my sauce.

Thur Aug 11th:
lunch- ate out with coworker ( she is retiring after us working together for 15 years so I am getting all the visits in I can )
dinner- pizza


Fri Aug 12th:
lunch- out with coworkers
dinner-

August Groceries With a New Plan

As I stated in the July totals post I am switching back to monthly shopping with a couple of duck ins for milk. I was spending too much money going weekly as I was using it as entertainment and stocking up on items that were not immediately needed.  This is what I picked up on Saturday at Winco along with a detailed listing of items. School is starting so we will be back packing lunches for Logan and Phillip requested some snacks also.

Details:

1 case water        $1.98
2 - 12 packs of Dr Pepper   $7.56
3 gallons apple juice     $8.94
1 quart orange juice  $2.78
1 - 12 pack of powerade $3.98
1 gallon whole milk  $1.27
1 Dublin root beer  $1.18
1 jar pasta sauce    $1.38
2 bottles Stubb's BBQ sauce  $4.96
2 bottles Teriyaki sauce $3.16
2 bottles of powerade $1.36
1 box tea bags  $1.97
1 box saltine crackers $1.11
1- 8 pack powerade $4.98
3 boxes honey buns $3.75
1 pkg bacon pieces $2.10
2 large containers Nutella $9.96
1 box cheese nips   $1.78
1 bag teddy grahams   $1.58
1 bag animal crackers  $1.58
1 bag mini oreos     $1.58
2 pkgs crescent rolls  $3.36
1 pkg cinnamon rolls $1.50
2 pkgs pepperoni    $ 5.54
2 pkgs goldfish   $3.36
1 snackers fruit/cheese pack  $1.98
1 box unsalted butter   $2.49
1 box yogurt tubes   $2.42
1 box Velveeta   $5.88
2 pkgs colby jack cheese sticks   $7.52
1 pkg sliced cheddar cheese  $3.18
~1/2 lb sliced pepper turkey  $2.90
~1/2 lb sliced ham $2.15
1 pkg fajita marinated steak   $5.98
1 skirt steak   $6.54
1 pkg fajita chicken   $5.87
1 pkg shredded cheese  $1.68
1 pkg cream cheese   $1.54
1 pkg sliced turkey  $2.90
1 container ricotta cheese  $2.28
1 pkg smoked sausage  $2.48
1 pkg smoked venison sausage $3.48
3 prepackaged salads $ 8.94
2 lbs strawberries $1.90
~1&3/4 lbs bulk pancake mix $1.23
~2&3/4 lbs bulk baking soda  $1.34
~3/4 lbs bulk penne pasta  $.53
~3/4 lbs bulk spaghetti noodles  $.51
~3/4 lbs bulk raw sugar  $.67
~1/2 lbs bulk wild rice  $1.01
~3/4 lbs bulk  shells pasta  $.55
1 pkg kitchen trash bags  $2.55
7 pkgs hair brushes, hair bands and head bands from clearance bin $6.86
1 washable duster $.98
4 birthday candles from clearance bin $1.00
1 loaf wheat sandwich bread  $.85
1 pkg mini chip bags  $4.88

Total:  $175.85


There are a few items I paid more for because it is produced locally, the same reason I sometimes pay more for produce at the farmer's market. I prefer to support local people where I can.

Beginning Week of August

As of the moment I am starting this post I have not made a menu up yet. I am going to but need to see what is still hanging in the fridge to use up.



Sun Jul 31st: Pigs in a blanket with homemade mac and cheese at Phillip's request.

Mon Aug 1st:
lunch- out with coworkers
dinner- I was just pulling stuff out of the fridge trying to throw something together. I ended up sweating some onions, garlic and mushrooms down and then putting half a can of diced tomatoes in it. I added the leftover fajita chicken and some pasta I cooked up. I then wilted the rest of the spinach in the dish and topped with some Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. It was tasty and used up a bunch of stuff from the fridge.

Tue Aug 2nd:
lunch-peppered turkey with cheese sandwich, cantaloupe and strawberries
dinner- steak fajitas with leftover refried beans.

Wed Aug 3rd:
lunch- peppered turkey with cheese sandwich, cantaloupe with strawberries and potato chips
dinner- Philly Cheesesteaks using the leftover steak and the rest of the mushrooms I had at the house.

