Frugal Challenge - Trying New Things

Okay does that look good or what?
Last night we had home made roast beef sandwiches for dinner. I have been wanting to cook and slice our own lunch meat for EVER. Not only for the cost saving but because I want to avoid all the additives and sodium. This week I picked up a roast just over $3 a pound on sale. It was 3 1/3 lbs. We went ahead and had it for dinner and froze the left overs for lunch meat as we have turkey to eat up.

I found a great way to cook it and I am just going to give the link so as to give full credit. It worked wonderfully and was tender and juicy. Here is the recipe at The Hungry Mouse.

I think about $3 a pound for good home made roast beef is a bargain. I shall find some more roasts marked down and turkey breasts. My in-laws gave us their slicer to use. I made hubs do it as that blade scared me. It was sharp. I think I can handle it next time.

As I was finishing up the chicken coop area, I decided to disassemble an old art easel of the kids to toss and noticed the legs could be cut and used for the chicken ladder and there were good hinges we could recycle for the coop door. I took the power drill and broke that sucker down. Good to be rid of it and to salvage what we could.

My goal is to spend as little as possible on the coop but still do a nice job. I see where people spend hundreds and thousands of dollars and that is not my plan. Of course I love the chicks, but the chickens are part of my "grow us much of my own food" plan. Don't want to go broke doing it. So far I have spent the initial $26 when I bought the chicks and the supplies and then I spent $9 more on feed and shavings. We will see what the total at Home Depot is today. I will let you know.

I am up at 3:30am with my little sicky. I bad spring cold is going through the house and she could not
sleep. Not going to make for a rested mommy come coop building time. I see lots of strong coffee and maybe a Starbucks treat in my future today. Skinny Caramel Macchiato is my favorite right now. Iced of course.

Lastly, someone got new boots yesterday. UPS came and delivered. This guy rarely buys for himself so I was so glad to see him enjoy some very good boots. He is excited as they are similar to military design for hot weather. Supposed to keep his feet cooler this summer. The other boots of course are Q's muck boots. She wears them in the yard. I raised all of my kids in rain boots for yard play in cooler months. Keeps feet dry and socks clean.

Linking to:
I heart naptime
Sat. Night Special
Sunday Blog Love
Seasonal Sundays

Me

Here is my green onion experiment. Growing nicely.

I was on Vintage Garden Gal's blog and she did a review of Sunset's new garden guide and asked for us to share what their garden books have meant to us. I thought this was written just for me. Mine is my gardening bible and I have had it and poured through it for almost twenty years.

I thought I would share my comment as it it so perfectly explains me. Sometimes I think I have been born in the wrong era and most certainly the wrong part of the country. My dream has always been to be a country girl.

But I grow where I am planted and that is a lesson a long time coming. You have to make the best of where God has placed you on this earth.

Here was my comment:

What a treat for you. As for my old, about 20 years old, Sunset garden guide, it is so dog-eared and underlined. I have studied that book many a year. I may not know a Marc whatever purse and rarely visit a Nordstrom, but take me to the nursery and I know the names of most flowers and can get lost in the aisles of blooming color and veggies. My guide has been by my side as I have tended a garden as a newly wed and now 23 years later, I still refer to it to see if I can plant a tree here or shrub there. I always save all the plant markers that come in my pots if I buy a new to me plant and then pull my guide to read as much as I can on the plant. I guess with all the new plants introduced, I could use a new guide. I would never part with my old one as my notes in it journal my garden's journey and my tastes over the years. 

My garden is my refuge. If my house is crazy I just step outside and pull of few weeds. The soil and plants get me. When both my parents were dying from cancer and I knew I was going to lose both of them very close together, I maintained my garden and had my most beautiful yard ever that year. It was as if the only place I could totally forget was at the nursery and tending my blooms. My yard was stunning. When my dad passed we had his memorial on the patio he put in and I had zinnias blooming all over perfectly timed for that day. As if God had it all in His master plan. They have never bloomed as pretty since.

My old neighbor sends me pictures of my old wisteria every year blooming in our old back yard. She can see it perfectly on our former patio cover. It is stunning. We moved before it really took off. We have been enjoying warm sunny days this week out back with the chickens and I just sit and for some reason I can breathe deeply out there. It is for sure my stress reducer for life. What is yours? Do you have a garden addiction like me?

Linking to:
Thrifty Thursday
A Glimpse Inside
Home Sweet Home
Show and Tell Friday

Chicks Provide Hours of Entertainment

Everyday that the sun is out we take the chicks out to the back for some leg stretching and grass scratching. The are entertaining but we have to watch carefully. One flew out the other day and we have a scrub-jay with nest in our tree and it swoops down and lands on the plastic fence we have them in.

