I have been searching on the internet for the list of monthly sales that you find at places like Sears. You know, like white sales in January, appliance sales in some month….so on. I couldn’t find a website. Does anyone know where I can find a list of the monthly sales at retail stores?
Monthly Archives: September 2006
Anniversary Cards or not
We have been married 10 years now and we have done some silly things for our anniversaries. This one still makes me laugh.
I told my husband years ago that I don’t like cut flowers because I hate to see them die. So, if he wants to buy me flowers, he now knows to buy me a plant. He was okay with that and has not brought flowers home for me. So that eliminates flowers.
I am always struggling with my weight so I don’t want candy. So no candy for special occasions either.
So that leaves us with cards. But, I hate to waste five bucks on a card that just gets put away and takes up space. So, one year, we wrote a page of sweet words of our love for one another. Now, that is a special piece of paper I will always treasure.
But my favorite memory: We were at Wal-mart together and we realized we hadn’t gotten a card for each other yet. So, I suggested we pick out cards and let the other person read it and then put them back. It was hilarious. We spent about half an hour looking at cards and laughing at the silly ones. Finally, we found just the perfect one for each other. We read them, smiled, shared a quick kiss and put them back.
We still laugh about that every year on our anniversary.
Notice I never eliminated jewelry as an anniversary present. I am cheap but I am not stupid.
Selling/buying items on Craig’s List
I guess most people have heard of Craig’s List before but I never really knew much about it. Go to Craig’s List website and look under your town. You can sell or buy items. There are other categories, too besides buying/selling items. It is great. I plan to sell some furniture as soon as I figure out how to get my pictures from the digital camera to the computer and then into the ad.
My daughter, Bonnie has decided to leave Raleigh, NC and move to Florida. I will be so glad to have some family living close. Now if I could just get my other two children to move here. There is hope though. Amber married Jason who lived in Tallahassee years ago (which is 2 1/2 hours from me). He would love to move back to Tallahassee. They live in Atlanta, now. And my son’s in-laws live in Florida in Palm Coast which is only an hour and a half from me. If they moved to Florida, they would be close to both sets of grandparents. Good idea, huh?
Okay, back to my subject. What mother doesn’t love talking about her kids, even if they are all grown up.
Bonnie bought a couch a couple years ago on Craig’s List and now she has sold the same couch on Craig’s List. She is trying to get rid of the big items so it will be cheaper to move. I am thinking when she moves here, I will be selling things on Ebay and Craig’s List.
I could buy and sell and never leave the house. woo-hoo
Joys of Ebay shopping
I thought ebay shopping was too complicated…getting ID numbers, password and then getting paypal set up thru my checking. Well, realistically I didn’t do all that. My daughter, Amber came for a visit this past weekend and she did it for me.
What fun though!!! I have already won two bids. I have bid on 6 others. I am normally not much of a shopper. I do enjoy the flea markets, Goodwill, and yard sales. I actually love to grocery shop, too. But, shopping for clothes and jewelry and even Christmas presents…not so fun to me.
The prices I paid for my two items I won were really good but then the shipping makes it a little more but in this case, they are hard to find items. The Pyrex nesting bowl I won the bid for, I have been looking for at the flea markets for probably two years. The other item was for my sister, Sandy and after all the work her and her husband did two weekends ago at my home, no price is too high (though it was not high). Of course, you do save the price of gas (my favorite flea market is probably 30 miles away).
I have my mother’s dishes (Corelle Butterfly pattern) and her Pyrex Butterfly pattern bowls and casserole dishes. I have been slowly adding pieces. I am bidding on some berry bowls and bread/pie plates on Ebay.
When my mom and dad moved in with my youngest sister, Jeannie (and her husband, Mike), she no longer needed her table and chairs and china hutch. When they were preparing for their move, mom had asked all of us kids what items we might want. I quickly asked for these pieces because they hold such dear memories to me. Sitting at mom’s kitchen table enjoying delicious meals and sipping on coffee after breakfast…..great memories. So now, I have mom’s dishes and her kitchen furniture. It really feels like home. Because I am almost 600 miles from my mom, dad, sisters and brothers, it makes me feel a little closer to them.
So guys, go out there and Ebay shop. It is fun. Just don’t go crazy buying things you don’t need. I collect Pyrex nesting bowls so I am happy to find the missing bowls to complete my sets. Hopefully, one day my children will enjoy these, too. Maybe they will be antiques and worth something, too. lol
I found “lost money in NC”
I heard on Good Morning America that you can search for lost money thru the Treasury Department of each state. So I typed in “lost money, NC” and sure enough I found some. It had to do with life insurance (Metropolitan).