Thur Aug 4th:
lunch- ham and cheese sandwich
dinner- Mcdonald's, had to keep the boys out of the house so Phillip could finish a test. We school shopped after eating at their choice of McDonald's.

Fri Aug 5th:
lunch- out for lunch with coworkers
dinner-

Sat Aug 6th: smoked sausage with rice

Looking Back Maybe I Was Not Lazy This Weekend.

I labeled myself as lazy because I did not make up a menu plan last week and I did not spend every night working in the yard. I realized after the weekend that I am not lazy. I made some alternate choices this past week and did not manage to get a sparkly clean house or finish the back yard but I was still working on getting stuff taken care of. I need to go easier on myself and keep telling myself steady wins the race. Things will eventually be taken care of or at least brought to a manageable level and then I can relax without beating myself up (maybe).


Saturday:

8:00am wake up against my wishes, the children decided it was a good time.
Get load of clothes from washer and hang on line
start another load
Put biscuits in the oven for breakfast
work to keep kids from beating each other up
get stuff together for day including packages to mail, diaper bag, cups for race trac drinks, items to return and books to return to library
hang out 2 more loads of clothes
get a shower
get dressed
make sure kids have managed to get dressed
10:50am out of the house
post office to mail packages
library to return and check out more stuff
race trac for drinks
head to mimi's house 30 miles from home
take mimi and the munchkins to lunch
go to store so she can buy a birthday present for Clark, come home with 2 things for Clark and 1 for Logan
go to another store for her to complete a return and walk out with 2 more items for each boy
take Mimi home and let the boys play at her house
load up to head home
stop at race trac for gas and refills
get home with sleeping children
unload kids and stuff from car
leave sleeping kids with their dad and head to Winco
hungry so go through the drive thru at Rosa's for burrito
Winco for more groceries than originally intended
Race Trac for another drink ( last week for free refills)
talk with homeless man and give him money for dinner
head home
unload groceries
scan for rebates
clean out fridge and put away cold stuff
clean out snack/cereal pantry and put away the rest of the groceries
dinner
clean up from dinner
take Clark for a walk
baths
read to the boys
bed!

Sunday:
8:00am- up again with the boys, I am going to remind Logan of this when school starts
 get clothes off the line ( Phillip had stained and sealed the deck on Saturday so I could not get out there)
fold and put away some of the clothes
get kids ready for church
bags packed
swing through donut place
church
lunch
Clark asleep when we get home but Logan wakes up
I decide to sit on the couch and finish book
Logan plays legos and lays with me
Clark wakes up
boys "wash" my car while I weed the front flower beds
kids get baths
I break a bottle of soda in the bar
have to clean up glass, cabinet and floors
give Turbo a bath
clean boys bathroom
start dinner
get my shower
make up the boys beds
put up the bed rails so Clark can sleep in the bottom bunk
load dishwasher
get boys to bed
read some more and then sleep

Last Week of July

Last week I was lacking resolve or ambition or even energy. I never made a meal plan and really just spent all week winging it from one night to the next. This week I am going to get back on track.


Plan:

What actually happened:


Sun Jul 24th: Pizza

Mon Jul 25th:
lunch- peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a peach and chips
dinner- Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta, I edited the recipe to match what I had on hand which meant halving it and not using spinach. I also added chicken for a bit of protein and used tomatoes with chilies that I had left over instead of just plain tomatoes. This allowed me to use up some cream cheese I had,  all the leftover pasta noodles I had from stroganoff, the half can of tomatoes with chilies.  Since the chicken was already cooked I chopped it up and added it at the last step. It was just ok, not the best but also not the worst thing I have ever made.

Tue Jul 26th:
lunch- peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a peach, chips and a Reese's peanut butter cup
dinner- I made a chicken pot pie using up some more of the leftover chicken, frozen mixed vegetables and a can of cream of mushroom soup. I covered it with crescent rolls that I  just rolled out. It was tasty as usual.