The best time was had today. Q was pulling up my spinach starts and holding them for the chicks who I think thought they were worms. They were going crazy and the hysterical laughter from my babe was the best. Her sisters came out so what all the laughing was about. Now this is a kid that is busy and doesn't sit long but she played with them for 90 minutes. They wore each other out.

Hmm. Interested in a whole our doggie keeps digging up.

Okay now lets all jump in. They are at the stage where one goes they all go hoping that they don't miss out on anything good.

Getting real feathers.

This is one of the barred rocks getting lots of feathers and variations in color.

I have one I fear seems masculine. I sure hope it's not the case. I am very attached to all four. Hate to have to get rid of one. See my post on my set up here and here.

Linking to:
EBTKS
Fun Stuff Fridays
Weekend Whatever
Natasha In Oz

Experiments and Growing Green Onions

Okay, chuck building our own coop plans. We have been looking at some of the old furniture taking up space in our garage and I think are going to try to modify this old end of a bunk bed to use for now. This is just a mock up and we will enclose a little door in front and add rungs to the ladder and enclose the bottom.

I will be able to come behind the coop and lift the lid for the eggs. The nest boxes will be stacked at the back end. It is deeper than it looks in this photo but I should be able to reach fine. I will make a slide out bottom to clean out the poop.

If it doesn't work nothing lost and more space in my garage which you can see has loads of junk in it.

Okay update in the potatoes in a pot experiment. That is spinach growing on the top. I could not stand it and dug down and found the potatoes are growing but have not broke through yet. Yeah!!

Okay, here is something I read and have tried with success so far. When you chop up your green onions take the little end with the roots and pluck it in your garden. A new plant will grow. As you can see it is working. I will keep you updated. Those are radishes Q planted around my green onion. She picks packs of seeds whenever I drag her to the nursery.

Trick to Use Flash Indoors

If you are like me and have a dark house and find you just sometimes need flash, I wanted to share with you a tip I found online a long time ago and use often. When you need a flash and just can't get around it, take a white 3x5 card or like me just a white envelope laying around and hold it right in front of the flash as you take your picture. It adds the much needed light without all the washed out looks and shadows.

Below is the photo I wanted. The light outside was making the shot indoors dark but the flash trick added what I needed.

Okay here are the three untouched photos so you can see the difference.

First is the photo using the trick. Pretty good and not all washed out.

Now without the flash. The light behind prevents my ISO from picking up the indoor light. I have not mastered that end of photography yet. So I rely on this trick. But you can see clearly too dark.

Now here is a shot with the flash uncovered. You can see it is washed out and has those funny shiny spots and shadows. Try it next time you need some light indoors.

Linking to:
Fun Stuff Fridays
Sat. Night Special

Dirt Under My Nails

You know when I spotted this gal at the thrift store for $1.99 I had to have her. I think she will reside on the window sill.

Yesterday I mowed the front lawn. I only do one lawn at a time. Now you may ask why I do the lawn and the answer for now is that I love it and am available to do it. Our oldest did it for about seven years but with school and the hospital she is never home and number two has many allergies which keep her from doing it. Number three may learn soon but she is a big helper in the yard and keeps number four busy while I am working. My husband does it when he has time but because of long work hours I prefer him to spend any chore time on projects I cannot do.

We took the girls out the last couple of days for some time in the sun on the lawn. They love it and take a big nap after they head in. I clean their box everyday. Maybe not necessary but it smells better if I do. When we move them to the garage in a bigger box I won't be able to do it but for now I am.

Everything is blooming so beautifully right now. Love spending time out there with the warm sun on our backs.

I am trying a method of growing potatoes in a large container. This pot is enormous. About three feet tall but I fear the inside is not getting enough sun. No action yet. You let them sprout and grow a couple of inches and then keep adding more soil and repeat the process. Not sure this is going to work.

Been clearing out where the chicks will go eventually. This space looks really narrow here but is actually about three feet wide and twenty feet long. It gets midday sun. I am about half done. The coop will be at the far end with lids on the laying boxes so I can come around the other way and get the eggs but I will be able to go in the front way to clean the enclosed run and feed the girls. I was so tired when I came in. I have the hands of a man I swear and I wear gloves but they just still get so dirty out there.

How to Clean Your Stove Burner Grates

This is a time saving tip to clean on how to clean your stove burner grates. Scrubbing forever no more. Now you can clean them with the sunshine.

Above are my cleaned grates and trust me those oldies are so clean now.

Here they were before. I used to have to try and scrub with a steel wool sponge and never get it all clean but now an easy way to clean your stove.

