It Must Be a Tradition

I was just looking back in my archives to see if I had posted my leftover Halloween candy solution and I discovered that I made the exact same meal this year as last year! Apparently vegan sloppy joes are a Halloween staple at my house. Who knew?? I guess this underlines the need to have a repertiore of a few quick and easy meals to pull out for nights that spiral out of control.

This year I served the sloppy joes with baked potatoes instead of bulgur. I used homemade ketchup that I made and froze this summer in the recipe. The boys loved it more than storebought ketchup. Jim did not but he ate it anyway. (The girls ate at friends' houses so I have no input from them yet.) That's how it always goes!

Ruthie posted a Quick Raisin Bread recipe that I'm itching to try after work today. Conveniently, we've run out of quick grab breakfast items so it fits in nicely with my plans.

After a week of running around like a mad woman, my errands are all done. I've even put the car issue to bed and I did it all by myself. (Ladies, let's all stand up and sing a rousing chorus of "I Am Woman Here Me Roar") I have to confess, after 17 years of marriage, I prefer working as a team to flying solo on big decisions. (Although Jim was involved in the research at home, I was the one doing all the leg work.) I'm glad that's over and done with.

BTW, speaking of women roaring, does anyone else hate the image of the very pregnant woman that cafemom uses in all its ads? There's something about it that just irritates me. There's never a mom with a child, just a very pregnant woman. We're not all pregnant, all the time. It reminds me of a book Jim's been reading, The Terror Dream, about how images of women in post 9-11 America have been presented.

Accomplishing Things in My Head

As the tag sale season dwindles in NY, here's a great article on how to spot a good used bike. It might help you spot an end of season deal.

There's not a lot of time to accomplish things today. Its not only Halloween but a half day at my sons' schools as well. I can't believe they made today a parent teacher conference day! I also can't believe I signed up for one of the conferences! What was I thinking??

Most of the things I accomplish today will be in my own head. No, I don't mean they'll be imaginary! (At least I hope they won't be imaginary!) As I scurry from one thing to the next, I'll be trying to plan a few things out. For example, the chore system that we've had in place for years is no longer as functional as it once was and needs to be revamped.

As it stands right now, the girls have the large majority of the chores and the boys have very few. With the girls out of the house more for work and school and the boys getting older and more capable, the boys need to begin to help out more. Up until now I've just been asking the boys to fill in but the response is often, "That's HER job!" I've grown a little weary of that response.

The solution is for me to make a new game plan, run it by Jim and then present it to all the kids at the same time in a family meeting. Then, there is the challenge of implementing the new plan.

Its interesting to me how each child responds differently. The boys prefer to have their chores written out so they can look and see what they've done and what they need to do. Rob likes to take it one step further and be able to check off what he's already done. Nothing is more torturous for my sons than forgetting a chore and being reminded it still needs to be done. I feel there is an excel spreadsheet in my future (complete with check off boxes for Robert).

The girls, on the other hand, hate lists to the point where they wouldn't even look at them if you made them. They insist they can remember it all and would rather have me do my best impersonation of a broken record if they forget. Yuck, I like lists better. I feel there will be nagging in my future!

Here's an idea I've been using for getting an unloved chore done. Biscuit is a lab mix who has enough energy to power a large city. Robert is a child with a similar amount of energy. Both can be destructive when their excess energy is not burned off. Here's my solution. Together, they are doing laps around the block everyday after school. The minimum is 1 lap but they can do as many as they want, providing its still daylight and homework is done. When Rob & Biscuit reach 100 laps, Rob's been promised a new watch. Running with the dog is a lot more fun now!

Speaking of Logs ***UPDATE***

The CSA season is coming to a close. This is a good thing because my freezer is packed to near bursting! I seem to be getting better at sticking primarily to locally grown foods. I'm constantly amazed at how many local options we have.

Just stopping by the three or four different farmers' markets that I explored in various towns this summer, I discovered local low spray orchards, wineries, hormone free dairies and meat processing. Personally, I'm not a fan of the meat or dairy venues but at least small local operations have a better chance at more humane conditions and they leave a smaller environmental footprint.

Speaking of smaller environmental footprints, we used the wood stove again last night. Its efficient enough that the two logs I put in before bed were enough to keep the house comfy right through this morning. Some of the logs we had delivered were too long for the opening on our stove. This has been an ongoing issue and we've never found a good way to anchor the logs to cut them.

I remembered something my father had used to hold logs for cutting when I was a kid. It was made of wood and looked like two x's conected by several cross pieces to make it freestanding. The log sat in the v created by the top portion of the x's. I tried to google search this but had no luck. If plans for something like this are out there, I'm betting James can find them. I'll be looking for your input in the comments!

Last night Jim put together his own version of this using leftover 2 x 4's and other scrap wood. He sized the cross pieces so that just by sitting a log on it, you know where to cut to fit it in our stove! He's so ingenious! Don't worry if you can't imagine this, I'll put pictures of this up later on.

I haven't been very food inspired lately. Right now its all about using what's in the fridge and getting on the table by 5:00pm. Its exciting to watch the girls begin working but shuttling them around to jobs is exhausting and time consuming. This, of course, bring me back to the need for alternative transportation options and viable public transportation, as well as, communities designed with these things in mind. Just on the other side of our town, things are much more walker friendly but we live just off of a very busy 6 lane road (can you still call it a road if its 6 lanes across?) that I can't in good conscience let my kids try to cross.

Hindsight is 20/20 but as the kids grow and we begin to plan future chapters of our life, these are things that will have an impact on our decisions.

***UPDATE***
Although James didn't let me down, it was actually Ruthie, that google goddess, who first came up with the name and links to plans for making the log device I described. Its called a sawbuck. Here are some links:

http://www.ericsprojects.com/?
page_id=87

http://www.lcwoodworkers.com/
images/Archive/Sawbuckp.pdf

http://www.motherearthnews.com/
Homesteading-and-Self-Reliance/
1996-10-01/Easier-Log-Cutting-and-Storing.aspx

Baby Its Cold Outside

This morning when I woke up, there was frost on the ground. I don't mean a little frost, I mean real frost. The current temperature outside is 27 degrees! So, for the first time this season, I started my morning by lighting the woodstove. It's so hard to get up in a cold house. (The thermostat said it was 60 degrees inside.)

Despite the extra work, I'm glad the cold weather is here. I like the feeling of slowing down and settling in for the winter. I like perusing projects that I've wanted to start or finish but haven't had time for. The wood stove draws everyone to the living room and I like that as well.

This morning we enjoyed steel cut oats, already hot and waiting for us, in the slow cooker. What a welcome sight it was! If you've never tried it, I highly recommend it on cold mornings. The ratio I use is from 125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes. It calls for 1 1/4 cups steel cut oats and 4 cups of water. Everyone adds their own soymilk in the morning to cool it down a bit. It does take a little longer to eat than a muffin or quick bread that you can take in the car but sometimes we need to force ourselves to slow down.

However, instead of slowing down today, I'm going to be extremely busy. There is a laundry list of errands to be run and things that must get completed before the day ends.

Sew You're Ready For a New Challenge?

I really liked Rhonda Jean's post on living small. Its definitely worth a read.

A few weeks back Ruthie posted about making her first and second pair of yoga pants. I was inspired by her post. Lately, I've got a lot of "well if she can do it, I should be able to do it too" in my personality. I even went so far as to follow the link to the Simplicity pattern 7229 that Ruthie used. That's pretty much where my research and ambition ended.

The pattern cost $7.75 and I knew I really didn't have time for it right now, especially with my multitude of knitting class projects currently underway. I mentally filed my desire to make yoga pants in the someday category. Then fate intervened.

My gym used to be located in a small strip mall that included a Joann Fabric. I frequented Joann's when I needed something for a knitting class, not because I loved the store or thought the prices were so amazing but simply because I could walk to it from work. As I mentioned before they also send out 40% off coupons with amazing regularity.

When I was in buying my stitch gauge/needle sizer they were giving out coupons for an upcoming 50% off sale. I stuffed the single page flier in my purse and didn't give it much thought.

While the car salesman went bantering back and forth with his manager the other day, I decided to explore my purse and I came upom the flier again. Imagine my surprise when I discovered all Simplicity patterns were on sale for 99 cents! Of course there were a few exceptions, but the pattern I wanted didn't seem to be one of them.

I headed over after work yesterday, tentatively pulled open the enormous file cabinet of patterns and began the search for pattern 7229. My heart sank when I came upon a cardboard divider with that pattern number on it. I thought for sure it was out of stock. As I pulled the carboard forward, there was the actual pattern!

I did my mental happy dance all the way to the register, where once again the cashier looked at me like I was nuts. My bill came to under $2.50 and that included a large ball of cotton yarn which I used my 50% off coupon on. I guess no one spends that little anymore.

I must confess, I still don't think I'll get to making the yoga pants before the holidays but I'm so excited that I have the pattern already. I think I even have stretchy fabric in my giant box of fabric. Some snowy day I'll dig through and find out. Thanks Ruthie for letting us know about the pattern. I promise to use my tape measure before I cut and sew! (Just for the record, I haven't used an acual sewing pattern since I made the skirt I wore to my high school graduation 19 years ago. I'm scared!)