Wed Jul 27th:
lunch-peanut butter and jelly sandwich with peach, chips and strawberries
dinner- Cuban Mojo Marinated Pork Chops, served with rice and cinnamon apples. This recipe allowed me to use up some produce I had on hand as I fresh squeezed the orange and lime juices as well as made the cinnamon apples from scratch.  I put the pork chops in the crock pot so I did not pre-marinate them.  A couple of small changes on the marinade.....I used fresh mint from my yard so I did not go with 1/4 cup. Mint is strong and I did not want it to overpower the meat. I also only had 7 cloves of garlic left on a head so I went with that instead of the 8 it called for.  It was ok, not something I would put in the regular rotation. 

Thur Jul 28th:
lunch- peanut butter and jelly sandwich with plum, strawberries and chips
dinner- grilled flanken ribs, garlic ranch potatoes and a salad. I am going to add the blog Damn Delicious to my follow list. Pretty much every recipe I have made from the page has been amazing. I think it was the last minute butter that put it over the top. I did use white Idaho potatoes as that is what I had on hand. I cubed them rather than just halving and they still turned out amazing. 

Fri Jul 29th:
lunch- eating out with former coworker and current one!
dinner-fish sticks with green beans

Sat Jul 30th: tostadas with refried black beans and fajita grilled chicken.

Square Foot Gardening

As if I do not have enough going on I want to try out square foot gardening. I currently have a "traditional" raised garden bed but have only been mildly successful with it. Currently I am reading a book on the square foot method and think one 4x4 bed might be a good starting point for me to test out the method. It is getting close to time for fall crops to go in so that is my next project.

Planned location of square foot garden

Completion of One Backyard Project

I say this project is complete but then I am thinking of other items I would like to add to it. We will leave it alone for now, finish the other projects and then come back if I still want to do other stuff.

using "waste" from other projects

Always ready with water

needs a door

ran out of mulch so had to finish the next night

working on a pinterest craft with the kids

3rd Week of July Menu Plan

Getting all the yard work done is wearing me out, it is also pushing us into "quicker" meals so I hope to be done by the end of the summer and then I can go into just maintenance mode.






Sun Jul 17th: pancakes and eggs, always a favorite at our house.

Mon Jul 18th:
lunch- peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a plum
dinner- I reworked this recipe for Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole from the Jo Cooks blog. I had the filling leftover from the Pulled Pork Enchilada dinner so I went ahead and mixed that with some leftover refried beans from the same meal and the rice. I halved the recipe to match the ingredients I had on hand and it was still just as yummy. It was a win win for me as I used up a lot of leftovers and had none leftover from this meal.

Tue Jul 19th:
lunch- peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some strawberries
dinner-boss/ work mom went out to Rosa's with us for Clark's birthday.

Wed Jul 20th:
lunch- friend is treating lunch out today
dinner- grilled ribs with green beans

Thur Jul 21st:
lunch- free Chipotle with coupons!
dinner- I had a second free kids meal which I took home and turned into nachos

Fri Jul 22nd:
lunch- out with coworkers
dinner-I was still craving nachos so I went home and made queso with all the velveeta I had left. I also wanted to use up the leftover grilled ribs so I cut the meat off the bone and used it to make strogonoff.

Sat Jul 23rd: I picked up a Rotisserie chicken while I was out, that was served with a salad, french bread and corn on the cob

Books Jun 22nd Through Jul 15th

In the time since the last post I finished listening to Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck.  This book made me angry and sad over and over again. It is amazing how many times over history we have made decisions for the poor without their consent or even knowledge.  I did feel like the book went on a little too long about each players past. After finishing with this one I listened to The More of Less which did not leave enough of an impression on me to even comment on it here.  I went back to a story of the treatment of the poor and women in the past with Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America . Mary was the first known passive carrier. She never developed the disease but passed it on in anything uncooked she prepared. Many people were discovered after Mary but never received the treatment or notoriety that she did. Once I finished this one I moved on to another book about the poor from the perspective of a doctor who treated them in the ICU. Cook County ICU: 30 Years of Unforgettable Patients and Odd Cases received some bad reviews but I thought it was a decent book. He seemed to really care for his patients and was easy to listen to.  Next up was a book from the same time period as Imbeciles and Typhoid Mary. It was interesting and full of information that was completely new to me and from a trustworthy source. Oneida: From Free Love Utopia to Well-Set Table written by one of the original member's descendents. It was a quick listen and allowed me to go into Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World: How One Family Learned That Saying No Can Lead to Life's Biggest Yes. I got an hour into this book and quit it. This is not something I do often as I think starting a book means finishing it but this book was horrible. There were a couple of reasons with one being it was another popular blogger trying to translate a blog into a book. The other was that she never seemed to get to the Entitled portion of the book which is why I checked it out. Over an hour in and she was still discussing her religious views. Even being a christian I found her views bigoted. This freed me up to listen to The Name of God is Mercy by Pope Francis.  My next book was totally off subject NPR Laughter Therapy: A Comedy Collection for the Chronically Serious.  It was honestly not that funny but was something to listen to in the wake of all the serious books I had been listening to.  Again, it was a short listen so I started on 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea. Once I got into this one I had to take a break. It is a true story and so I know how it is going to end, I had just reached a point where I know bad stuff is about to happen and needed a rest. I will go back and finish it soon.


