Richmond House Front Series

Bruce and I love to explore around. We often drive to another city or region to walk around and absorb the ambiance of the community. We particularly like to explore in Richmond, VA. Richmond was the capitall of the Confederacy and continues on as the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has block after endless block of lovingly restored homes dating from before the Civil War. Although it was a warm Saturday, we were energized by the lovely architecture.

We stopped at an amazing Health Food Store called Elwood Thompsons for organic berries and a healthy bar of chocolate with the proper proportion of cocoa. http://www.ellwoodthompsons.com/

Sound Bite of the Day

Overheard amongst a group of teens at Walmart while buying moisterizer to avoid the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles:

"You lie, your feet stink, and you don't know Jesus."

That about covers it all. Just sayin...

Ancient Burying Ground, Hartford, CT

I am drawn to old graveyards and gravestones. When I was much younger, before I married, I worked in downtown Hartford in the insurance industry. The graveyard pictured below was closed in by a number of buidings.

Two of the minor buildings are now gone, which allows for much better viewing of the gravestones. You can access the cemetary directly from the street. When I would visit there in the past, I would have to go through one of the high-rise buildings to sit in the graveyard, which was totally wall-off to the outside except for the sky.

I love how the old gravestones are carved. I love the sentiments and warnings carved into such gravestones. The stones I took pictures of all have very interesting sentiments which can be seen if you click on each pic to make it bigger. For more information about this cemetary, which has been in Hartford since the 1600's, please click here:

http://www.theancientburyingground.org/history.htm

There was a wonderful teacher in the graveyard, Andrea Ader, with students who were being trained to care for the graveyard and to guide others through it. Visting with Andrea and her student interns was very special.

Public Policy and Musing About Harriet Beecher Stowe

I've always thought a lot about the Civil War and researched it. My fourth great grandfather, from CT, was captured at the Battle of Bermuda's Hundred during the Civil War and died from TB he contracted in a concentration camp called Andersonville that was run by the south.

Harriet Beecher Stowe, the Uncle Tom's cabin author, is also from my hometown in CT. I grew up touring her home and reading about her thoughts and work to help end slavery. You would be amazed at what Christian ministers from the South would say to justify slavery. It just blew me away to read it.

When I see how blind reasonable and educated people could be back then, so lacking in being able to interpret a very straightforward story in the Bible, I wonder if I could be holding on to an attitude that someone else might be appalled at in the future.

What will our descendents say about how we allow people to live in poverty in the inner city here or how we warehoused our eldery? How will our public policy, what we have done or not done, how will it be judged? Will people say in a hundred years, "You used to kill animals and EAT them?" How will the death penalty be judged as forensic science continues to advance and more people are cleared? Will we be heroines like Harriet Beecher Stowe, who significantly helped change US policy with her work, even though she could not vote?

Or will be be considered as unenlightened as some of the ministers I mentioned?As you know, I had one of my eye surgeries in CT. During my daily walk route three weeks ago, I walked through a public park along the river which has outdoor statues. One of them is a bronze of Mrs. Stowe and President Lincoln when they met at the White House. She was very short and when he met her he reportedly said, "So you're the little lady that started this big war."

Dum Tacet Clamat-The Forlorn Soldier

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My father has a soft spot for this aging brownstone of a Union soldier located in the South End of Hartford, CT. We went to visit him last night.

The inscription reads:

DUM TACET CLAMAT (Though Silent, He Speaks)

Rejected after the Civil War for a faulty foot position, this brownstone Union soldier was acquired in 1895 by Michael H. and John Kelly, stone cutters and placed at the Corner of Charter Oak Avenue and Union Street in Hartford where buffeted by flood and brushed by vandals, he stood until 1968 when J. Michael Kelly, a grandson, oved him to a fairer site, restoring his battered entity with the loving care he had solong been denied.

http://www.chs.org/ransom/044.htm

Small Changes in the Kitchen

I think I get bored easily. I've enjoyed seeing other "blog girls" who have turned various objects into impromtu blackboards. I decided that the side of my fridge was getting pretty icky.