I've been blogging a lot lately about knitting. Interestingly, today's Ideal Bite Tip is on eco-friendly knitting. It must be the cooler weather inspiring us all to knit.

What Will it Take For Me to Get You Behind the Wheel?

Cars give me a pain in the posterior. The days of loving, really loving a car are so far behind me that I find it hard to conjure up the memories of the emotion. If I search way back in my memory, the last car I loved was a red 1989 Nissan Sentra, my first new car. Now I couldn't care less if I ever owned a new car again. In fact, if I could magically transport my family and jobs to a more alternative transportation friendly environment, I would in a heartbeat. Someday we'll get there but it will take time to get that plan in motion. In the interim, we need two cars. Which brings me to an observation I made yesterday.

It seems my little buggy will need some hefty repairs in the near future if it is to continue as the primary mode of family transportation. The pros of fixing it are its paid for, it seats all 6 of us and the repairs are normal wear and tear issues. The cons are its got 134,000 miles, some rust, a history of transmission troubles (all covered by warranty up to this point) and more than a few quirks. Plus, its a minivan that gets a maximum of 22 miles to the gallon.

Like any frugal minded person, we're exploring our options before doing anything. Part of yesterday's exploration involved a trip to test drive a smaller used station wagon at a local car dealership.

I often feel like an anthropologist observing another culture in situations like that. Its so interesting to observe the way its all arranged, from the layout of the showroom to the "I've got to check with my manager" schtick that the salespeople do. It seems to me, they make you wait endlessly while they check this and that to make you more anxious and feel less worthy so you're more likely to jump at anything they offer. The poor guy got more than he bargained for when I walked in.

I came in armed with the Carfax sheet on the car, pricing info from Edmunds and Consumer Reports and the knowledge that this car could work but it didn't have to. Remember, I still have a functioning vehicle. I also took the time to figure out the value of my car using those same resources.

So what was the outcome? I'm not sure yet, big decisions take time to make and despite the industries desire to "put me behind the wheel" I'm not sure if I want to be there.

I do know this. I don't want to "put $1 down with no payments until February." I do not have "no credit or bad credit" so I don't need them to "work with me." I also do not "deserve a new car" or "need a new car" despite what all the radio commercials tell me. Being frugal has given me options. Having options gives me power. Having power means I get to make the best choice for me and not take the only option available to me.

Spotting & Fixing Errors

Thanks for the ideas on how to use those t-shirts. I'll let you know what I decide to do. I had totally forgotten but my neighbor used to do a lot with wonder under. She used to take her kids character bedsheets when they were worn out in the center and use the rest to decorate canvas bags for projects at her kids' birthday parties. I'm going to pick her brain before I try anything.

In knitting news, I love the way the cabled scarf pattern is turning out. It is definitely a pattern that is best done while the kids are at school. There's too much counting to lose track of when everyone is around. I fouled up a row of my lace scarf last night but, thankfully, I can show it to my teacher tonight and she'll know in a second how to fix it. I think that's the best part of taking classes. I'd like to develop that eye for how to fix my knitting errors.

I hadn't thought about it before but that's something I already have with cooking, although its taken me years to cultivate it and most of the knowledge arrived as a result of screw ups I made along the way. Honestly, who among us hasn't made bread bricks or muffin hockey pucks?) I've gotten very good at diagnosing the problems people have when cooking and what to do about them.

I think that makes it easier for me to be confident when I make recipe substitutions, which ultimately makes it easier for me to be both frugal and healthy when cooking. Let's face it, I make almost as many substitutions to make ingredients healthier (ie. whole wheat flour for white, oil for margarine, pureed dates for sugar, etc.) as I do to make a dish vegan.

Speaking of fixing my own errors, here's something I discovered years ago but was reminded of when a new kitty joined our family a few weeks ago. Don't vacuum up used kitty litter that somehow makes it out of the catbox. The stench inside the vacuum will make you want/need to change your bag sooner than necessary. Instead, use a stiff broom and a dustpan to get as much up as possible, even if its on a rug like mine is. When you've gotten as much as you can by this method, then get the vacuum out.

If you're wondering how used kitty litter magically flies out of the cat box then you obviously don't have a dog who thinks the catbox is his personal snack bar. Consider yourself very lucky and ignore this last bit of wisdom. As for me, I'm on the lookout for a kiddie gate to stick in the doorway so the cat can come and go while the dog can not.

Holiday Planning

Even though its not quite Halloween, I've been thinking about hand-made holiday gift giving. This was something that I desperately missed last year.

Here's an interesting link that describes how to make several of the pricey items in the Pottery Barn catalog and generally encourages the reader to use catalogs as a source of inspiration rather than actually buying the merchandise. Thanks to Meredith at Like Merchant Ships for the great ideas.

I've really been using my knitting class as a source of inspiration for holiday gifts. I did buy my sock yarn and circular needles this weekend. Chile suggested checking out thrift stores for knitting needles for future projects. I agree totally. That is exactly where most of my needles come from.

To make purchasing used needles easier, you might want to consider purchasing a stitch gauge/needle sizer. This nifty little gadget sells for under $2 at most craft stores and lets you figure out what size unmarked needles are. Its small enough to carry in your purse which I find particularly useful.

I got mine at our local JoAnn Fabric using one of the 40% off coupons they always have on the back of the sale flyers. I always use those coupons on the most mundane but necessary things, like a particular color thread I've run out of. The cashiers look at me like I'm nuts. I guess everyone else uses them to buy a new sewing machine or some other big ticket item.

Today, I'm allocating one of my half hour chunks to get starting on a reversible cable scarf pattern my instructor emailed to us. There's also apple butter on the agenda and lots of laundry.

In other frugal crafting news, my daughters have been cleaning out their closets and have given me a challenge. They have a bunch of shirts with sayings that they no longer wear but they like the sayings. They want me to make something out of them. They are very thin, low quality material so I don't think quilt squares are the best option. Do you have any ideas?

Here Comes the Weekend

I'm 37 years old and I still welcome Fridays like a kid in grammar school. I love the anticipation of the weekend arriving and the work week/school week ending. It begins to creep into my thoughts the middle of the week. When Friday mornings finally arrive, they are so full of promise.

My weekends are a fresh start, a chance to catch up on things that slipped by me during the week. Perhaps best of all, the weekend gives me the opportunity to be with my family which makes any task easier to accomplish. Even folding laundry can be fun when doing it with another person.

The weekend is actually chock full of things to do. There are apples to can, veggies to freeze, wood to stack and much more. I even have to get up early tomorrow morning! Even so, I'm planning to sneak some knitting in on the car ride to our CSA pickup. For you non-knitters, be warned - knitting is addictive!

In not so frugal news, we're starting socks next week in knitting class! How is this not frugal? Well, I have to buy two sets of size two circular needles and a particular type of sock yarn. I look at learning to knit socks a lot like cooking. The first time I try a recipe, I tend to follow it closely. After that, I feel comfortable to experiment. The yarn store is on the way to my brother's house and I am going there for a party Sunday. At least I'm not driving out of my way! (How's that for a frugal justification??)


Happy Weekend to All!

Recipe Roundup

I've had some recipe successes as well as a notable flop recently. Here's the scoop.

The granola bars I made were a definite success. For the most part they hold together and what doesn't hold together is willingly gobbled up as cereal. Try as I might, I can't find the source of the original recipe but I suspect it came from the Vegetarian Group. Naturally I tinkered with it so it only vaguely resembles the original recipe anyway. Here's my version:

Granola Bars

Combine the following on an ungreased cookie sheet:
2 1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup flaxseed meal

Set your oven to 300 degrees and place the cookie sheet in your oven for 20 minutes while its preheating.

Heat the following in a small saucepan:
2 Tbs canola oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup pureed dates

Place 1 cup of raisins into a mixing bowl. Pour in dry ingredients and stir to combine. Remove wet ingredients from heat, stir in 2 tsp of vanilla extract* and 1 tsp cinnamon and then pour over dry ingredients. Quickly stir until everything is coated.

Continuing to move quickly (because this beccomes a sticky mess rather quickly) press this mixture into a greased 8 x 8 pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and then cut into bars. Let the whole thing cool completely before attempting to remove from pan.

*I skipped the vanilla extract because I used vanilla sugar.

I did finally make a very mild baba ganoush a few days ago. Everyone liked it but I had made a lot, far too much to use in sandwiches. I sliced two onions and cooked them in a bit of water until they carmelized. Then I added a can of black olives and some chick peas. I tossed these around until they were heated through. Then I added in the leftover baba ganoush and again let it heat through before serving it over pasta. The result was really tasty and everyone took leftovers for lunch the following day!

Last night, it seems, I was feeling a little too kitchen confident because part of last night's dinner won the stinker of the week award. Our Tuesday CSA pickup had a small amount of broccoli pieces in it, perfect for cream of broccoli soup. Having never made vegan cream of broccoli soup, I headed to the cookbooks. I wound up using the Broccoli Cheez Soup recipe from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. Visually and texturally, the soup was perfect but the taste was a little too intense. Everyone ate it but they requested it never reappear on the menu.