Print books have been moving along also.  I finished Takedown Twenty and put the next one on my check out list. While they are not as funny as when the series first started I did laugh out loud a couple of times. I never seem to learn and checked out another year experiment books. A Year Without Made in China was a waste of my time. The project was not undertook with any reason, understanding or seeming point other than writing a book. Next book was better although I am not sure they had a solution to the issue, at least I did not feel I found an answer but I finished Cradle to Cradle anyway. I have two books going at the same time right now trying to get them both off my list.  Square Foot Gardening  is inspiring me to rethink my raised beds. Frugal Luxuries: Simple Pleasures to Enhance Your Life and Comfort Your Soul is also one I have been trying to finish and now I am making headway.

I am just going to list the cookbooks I scanned through during this time as well:

Cast Iron Cooking: 50 Gourmet-Quality Dishes from Entrees to Dessert
Southern Plate: Classic Comfort Food that Makes Everyone Feel Like Family
The Everything Cast Iron Cookbook
The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook: A Treasury of Timeless, Delicious Recipes
Cook It in Cast Iron: Kitchen- Tested  Recipes for the One Pan That Does it All (Cook's Country)
The Homesick Texan Cookbook
 The Make Ahead Cookbook
and The Third Thursday Community Potluck  Cookbook: Recipes and Stories to Celebrate the Bounty of the Moment

Projects in the Back Yard Keep Going

The back yard is moving along with more visible progress.  It is a larger area with more diverse projects so there has been more visible changes but it is going to take a lot longer to get done.

Here are the photos from the last couple of nights.

Washed the porch floor off and then quit for the night so it could dry

99% done, I wanted to sweep it one more time

Filled bird feeder and put it out after picture. 

Next area!!!! I decided to turn it into a larger gnome/dinosaur garden

After clean up, raking, moved the border and plant to a better place for it and dug up the sad boxwood.

I did weed the front yard last night because I want to keep up with it rather than let it go and have to spend a ton of time cleaning it up again. Tonight I need to mow and I am hoping to get the gnome home built and then over the weekend I can make paths and plant. The boys can then place their dinos where they like.

Continuation of Back Yard Project.

I thought the front yard was grueling...until I moved to the backyard.  Our backyard is semi done but needs a lot of clean up and some re-planning. It has also been neglected during the front yard redo and is starting to show it.  I have finished the 2 narrow beds on either side of the deck but need to get pictures of those. Sunday night I did not work in the yard at all as Phillip did some weed eating and then sprayed with some cedar oil for the possible chiggers and mosquitos.

I cleaned up the bamboo, raked up an area, moved some rocks and bricks and then started on the porch last night. The boys spent the time making a mud hole and then splashing in it.

 And this is what I was working on:

This area is going to be last. Want to put a ground cover in as it is shaded.

These are coming out because the walk is too narrow

Screened porch Phillip finished for us

Unfortunately the inside of the porch

Cleaning away

I am hoping to finish cleaning the porch at least tonight and possibly start on the bed directly next to the porch!

2nd Week of July Menu Plan

Some weeks these are hard to make up. I just lack inspiration or can not see a meal in the ingredients I have. This was one of those weeks. After having to clean out the cabinets I had decided to try to use up some of that stuff and limit purchases from the grocery store. I have a bunch of staples and a freezer full and I was still having a hard time thinking of a week of dinners. This is what we have ended up with.

