Drying Apples and Tonight's Supper

While supper was baking tonight, I took the time to get a bag of apples ready to dry.

We love dried apples for a little snack, especially for travel. They're like candy--so sweet--but with no added sugar. Just one ingredient: apples! 

I just peel, slice and core the apples and place them on the dehydrator trays to dry. Usually takes about 8-10 hours or overnight. 

So easy and much cheaper than buying a little bag of dried apples from the store. 

For supper tonight, I made a Ham and Cheese Puff Pancake that I had pinned on my Breakfast board. 

It. was. delicious. So so so good! I had to exercise great self-control to save some for tomorrow's breakfast and not gobble it all up tonight. I served the puff pancake with veggies & dip and clementines. 

Seriously, if you like cheesy hammy food, you must try it! 

At Home This Week

It's March Madness time! 

Last year was my first time filling out a bracket. I had no idea what I was doing but it was so much fun, I did another one this year! 

It will be interesting to see how it turns out. Andy and I picked the same champion of the whole tournament but different ways of getting there! ;-)

Last week went well. I accomplished most things on my list. Just not the deep cleaning. In fact, due to a pretty hectic schedule the next few weeks, I'm putting that on hold. I am still decluttering and putting things aside for our yard sale though. 

On tap for this week:

Gather tax info

Tax appointment

Dehydrate bag of apples

Take dinner to friends one night

Small grocery trip

Trash to dump--done!

Pick up dry cleaning    

Sew 4 kitchen towels--done! Actually made 6 yesterday. 

Cut out and sew 4 aprons. 

This list is in addition to my work outside the home and basic housekeeping (meals, laundry, cleaning, etc.). 

What's going on in your home this week?

How Many Pennies?

So... in case you were wondering how many pennies were in our penny jar...

The answer is $30.82!

Both guesses were close. Wendi guessed $30.50 which was scary close! Good job to both of my guessers!

We are big fans of saving change. We always have a jar going. Now that this jar has been filled and emptied into savings account, we'll simply start filling it with pennies again!

Thrifty Goodness

Do you like seeing pictures of thrifty treasures?

I do, so I thought I'd share today's finds with you! 

I had a number of errands to run today but we left the house a little earlier so we could hit two thrift stores instead of one. 

Nothing earth-shattering was found today but I did score some useful things on my list. 

Store #1:

4 quart jars for 25 cents each.

2 sheets: $3.50 for the king size was a bit steep, I thought, but it is much less than buying the same amount of fabric at the fabric store and I actually needed a sheet for sewing projects. The twin sheet was $1.

This particular store is very inconsistent in pricing...You just never know!

Store #2: 

2 summer tops: about $5 for both.

4 pint jars: 25 cents each.

Thomas Kinkade note cards: 95 cents.

Dallas Holm CD: $1. 

Pile of greeting cards: 50 cents each. (This particular store has a nice card display; most are 50 cents each. I pay the same for cards at Dollar Tree. But purchasing cards at the thrift store means supporting a thriving local ministry. I needed some cards anyways so a win-win!)

Have you done any thrifting lately?

The Penny Jar

 2012

Several years ago, I mentioned our penny jar in this post.

We started it back in 2007 and it finally was full! After numerous shakings to be sure there really was no more room left. ;-)

 2015

We started out counting and rolling the pennies ourselves, using up all the penny rolls we had. We are weird and actually enjoy counting our money. LOL

We now know that our bank has a coin machine and will count them for free, as long as coins are sorted. So we took the jar with the remaining contents to the bank and let the machine do the work!

We put the money in our bank account designated for a special savings fund.

And now the question is, "How much money was in the jar?"  And just how many pennies does a half gallon jug hold?

I could tell you...

But I think it'd be fun to have you guess!

And then I'll tell you tomorrow! (Or after at least a few guesses, depending which comes first.)

Homemaking This Week

I am back to part-time hours at work. Yay! I am so happy to be home more again. A lot of things have needed my attention. :-)

This is my 3rd week working part-time. I'm starting to get a good morning routine going again. Last week, I did a lot of subbing. I am on call as an extra if needed. I don't mind some additional hours if  I don't have another obligation or something pressing to accomplish at home. 

We are also on week 3 of the Whole 30 which is a 30 day nutritional reset/cleanse. Today is day 23, I think. :-) After a while, the days run together. We did a Whole 30 last winter as well. It gives our digestive systems a break from carbs and processed foods and helps to get us back on track with balanced healthy eating. We always feel much better when we're done. Bring on the meats, veggies, fruits and healthy fats! 

Our daffodils popped up over the weekend so I picked a couple bouquets to bring inside. So springy! 

I'm preparing for our annual yard sale in a few weeks. My plans are to clean and declutter one room/area each week in preparation. I set out a box in the kitchen so I have a handy place to deposit things I find to sell.

I've been collecting things all year but there may still be a few things left we can declutter. This won't be a huge yard sale; maybe it will be more manageable.  ;-)

I've decided to get rid of my coupon binder! I still coupon but not to the extent I once did. My coupons now easily fit in an envelope in my wallet. 

This week I hope to do some deep cleaning tasks in the kitchen. The plan is to finish 1 or 2 each day. It may take me 1 week. Or longer.... We'll see!

I shipped an Etsy order out this morning. Yay! Also cut out one apron to sew. 

My Etsy goals for this week are to list a couple children's aprons already made and some vintage patterns I have. Also to cut out and sew 2-3 more aprons.

Other things on this week's to-do list:

• Change all the clocks.
• Hand wash skirt.
• Look at drugstore deals and make a plan.
• Get started on a gift for a friend. 

One of my new routines is to designate a morning for errands. This also includes stopping at a thrift store or two while I'm out. It's something fun to do and also a good way for me to look for good deals on things we are needing. I keep a running list so I know what I'm looking for!

Thrifting may not happen every week--it didn't last week because of the extra hours I worked--but it is a goal to try to hit most weeks if possible. 

This week's errands are:

• Library--return book.
• Dollar Tree--some household items.
• Get glasses adjusted.
• Drop off dry cleaning.
• Thrift store.

Already shaping up to be a busy week! What are your plans?

Verses the Lord brought to my mind this morning, which I wrote out and put in my kitchen window where I can meditate on them through the week are Philippians 4:6-7 which say,

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

I pray that you will find great peace no matter what your situation is this week!