Honeylioness
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Post by Honeylioness on May 4, 2012 14:57:29 GMT -5
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redwagon
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Post by redwagon on May 4, 2012 15:01:34 GMT -5
Thanks for all the cooking tips! I wasn't even into leftovers as a single girl, but I ate a lot of one-serving meals so it was okay. And a lot of grilled cheese lol.
Muttley - hugs. That sounds like a lot at once.
dakota - let me know how that freezes. We do freeze sauce when we make it, but then we forget it's there... I might try the meatball idea. I can't do any foods with cheese, which eliminates a lot of the good freezer foods (like lasagna or shells). batch cooking also requires we be home one day on the weekends to do it, which lately we haven't been. I want my weekends back!
Off to our third wedding in as many weeks tomorrow. Then we get two weeks "off" (with other events locally) and then we each are in a wedding memorial day weekend. Good times!
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mizbear
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Stand back. I have a budget, and I know how to use it.
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Post by mizbear on May 4, 2012 15:21:32 GMT -5
I use to use chopped meat (and beans), etc in my chili- but DM won't touch it. Go figure.
I also used to not eat leftovers for a long time after a nasty bout with food poisoning. Now I prep everything I can ahead and make almost everything in RTE portions. Everything is individuall frozen- just reheat. Already prepared. It's like a homemade TV dinner- only better.
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constanz22
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Post by constanz22 on May 5, 2012 6:02:35 GMT -5
Yesterday was a total NS! I got a couple things from CVS but used my ECB's and a gift card for the balance. I didn't even go to the grocery store this week. They had 4 triple coupons that I wanted to use, and even though I could've gotten some free stuff, I'm really trying to just buy the basics this month, use up what I have and no stocking up. I have too much as it is. I really need to use stuff out of my big freezer this week before our quarter cow comes next week. I've been trying to, but don't seem to be making much progress!
On the decluttering front, I took 20 items to the consignment shop this week. And my dad is going to come help me open my camper today and is going to bring his truck for me to put some largish trash in to go to the . I may see if he'd be able to leave it here for the weekend or even next week cuz I'm off next Friday and could get some major cleaning out done!
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sbcalimom
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Post by sbcalimom on May 5, 2012 15:17:56 GMT -5
Today was a spend day technically but I got to use free money to do it!! Last night, I went to the casino with my grandma and I won $800!!!!
I had $200 in free play from a special they were running and my birthday so I figured we'd go play that and see how I did. You can't cash it out so you have to play it all. Well, within the first 5 minutes I won $791 on one spin. I played a little bit down to $750 and then cashed that out and tucked it away. I played the rest of the night on the remaining free play and ended up with another $50 after about 4 hours when we called it a night. I decided to put $600 in the bank for later and kept $200 in cash. I bought myself some treats from the grocery store and a few things we needed but didn't have the budget for right now. I also replaced the emergency $20 I like to keep in my glove box. I still have $90 left to play with too!
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moneysquirrel
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Post by moneysquirrel on May 5, 2012 21:05:37 GMT -5
Update: 1 NSDs and 2CSDsStayed home today and caught up on grading and housework. Therefore I didn't spend.
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ses
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Post by ses on May 5, 2012 21:06:59 GMT -5
Dakota--Definitely make some yogurt! I was dithering around for a couple of months before I tried it and found out it is stupid easy. It just takes it a LONG time. 14 to16 hours total, but most of that time it is just sitting there. About 20 minutes of real attention. I timed it so that the final incubation (8-10 hours) was over night. I use my slow cooker/pressure cooker and it really is so easy. the first time I just made regular yogurt but last time I made Greek yogurt and it is sooo yummy. Let me know how it goes or if I can answer any questions since i am such an expert now after making it two times. Ha!
Ending up with yogurt at 20% of the cost isn't so bad either!!!
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dakota4600
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Post by dakota4600 on May 5, 2012 21:26:26 GMT -5
Well today was a spend. I think I'm 3 either NS or CS so far. Today I joined a CSA so it was a good spend. I'm really trying to focus my grocery dollars on local food, hopefully the $175 will get me most the fresh fruit and veggies I need until August. I got a partial share so I can figure out if the boys will eat what we get, no point in getting 10 pounds of produce a week and not getting it eaten. Today I got fresh asparagus, turnips and strawberries. On light weeks the woman said that they throw in farm fresh eggs and/or a loaf of bread. I also picked up some canning supplies, I'm hoping to try some strawberry jam tomorrow. Wish me luck.