Sun Jul 10th: I had a zucchini someone at church passed on from their garden but an end of it was bad. I went ahead and cut up the good portion and browned it with some diced onion in olive oil. I then put in all the mushrooms I had left from the co-op basket and sweated it all down. Once that was done I added it to the leftover spaghetti noodles I had on hand from the Chicken Parmesan Casserole meal. I mixed this all with some Spinach, Parmesan marinara sauce and then topped with all the shredded mozzarella I had left. It was my version of a heartier baked spaghetti

Mon Jul 11th:
lunch- (forgot my bread at home) ate out with coworker
dinner-  steak quesadillas were a quick and tasty dinner. I cut up the leftover steak and rib meat into bite sized bits, threw a tortilla on my griddle pan, covered in meat and shredded cheese. A second tortilla and a couple of flips and dinner was served. I had enough leftover steak for 4 quesadillas.

Tue Jul 12th:
lunch- coworker forgot her lunch so I went out to eat with her....I lack willpower sometimes.
dinner- We ended up not going to Taco Tuesday so I moved Thursday's meal up to Tuesday. We had fish sticks and yellow rice which Logan LOVES.

Wed Jul 13th:
lunch- out with former coworkers after being out all morning at the doctor
dinner- I had put a pork butt in the slow cooker following the seasoning from this recipe from memory. The proportions were not the same as I did not measure but it still turned out amazing. I served this with black beans and this recipe for potatoes. I am sure my potatoes were not small enough for this application but they were also just not good. The center of the potatoes were flavorless and my house still smells like I burned dinner in it even though it has been over 12 hours since dinner. 

Thur Jul 14th:
lunch- post office run and fast food
dinner- frozen pizza

Fri Jul 15th:
lunch- lunch out with former and current coworkers
dinner- Pulled Pork Enchiladas, I halved the recipe and still had left over filling to use in another meal. These were really good and something I will make again. I used the leftover pork from earlier in the week. 

Sat Jul 16th:  Phillip requested  grilled hot dogs so that is what we had

Side Yard Flowerbeds

The side yards should be a quick project as they are planted the way I want already, just need to clean up and mulch. I am also looking for something interesting to trellis my grape vines on.

Front Flower Beds are Complete and I Am Celebrating!!!!

This week marks the completion of the front flower beds!!!! It took some time out to mow one night and working until dark after a day on the paying job to get it done but I was determined. I had already really overestimated how much I could get done on a nightly basis and was tired of it dragging out. I was also getting excited that we were nearly done.

Clark was a great help at faux mowing.

The pile of leaves in the picture went to the curb today. I am planning on letting the plants spread and see how it fills out over the summer. Other than aesthetically looking better it should be a good home for wildlife and a pleasant place to be.

Of course I could not rest too long the side and back yards still need to be finished.

Insects that I Want Out of the House

We have taken the organic approach to pest control over the last few years only spraying the yard with cedar oil a couple of years ago when the chiggers were eating us up.  I almost changed my tune recently and have no shame in it. We have been invaded by pantry moths and I am beside myself.  I have 2 pantries in the house and the originally invaded one held cereal and snack foods. I went through everything and threw out a bunch of stuff that appeared contaminated. I then scrubbed the shelves and decided not to buy any more stuff until what was left was consumed. I only had a couple of moths after that and thought we were past it....until yesterday. I opened up the pantry where I keep my staples and canned goods and there were about 10 moths on the roof of the cabinet. I went crazy smashing them all and pulling out everything. The only thing I could find them in was some risotto that I received in trade and I hope that is not what brought them in the house. The container they were in was also a sealed canister so not sure how they started. The 2 moths that were in there could not get back out.  I left them in the canister until Phillip made it back home with pheromone traps as this is what the pest control guy at my work recommended. As of this morning the traps were still empty. The pheromone disc is supposed to last for 1 month and I am tempted to leave them in the cabinets that long to make sure I catch every last one of them. In the mean time I have cleaned out all the pantries and washed the shelves. I also washed the shelf liner and have not put it back in yet.

This drama has also led me to do another pantry challenge as I was getting a bit overstocked anyway.  I took pictures of the staples and canned goods all over the counter yesterday, it is amazing how much I had in there.