The curtains covering the area under my sink were on sale at Walmart. I thought they'd be fun for a while.

YUM O!

We had a fabulous lunch Saturday at Felinni's in downtown Norfolk, VA. We split a Greek salad with grilled chicken on top and an order of focaccia. Greek salad is a particular favorite of mine. Their Greek salad is one of my top two favorites in the area.

Felinni's is my favorite kind of place...local, independent...not a chain! Felinni's does something very interesting with their sun-dried tomatoes that I really like. They reconstitute them in boiling water and then add them to salads. Try this, it is quite delicious.

For more information about Felinni's and to see a menu, visit them at

http://www.fellinisva.com

Living Room Refresh

I spruced up the living room during the past two months. Bruce painted the walls a lovely yellowy maize color, which has brightened up the living room immeasurably. Then we painted the very damaged hardwood floor “Barnwood;” a silvery grayish brown. We replaced our old flowered love seat, sofa, and large chair with just a sofa and a large chair with a matching ottoman. We needed a little extra seating, so I pulled some old chairs up from the basement and gave them a little spray painted refreshment. I think they look terrific with inexpensive cushions from Walmart and paired with my old singer sewing machine table.

Today's Thrifty Treasure

Manuela over at The Pleasures of Homemaking blog, which I adore, has a feature called "Thrifty Tresures."

http://thepleasuresofhomemaking.blogspot.com/ called "Today's Thrifty Treasures."

The picture above is one of my "thrifty treasures." My friend Nancy spotted this bottom of a Hoosier cabinet left out for the trash a few weeks ago. I wish I had taken a "before" pic, but I'm always so excited to finish the project that I forget.

We hauled it across the street and up on to my porch. The counter top was gone, you you looked directly into the drawers. It was paint splattered and had some "plastic wood" repairs. Two cans of white spray paint later, I think it looks pretty good!

My Starbucks Peeps

I advocated for a long time to get a Starbucks here in Portsmouth, VA. It took ten years. I actually check for the nearest Starbucks on Mapquest before I closed on my house here. Starbucks is more than just coffee. I once took a colleague from Red Cross to Starbucks for the first time. She had been blind since birth. She inhaled deeply and said, "This is what brown looks like, right?"

I love my Starbucks peeps. They provide wonderful service, as well as a strong sense of community. They started a book and magazine exchange. Last week, I was able to read the lastest issue of More magazine, one of my favorites...brand new. I've taken home many excellent novels and dropped off books I've finished.

McDonalds started serving iced coffee and lattes a few months ago. They marketed this new product to Starbucks patrons. Wrong demographic! Apparently McDonalds didn't do as well during the last quarter and experts believe is it because the upscale coffee drinks were a bust. I'm not surprised. They might have been cheaper, but they didn't taste as good and the ambiance wasn't the same.

It's not just about the coffee. It is the decor, the terrific music, the patrons, the service, the sense of community...the whole megillah, as they say in Yiddish, which has to do with the book of Esther, but I digress.

So I'm off for an iced vente three equal sugar free vanilla latte. It is my luxury and my treat for the day. It doesn't bother my blood sugar and is a good source of calcium. And my Starbucks peeps will be there.

Where I Work

When Bruce lost his job in March. I took two part-time jobs to tide us over. One of the jobs really captured my heart and I've stayed with it. Joseph is a dignified British attorney (or barrister, as he would say) and ordained minister whom I met six years ago at church. Although some people might term him a "senior citizen," they would be mistaken to label him with words used for people who lived in assisted living. He is a current black belt in Tae Kwan Do who drives a sexy sports car with the top down Joseph is writing a book about his amazing life My role is to help him put the words to paper, to edit, and to be a sounding board as he brings his remembrances to life on paper. We usually work in the decorating shop which he owns with his wife, Elaine. I hope you enjoy looking at these exquistie pictures of the shop. Please note Ma Maison's most successful salesperson, Dudley.