SES- I'm just worried about keeping it at the right temp for the incubation period. Maybe next weekend I'll bite the bullet and do it.
SBCali- WooHoooooo! Way to go. I think I'm going to look into the Amazon buyback for our DVDs. That sounds like a good deal. We have some that we've been given as gifts that are still shrink wrapped.
Contanz- Good job with decluttering.
Moneysquirrel- How much longer do you have until summer break. DH has just over 2 weeks left.
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ses
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Post by ses on May 5, 2012 23:34:53 GMT -5
Dakota, will you be using a slow cooker? Mine is a slow cooker/pressure cooker combo. The low temp is 180* for three hours and then unplug it and it takes about three hours to cool enough to add the starter then I just clamp on the lid again and the cooker had enough insulation to maintain the right temp for the culture to develop over the next 8-10 hours. A friend wraps her cooker in a blanket like a giant tea cozy. The beautiful thing is that if your culture doesn't work you can use the same milk to start over again--no wasted ingredients
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Honeylioness
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Post by Honeylioness on May 6, 2012 0:30:50 GMT -5
constanz - Good job on the CVS run and decluttering!
sbcalimom - WOW!! .. GREAT surprise for sure. And Kudos to you for banking most of it.
RockMtnSaver - I forgot to mention this with my last post but I laughed hard at the "Karma" you gave me for my "grown up" word! I love language and get tired of using the same words over and over.
3cats - sorry to hear that "D"DIL is out of work AGAIN. What a pain. And I was serious if you would like some help in trying to find an option for you to get your meds again.
muttley - What a pain with the prescription, and I can feel your DH's pain with all the dental work. I will be facing the same myself next week. Hang in there - things usually look better in a day or two. And KUDOS that you DO have savings - unlike many people you probably know.
dakota - So nice to see you, and I cannot believe mini-D is FOUR!!!
************************************************
So last night I was garbed in all black and made one of my annual felonious forays into the community .... he he he .... like a crazed ninja I was.
(For those new to us I need a 12-step program. I am ADDICTED to lilacs .. their color, shape and especially aroma. I have several favorite places I "raid" every spring to get my fix.)
Right now my house smells HEAVENLY as I stumbled the other day onto a bonanza spot. It is at the base of a very busy overpass and I did have to cross four lanes of traffic to "harvest" from both sides - but so worth it in my mind. AND I have a batch of lilac sugar infusing as well.
Smoking - So as I am out being a Lilac Burglar last night I swung by 7-11 to pick up some orange juice. I cannot even explain how badly I was craving a smoke and I knew there were no more cigarettes in the house. But I managed to walk out without buying a pack to have around "just in case". When I got home I realized I had missed a dose of the Chantix which might have explained the urges.
De-Cluttering - I think I have been inspired by those of you who have mentioned you have been feeling the same way as I have ... Where you look around and wonder just where all this "stuff" come from. And then start critically looking at things and asking why do I have this? or three of these? Am I ever going to use it again?
So today I cleaned out the closet and hutch in my living room and posted a bunch of things onto FreeCycle including books, duplicates of movies, a bowling ball and a carpet sweeper. Last week I gave away almost three dozen small sized flower pots that I had been holding on to for reasons I can't remember and I had not touched in several years. It feels food to be moving things OUT.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on May 6, 2012 7:09:16 GMT -5
Honey - HUGS to you on the smoking. You did great not buying cigarettes. Thanks for the kudos on savings.
DH and I looked at our budget and we are currently going to be short (not surprisingly). So, we are looking at where we can cut. Our grocery budget seems like the most logical place, but I've said that before and we'll do good for a couple months and then have a month that blows it out of the water. I'm not sure why. I meal plan and we stick to a list. I don't coupon (have tried and utterly fail and end up spending more money) and even though I try to sale shop, it requires at least an extra stop if not a trip into the City instead of the town we like to do our shopping in (that town only has a walmart and 1 grocery store). Of course right now things like potato chips really do a good job curbing my nausea and I have snack pretty much constantly or risk dry heaving/throwing up. I'm trying to stick to the list on stuff, but I know the next couple months are going to be hard until I stop feeling so sick.