Let's Try That Again

Yesterday, I mentally broke my day into 1/2 hour chunks. (Don't you wish you had my mind powers?) Doing this helped me balance what I needed to get done with what I wanted to spend time on. I also tried to time things so that I was doing something enjoyable during a passive moment in other more necessary activities. For example, I showered while the laundry was washing. I knitted while the granola bars were baking.

I wish the knitting had gone better. I was still working on that really complicated lace pattern I mentioned here. I got frustrated because the mistakes were really evident because of the repetitive pattern, so I took a break and tried one of the simpler patterns we had been given. Things were going well until I apparently lost count and purled when I should have knitted. Next thing I knew, I had done about 8 rows backwards!

In a moment of temper (or unrestrained PMS) I ripped out all 30 or so rows and started over. Thank goodness the each row has only 25 stitches! Am I getting to be a knitting snob? I don't think so. I'm making this scarf for my aunt and I'd prefer if my screw ups occured in the section of scarf that wraps around her neck rather than on the edge where everyone will see!

On the other hand, my very simple scarves made using eyelash yarn and knit stitch only, have come out very well. I'm using Copacabana for one and Cotton Candy for the other. I've finished one and am quite a ways into the second. Shh, these are holiday presents for two very fashionable young ladies. Eyelash yarn is tricky to deal with at first because of all the stray pieces folding over the needles but it quickly gets easier.

While doing all that laundry yesterday, I tossed in the felted purse project inside a pillow case. I left the top of the machine open so I could let it agitate a few extra times. It worked pretty well. I blocked it and set it to dry so I could blanket stitch the sides shut and add a button to close the top today. As I mentioned earlier, my purse seemed very long and narrow. When I added the loop described in the pattern, I just wasn't convinced felting would solve the narrow, pencil case-like look of this purse, so I added a second loop on the shorter side.

As I suspected, felting made the whole project smaller but didn't change the proportions of it. The good news is by adding the second loop, I can turn the project on its side when I fold and sew it to create a more normal shaped purse. The second loop will be the one that anchors over the button to keep the purse closed. The other loop sticks out the side of the purse and, once I add a key ring to it, will become a place to put your keys. Not a bad salvage job if I do say so myself! (BTW, if you hated the key ring idea, you could just cut the loop off and it wouldn't show at all.)

I'll post the granola bar recipe I mentioned earlier tomorrow. I'm still trying to track down the original source of the recipe I used.

Why I Subscribe

The last child just boarded the school bus and the quiet is just amazing. Moms don't get enough chances to experience quiet so I really savor these moments of sipping coffee and planning my day.

Its laundry day around my house. Conveniently, the sun is shining so I can get some laundry hung outside. These fall days when its not cold enough to light the woodstove can be challenging for getting things to dry without using the dryer.

My mention of the HomeEconomiser Newsletter prompted Meredith from Like Merchant Ships to ask the question: "How does it compare to reading blogs for information?"

Although I did respond in yesterday's comment section, I thought everyone might be interested so here's my response:

I do like the HomeEconomiser but you ask a really good question. I subscribe for two reasons.

The first is to get information concisely, in one place without having to search for it.

The second is to support frugal living. I'm just one woman sitting behind a computer typing away about frugal living. Most people stumble upon my blog by accident. I guess that means I'm passive in my spreading of frugality.

Steve and Annette at HomeEconomiser, on the other hand, are actively getting the word out giving interviews and with public appearances. They're are telling people who never considered a frugal way of life about it. My subscription money ($12 for 6 issues) helps allow them to do this. I think that's a worthwhile cause to support.

I think of it the same way I think about paying more for Seventh Generation toilet paper because it uses 100% recycled paper, with a minimum of 80% post-consumer materials. Sure it costs more but its something that I want to support.

Ultimately, do I think you could find comparable information through blogs? Probably. You might want to give their freezine a try.

It All Comes Back to the Bread

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, portions of your world fall apart. Last year, as I spent a huge amount of hours working, the inner workings of my house began to fall apart.

Piles of paper appeared as children emptied their book bags. Mail came and items to be saved, like IEPs and report cards made more piles. Magazines that I never had time to really read filled a basket to overflowing. (A word on the mags, the only subscriptions I pay for are VegNews, Mother Earth News and HomeEconomiser. The rest just seem to magically appear.)

Although I thought I sorted, outgrown clothes remained mixed in with the boys' winter clothing that I packed away at the end of last season. Clothing and shoes given to my daughters by their ultra cool aunt got added to their closet without being gone through first, creating massive piles of things they never planned to wear but hadn't gotten around to going through.

With my new schedule, we've been steadily regaining ground since the beginning of September. This weekend was amazing in terms of what we were able to accomplish both inside and outside the house. It really helped that the kids all pitched in, even when pitching in meant just playing nicely with friends and giving mom and dad time to focus. The girls even began to clean out their room and closets, resulting in about 7 bags of clothes and shoes to be donated! Can you imagine?

I change my rules of conduct during times of intense cleaning like this. Normally, I prefer to freecycle items but during times like this, bulk donations to a local thrift store make much more sense. The last thing you need after cleaning up piles is to create more piles as you wait for people to show up. I also don't save clothing for craft projects during these times, except for denim - I always save denim.

I even got caught up on all my freezing, even those turnips that I never could seem to get to! While I was chopping and blanching, Jim cleaned the inside of the fridge. Seeing progress was addictive, so we just kept barreling on.

We did take time to enjoy a big brunch Sunday, making extra pancakes for Monday and Tuesday's breakfasts. Then, while Jim repaired the dogs' 25 foot run leash that he accidentally severed with his lawn mower a few weeks ago, I made a batch of Barbara's whole wheat bread for the first time in a very long time. As I turned the handle of my bread bucket, I felt euphoric, like I had regained something very special to me.

Do you have to bake bread to be frugal, certainly not. For me, baking bread and making other foods from scratch, isn't just about frugality, its about feeding my family the most wholesome foods that I can. As I worked in the kitchen yesterday making snacks to fill lunch boxes, I felt very satisfied that I was doing just that.

The Monkey Wrench Factor

I think I've begun to pin down what exactly makes people give up on frugality. I've deemed it the "monkey wrench factor." Here's an example of it in action that happened to me only yesterday.

After work, I went through the fridge and got out all the greens I could find, except lettuces, and began steaming and freezing them. My fridge was getting clear, my freezer was getting full and I was feeling good. I had plans to move on to turnips when I realized I had to pick up Kyle from intramurals, a free afterschool gym program.

I left the kitchen a work in progress, or a mess in progress depending on your perspective and headed to pick Kyle up. Since I was already out I planned to head to the DMV to pick up the driving manual for my daughter, who's been begging for it since 9/19. My daughter was in the car because the plan was for her to run in and pick up the manual while I looped the block rather than pay for parking and walk a huge distance in the rain.

The plan went off without a hitch. Tasha was waiting for me as I came back around. Just as she got into the car, Jim called. This was odd since he should have been 2/3 of the way home by that point. He was driving home when his alternator died and could I meet him at the service station 45 minutes away? So much for turnips.

I stopped home, dropped off Tasha, told the girls to eat the leftovers for dinner, made a few sandwiches for the road, let the boys hit the bathroom and away we went. The boys happily ate sandwiches and played travel Uno as we drove. We picked up Jim and reversed the route stopping briefly for a roll for each of the boys and an extra large coffe for Jim & I to share. (There's no time to brew coffee yourself when you know your honey issoggy and waiting for a ride.)

Once home, we too ate some of the leftovers. Jim supervised homework while I finished with the greens. Forty five minutes later the boys were in bed and Jim was making plans for how to get to work today. In the end, despite my promising start, I didn't get half of what I wanted/needed to get accomplished done.

The monkey wrench is not the car repair or the tow bill as you might suspect. The monkey wrench is the event itself and the time spent rectifying it. In frugal living time is a precious commodity. When time is short, we become tempted to do things we wouldn't ordinarily do for the sake of convenience, like get takeout. Throw a few monkey wrenches into your week and frugality can go out the window.

I confess, I pondered takeout when Jim first called. Then I quickly thought about ways to avoid it. We don't enjoy takeout enough to spend money on it and I had leftovers at home that would work for a late dinner. The sandwiches would tide us over, the rolls were a little treat for the boys and the coffee was just plain necessary. I was willing to make a $3 investment but not a $30 one. Questioning your first reaction to a situation is the first step in living a frugal lifestyle.

All of this brings me to the decision I made back in June to dramatically cut my work hours and responsibility. For me, having more time, even though it is coupled with less income, makes it easier to be frugal. I think too many people are fearful of trying to do things because of just the kind of day I had yesterday.

An Odd Dinner Inspiration

A while back (in 2005 to be precise) I posted about discovering discount grocery stores. Darrylvkjust just let me know about a directory of discount and salvage stores. It doesn't include stores like Aldis, Price Rite or Save-a-Lot.

Speaking of food, our dinner time has been in a state of flux since school started mainly due to 5:15 - 6:00 swim team practice Monday, Wednesday and Friday for Rob. This past week he got moved up to the next level which means 6:00 - 7:30 swim team practice Monday, Wednesday and Saturday practice from 1:00 - 2:30. This is good news for us. If dinner is ready at 5:00, we'll have time to eat before we head to practice. It also gives Jim the opportunity to exercise while Rob swims rather than going to the Y at 5:30am. I just have to get into a rhythm of having dinner ready by 5:00.