Here is what you need:

1. ammonia
2. large plastic zip lock bag or black trash bag
3. cookie sheet
4. measuring cup
5. rubber gloves
6. sunshine on a warm day works best

I like to do two at a time because this is going to sit for 24 hours. We still need to cook dinner right? Or do all four in a large trash bag and get take out!

Okay, head outside. Ammonia is strong stuff so hold your breath while you are working with it. Put the graters two at a time in the bag on top of the cookies sheet. Pour a cup of ammonia into the bag and seal completely. Put the cookie sheet in the sun. I did it on a sort of cloudy day so had to leave out two days. That is why I did two at time so I could still use my stove. Hot sun is best.

When you open the bag and dump the ammonia don't breath but I just dumped right into the sink and rinsed quickly. Let me tell you it was amazing. All the black baked on gunk was all gone. I just washed off a few remaining spots with cleanser and a scrubber sponge and it all came right off. I do this about 3-4 times a year.

Frugal Challenge - The Cost of Keeping Chickens

I thought I would share my journey to fresh backyard eggs and the costs involved. So far my total investment for the chicks and their feeders and mash has been $26. That is it. The chicks were a couple of bucks and everything else was pretty reasonable.

In fact I had just cashed in our cans and plastic and had $30 in my pocket so no additional money spent.

I did order on book from Amazon. I had enough gift card money from Swagbucks that it didn't cost me a dime. I keep doing my searches and daily polls on Swagbucks and just load my $5 gift cards I earn to my account so I have money in there when I want to order something.

So far the girls are in a box I had in the garage and I am just using a desk lamp. They seem fine. When we transition to the garage they will be in a huge box we already have out there with a cover. So no money spent there.

The coop will of course be our biggest expense. We will model the structure after this one. Our area is long and narrow behind our garage. The box will be similar but their area will extend about ten feet out so they will have lots of room to scratch and move. I will be able to come around the other side of the garage and gather eggs without going in the coop. I will just lift the back lid. We thought of doing it in a rubbermaid container but plastic in a hot SoCal summer seemed like it would be too hot. Hubby has a project cut out for him doesn't he? What a guy. I hope it goes together well and doesn't take too many days to get it up. 

After the cost of the coop is in I have read that the average price of keeping a small flock is about .50 per dozen eggs. I'd say that is pretty good considering that a dozen organic eggs is about $3-$4.

Also I will have all the free chicken manure I need to add to my compost. So no more buying bags of it every spring. 

Strawberries, Greens and Gifts

When I went shopping with the gals a couple of weeks ago I picked up this strawberry sugar and creamer for $5. I thought that a fair price and I just love it for spring.

I had to have these salt and pepper shakers too. Aren't they they cutest?

A little tin I received as a gift. I have always collected things with chickens and roosters on them. Now I am sure that will continue with the addition of my own chicks. I held each one today while I was watching T.V. One of them just settled right down and snoozed. It was probably very warm for her.

Boy it was so cold here today. We found out that right after we left the party last night that it started to snow where he had been about an hour later. Brr. I braved the cold this afternoon to run out and snip the first greens to saute with some veggies tonight.
Their colors are so brilliant. Blue kale and Swiss chard.

In a word...scrumptious. They were so tasty and fresh.

Okay, you knew I couldn't not show you a new pic of the girls. Today Q and sat in the bathroom where I have them and let them wander a little on the floor. She was giving them some chick food and they were just pecking all over. They are so funny always staying together. No one wanders off from the group. We have been a little worried about Illy the grey one in front but she seemed perfectly fine today. I called my blogging buddy Kris yesterday all worried about her but after talking to the feed store they said just keep her in there with the others and that some are just not 100% and that is why you buy extra. I am already attached to them so I hope she makes it okay.

Linking to:
Met Monday
CraftoManiac
A Bowl Full of Lemons
BNOTP
Home and Garden Thursday

Meet the Girls

Okay first I apologize for all the chick photos but you know how it is when you get something new. You just want to share it. Anyway I thought I would introduce them properly. First a disclaimer. I allowed the girls to each name one and that was sort of a mistake. Instead of cute chicken names, I got some real doozies. You will see.

They slept so soundly last night. This morning I put some fresh paper down in their box and then when I was done taking some photos they got a nice thick layer of pine.

First off is Henrietta. My oldest took pity on me and gave hers a good chicken name. She is quickly becoming my favorite. She is mello and just cute as a bug.

Here she is on my lap contemplating the floor.

Then there is Illidan. Named after some video game character. She will be Illy for short.

Then there is Ragnarok. Another crazy video game name. She will be Rocky. She is feisty and already trying to fly.

Then there is Flower Muffin. Named by guess who? She will be named Muffin for short
.

Oh isn't she cute.

Okay I won't show any more pics for at least a day or two.