The AC repairman was at our house from 10:30 am to 7pm (he did have to run back into town twice). It still isn't fixed. The house only got down to 75 last night. We didn't end up leaving the house. The repairman is suppose to be back at 1pm. I have no idea when we are going to get our grocery shopping done today. I'm still teaching sunday school at church (yeah that is a pleasure when you want to puke and we haven't told anyone at church yet) so we can't go grocery shopping this morning. I also have some work I have to get done, but with no AC, my office is the hottest part of the house in the afternoon (actually it is with AC, it is just unbareable with no AC. Plus it is going to cost us ~$400 to fix the AC. GRRR.
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constanz22
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Post by constanz22 on May 6, 2012 9:45:21 GMT -5
We got the camper mostly open, at least the big stuff, hooking up sewer and water, running antifreeze out, hooking up electric, getting the awning down. Still lots of cleaning to do, but big stuff done. I should've gone down again today cuz it's a beautiful day here. Dad is going to leave me the truck next weekend cuz I have a long weekend off. I will try to get a bunch of crap put of the house then.
Went to the flea market this morning, lots of junk so no impulse purchases. All I bought was a few flowers that I'll end up killing in a week anyway! LOL!
Went to the grocery store and just got necessities. Deli meat for lunches this week, hot dogs, bread, strawberries and a cucumber. Already made a pasta salad for the week.
Honey, I love lilacs too! I have a small bush in my yard and just cut a few for a vase this morning!
So, if I remember correctly, I think I am at 2 NS, 3 CS, and 1 Spend. Gotta check though, maybe it was 3 NS?
ETA: I am at 3 NS, 2 CS, 1 spend.
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startsmart
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Post by startsmart on May 6, 2012 15:39:33 GMT -5
Yesterday I made trips around town for some essentials: light bulbs at Walmart (the special ones for my office light) and fresh produce. I was invited to a gig playing in the next town over but by the end of the day I didn't want to go out.
I did however make a trip out after 8pm to get some pictures of the "supermoon" rising and wow, loved that! Even it it meant walking around alone in the dark with my camera in the middle of a field lol
Today has been pretty low key. I'm tired of sitting at home so I am thinking of going out for coffee and to work on my laptop. Lots to do in the week ahead and I can't get ahead of the feeling that there's more and more to do.
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sbcalimom
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Post by sbcalimom on May 6, 2012 15:50:12 GMT -5
DH got the job!!!! I am so excited that we are finally going to move past this stage in his education/career. I am not looking forward to the logistics of organizing an out of state move in only 3 months with the two little ones while I'm working but I'll figure it out.
Honey: Good job resisting the urge to buy more smokes AND identifying the likely cause.
Mutt: Hugs on the budget!
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on May 6, 2012 16:11:03 GMT -5
Congrats Sbcali!! That has to be a huge relief.
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startsmart
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Post by startsmart on May 6, 2012 18:26:05 GMT -5
sbcali- while I'm totally torn to be losing you and the girls C O N G R A T S!!!! I know how great this is going to be for the family as y'all will be in a more affordable COL area and DH has some stability too. Plus, you know me and my love of organization so let me know how I can help, we have plenty of weekends between now and moving day. p.s. Start gathering up boxes on Freecycle before all the students leaving university snatch them up! If you need space to store anything in the process my garage is open to you
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sbcalimom
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Post by sbcalimom on May 6, 2012 20:45:03 GMT -5
startsmart: totally agree on the torn part! I will probably take you up on that offer. Plus, now you'll have another place to visit on your travels right?