On Tuesday evening, due to more veggies than my fridge could hold, I put a huge bunch of chopped celery, a pound of chopped tomatoes and 3 eggplants (I salted and rinsed these first) into the slow cooker on low. The cover wouldn't close all the way so I added a bit of water and told Jim, with a lot of false confidence, that it all would cook down and fit easily. Imagine my surprise and delightwhen I woke up in the morning and it actually had!

I added some red lentils to the mix, along with some nutritional yeast, a tablespoon of sugar, a half teaspoon of seasoned salt, some onion and garlic powder. To serve, I made some pasta and toasted a handful of chopped walnuts in a cast iron pan. I mixed the walnuts into the eggplant mixture and served it like a sauce over the pasta. It wasn't bad for a meal built totally out of a lack of storage space!

Change Begins At Home

Chile & James have both nominated me for the Change Begins at Home award! To quote Melanie, the creator of the award, "This is given to bloggers who live what they preach, who try to make the changes in their own lives that they would like to see in the world."

Thank you both so much! Its gratifying to know that others appreciate what I'm sharing. I've always felt that I could have the greatest impact on society through my personal everyday actions. If I want society to change then, for me, the best course is not to yell and shout about how wrong things are, although there are days when I'd love to. Instead, I prefer to show people how things can be done and used differently and still be wonderful. The best learning opportunities come when someone comments on a particular project like the bedspread curtain or the denim quilts.

The award rules are:

1. Nominate three bloggers who epitomise "Change begins at home"

2. Link back to the person who nominated you, and link back to this post

3. When you receive the award, you may display the "Change begins at home" button on your blog.

Its still a learning process for me. Here are three bloggers who help me in that process and I would like to nominate for the Change Begins at Home Award:

Ruthie at frugal, sustainable and happy

Crystal at Vivacious Vegan

Barbara at Frugal Portland Living

Felting & Fixing

I was thinking about felting yesterday. Since felting essentially creates a fabric out of the wool,why would you need to reknit something? Couldn't you just shrink the sweater you were planning to unravel first and then cut and shape it into whatever you wanted to make?

To answer a question like this you need to go to a place where the frugal fold gather. I started by checking Dollar Stretcher but had no luck. Next stop, Thrifty Fun where I hit the jackpot. Check out the Cheater's Felted Purse if you're a non knitter and still want to give felting a try.

Here are instructions for felting using a washing machine, which is the prefered method. Here are hand washing instructions for felting.

My project is ready to be washed but I'm having a hard time finding the time to do it. (I feel guilt about running the washer and I don't have time to hand felt.) There's a good chance it may sit until next week sometime. I didn't really look at what I was knitting as a whole before finishing it off and I've just noticed it looks like my purse will be very wide and very skinny. Maybe I subconciously made a knitting needle carrying case instead! I'll see what happens when I actually felt it.

I feel this urge to create things right now. I'm just enjoying seeing projects begin, come along and finally come together. Sometimes short term projects, like last nights backpack zipper repair, are really gratifying.

Kyle has a double zipper on the top of his backpack. Both of the ends of the zipper had begun to unravel and one zipper pull actually fell off yesterday. Getting the zipper pull back on and the teeth of the zipper lined up again proved the most time consuming and frustrating portion of the process. Once it was reattached, I sewed across the zipper so the pull couldn't go that far down again. Then, I proceded to sew in all the frayed edges. After half an hour, we had a functional backpack, a happy child and a victorious mother.

When I embark on a repair project my mantra goes something like this:
I can do this!
I mean I should be able to do this.
There's got to be a way to do this!
Isn't there some way to do this?
If _____ can do this, then I can do this!
Oh, this is how you do this!
Next time, I'll be much quicker at this!

Wait, I Thought We Were Making Socks!

Do you remember the feeling in high school of walking into class both late and unprepared? I experienced it again last night when I walked into my knitting class. My evening had already been hectic. I had to take Rob to swim team, go to Tasha's BOCES Cosmetology open house and then head to my knitting class.

I got to knitting about 45 minutes late. This was great considering its a two hour class and I thought I'd be much later. I had also gotten all but two rows of my project done so I was feeling pretty good. BTW, don't try to knit while watching the swim team practice, the yarn sticks to your sweaty little fingers and begins to feel like razor wire.

When I walked in, I discovered we had moved on to learning to read the pattern for a very complicated lace scarf, not socks as I had thought (socks are coming later in the course). To add to my confusion, I wound up sitting next to a very nice, but very loud, woman who talked constantly as I struggled to get the stitch pattern right. I had to go deep into my own head to focus, which, after a long day, isn't really hard for me to do.

I was able to get the pattern right, although I did have to write it out stitch by stitch. The asterisks, parenthesis and small print the pattern used were making me loopy. Several people in the class agreed that this was a good technique to use.

As we wrapped things up for the night, our teacher informed us that this was an example of a badly written pattern and if we could master this, we could do anything. Our assingment is to finish our felted coin purse and to work on our lace scarf pattern. I think I might just start the scarf. I hate making samplers, they make me feel like I'm wasting my yarn.

The thing that I notice more and more is the amount of money that can be spent or saved by knitting, or any DIY project, depending on how it is approached. My yarn comes primarily from thrift stores and yard sales. The highest I've paid is $.50 per skein. In some cases I've paid much less. By the time I finish unraveling the sweater, I think I'll have the equivalent of 3-4 skeins of yarn at a total cost of $.25.

Many people in my class talk about how much they spend on yarn and its a lot more than what I'm spending. Ironically, I've frequently gotten compliments on the yarn I use. I guess there are a lot of people who buy higher quality yarn and then never do anything with it so off to the thrift store it goes!

I'm hoping to add some pictures of my projects in the next few days.

My Time Out

My yoga time out yesterday really helped me get my head clearer. I had already begun clearing out my computer room/office to make it my personal yoga space as well. Moving the coffee table out of the way so I can spread my mat out in the living room has gotten a little tedious for me. Has anyone else ever noticed how their dog can be sleeping peacefully on the other end of the house but as soon as you get into downward dog or triangle they need love and attention immediately???

Having a dedicated space also makes it easier when I'm doing yoga with Kyle. Having a door to shut out the distractions of the world really helps him focus. Of course at the moment, there's no door on the room in question. There had been one but when the boys' bedroom door fell apart a few weeks ago, I moved my door onto their hinges.

If you're wondering how a bedroom door can break, you obviously don't have two sons. Sons can deconstruct ANYTHING!! The door literally fell apart (the support pieces from the inside fell out the bottom leaving two flimsy pieces of wood that periodically jammed shut) from little boys hanging on the doorknob and riding it as the door opened and closed. The demise of the door was further helped along by a little temper fit or two slamming it shut.

So getting a new door is now on my to do list. For anyone who was inspired to try doing yoga with their kids after my posts about Yoga for the Special Child but has become frustrated with the process, let me suggest mini yoga sessions. Kyle has been resistant to doing yoga since school started, really resistant. You can't do yoga with a screaming child, it defeats the purpose of it.

Instead, I've begun doing 10 minutes of yoga with him before school each day. I believe Sonia Sumar says in her book Yoga for the Special Child that a little yoga everyday is better than a lot of yoga once in a while. Sticking to 10 minutes means 1 quick round of chanting, and basically 1 movement for each directiont he body can go in (forward, backward, sideways and twisting) and the fastest relaxation you ever imagined. As he becomes less resistant, I'll begin increasing the time we spend.

Tonight is my knitting class and I've got 23 rows to finish! If only I'd remembered to grab my knitting bag when I took my son to swimming lessons yesterday. Actually its not that big of a deal at all. I discovered that taking a sweater apart is actually a lot more time consuming than you'd think. I haven't unraveled the whole sweater yet, only enough to make this project.

To finish the purse you need to blanket stitch the edge. Here's a more visual explanation of blanket stitching.

If felting really results in such a durable product, I might use the rest of the sweater to make a larger tote bag.

I made a huge batch of vegetable soup yesterday to use up the veggies in the fridge. I've frozen it all in anticipation of the cold winter ahead. Yesterday, I went through my cookbooks in search of a turnip recipe that tickled my fancy. In the past, I've roasted them with beets which is very nice but I was looking for something different. There was a turnip puff recipe that intrigued me. Since most of the recipes I found called for mashed turnips, I think I'll probably peel, cook and mash all the ones I have, especially since they're taking up two drawers in my fridge.

Inner Peace?

I'm sitting, sipping coffee, still in my pjs as I type this. The mania of packing bookbags, lunches and the inevitable scurry to catch the bus is over for this morning. I need to catch my breath before attacking the rest of my day.

Ruthie's yoga revelation yesterday reminded me how much I could use to slow down and take some time for my own yoga revelation. Actually, I'm not looking for a revelation today. I'd settle instead for a feeling of calm and well being. I think I'll roll out my yoga mat and sneak some yoga in before I hit the shower. You won't rat me out for not being overtly productive for a few minutes, will you?

I love all the frugal things I do. I enjoy the challenge of finding new ways to deal with problems, food and otherwise. Right now I just need to recharge.