On Saturday, I received a check for $612.35. Wow
It was kind of a hassle but it was worth it.
I printed out a form and followed the instructions. I sent it to NC with a copy of my drivers license, proof that I lived at the address listed and it had to be notarized. It took 2 months to get it back.
So, check every state you lived in and see if you have any money anywhere. Maybe you forgot to close out a checking account or something like that.
Quick chili
My husband loves chili and whenever I go on a trip without him, I make up a batch of it for him to eat on for a couple days. It is good to pack for his lunch, too.
You will need a pound of ground beef, a small onion, a 46 fluid ounce can of tomato juice, Bush’s chili beans, and a packet of McCormick’s chili seasoning.
Use a large pot. Braise the ground beef and drain. Add the chopped-up onion, the chili beans (you can use the larger size can or two smaller cans, depending on how much you like beans), the packet of seasoning and the tomato juice. Stir well until the seasoning is dissolved. Put it on medium heat and stir occasionally. I don’t cover it. Make sure you do stir it though or it will burn on the bottom.
We like a lot of broth, not thick chili, so we use the whole can of tomato juice. If you like thicker chili, add less tomato juice.
If I want to eat in the next half hour or so, I sometimes cook the onion separately so I can add them to the chili and they will be done. You can cook them in a small frying pan with a little water and butter and cover them. You are steaming them basically.
You can put the onions in while you are braising the meat, too. If you do that, you will probably need to cook the chili for about an hour.
Chili is one of those foods that gets better as it sits in the refrigerator. Sometimes I even freeze half of it. It can definitely feed a family. I would say it makes about l2 cups.
Quick Spaghetti sauce
I love homemade food but sometimes I just don’t think it is always better and sometimes, it just takes too darn long to make it. Who has the time?
I put the hot water on to boil for the noodles but I add garlic salt instead of regular salt.
I braise the ground beef with chopped onions and then drain. I add Ragu sauce (my favorite, Sauteed Onion and Garlic). Then I add some Italian seasoning…probably half a teaspoon or more if you like. Also, I sprinkle a little garlic salt, too. The sauce is ready in about 20 minutes at most.
Make sure you drain the noodles really well. You can add the noodles to the sauce or you can just put the well-drained noodles on the plates and add the sauce on top.
I always make buttered toasted Italian bread in the oven with spaghetti and a salad. My husband really enjoys sour cream and onion potato chips with spaghetti. Try it…it’s pretty good.
Cake for two
It is so aggravating to make a cake for just my husband and myself and half way thru the cake, it is so dried out.
The solution: Make cupcakes instead. Once you ice the top of them, the freshness seems to be sealed in better. You can also freeze the cupcakes before you add frosting. I put them in a freezer bag.
Another thing, you don’t have dirty dishes everytime you serve a piece of cake.
And….it is great to pack some in your husband’s lunch and maybe a couple extra for his friend(s).
I stopped making cupcakes once my kids got out of elementary school, I think. But, if you are an older couple like us, the cupcakes are quite a treat.
Thought for the day, love your spouse
Years ago, I asked my husband why he loves me and he said, ” I love the way you make me feel about myself.” Do you make your husband feel good about himself?
Sometimes it seems as women, we get a bad deal. Afterall, most women seem to be working and caring for children (or their parents) and their homes. Most men seem to come home from work and usually their day is about over. We run into the house, fix a meal, take care of the kids and laundry and dishes and whew…I am exhausted thinking about it. My kids are grown, so my life is a little simplier.
My husband is great…considerate, loving, hardworking and so many more adjectives like those. But, he doesn’t like to do housework unless he has to do it. I only work part-time and I make sure I am home to have dinner almost ready when he walks in the door.
See, my husband is smart. He compliments me about how delicious my meals are and how great it is to have dinner waiting for him when he walks in the door. And I can’t tell you how many times he looks down at his plate of food and it is so colorful and hot …. and he says “I wonder what the peasants are eating tonight.” I know he feels like a King. That is how I want him to feel. Spoiled rotten, loved and taken care of. He may not be “Brad Pitt” but he is the man I love and I don’t want any cute little secretary tempting my husband to stray. I think I make him happy and I know he makes me happy.
Forget all that women’s lib stuff when you get home from work. Treat your husband like a King and he will treat you like his Queen. My husband will massage my feet while we are watching tv and that’s better than flowers or candy or jewelry to me.
After dinner, we take time to sit on the porch and talk about our day or sometimes, I get him to do a small project for me outside. We don’t have cable tv and that is a blessing because I am afraid we would both be couch potatoes.