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Honeylioness
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Post by Honeylioness on May 7, 2012 0:56:41 GMT -5
sbcalimom - Great news about DH's job. And it sounds as though you will need to change your Board name if you will not longer be in "Cali" *grins* Thanks to those who gave me such positive feedback on the Board, via telephone and e-mail on this process of quitting smoking. One of the things I am trying during this time is changing my routine and locations. By that I mean - doing more of my computer work in a room other than my office - since currently I am still associating my office with smoking - as it is the only room I allowed myself to smoke in. Costco - Not sure if I have ever mentioned this before but I love my Costco membership! Today I made a Costco "run" for the following: * 1- 12 oz bottle of cinnamon * 1 -12 oz bottle of granulated garlic * 3 Gallons of milk * 25 pound bag of sugar * 4 pounds of butter * 176 pounds of cat litter And all of this for a grand total of $65.50 !! Have I mentioned how much I love my Costco membership? For all those who like hard numbers (like me) here is the breakdown: * Cinnamon - $4.24 vs. $17.49 per pound * Garlic - $3.99 vs. $22.89 per pound * Milk - $2.35 vs. $3.09 per gallon * Sugar - $0.57 vs. $0.59 per pound * Butter - $1.85 vs. $2.99 per pound * Litter - $7.35 for 44 lb box vs. $8.49 for 20 lb box OR $0.17 vs. $0.47 per pound I just wanted to say that I really like having a place where I can share these sorts of nerdy details with people who will understand.
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Rocky Mtn Saver
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Post by Rocky Mtn Saver on May 7, 2012 8:08:04 GMT -5
Honeylioness: Great job on not picking up a pack!! We have some (legitimately gotten ) lilacs in the house, and they do smell great. I love Spring flower season. SB: Congrats on the new job! I know moving is a big pain in the patootie, but you'll survive! ;D Well, I'm up to Rocky Mtn Saver: 2/31 NSD, 2/31 CSD (<$5). Thursday and Sunday ended up being NSD, which was awesome. I was proud that I had planned ahead on Sunday and made a sandwich before going out with some friends around mid-day. Sure enough, we stopped at Panera for lunch, but I had my sandwich and I had not brought any money or cc's so I wouldn't be able to be tempted. Friday was a CSD, but only barely. And Saturday I went out with friends, so it was definitely a spend day. I brought leftovers to work today for lunch and I have to go to the gym after work, so maybe I'll get another NSD today. Tomorrow should be a spend day, though, as I have a commencement and dinner to attend.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on May 7, 2012 8:42:19 GMT -5
AC is fixed. Only cost us $460 (not bad considering how long it took them to fix it). DS and I went grocery shopping Sunday afternoon and stopped by our favorite diner to grab supper. They have a $1.99 drive thru menu, so we got that. If you don't mind the wait, it is dirt cheap. I got 2 bacon cheeseburgers - one with fries and one with onion rings for $6! We will probably be doing that again. I was also a good girl at the grocery store and didn't buy ice cream (even though I wanted it) and I didn't buy a couple other things that I normally would have. So, I tried. Unfortunately, in our weekend chaos, I didn't get to cook, so I had nothing to bring to work for lunch today. Oh there is still some leftovers from last week, but that meal makes me want to puke, so I didn't bother bringing it.
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dakota4600
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Post by dakota4600 on May 7, 2012 9:46:52 GMT -5
Yesterday turned into a spend. I went to Target to price bikes for me. DS really wants me to get a bike and go riding with him. As I was going through the store I passed a clearance section that had 2 hardwood chairs for $20 each. We are always short of chairs when we have company over, so I bought them. I did make my first batch of strawberry jam yesterday. Mini-D loved mashing up the strawberries. A couple questions for those who have done this before how do you keep the foam down on the top and how do you keep the fruit from rising to the top of the jar? Honey- Great job on quitting smoking!! You can do it. I love lilacs too! I just steal them from my parents yard. As soon as we get into a new house I'm planting a lilac bush. I love the prices on spices at Costco too. SBCali- Congrats to DH! Tell DD1 you are going on an adventure! SES- I was thinking of using my crockpot. I borrowed a candy thermometer and now I can't find it. I remember picking it up before mini-D's party off the counter, but what I did with it after that I can't remember. My goal is to find the thermometer and get it started on Friday night. How much did you make at once? Mini-D loved mixing some of the strawberry jam into his yogurt, so I'm thinking he might eat the plain yogurt with strawberry jam in it. Now he wants to make blueberry jam, I guess I need to find a blueberry patch to go pick at this summer.