This past Sunday the womens gym I managed closed. I'd been a member since September 2001 and an instructor since September 2003. Seeing that gym almost completely empty was the saddest thing I'd seen in a long time. It was a place where we made friends and shared with them joys, sorrows, successes and failures. Together we had babies, nursed family members through sickness, lost family members and watched our kids grow. We tried new things and held onto things we loved. Ultimately, we became a family.

Now moving day has come and gone. All of our equipment and classes have been moved to the main building. In fact, a good portion of the equipment is still sitting in the lobby. The floor in our aerobics room won't be done until Friday so we're teaching classes in a huge echoing gymnasium. Our members are feeling angry and displaced. There's only so much PR work I can do because I'm feeling angry and displaced too.

Change is inevitable and its not always bad. I know in a few weeks this won't be such a big deal and there certainly are positive aspects to working in the main facility. Most staff have been very kind and supportive to us and even though I gave up managing, everyone wants my opinion on how to make things better for all. Later, when I'm not feeling so raw, I might see this as a really positive change. But right now, I need to find some inner peace and calm, so to the mat I go.

Later this morning, I intend to go on a freezing binge that includes the hot peppers and tomatillos that have been mocking me since last Tuesday.

Namaste

Crabapple Success

I used some of the cooked crabapples in apple bread yesterday and the results were really good. I had initially added 1 cup of sugar to about 6 quarts of spiced crapapple butter. I personally thought they were still pretty tart, bordering on sour, although my son loved it.

The apple bread recipe I used called for 1 cup of sugar per loaf. Generally, I think that makes a loaf that is too sweet but in this case the proportions were just right. I'm excited about future crapapple endevours!

Old Sweaters and Other Knitting News

Since using an old wool sweater seemed to be the only solution to the felting project, I set out yesterday afternoon to see if I could find one. BTW, if anyone is curious, here's the link to the project. According to my instructor, the upside of felting is that it makes a virtually indestructible final product.

I find that every thrift store has a personality and specialty. The Salvation Army very close by is good for clothes and furniture. The one on the outskirts of town is good for kitchen items and craft supplies. The one across the river has an amazing selection of furniture at rock bottom prices. My favorite Salvation Army of all is in the Adirondacks. It combines all of the best elements of the others with an exceptionally friendly staff. You visit while you shop there.

The smaller thrift stores in our town are less than impressive with two notable exceptions. One Jim despises because it has a crappy record selection, the clothing selection never seems to change and they insist on playing religious rock and roll (anyone remember Stryper?). However, from my perspective, they have an amazing selection of housewares (this is where I found my pressure cooker), crafts, books and the occasional electronic coup (a clock radio for the boys and a telephone for the girls).

The other Jim hates for similar reasons and, as a bonus, it's totally overpriced. However, their bag sales they can't be beat and, while their mens clothing is ho-hum, their ladies clothing is high end, in style and in pristine condition.

I headed to the first of the smaller thrift stores because they had all clothing on sale for 25 cents and it was on my way to another errand. I hit the jackpot right away, finding two gigantic wool sweaters in the mens section. Fifty cents seemed like a fair price for something I was reluctant to do. So I spent last evening beginning to unravel the first of the sweaters. I discovered that I really hate the way wool feels. I'll definitely be sticking with cotton or acrylic yarn in the future.

Since knitting seems to be the topic of the day, check out this link to more cotton dishcloth patterns than I ever thought possible! The link came in this mornings Ideal Bite email. How oddly appropriate. Is everyone knitting crazy this time of year??

Since several of us seemed to be stumped on how to pick up stitches, check out this link that explains the process. Its got pictures for all the visual learners out there, like me!

Knitting News

Last was the first class in the intermediate knitting class I'm taking. (See Ruthie, great minds think alike!) We're starting out making a felted purse. You have to use wool to felt which, being vegan, bugs me. Originally, I was going to skip the project but now my plan is to hit the thrift store and find a big old wool sweater to unravel and then knit into this project. If there are any knitters out there who know of another type of yarn that can be felted I'd love to hear from you.

Ultimately, I don't think felting is something I'll be doing in the future but next week we start SOCKS!!! I couldn't believe the socks our instructor had made. She claims that we all have enough skills to make the socks already. I have my doubts but I desperately want to try. Like Ruthie and her hats, I suspect one sock will lead to another and another and another! At least socks and hats are useful.

If I get any cash on my upcoming birthday, I think I might splurge and buy some Soysilk Yarn. I'm so intrigued by this. For now I'll be sticking with my thrift store yarn finds as I embark on some covert holiday crafting (there are too many peekers to detail my plans right now!)

I'm intrigued by log cabin knitting as it was described to me last night as a way to use up yarn scraps. I don't know how to pick up stitches yet, or if I do I don't know that's what I'm doing, so this is a future project but here are a few links that describe the process.

Log Cabin Afghan Square

This Old Log Cabin

Its my day off and I have much to do! I hereby promise not to pick up the scarf that I've begun knitting for my niece at all today...Well, at least not during the daylight hours...Well, at least not until I'm helping kids with homework and I want to keep my hands busy.

More on Apple Butter

Courtney asked about my apple butter recipe. I confess that I draw my apple butter inspiration from Barbara.

I love Chile's idea of straining the liquid out of the cooked apples before pureeing to cut down on cooking time (energy use). She says the liquid tastes like apple juice. What a great treat that would be for any little ones helping in the kitchen when you make apple butter. Its so brilliantly simple! Thanks Chile!

I got a lot of beets canned yesterday and I've got the dirty fingernails and purple cuticles to prove it. I have four mutantly large beets, each weighs in at about a pound and a half, that I plan to cut into fries, bake a bit and freeze for another time. They are really delicious this way and kids like them because they look like French Fries. Go figure.

We've Got the Beets!

We have way too many beets. They've begun to take over the fridge. I've been putting them aside thinking I'll can them when I have enough to make it worthwhile. Clearly, when all three drawers in your fridge are filled to the point of exploding, the time has come.

I've really enjoyed getting back to canning. I feel that it is such a worthwhile use of my time and energy. The sunny days of CSA pickups are beginning to dwindle. In the cold of the winter it will be so comforting, and economical, to dip into my cupboard of home canned foods.

After reading several bulk cooking books a while back, I've begun to embrace the logic of keeping the liquid content of frozen foods (usually water or broth) low. I've thought about it and carried it one step further. In the past, I would take the apple butter I'm working on, make it into apple muffins and then freeze the apple muffins. Well the apple muffins take up a lot more freezer space than the cup of apple butter I used in them. If I froze just the apple butter to use later wouldn't that be a better use of my freezer space?

I think constantly questioning why we do things a certain way is really helpful in breaking out of our wasteful ruts. Speaking of this, my daughters are both going to the homecoming dance this year. When we went to homecoming it was not a very dressy thing. Now, I'm told (or is it, now that I'm old?), it requires a rather fancy dress. Tasha went "shopping" in her aunt's closet of dresses that have been worn exactly once. She came up with a beautiful black dress. Leen's going shopping in the same closet today. I love that they both chose to do this without any prompting from me.

Don't Be Such a Crabapple!

Jim picked a huge bag of crabapples at my mom's house last weekend. Yesterday we finally began the business of cooking them. I'll be making them into a spicy apple butter since that seems to be the best use of them from everything I've read. Unlike my usual apple butter, this one will probably require some sweetener.

Yesterday I was able to rehabilitate some overcooked pasta by using it in a frittata recipe. It wasn't the angel hair pasta the recipe called for, it was ziti but we cut into into little pieces and it worked wonderfully. The last of the overcooked pasta will find its way into the minestrone soup that I'm cooking in the slow cooker today. I'll stir it in just before serving to avoid it just disintegrating.

I'll also be making some baba ganoush to use up some of my excess cooked eggplant. Its one of those dishes I've always wanted to try but never did.

All These Dates!

I have a confession to make, I replaced ALL of the sugar in the chocolate chip cookie recipe with pureed dates. I didn't mean to I was mindlessly going along when I realized I'd done it. The good news was, it really didn't change the taste at all. I thought the texture was a bit bready but no one else seemed to notice.

Ultimately, I think that using half sugar and half date puree would have solved this problem, minor though it may be. When you cream together margarine and sugar you really begin to set the tone for the texture of your final product. Sugar and margarine work together to create these little air pockets that make your product tender rather than bready. Using some sugar would help maintain this tenderness.

I think its probably more important to go this route with comfort foods, like chocolate chip cookies that you're serving for a crowd. I think if you're making chocolate chip cookies for yourself to enjoy and you want a healthier, less guilt inducing option, using all date puree would be fine.

BTW, I've been using organic date pieces in oat flour, the cheapest form of dates I can find, for my date puree experiments. I've been just barely covering the dates with boiling water, covering them and letting them sit a while. Then I puree them and measure out an amount of dates equal to the amount of sugar in the recipe.

I've also measured out the amount of unsoaked dates equal to the amount of sugar in the recipe, covered that with boiling water and pureed just this amount. The dates make such a nasty mess in my Vitamix that I prefer to do a larger quantity at a time and store it in the fridge for a few days.

How About Another Date?

