Keeping warm, staying well & a craft project

It's been cold, cold, cold here in my neck of the woods. I've been wearing lots of layers, and drinking lots of hot beverages to warm me inside and out. We're expecting up to a foot of snow here in Virginia starting this afternoon. I love snow... I'll post a picture later. Meanwhile, I plan to keep the woodstove cranked up, since we no longer have central heat.

I finished a lovely craft project, inspired by a fun lady over on Life After Money. This gal motivates me quite a bit with her craft projects and through her personal outlook. My nice little tote is fully lined and reinforced at the bottom. I didn't use scrap and recycled fabric, as super-thrifty Ilona often does, because I fell in love with this sweet bird print... but I did get the fabric on a 50% off sale. All in all, it cost less than $5 to make. I fussed with inventing the right pattern, as to make a model for other bag projects, and the only thing I'd change is reinforcing the top band better... it's a little floppy. It turned out to be a nice simple pattern for a quick project.

On to the topic of staying well...

First a note~ I will not make my blog a place for ranting about hot topics like politics and religion, but I will occasionally have something to say. Sometimes I just need a place to get something out of my head and since I've found that having a conversation with most people about such things is nearly impossible to do, because oftentimes, they don't have the facts, are thinking by narrow definitions, or are just full of strong opinions. When it comes to religion, this is a topic I'll only bring up as it relates to politics because on a personal level, it's just that, personal.

So on to my head dump...

Healthcare in America is very expensive. It will cost us $10,000 a year no matter how sick or how well we are. This is what the insurance companies take just in case we get sick. We can be perfectly healthy, take care of ourselves, get plenty of exercise, yada, yada, yada... and we still have to cough up the 10 grand. And get this, if we happen to need medical intervention, we have to pay a myriad of deductibles, co-pays, and "uncovered" expenses.

I'm all for Universal Health Care. The way I look at it, it is no different than the public education system we already have. Citizens as a unit pay for kids to get educated regardless of how much money they make, how much special education their kids need or don't need, or even how little or how much they, as parents, have populated the country. It benefits society to have educated folks, doesn't it? Wouldn't it make sense that healthy people would be a benefit to society as well?

To argue this point with someone on the other side of the fence is futile for reasons previously mentioned. I came across a good article with a broad overview of benefits & problems with such healthcare. It would be worth a look for anyone, no matter with which camp you stand.

Aaah, an empty head feels better. Uh, wait a minute... that didn't sound right...

Happy, happy, day to you, folks!!

Politics

This is my take on politics. People's views are so divided, dividing people, countries, and even families.... "standing by one" so we can be a great *country*, a great *leader*, a great *power*. Why can't we just live, live for the good of all? If we truly love, how would we then treat the marginalized, the enemy, the afflicted?

Free lunch and simple curtain projects

We've had a bit of snow in our neck of the woods, not the pretty fluffy type, but the wet gloppy sort that gets mucky in no time. None the less, I love the snow, and I'll take what I can get. I really need a nicer camera, but until then, I'll have to put up with my little cheap-o one.

Here's a peek out my kitchen window at our sleeping garden. In the background is the ugly cinder-block compost bin. An eye-sore, but puts out some nice compost! In the foreground, bottom right is a bird feeder made out of a recycled gallon milk jug. Not real pretty either, but the birds love them. We cut small holes in some for the little birds and to keep the big aggressive ones out so they can eat in peace. We also have some for the bigger birds, so not to be prejudice ;o)

 

 

This weekend I finished up a pair of sweet curtains for my kitchen window. They are simple valances to let lots of sunshine in. I am not much on heavy, dramatic curtains because I can't stand the closed in feeling they give. My husband says he feels like we live in a fishbowl. I guess it keeps us behaving ourselves so as not to give the neighbors something to talk about! I tried to get a close up of the lovely paisley print, but it turned out to be too blurry.

 

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Every one loves a free lunch! I save tidbits of leftover veggies & beans to concoct a delicious mystery meal and in today's case it was lentil vegetable soup with a dollop of nutritional yeast cheese and a bit of salad. I had some whole grain crackers, but they didn't make it into the picture. The hardest food for me to give up being vegan is dairy, and the cheesy flavor of nutritional yeast has really helped me. It's a bit of a bite at $12 a pound, but it's a huge bag and lasts a *long* time. Definitely much cheaper than dairy cheese.

So this is a bit of my day... happy one to you!

Thrift & Recipe

I've always been thrifty, it's always been my philosophy. Having more than you need and wastefulness are just wrong in my eyes. I don't desire fancy things, I am easy to please. Sounds like I'm trying to sell myself, ha-ha, but I'm happily married, thank you ;o)

Beans & rice, beans & rice, beans & rice.... while I like beans & rice, they do get boring. A thrifty new food love for me is mushrooms. They are often on sale because they are so perishable, are a good source of protein and can be turned into some fantastic comfort food. Pour it over pasta or rice, slather it atop biscuits or toast, use it as a base for a veggie stew or pot pie... yum, yum.



Here's a nice simple recipe, just the way I like it. I'm a bit lazy when it comes to cooking... can't stand a whole slew of ingredients & procedures. Too much to buy and to clean-up :o) ~~

Slice, half, or chop an 8 oz. package of button mushrooms. Sauté/simmer, covered, over low to medium heat with a dollop of margarine (amount depends on how rich you want the gravy) and a couple tablespoons of water, until mushrooms have shrunk and juices have come out. Add 2 cups of liquid to the pan. This could be water, vegetable broth or "milk". I like half plain soymilk and half water. Bring all this to a low simmer. In a cup, make a creamy paste with 4 T. flour & just enough water to do the job. Whisk this into the gravy, simmer & stir until thickened. Add seasonings to suit your taste and the type of liquid you used. If using water, you may need more spunk, but commercial broth may need less. For me, I like a bit of salt and dried garlic.

We're expecting a bit of snow in my area and I think I'll whip this up to have with some noodles tonight. A nice movie, slippers, and a blanket with my little doggie on my lap sounds like a wonderful way to end the week :o)

Happy, happy to you!

First Post

Hello friends,

I'm a morphing vegan desiring to live healthy, & as a good steward. My husband and teens do not desire to adopt this lifestyle, so I am learning to be resourceful to accommodate all of us. This can be a challenge!

One thing I've found that my "Carnies" and I can do is use the same soap and cleaning products. I always keep thrift in mind because the high-priced "green" products are just too expensive. So here are a few products I've discovered that are relatively safe, do not test on animals, and are vegan~

For my laundry, this is super thrifty. [under $2]

For my dishes and spot cleaning or pre-treating my clothes, this lemony dish detergent is nice. [$1]

 

 

For a nice fresh, sudsy wash, this bar soap is lovely. [$1]

I have super sensitive facial skin, so I like this long lasting, gentle soap. [around $1]

For pretty hair, these products are wonderful. They even have hairspray for me to punk-up my doo! [$1]

I was quite happy to find these everyday bargains. While they may not suit the health purist, I find that my conscience is satisfied and we all smell real nice, too!

Happy, happy day to you!