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Honeylioness
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Post by Honeylioness on May 7, 2012 10:53:43 GMT -5
Muttley - Glad you got the AC fixed. I have called my furnace/AC "guy" to come out this week and do a thorough cleaning and tune up on my system. I didn't realize your area was so warm already. dakota - How neat that mini-D wants to spend time with his mommy riding bikes. I am sure people have told you this already - but take advantage of that now to keep the memories when he is 15 and WAYYYYYY to cool to be seen with a parent! :-) Regarding the jam: First - I cannot believe your area has fresh strawberries already. My local farms won't have them in for picking or purchase for at least another three weeks. Secondly - Foam happens. It is one sign that you are cooking the mixture at a high enough temperature. I use a large spoon to just skim it off the top. My students discovered that if you place all the foam in a bowl as you are skimming that when it cools it is tasty in yogurt or over ice cream. Third - Fruit pieces that all rise to the top indicate there was not enough pectin either added or developed in the fruit. It is one reason I add some under ripe fruit to my batches as they seem to have a lot more natural pectin which has not yet turned to sugar as in ripe fruit. If you are canning the jam I have found that when you remove the jars from the canner I set them upside down to cool .. this helps a bit - but I usually just make sure to stir the contents well when I open the jar. Boxtops - I keep forgetting to post this. Does anyone collect Boxtops for Education for either your child's or grandchild's school? I automatically save them and have a LOT which I would be glad to mail off to anyone who can use them. I also have some Campbells labels. Lilacs: I posted a couple of pictures of my raided goodies on my homepage: honeylioness.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=wir&thread=255&page=1And I wrote about my trip to Port Clinton and all my "excellent" adventures .. NOT! Like falling down the escalator, tiny planes, the nuclear reactor, red wine and shells: honeylioness.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=thoughts&thread=256&page=1
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mrslynch
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Post by mrslynch on May 7, 2012 15:08:01 GMT -5
i'm doing a great job so far. 6/31 no spends. yesterday was a spend but only because our kitchen sink sprung a leak and we had to fix it. i mean, it's fun having a broken sink and flooded kitchen and all but it does not look good to potential buyers i'm okay with having a spend day for that. on a positive note, i put metaphorical pen to paper and wrote a whole 200+ words of my fiction book. i really need to get into a writing routine if i'm going to get the whole thing written. also, if you all have a moment, can you please send a prayer or good thoughts or whatever to my cousin, his wife, their daughter and their newborn twins? she delivered them yesterday at only 25 weeks and she's not in good shape either (i'm not going into details due to the pregnant women on the board). at this point, anything can help!
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singlemomky
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Post by singlemomky on May 7, 2012 16:00:32 GMT -5
Honey - Lil' Smokey collects Box Tops & Campbell's Soup as well as Tyson 1-2-3 Labels for school.
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startsmart
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Post by startsmart on May 7, 2012 16:52:41 GMT -5
honey- woo hooo on the not smoking! I'm wondering if you could do a "reset" on your garage/sewing space? Maybe scout out some organization stuff or move about the furniture? Thinking when you're ready it would be nice to air out the room, rearrange a bit and declare it a new "smoke free" zone. Just thinking ahead since I know you're going to get past the worst and be smoke free sbcali- as much as I like to travel I'm not sure there are many New Mexico trips in the future lol. But we'll definitely hang out before you leave and make sure to get the Skype set up so I can see the girls! red- instead of prepping and freezing meals what if you did ingredients? You know, brown a bunch of ground beef and then separate and freeze in 1/2 pound servings. Cut up a bunch of onions and separate in 1 cup servings. Get the big bag of cheese from Costco and section out into snack baggie portions and freeze flat. Then instead of being stuck with enchiladas you can unfreeze the elements you want and have refried bean/beef/cheese/salsa burritos or burrito bowls or make something new but most of the prep work is already done. Also, when my friend L had her twins last year we took over some of those easy "steam and heat" type meals so they could do an easy dinner. Well today has been full of harumph. In two circumstances I've been around potential clients who were horrendously rude, demanding and cranky. It reminded me how much I hated feeling like I "had" to serve those people and my daily accountability buddy helped put in it perspective. I love the work I do and have been working my metaphorical arse off to get where I am today so I could be a little more picky. It's not in anyones best interest to work with people you hate and I really need to be firm on my boundaries. I also have about 9 hours of training videos to prepare for one client and 20 hours of hiring and training for another. Lots going on and those rude people just bring down my mood so I'm much less effective. Anywho, not expecting a response, just ranting a bit. Back to the new proposal that's going out to get blue eyes some work with one of my contacts he is doing so well!