Last night I grated all the zucchini that accumulated in the last week. It was an amazing amount. I froze most of it (in preportioned containers for easy use later) the rest I made into zucchini bread. I still had some pureed dates, so I decided to use them in place of the sugar in the zucchini bread. Its spooky but true, they worked wonderfully! Again I did decrease the amount of liquid in the recipe and I added some flaxseed meal to absorb excess moisture.

When you consider the nutrion information for dates compared to white sugar you begin to see the logic of my little experiments.

Tonights the real test. I'm making a giant chocolate chip cookie for my daughter's birthday and I'm going to substitute dates for 1/2 of the sugar. Its just family but I'm betting no one will be able to tell.

How About a Date?

We've begun the third week of school and still we haven't completely adjusted to things. I'm wondering if things will ever run smoothly again? (I have this constant sensation that I'm being shot from a cannon.) I'm so glad that I decreased my time and responsibility at work. I can't imagine how we made it through last year with me working 30 or more hours a week. At least this week marks the end of the majority of "meet the teacher" and "parent orientation" type activities which always happen at inconvenient times in the evening.

I did wind up pureeing the dates for my second batch of Banana Oatmeal Cookies and now they win a gold star. Everyone loves them. Speaking of pureed dates, I substituted them for all of the sugar in the Banana Bread recipe from Compassionate Cook by PETA. First I soaked the dates in boiling water until they softened, then I pureed them. I did decrease the liquid in the recipe slightly to account for the extra moisture the date puree provided. The results were very good, so good in fact that no one noticed I didn't use sugar.

Date puree seems to lack the strong taste that blackstrap molasses has when used as a sugar substitute.

The Healthy Cookie Quest

Ruthie & Allisone shared their favorite healthy cookie recipes with me. I really appreciated this since I still haven't peeked in a cookbook on my own yet. (There's actually a really good reason for this. When I attempted to put my cookbooks back in the cabinet that I keep them in, I discovered the cabinet seemed to be pulling out of the wall from their weight. Well...I do have a lot of cookbooks:) Now the cookbooks are in two enormous piles waiting for me to clear out a bookshelf to put them in - Jim is fixing the cabinet tonight but has requested I keep my five tons of cookbooks in an alternate location. They are not convenient to peruse at this time!)

Yesterday, for an after school snack, I whipped up the Banana Oatmeal Cookies that Ruthie suggested. These were easy and tasty, although my sons dislike date chunks no matter how small they are. I might try pureeing the dates next time or using raisins. Jim, the girls and I loved these and couldn't believe they had no added sugar.

The kids are off today so I'll be trying the other two suggested recipes with them, as well as continuing the organization extravaganza. (The boys' room is next on my hit list.) Also in the kitchen, there will be some preserving going on today to clear out the fridge for Saturday's CSA pickup. There are zucchinis to shred and freeze, tomatoes to turn into sauce, and greens to wilt and freeze.

I've really wanted to make seitan the last few days but haven't had the time. Last night I made Isa's seitan recipe, although I prefer the texture of Lachesis' Seitan O'Greatness. The problem was, I didn't have the time to dedicate to cooking the seitan, mixing up a batch takes no time at all. What's a girl to do?? This girl tried cooking it in the pressure cooker for 15 minutes on high. It actually turned out pretty good. I cubed it and served it with greens, red peppers, carrots and the marinade from the Jerk Seitan recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance as a sauce. (If I didn't have time to cook it, you know I definitely didn't have time to marinade it!) There were no leftovers so it must have been good.

I still stand by original assertion that my favorite seitan is baked seitan but in a pinch this worked out very well.

Clean Up, Clean Up

The frantic pace of the first few days of school seems to be settling down a bit. I'm getting used to being back home and back at work too. I'm working a whopping 6 hours a week now and all of it is teaching classes (ie. exercise is built in to my job again!). I've been so busy the last few days I can't imagine how I fit in working all those hours last year. Everyone is happier with this arrangement, even the my teenage daughters. Wo'd have thought it?

Despite my new found time, my house still looks like 5 people just moved in. I guess we did and boy does it show. I made a start over the weekend by actively ecycling things we no longer need that have been taking up space but there's still more to do.

My only goals outside of the house today are to get dog and guinea pig food, our CSA pickup and go to my son's meet the teacher night. These can all be done in the evening and that leaves me the rest of the day to get organized. The piles are daunting but with some good music blasting (I'm opting for Steely Dan, I'll go through the entire catalog if necessary!) I should be able to get through.


For dinner tonight, I'll be clearing out the fridge of as many veggies as I can. I'm leaning toward Jerk Seitan with a variety of cooked greens and carrots.

I'm also on a quest for a healthy cookie for my sons' lunchbox. The quest only began this morning and I haven't so much as cracked a cookbook open but I welcome any suggestions you may have.

My Favorite Crepe Recipe

My all time favorite crepe recipe comes from The Power of Your Plate by Dr. Neal D. Barnard. The recipe is actually called Eggless Omelets, although I find it more satisfying as a crepe.

Combine in a blender:
2 cups flour (I use whole wheat pastry)
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes (although I use powder and it works fine)
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cups water
1 Tbs oil (I use olive oil)

Blend until smooth. The recipe says it can rest for up to 30 minutes or even overnight but I always use it right away and it works fine. Pour 1/4 cup onto a nonstick griddle (I use cast iron) over medium high heat (I cook it closer to medium but that may be a quirk of my stove).

Either tip the pan to spread out thinly or use the back of a spoon. Let cook until the edges begin to curl up. Flip and cook on the other side. Serve stuffed with whatever you like.

I made them this weekend and stuffed them with Chickpeas and Greens and Cajun Black Eyed Peas. Delicious!

I'm busy digging out from under the remains of a wonderful summer. I'll be back posting next week. Chile, I promise to post the crepe recipe first thing!

There's No Room for Leftovers This Week!

Here's what happens when you don't feel like winding up with a lot of leftovers.

Half of the lima beans that I put in the slow cooker Sunday night became the Beans & Pasta recipe from Good Recipes for Hard Times, a very non-veg but nifty cookbook. I didn't have the celery called for in the recipe so I tossed in some bok choy instead. I also used scallions in place of the onions in the recipe. The final insult to the original recipe writer was, I omitted the pasta. I have plenty of pasta but I wanted to try making polenta and serving it with this recipe instead.

The end result was a tasty soup, the pasta would have made it less soupy. As for the polenta, if I hadn't added an extra 1/4 cup of water to it, it would have been great. Instead it was just ok. I knew I shouldn't add the extra water but I just couldn't stop myself! It was super simple to make. I will definitely try this again.

The remaining limas got mashed into a bean salad which we had on bread for lunch. I just used a bit of nayonaisse, garlic powder, onion powder, relish and a squirt of mustard to season the beans. Everyone seems to like this.

Now what to do with the leftovers of these two meals???

For dinner tonight, I cooked some barley in the leftover bean soup and I made whole wheat crepes. I served the leftover soup, now not water at all thanks to the barley,inside of the crepes. That's an awful description but it tasted really good.

For dessert, I put a tiny bit of water into a the practically empty jelly that was in the fridge. I took the remaining crepes, sprinkled a bit of powdered sugar on them, rolled them up and drizzled the jelly over them. These were good but there was an ongoing debate about whether cinnamon sugar would have been better than powdered sugar. Personally, I lean toward cinnamon sugar.

As for the leftover bean salad, it will be demolished by lunchtime tomorrow.

Ground Control to Major Tom

The countdown to the end of our summer vacation has officially begun. One week from tomorrow we will load the cars and drive away, turning our backs on another summer. I wonder if the kids understand all that goes into making this happen.

I've been sending things back home with Jim the last two weeks to lessen the load for the final trip home. Even though we can walk to the little mom & pop grocery in less than 10 minutes, I'm avoiding little trips to pick up this or that. If we don't have the ingredients, we either won't make it or we'll substitute something else.

I'm hoping to kick as many of the condiments as possible. Half empty containers of ketchup, mustard, relish and nayonaisse take up so much space in a cooler. I'm also working on using as many of the half full containers of grains, beans and flours that I can because these too will take up precious space on the ride home.

The ride home is much different than the ride up . On the ride up everyone is giddy with anticipation and the jam packed car just lends to the happy hysteria. On the way home, everyone is a bit bummed out and being crowded in just makes everyone cranky. I'm the crankiest of them all.

This morning brought cooler weather and with it I decided to do a little baking. I tried the Oatmeal Coconut Cereal recipe from The More With Less Cookbook. Initially I was dissapointed , it looked like a crumbly mess, but everyone raved about the taste. Its nice to have another cereal recipe in my repertiore.

I discovered some frozen currants in the freezer and used the 8 Minute Awesome Strawberry Jam recipe to make currant jam. I then used the currant jam in the Raspberry Fig Bar recipe from The Garden of Vegan.

I wanted to make some kind of wrap tonight so, in the interest of using up a bit more flour, I made Navajo Fry Bread. It is one of the quickest and easiest bread recipes that I can think of. We stuffed these with a mashed bean salad, using some of the aforementioned condiments. I think cooking like this is so empowering. At the very least, it should stave off Alzheimer's for a while.

I'm putting some beans in the slow cooker tonight so I can start the whole process over again tomorrow.

