March 2018 Frugal Chatter

[cath007]

I so need to work on meals planning to avoid waste of food.Will do that for the next week.

[Angela273]

Sunday night’s supper was rotisserie chicken, spiral ancient grains noodles, and boiled mixed veggies.
Last night’s supper was the end of the rotisserie chicken, rice, steamed fresh cauliflower, and coleslaw.
Tonight’s supper was sweet and sour pork with pineapple, the rest of the leftover rice, and baby cut carrots.

We were able to register our son in both actives that we wanted to sign him up for.

[Natalka]

Good morning!

No Cook's ham yesterday, husband bought a PC one for the same price, hope it's okay - it's a big one, though.

Have yet to pick up certain things we need for the Easter basket foods to be blessed.

Enjoy the day! It's brrrrr here, -25 windchill

[SassyAshley]

Happy Belated Birthday Lizzie

[coupon girl]

lizzie happy belated -hope you are having fun on your trip

[Angela273]

@Natalka we are there with you. It’s currently -9, 42km/hr winds feels like -21.

I plan on baking with the kids today. 8x8” pan of sandwich squares, 9x13” pan of apple crisp (use free apples from the freezer), baking powder biscuits to go with supper. I’m thinking about making the filling for shepherd’s pie in a frying pan. We don’t have any potatoes and I’d read about doing a biscuit top, but our kids don’t really like biscuits. That made me think to make it separate, them they could have toast with it instead.

edit: all the kids helped and 3 pans are now in our convection oven. Ended up making a round pan of apple crisp for my neighbour too. Biscuits will go in after, which I’ll whip up myself.

[coupon girl]

I am cleaning today -all 3 bathrooms on my hands and knees scrubbed the floors and cleaned toilets -don't know how many more years I can do that with arthritis in my knees
-wooden handrails on stairs did a load of laundry this morning
-going thru old paperwork
-found a bag of sea shells from may years ago when my kids were little -so I asked daughter-in-law if she wanted them for krafts for Ashlyn -yes
-Ashlyn called us last night and said how much fun her overnight trip to great wolf lodge was ,she went with her other grandma and grandpa and her mom and dad
-also reading a book on using kindness In everyday life -I already do but i like inspirational stories sometimes-oh got rid of 3 teatowels to hubby for the car or garage ,so always condensing

[Angela273]

@Natalka did you see the $2.99 Easter Paska Bread starting in tomorrow’s Sobeys Flyer.

[sweet sparrow]

After calling the garden centre, I've learned that my pink hybrid tea rose is no more. Instead, there is a wild red climbing rose in it's place. I hear it would have been the original rose that the hybrid tea was grafted on. With the little ones running around and our postage sized yard, I'm thinking of digging it up and planting something else there instead. It's very hardy, but also impossible to keep the girls from running into it occasionally.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what to plant in it's place? I'm thinking of maybe a tree peony. They're pricey, but no thorns and live for over 50+ years I hear. DH owes me a "tree" since he chopped down our evergreen juniper years ago and I have a gift card from Christmas to use up. :D

[Ciel]

@sweet sparrow -is there a possibility of a fruit tree going in? Then there's be a climbing opportunity for later plus fruit, if
the tree gets its spraying and feeding done. Or how about a large planter for the kids to seed some herbs or lettuces they can harvest in the summer? Radishes too. They might be invested in protecting their planter from getting knocked over.

If the spot is shaded, hostas will fill the space or ornamental tall grasses (both seem to do ok with a late fall trim for winter).

[Natalka]

@Natalka did you see the $2.99 Easter Paska Bread starting in tomorrow’s Sobeys Flyer.

Yes, other stores have them as well. I have never tasted them.

It's a pet peeve of mine, I realize they are making an effort, but it's not Paska. Paska doesn't have raisins, and it's a very rich buttery, eggy bread with a fine crumb. The dough is braided and decorated with symbols of spring, crosses, etc.
Babka is another Easter bread, baked in a tall cylinder shape. It has raisins and is very lightly flavoured with citrus.

This all said, it's the first year I haven't made my own Easter breads, husband picked up a few of each at our church Easter tea.

[sweet sparrow]

@sweet sparrow -is there a possibility of a fruit tree going in? Then there's be a climbing opportunity for later plus fruit, if
the tree gets its spraying and feeding done. Or how about a large planter for the kids to seed some herbs or lettuces they can harvest in the summer? Radishes too. They might be invested in protecting their planter from getting knocked over.
If the spot is shaded, hostas will fill the space or ornamental tall grasses (both seem to do ok with a late fall trim for winter).

@Ciel : No possibility of any trees. I would love a fruit tree but anything with spreading leaves will shade the entire area and take up the entire postage stamp yard. The original tree was a rail thin juniper that was right up against the house, pushing on our eavestroughs and enabling the squirrels easy access to the attic.

The spot is about half shaded. Full sun plants do not grow in our yard as our neighbour's enormous maple tree covers the west side in the morning and the fencing and homes cover a few feet into the sides of the garden.

Our berry patch is on the north side with a few strawberries, a blackberry bush, and a few tomato plants. That's about all we have room for and I have time for at this point.

Hostas live in the front and side gardens, or at least they used to before our neighbour's sons continually ran them over with their gigantic waste and compost bins. I think we may have one left in front, protected by rocks. The other two died.

[Angela273]

@Natalka I knew that you baked in previous years, but I figured you probably wouldn’t be able to this year. Thank you for trying to teach us about the differences in what the stores bake vs what is traditional. It’s nice that your husband was able to buy some home made.

[Angela273]

By the time I was done having the kids help, I was done with baking for the day. Changed supper to home made burger patties, white M&C, fresh broccoli and sliced cucumber.

[sweet sparrow]

@sweet sparrow -is there a possibility of a fruit tree going in? Then there's be a climbing opportunity for later plus fruit, if
the tree gets its spraying and feeding done. Or how about a large planter for the kids to seed some herbs or lettuces they can harvest in the summer? Radishes too. They might be invested in protecting their planter from getting knocked over.

@Ciel : You must have read DD1's mind. Just before bed she asked me for an apple tree because I told her we had to replace the rose.

I think I might try peas this year, and maybe some sweet pea flowers too.