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mizbear
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Stand back. I have a budget, and I know how to use it.
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Post by mizbear on May 7, 2012 17:06:25 GMT -5
Honey- YAY! on the not smoking if I haven't told you yet!
sbcalimom- Congrats! I know moving is a pain- we moved a total of 6 or 7 times when I was in K and 1st grade resulting in 5 school changes.
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ses
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Post by ses on May 7, 2012 19:19:26 GMT -5
Dakota--I used 1 gallon of milk plus 3 cups of dry instant milk mixed in. (I use a 5-6 quart slow cooker) I cooked it for 3 hours on the low setting (which is 180*) of my slow cooker. Then unplug it and let it sit for about 3 hours to cool. I don't have a thermometer so I just tested with my finger to a bit above body temperature. (My friend removed the lid so the milk would cool faster and it worked just fine) When the milk has cooled to about 105*-110* take about a cup out and in a small bowl mix in a small (4-6 oz) container of plain yogurt. Add it back to the milk in the slow cooker and stir it up a bit. Put the lid back on wrap the cooker in a blanket (like a giant tea cozy) and let it sit undisturbed for 8-10 hours. Don't peek! This makes about 15 cups that will be good for about a month, if it lasts that long. If you want it thicker, line a colander or sieve with a paper coffee filter or thin cloth and place the yogurt in it over a bowl to strain the whey. (Use the whey like buttermilk or as additional protein in a smoothie.) Store in plastic tubs in the fridge and enjoy. I like to keep it plain and add fruit or granola when I eat it. It is great in smoothies and you can use it as a sour cream substitute.
I like to time it so that I stir in the plain yogurt culture and wrap the cooker in a big towel or blanket to culture and thicken for 8-10 hours over night.
My yogurt developed a "skin" on the bottom of the pot that I was careful to keep out of the yogurt when I packaged it. It does not harm the yogurt.
Now on to the foam on your jam/jelly and floating fruit. Sometimes adding a small amount (1tsp) of butter to your fruit while cooking will greatly reduce, but not eliminate, the foam. I just skim whatever foam is left. If a little foam gets into your jars don't sweat it, you can always spoon it off when you open the jar to eat it. Honey is correct in mentioning about having some of your fruit slightly under ripe or add more pectin to keep the fruit mixed throughout the jam.
I LOVE the prices of herbs and spices at Sam's and Costco!
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constanz22
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Post by constanz22 on May 7, 2012 20:10:15 GMT -5
Today was a CS. Just bought allergy meds at Rite Aid.
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moneysquirrel
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Post by moneysquirrel on May 7, 2012 20:35:12 GMT -5
Update: 2 NSDs and 3 CSDs Today turned into a CSD since I had to order new contacts,
Dakota -- I have to be there until the end of May. I have three weeks with students one of which is exams. The other days will be in-service days. This year's contract is until the end of May and they will schedule something everyday to make sure that we are there until the very last day. Of course with the type of class I teach I will begin the first half of the exam next week and the second part on the official exam day. Only a few classes other than exams with each group left.
sbcaligirl -- Great news about DH's job. Start the packing and declutter process a little at a time to ease major stresses if that is at all possible.
start -- You will be at the place where you can pick and choose who you would like to work with. It will provide for a good relationship for all.
Honey -- I am so glad that you are fighting the smoking habit. Changing up your routine will help on many fronts. It is good seeing old friends back with us.
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mizbear
Senior Member
Stand back. I have a budget, and I know how to use it.
Joined: Jan 2, 2011 13:12:46 GMT -5
Posts: 3,958
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Post by mizbear on May 7, 2012 22:41:33 GMT -5
sbcali- Just a thought- If you can- If there are things that you do not want/need to take with you, you can get rid of that now as you are packing. Don't replace anything that you can avoid replacing before the move.
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