Doing the Can-Can

We ate leftovers last night so there are no new lentil recipes today. Our CSA pickup has been bountiful the last two weeks. I really love this time of year for that reason. In an effort to eat more locally and to support small farms, once school starts, our CSA shares increase from 2 to 5. I really want to avoid having to buy veggies over the winter. Let the canning begin!

I canned my first batch of tomato sauce last week. I'll get my second batch going later today. It was so exciting to return to canning after having so little time and energy to do it last year.

Our local thrift store puts canning jars in the "free" area. You won't hear any complaints from me! In the last two weeks, I've picked up almost 4 dozen pint jars that are in beautiful shape.

The task of preserving foods to get us through the winter requires me to look at every CSA pickup very carefully. What is most perishable? Lettuces, tender greens, cucumbers, and melons are eaten first because they just don't have the holding power.

What holds well in the fridge? Beets, collards, kale can sit happily in the fridge for quite a while. Tomatoes are easy to can but we love to eat them, so we eat some and can some.

What freezes well? An overabundance of zucchini or summer squash can be shredded and frozen to use in quick breads or pancakes. (Freeze these in the amounts that you would use in recipes to make things easier.)

Mother Earth News had a great article on winter vegetable storage in the last issue. I'm planning to try more low energy storage options this winter.

Speaking of getting through the winter locally, several local farms in our area have begun to participate in Winter Sun Farms. Winter Sun Farms operates much like a CSA with monthly pickups between December and March. They piloted this program last winter with one pickup and the response was encouraging enough to expand to four pickups. We've signed on for 2 shares. This will be a nice supplement to the preserving that I do.

Loving All the Lentils

Since we have a plethora of red lentils in the cupboard, our dinner the last two nights has included them. I've used the lentil recipes in The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery for inspiration. These recipes really call for brown lentils but I'm finding the red ones work pretty well too.

First, I tried her Honey Baked Lentil recipe substituting maple syrup for the honey. The recipes combines ginger, dry mustard, chopped onion and soy sauce with the lentils. It is topped with the maple syrup before baking. Despite my initial skepticism, this was quite a hit.

Next, inspired by Carla's Sloppy Lentil recipe, I sauteed several carrots and two cloves of garlic and then placed them in the slow cooker. Then I added dried red lentils, chopped green onion, 2 bay leaves, tomato puree and boiling water to just cover the whole mixture. I cooked this on high for 5 hours and before serving added a bit of tamari, basil and oregano. I served this over bulgur and it too was quite good.

The results have been so positive, I'm tempted to keep going. The Lentil Walnut & Rice Loaf and Ruth's Lentil Burgers are next up. I'm enjoying the adventure of living out of the pantry!

I did get a chance to try the Bean Hash recipe that I mentioned last week. I wound up using lima beans that I discovered in the back of the cabinet rather than the butter beans and black beans that the original recipe called for. This was simply because I didn't have any butter beans or black beans.

I thought the hash needed a bit more spice but overall everyone liked it. The texture of the Bean Hash was really good. Sometimes I think getting the texture right is the greatest challenge of vegan cooking. I'm anxious to try more of the recipes from The Bean Gourmet Presents the Greatest Little Bean Cookbook by Tom Chasuk. His pizza recipe sounds very intriguing.

Speaking of Beans

I just found a cookbook called The Bean Gourmet Presents the Greatest Little Bean Cookbook by Tom Chasuk. This is one quirky little cookbook. He uses beans in everything from breakfasts to beverages.

I used his quesadilla recipe as the inspiration for the quesadillas I made tonight. I used his combination of spices and cooking technique. I used vegan cheese and I added chopped tomatoes because I like them and so do my kids. It really was delcious.

I'm anxious to try his Bean Hash recipe since corned beef hash was a favorite of Jim's way back when. From what I've read so far, the ingredients are common and there is minimal prep and cooking in all of his recipes. This might be a good one to take out of the library for any bean newbies out there.

But What Will the Garden Gnomes Use to Dry Themselves??

The dish cloth situation in our house is dreadful. Despite the three knitted ones I recently added to the collection, we are still perpetually running out of dish cloths. Perhaps if people hung them over the faucet to dry rather than leaving them balled up in a dirty, stinky mess in the bottom of the sink this wouldn't be a problem...but that's another story.

I have several towels that are about the right size to dry a garden gnome. They are also low quality enough that you would be embarassed to hand them to a garden gnome despite the fact that he or she was not in fact alive and therefore unable to notice the aforementioned low quality. Today I finally found a use for these towels that, despite their apparent uselessness, I couldn't bear to part with (you all know the drill...but what if I need a garden gnome sized towel???)

I cut the towel into 8 dish cloth sized sections and then I used my sewing machine to zig zag stitch the edges to prevent fraying. I trimmed the edges and now I have plenty of dish cloths. I don't know what impressed me more, finding a use for the towels or figuring out how to use the zig zag stitch on my sewing machine!

This Vacuum Really Sucks

Actually, the vacuum really didn't suck at all. It was just too clogged to do much of anything.

We bought it at a tag sale this weekend for $5.00 mainly because Jim was tired of shlepping my Oreck (which I love) back and forth with him every weekend. I thought we could get by this way but it seems that Biscuit's hair makes once a week vacuuming impossible. Despite the hardwood floors, the broom is just no match for the hair of a yellow lab mix.

I discovered the clog while taking the hose off to vacuum the edges of the room. The pile of sand that fell out of it was the first clue anything was amiss. We upended the vacuum and a ton more sand and lint fell out. I wish things came out of the hose that easily but that task took the better part of an hour using a broom handle and a wire snake to clear things out. We opted to do the job outside to keep the indoor mess to a minimum.

It turned out that the entire length of hose was clogged, as was pretty much any other cavity that could be. We took every part we could off and just kept cleaning until we could find nothing else to clean. Then we cautiously plugged it in and hoped for the best. It actually worked really well. Despite our sweeping earlier in the day, we were still able to fill up the dust cup with Biscuit hair. We emptied it immediately to avoid the same problem twice.

In the end, the vacuum really did suck, but in a good way. The moral of the story is, when buying a used vacuum, check for clogs first.

I'm Having a Ball

Actually, I'm rolling lots of yard sale yarn into balls. Since I took that knitting class I've had my eye out for yarn every time I go to a thrift store or yard sale. I must confess, I'm not worried about dye lots so the missing labels cause me no stress.

As a result, I've got quite a supply but it was badly organized. (In truth, it wasn't organized at all. It was all thrown into a closet under the staircase.) I'm about half way through the job. Maybe I'm goofy but I think there's something aesthetically pleasing about a basket of yarn balls. Once the weather cools down I'll be ready to go into a knitting frenzy.

There's an odd feeling to this part of the summer. I hate to admit it but the cool mountain nights remind me that September is not too far off. The time has come to start using up the staples in the cupboards to get things down to winter food storage levels. (Up until this point in the summer if I run low on something that I have a stash of at home, Jim brings it up to me.)

So far we've run out of chickpeas, black eyed peas and white beans but we've still got plenty of limas, red lentils and kidney beans. The whole wheat pastry flour is getting low but I have quite a bit of barley and wheat berries, both of which can be ground into flour. My raisin stash is getting a little low so we're going to rely more heavily on dates and figs for these last few weeks. The goal is to use enough to have room for people in the car on the ride home.

Its really a frugal mind set that works well even if you don't have a summer place. Think about how much lower your grocery bill could be if you depleted your pantry a bit. I don't mean leaving it bare, I just mean exploring it a bit more thoroughly before deciding you have to go out for dinner supplies.

We're Having Scallions for Dinner?

Wednesday is our CSA pickup, so Tuesday's dinner revolves around using up the leftovers of last week's CSA pickup. Today I was presented with a unique situation. There was nothing left in the fridge but four huge bunches of scallions and a watermelon. The watermelon was self explanatory but the scallions had me stumped. What could I possibly make for dinner using scallions as the vegetable???
The answer was either going to involve brilliance or idiocy.

I wound up making French Onion Soup using the scallions in place of the onions and it was delicious. I was shocked at how well it went over. I served it with toasted uncheese sandwiches. Of course I could have run out to the store to get a vegetable but part of being truly frugal is getting creative with what you've got. Besides I view it as a challenge.

Speaking of odd concoctions, for dessert I took leftover Mexican Rice Pudding from VwaV and mixed in a cup of flour, 1/2 cup oatmeal and 2 Tbs oil. I formed these into balls and cooked them in a 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes. The result was a tasty little cookie.

Shopping for the Basics

We made a run into town today for soymilk (Silk $2.79, generic $2.49), whole wheat bread ($1.69) and bananas (3 pounds for $1.00). They must think we're nutty whent hey see our cart filled with 17 loaves of bread, 18 1/2 gallons of soymilk and 22 pounds of bananas. By shopping this way, we've been able to keep our trips to the store down to once every 2 weeks. The only other foray we make in the car is to our weekly CSA pickup. This pleases everyone since none of my kids like grocery shopping anyhow.

Jim discovered an unexpected use for the cotton dishcloths that I just finished knitting yesterday. It turns out they make great washcloths too. I have to agree with him. They have a great texture, good for scrubbing off the sweat and grime of the day but not too abrasive. I think my next knitting project will be the granny squares. It seems to hot to think about knitting a whole blanket. Doing it one square at a time sounds more manageable.

