Maybe Carrying Frugality Too Far...

One of our two stops during our one preparation-day-out trip today, was at Joann Fabrics and Crafts.  I wanted to get some double-sided 12 x 12 card stock (yes, really!  I have a birthday project coming up), some wet glue, and a Wilton spoonula.  Two out of three was pretty good!  I can get the spoonula at Michaels next time I go.  Which may be sooner rather than later since I have a bug for it!

When I got back to the car I found that Dear One had been doing a bit of cleaning out (in the passenger side foot well), which he put in the nice re-useable shopping bag I found at Safeway with orange slices on the outside.  This is a bag I really like.  Dear One added a crunched up cube box of Kleenex we have had in the car since we left Vermont, and which has seen MUCH better days, plus an empty box which had held a lightning-to-USB cable, and, embarrassingly enough, an empty Whopper Jr box.  Quite a nice hoeing-out job in my absence...

After doing a few other necessaries in the kitchen after we arrived home, I went into the study to do some writing.  M called and as we talked I got the gray duct tape and repaired the Kleenex cube. (One of the main bonuses of having a cell phone is that you can move around while carrying on a conversation.  I do like that bit about a cell phone, especially since the duct tape was in the top drawer of the bureau in the bedroom next door.)

As you can see, this is not a glorious project, but since there was almost a full box of Kleenex (I guess we have not had too many sneezing fits or colds since Vermont, which is nice to contemplate and for which to be very grateful), it seemed a shame to just throw it out, which was Dear One's plan.  Now, don't get me wrong, he is pretty frugal, too, but he was not wedded to that box of Kleenex.  Obviously, I have been, and see no reason not to keep it going a while longer...

Possibly this is carrying frugality too far, but I am not convinced of it.

Wednesday Wonders: Spring Popping Up Outside Our Window

When we came home from the office, imagine our surprise when, just past mid-January, we saw this sight:

This is right outside the second bedroom/study (NOT TO BE CALLED WORKROOM just in case I get any funny acquisition ideas...) window!  So wonderful. I can hardly wait to see what it turns out to be.  I do think maybe daffodils and hyacinths.  If hyacinths, I will have to turn down the thermostat, open the window to the screen, put on a sweater, and breathe in the fragrant deliciousness.  I will keep you posted!

Frugality: Strip Cards

This week I needed to make some envelopes for forwarding mail to some missionaries who had gone home.  Well, not needed to, but wanted to. As I was working on the envelope I put the leftover strip of colored paper into the leftovers box and put it back under my desk.  A lightbulb went on!

After taking out the leftovers box again, which was all strips of colorful papers in various widths, I took it to the guillotine cutter and cut off the white strip that held the paper glued into the paper pad. There were a LOT of strips!  Some of the envelopes required a piece of paper 11 x 11,  others 9 x 9, etc.  There were many strips to choose.  Since I love making cards, I thought these would be perfect.

This is what I did for the first card.  (Well, maybe I have done this before, maybe even blogged about it, but I don't remember...one of the bonuses of growing older: everything is new and exciting.  Even if you have done it a dozen times before!)

Here is the front of the card onto which are glued five strips.  After they dried I cut them and then folded them into A2 sized cards.  I did discover that I had not put enough glue along one edge of one strip so I inserted more glue there, which seems to have worked.

There was a little bit of overhang on the back which I cut off.  When I cut it off, there was an apparent unevenness so I put it back in the guillotine and made another cut.  The end result was that the card was slightly smaller than a standard A2 but close enough for me.

Here is the final card and the envelope it went into.  It makes me happy to make cards.  In this case, there were two cards, so one is sitting in my drawer with the the other cards I have made doubles of.  Nice to be ready to share a thought with someone at the drop of a hat.

Munchie Monday: Kathy's Cashew Brownies

Here is a recipe I found by a fluke. I contacted the creator of the recipe for more details.  Here is how I did it.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place a large sheet of aluminum foil into an 8 by 8 inch baking pan.  Spray with vegetable spray.

In a medium place 1 cup cashew butter, 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 Tablespoons maple syrup, and 2 Tablespoons sifted unsweetened cocoa.  Stir until well blended.  Add 1 cup chocolate chips.  I used about 3/4 cup white chocolate chips and 1/4 mini semisweet chocolate chips in an effort to use up everything in our kitchen before we return home in a few months.

Spread the brownie mix evenly in the prepared pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Let cool then cut.

This is the "before" picture which was actually taken about five minutes after placing in the hot oven.

After 20 minutes in the oven the brownies looked like this.  The middle seemed a little soft so I cooked them longer.

After 25 minutes they looked pretty much the same so I took them out.  After letting them cool for a couple of hours, I cut a small piece.  The part that had been soft at 20 minutes was still soft.  The edges were pretty much solid.  They tasted okay.  The chocolate chips made them seem like they had way more sugar than the 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup would make you think.  That cup of chocolate chips was almost all sugar so  that should not be a surprise.

Dear One said they were okay.  Now to get the rest of them to our friend for whom I made them before we eat them up...

Family Photo Friday: "McIntosh" Men

Here are the matching men and boys to last week's photo.

Guy Ford with DF and CF in front of him.

Grant Lester Matthew Corwin with Grant Lester Corwin II in front of him.

Lucien F. Trottier and LT in front of him.

DW with DW in front of him. 

Roland Burbank McIntosh with Everett Roland Corwin in front of him.

Because of the gun and the empty deciduous trees, I am thinking this might have been during hunting season though the short-sleeved shirts would tend to make me think otherwise since hunting season is in November.  Though maybe early summer before the leaves were fully out. 

Now, Cousins,  will you please correct any mistakes I have made. Do any of you have copies of this picture?

It has been my practice not to name living people, either in a public family tree or on these pages so please be circumspect when you make those corrections.

You can see the same rabbit house behind and to the right in the picture.  I don't remember how long the rabbit project went but they were sure cute to a little girl.

Gnome Project Update

Tonight Dear One went into the office to do something with his computer.  When he came back out he asked how the "Gnome Project" went.  Well,  not well, I am sorry to say.  There were multiple other projects that got in the way and that also were not finished. I hate disappointing people.  And I hate not completing perfectly good projects in a timely fashion.

The plan was to make a gnome and vest for each of the grandchildren, all gnomes being different but with the same cute gray vests.  That turned out not to happen.

The next plan was that there would be a gnome for each family.  That turned out not to happen either.

What did happen was that the same gnome you saw before is still complete.  There are four more ziplock bags with completed gnome parts in them.  Still not put together and stuffed.

And just for the record,  this guy is not as wonky-looking in the flesh as he is in my photograph...another project is to learn to take good pictures...but when it will happen is the anybody's guess.  In the meantime,  well, wonky-looking creatures and people with backs of heads showing, or the tops of heads out of the picture, etc.

So, in answer to Dear One's question: It looks like the gnome project is a bust for 2018.  Maybe 2019...?

Wedding Anniversary Punch

This past weekend we attended a 50th anniversary party for a dear senior missionary couple.  It was a wonderful party.  The punch was new to me, and very delicious.  Since their daughter was generous and shared the recipe I am passing it along.  When I went online I found there are many sites that post it.  The only difference I saw is the amount of sugar used.  This is a punch I will make sometime.

Pink Lady Punch

4 cups Cranberry Juice Cocktail

1 1/2 Cups Sugar   (we cut this in half when we made it)

4 Cups Pineapple Juice 

2 quarts 7-Up

In 2 cups cranberry juice dissolve the sugar over low heat. Chill.  Mix sugar mix to remaining juice and add the 7-up at the last minute.

Makes 32 punch cup servings