Holiday Week Menu AKA the 1st Week of July

I have been overwhelmed at the house over the last few days and so our dinners are reflecting that.  Here is the current menu plan:

Sun Jul 3rd: sandwiches after a late evening with family

Mon Jul 4th: I got up and fixed pancakes for the boys! Dinner ended up being leftover pancakes for the munchkins. Phillip was out so he ate on the run. I had another sandwich.

Tue Jul 5th:
lunch- coworker wanted out of the building so went out to eat
dinner- Chicken Parmesan Casserole over spaghetti noodles with garlic bread. It was good, not exactly what I was expecting. For us it would not make a good stand alone dish. I served it over spaghetti and felt it was a mix of chicken spaghetti and baked spaghetti. Not sure when I will make it again as it was extra work for a dish not that different than something we already eat.

Wed Jul 6th:
lunch- sandwich with turkey and white cheddar. Served with chips and a nectarine.
Dinner- Hot dogs!

Thur Jul 7th:
lunch- went out with coworkers
dinner- Baked potatoes served with green side salad

Fri Jul 8th:
lunch- went out with coworkers
dinner- Steak cooked in my cast iron grill pan with fresh shelled peas and snaps.

Sat Jul 9th:  Grilled Flanken ribs with steamed broccoli

Farmer's Market and Co-Op Pick Up

I did my co-op pick up this morning and wanted to run by the farmer's market and pick up some eggs. Turns out everyone had the same idea and eggs were sold out. I will have to see if anyone I know with backyard chickens has any eggs available.

"pie" pack extra I purchased

contents of pie pack

Contents on co-op basket 

Co-op contribution

Regular basket $15.00
"pie" pack extra  $18.50
pick up fee $3.50
total:   $37.00

Farmer's Market purchase

garlic  $3.00


Sub Total for July:  $102.51

Another Quick Trip for Groceries

I needed to pick up milk and wanted to make a quick grocery run before picking the kids from the sitter last night but ended up on the phone with grandma and did not want to rush her off so I just picked up the kids. I brought Logan home and took Clark with me as Phillip was trying to finish up some homework.  I was hungry and bought a couple of things I really should not have but overall did not overdo it much.

Winco purchase

2 gallons whole milk  $2.54
1 container Tropicana   $0.25
1 Dublin Root Beer  $1.18
1 box nature valley biscuits  $0.25
1 container sour cream $ 0.96
~1/4 lb banana chips  $0.27
~1/32lb cinnamon pecans  $0.48 (not pictured as I ate them in the car on the way home)
1 loaf bread $0.88
~2 lbs bananas  $0.90
1 pkg pecan rolls $1.28

Total   $9.09

Running Total for July $ 62.51

Groceries for July

I have not posted my grocery lists or totals for over a month and need to get back to it.  I am also trying to remember to get pictures of the purchases this month.  Yesterday's grocery purchases will mark the beginning of totals for July and below are the photos and totals. Forgive the bad photos, I was taking these late last night when I thought about it.

Farmer's Market purchase

Yellow Meat Watermelon   $7.00
Mess of fresh Black-Eyed Peas   $6.00
Pluots  $5.00

Total: $18.00



Sprouts purchase

~ 1lb peaches  $0.52
2 pints blueberries $1.76
~1lb nectarines $0.97
~3/4lbs cheddar cheese $2.38
~1/2lb turkey breast $1.88
2 containers muffins $5.98
4 pkgs ball canning lids ( 2 wide mouth, 2 regular) $3.96
Dr.Bronner's Liquid castile soap (citrus) $13.49
Dr. Bronner's bar castile soap $2.99
Bag credit for bringing my own ($0.15)

Total   $35.42


I was mad at myself once I got home and remembered there was a $5.00 of $30.00 purchase in the Sprout's ad. Weighing needs to see if I should go back and do more grocery shopping and use the coupon.  I also have a real problem resisting the muffins. Every single time I go in sprouts I come out with at least 1 muffin, might have to have an intervention.

running total for July:  $53.42

More On the Back Yard

The back yard projects have been going slower because I am trying to finish the visible front yard.  A few more days with no rain and I think I can have the front yard completed and start in earnest on the back yard.

I had to stop when I ran out of mulch. Hoping to at least complete this section by the end of the week as well as the front bed.