Rob's got his own little project going on right now. He's in the process of making a new rack for the pool table. (I'm talking about the triangular thing you rack the balls in.) Biscuit chewed the one that came with the table and we're all tired of doing it with our hands. There's nothing quite as deliberate looking as an eight year old with a miter box.

I Need What??

I'd like to start today by dispelling a high cost myth perpetuated by the office supply industry. When I bought my paper shredder a few months back, they tried to sell me lubricating sheets to keep it running smoothly. I'm suspicious of any add-on items that are offered at the cash register, so I said no.

Lubricating sheets cost about $9.98 for a 12 pack. They are meant to be used every 4-6 weeks. That is going to add up over time. Why couldn't I just use the same can of WD-40 that I've been using for years but never seems to run out? The answer is, I can, I did and it worked beautifully. The moral of the story is: Say no to pushy selling practices and allow yourself time to figure out if its something that you really need!

In other news, I've begun knitting some cotton dishcloths again. I should have three by the time I run out of cotton yarn. This is a good thing because all of the dishcloths around here are from the early days of my marriage and they are either holey, see through or a little of both.

I ran around the lake without stopping today and followed it up with about 45 minutes of yoga. Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes yesterday. I'm off to make some raspberry fig bars and do some puzzles with the boys.

What Do You Do With the Doggy Poo?

I finally jogged around the lake without stopping today! Its about three miles and I did it in 40 minutes. I know this is a pathetic time overall, my daughters can do it in about 29 minutes, but its my personal best. I'm also extra excited because I haven't jogged at all since 7/13 due to the yoga training I was attending. I did bike around the lake several times during the week. Ultimately however, I was able to maintain and actually improve my performance with a week of daily yoga. Its just one more reason to love yoga.

The summer is going well. We're keeping our spending and overall product consumption very low. I'm really trying to think about every purchase and every discard we make. For purchases I ask myself:
Do we need it? If we do need it, is it durable enough to last? Is there a better choice that might cost more but would work better in the long run? How much waste results from this purchase? Is there a non-electric option that would work as well?
For discards:
Is this still useable? Do I know anyone who can use this? Can I do anything with this before I throw it out? Is there a way to avoid having this garbage again?

Our little upstate town has forced us to re-evaluate our doggie poo disposal habits. We've always picked it up in old grocery bags and tossed it into the garbage can. I've always figured, I don't want anyone elses dog poo on my property so I'm not going to leave it on anyone elses. Here's the conundrum, our town doesn't accept animal waste in regular garbage pickup. As a result, my dogs now do their doody in the same wooded area that everyone elses dog does. But what to do when your dog does it somewhere else? Jim came up with a very simple solution, dig a hole and bury it. There are doggy septic tanks for anyone who's interested.

I never gave the plastic bags and doody a thought. Although, since I've been using cloth grocery bags, I don't have nearly as many plastic bags as I once did. Its so important to think things through, even when its something you've been doing for years.

My Training is Complete!

The last week has just flown by. For seven days everything I did centered around my Yoga for the Special Child training. The class ran from 9:00 to 5:00 every day. That meant I was up and out of the house by 8:30 at the latest and home just in time to make a quick dinner. Jim really picked up the slack for me with the kids which made the whole experience possible.

The training itself was amazing. Sonia Sumar is just an inspiration to me. Her training was a unique blend of lecture, practice and observation. Of all the trainings I have been to in my life, this was the first one that got me so excited. It wasn't just the subject, it was the people that I met while I was there. All of them had such a commitment to helping children and they were so down to earth about all the hard work they were doing.

We were able to observe Sonia working with several children but the highlight for me was when Sonia worked with Kyle on Wednesday. I feel so much more qualified to help him realize his potential using yoga now that I saw Sonia working with him.

When I began the training I was thinking only in terms of working with Kyle but now I'm leaning towards working with other children with disabilities. Its funny the paths you suddenly find yourself on.

Yoga For the Special Child Training Begins

I start my Yoga for the Special Child training session tomorrow. I'm so excited. Its one thing to read a book but its another to have someone to guide you through the poses.

Kyle will be attending on Wednesday afternoon. I still can't believe Sonia Sumar will be working with him. This is such an amazing opportunity for us. Jim will be bringing Kyle so we'll have two sets of eyes to pay special attention to what she does with him.

My posts will be very sporadic next week since the trainings run 9-5 for the next seven days.

Power Failure

As Chile suggested, I tried soaking my steel cut oats over night. It really did cut the cooking time down and there was no difference in the taste. I'll definitely be using that trick again.

The boys have really enjoyed the first few days of camp. I've enjoyed the way it tires them out. It really helped yesterday evening when we lost power due to a very strong and destructive thunderstorm at about 7:30pm. They were tired and ready for bed with no argument. Poor Biscuit, he is really terrified of thunderstorms. He spent the evening hiding in his crate.

The girls and I spent the evening sitting around a table with a bunch of candles talking and listening to music. I tried to cross-stitch but I almost went cross-eyed
from the dim light. We also had two of the shake type rechargeable flashlights. These were very handy, although one stopped working for no apparent reason. We cant' seem to get it recharged or maybe the bulb blew out. I'm not really sure. I'll ask my technical advisor when he heads back up Friday evening.

Today was so hot and humid that I walked around the lack rather than jogging. The air was just too thick. Of course there was another reason for walking. When the power came back on at about 4:00am the radio in the ktichen came back on, LOUD! I jumped out of bed to turn it off and promptly fell onto the floor when my foot caught on the blanket. At least it doesn't hurt.

It looks like we really didn't lose anything in the fridge except a half empty container of soymilk, although I'm a little leery about the Vegenaise. I'm just grateful when have power back and no trees hit our house.

What Do You Mean Free?

Sometimes I feel like a spy. No, I'm not peeking in my neighbor's windows at night! Instead, I get a peek into how two very different communities offer services to their residents.

I live part of the year in a very bustling, bedroom community. It's filled with people who moved there because of the excellent school district and the services the community has to offer. (You can ask anyone, no one is shy about telling you this.)

However, for two months out of the year, I live in a sleepy Adirondack town. My kids' high school has more students in it than this town has year round residents.

As you might assume, my school and property taxes are significantly lower in the Adirondacks. I always assumed that the services offered here would be significantly less than the ones offered at home, but I was wrong.

In the Adirondacks, my garbage pick up is included in my town taxes. The day camp at the local school is free to year round residents and seasonal residents. (This was the revelation that prompted today's title. Its what I said last year when I found out about this program.) My boy's actually attended their first day of camp today and they had a blast. There are free swimming lessons for year round and seasonal residents. We have a town dump that is open year round and accepts things like used motor oil to recycle. We have a voluntary lake association that oversees the quality of the lake water and dues are only $25 per year to join this very worthwhile organization. The town's three beaches are free and open to residents and visitors alike.

In the Hudson Valley, we our garbage pickup is not included in our taxes. We have to pay a seperate company for this service. Day camp is definitely not free. There used to be free swimming lessons offered at the local gym but this program was discontinued. You have to pay to go to the local pool, there is no beach. The town dump is open two times per month April thru October although sometimes they skip months. They also do not accept things like waste oil.

Both communities offer free concerts during the summer months.

I have one burning question to ask. Why is it that an upper middle class Hudson Valley community offers so few services when the taxes collected are at least three times the amount taken in the Adirondacks? Services offered for tax dollars paid is definitely somthing to check out before choosing a community to live in.

The Odd Simplicity of Summer Eating

This morning my son asked me if I would make his favorite breakfast. Would you believe its steel cut oats with a handful of currants sprinkled in? If I put the steel cut oats and water into a covered pot on medium heat they are done by the time I get out of the shower. Rob sprinkles in the currants and tops with soymilk before eating. Simple and delicious.

I've spent a fair amount of the last few days gardening. I transplanted some Jerusalem artichokes yesterday after debating for several days where the best spot to plant them was. My herb patch is doing well and so are my tomatoes and purslane.

The tomato plants are a bit small but very hardy. I think I put them in the ground too late this year but time will tell. The blueberries are all growing nicely. They aren't as lush as I'd hoped but it is only their second year in the ground. I'm spoiled by the currants at home. Those plants took such abuse with the transplanting but they are flourishing.

We had our CSA pickup today. I really like our new CSA but I miss the familiarity of our old one. I also wish it was close enough to bike or walk to (its a half hour drive away.)

Pick a Project

I don't have a particular craft project going right now. Instead, I've been doing a bit of mending and altering. Things like tightening straps on a bathing suit, adding elastic into the waist of my son's bathing suit and cutting an old pair of capris to make a plastic bag holder. Along the way I also did a very necessary fix that saves me quite a bit of cash, tightening the band on my bras.

Ladies, I can't be the only one who has this problem and heaven knows its not because I buy cheap bras. After just a month or two that bra that fit so well starts riding up your back. It makes me nuts. To extend the life of your undergarments try this nifty little trick. Right behind the fabric where the hooks sit, just fold a bit of fabric under and stitch. Do the same thing on the side with the eye portion of the hook & eye. Voila, your band is tighter and your assets are held firmly in place!