I think it is so important to laugh together, too. I was married previously and divorced and I can’t ever remember laughing much in that marriage. Not even in the beginning. Everything was always so serious. Have fun, laugh at yourself, laugh together.
Be gentle with your criticisms. Encourage each other. Be a good listener. Kiss your husband when he comes home from work and take time to make him know you are glad to see him even though your day at work was probably just as tough as his. He is coming home to his Castle, his refuge, his safe place. Make sure you are making it a place he wants to come home to. Always say I love you before you fall asleep. You will be amazed at how you will be rewarded. If you didn’t start doing this when you first married, it may take awhile to reap the rewards. So if you are newly married, start doing those things now.
So in closing, if you want your husband to treat you better, treat him “special” and communicate your needs in a nice way. I remember some preaching years ago that basically said, a man needs to be respected and a woman needs to be loved. Works for me.
Fast Meals, Part II, side dishes
It is a matter of getting organized.
I put the meat on first since I want it cooked thoroughly and it gets more tender with time, in this case 25 minutes.
So, let’s say I put the pork chops in the pan with a little water, spice it with worcheshire sauce, garlic salt and Nature’s Seasoning and cover.
While the pork chops are cooking, I take some Zattaran yellow rice out. I get the water boiling and add the butter.
Then I open a can of green beans, drain and rinse off a couple times while still in the can. Pour into a pan, add water that covers the beans with half an inch more on top. Don’t overfill because the water has to get hot before it starts cooking. I add Nature’s Seasoning or sometimes a slice of bacon for flavoring. My mom cooks her canned green beans for hours and I swear, they taste just like fresh picked green beans.
By this time, the water is boiling for the rice. I add the rice into the water, stir, put on low and cover. Flip the pork chops and then add more spices or BBQ sauce. If you want to run take a shower, make sure you have enough water in the pork chops so they don’t burn.
That took all of five minutes. Everything is going so I set the table. Remember to try the Goodwill dishes–different place settings. It helps to change the look of the meal.
Have you tried the frozen biscuits that are quick frozen individually? Pillsbury makes them but there are a lot of different companies making them. They take about twenty minutes so turn your oven on before you even put the meat on. I wouldn’t put the biscuits in until after I get everything else going.
Another thing, my mom and I love jellied cranberry sauce. I decided a few years ago that it is a shame to just eat it for Thanksgiving and Christmas so I keep a can in the refrigerator at all times. One can lasts for at least two meals for the two of us. We actually eat it instead of something sweet after dinner.
It only takes about five minutes to get that meal cooking. The rice and biscuits both take about 20 minutes to cook so you have time to set the table, throw a load of laundry in the washer, go to the restroom, feed the dogs, pour yourself a glass of wine, etc.
I know it isn’t fun to work all day and then immediately walk into the kitchen to start dinner. And it makes your day even longer if you have to run by the grocery store before you can cook. That’s why it is important to shop smart. Buy meat in larger portions, individually wrap and freeze. Keep rice, mac and cheese and even hamburger helper on hand. I keep sweet potatoes and white russett (ONLY) on hand, too. Then keep canned green beans, frozen corn, frozen broccoli, frozen califlower, frozen brussel sprouts for example. Keep your cupboards full. Frozen vegetables ROCK. I steam them and it only takes minutes. When I don’t want to make a mess, I put a russett potato in the microwave. Poke holes in potato first.
Make grocery lists. If possible, plan two or three meals a head of time making sure you have all the ingredients.
Either while you are eating your dinner or when you are cleaning up, take out something from the freezer for your dinner tomorrow. If for some reason, you don’t end up cooking dinner the next night, the meat will keep for an additional day. So, if you see you don’t have something for dinner that you need for tomorrow’s meal, go to the grocery store that night, not on the way home from work. The grocery stores are not nearly as crowded after dinner as they are right after work so you aren’t the only one who does that.
I have found that since I grocery shop smarter, I really enjoy fixing a nice meal for dinner. There is no hassle because everything I need is at my fingertips.
If you look in my freezer, you will see individually wrapped pork chops, cube steak, hamburger meat, fish, steaks, roast, and chicken. Then I have frozen vegetables, a couple bottles of frozen water for my husband’s lunches, bacon, hot dogs, a frozen DiGirono pizza, perogies, bagels, loaf of bread, frozen biscuits and etc. I guess I treat my kitchen as a restaurant. I keep stocked up.
If you have room in your freezer, always keep a loaf of bread in there. When you take it out, and it thaws, it tastes so fresh. It always annoyed me to have to run to the store to get a loaf of bread or a carton of milk. With the high cost of gas, that loaf of bread just got real expensive.
Well, this is a long post so I will stop now.