You Never Know Where Life Will Take You

Little did I know when I made my last post that I'd be gone for so long. Life is funny like that.

Bruce lost his job in March and it really knocked both of us flat. God has been good and one month later, he had a better job, with a bigger defense contractor (Lockheed Martin), doing something he enjoys tremendously, for a lot more money. Essentially, he gets to think deep thoughts, investigate various issues on the classified part of the military's Internet, and talk about cool stuff. Seriously. He even works for a command with a cool name, the "Navy Lessons Learned Office." Considering that most military commands have strange names like NAVSUBTRACENPAC, COMSUPAC, SIMA, MARMAC and other esoteric abbreviations, it is nice to work for a place that sounds just like what it is.

In any case, it is a lot better than the Carcass Tracking Unit in Hawaii which was the most unappealing military name I've ever encountered. I don't even want to know what they did there.

The odd thing is that it has taken us quite a bit of time to get back on track. This unexpected change was terribly disorienting and we feel as though we are just getting back to normal these many months later.

Book Reviews

I’ve been evaluating my spending and consumption habits for months now. Since I don’t work outside the home anymore, my job is managing the household. Society seems to take a dim view of the term “housewife,” but I realize that what I do at home (or don’t do) makes an enormous difference in our quality of life. My husband likes that I’m at home. I like that I’m at home, too.

Part of being the manager of my home is scouring the Internet and other sources to educate myself on all sorts of things, from how to make yogurt and cottage cheese at home to raising chickens in a suburban environment. Yes, I said raising chickens

On Monday I borrowed a book from the library which I’d originally intended to buy. “America’s Cheapest Family” by Steve and Annette Economides turned out to be a disappointment. I liked watching this couple on Fox News, but I was less than charmed with the book. Everything in it seemed hackneyed. I didn’t learn anything new. I’m so glad I didn’t spend $11.99 for the used book on Amazon.

One tip they provided was the tired old idea of buying the newspaper on Wednesday for grocery sales. You don’t have to buy the newspaper. I can view the sales circulars for my grocery stores; Kroger, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, and Farm Fresh on line. I read my newspaper daily, on line, free of charge. I save a lot of trees.

I’m glad that I went to the library, though, because right next to the book I wasn’t so crazy about, I found a gem “Living Well on One Income in a Two-Income World” by Cynthia Yates. Cynthia shares what she calls “New Principles for Smart Living” as follows:

Adjust your attitude.
Live within your income.
Organize your world.
Learn prices and become a savvy consumer.
Roll up your sleeves.
Use things up.
Do not waste.
Use your creative genius.
Presentation is everything.
In all things, honor God.

Although there are tips in the book, her basic premise is to educate yourself and re-think how things can be done more cheaply without sacrificing quality of life. I highly recommend this book.

Seeds

This is the smaller of the spare bedrooms, which has a bit of a gardening theme. I use dollar-store decorative birdhouse as a tie backs for the curtains and have two treasured pictures hung on the walls. One is made up of very old seed packets. The other is underneath the shelf, a print of a young husband and wife praying over a field. I love both.

The bed was my grandmother's and the shelf was to the right of her sink for fifty years. It always had rosary beads, a special holder for a used tea bag, her vitamins, her heart pills, and a little statue of St. Francis on it. I found the shutters in my garage when I moved in. I bought the little table from a tag sale and painted a checkerboard pattern on top.

So speaking of seeds, did you ever have a feeling that you should go do something that doesn't make sense? You just can't shake it off though, you feel like you just HAVE to do it. Yesterday, I just HAD to go to Walmart to look at seeds. That part of Walmart isn't heated and it was 28 degrees when I got my little urge...pretty cold for Virginia.

I've learned not to ignore that little feeling, because it is typically the Holy Spirt. I bundled up and drove over. They had organic seeds for two dollars a pack, regular seeds for $1 a pack and an entire display of seeds for 20 cents a pack. 20 cents a pack! I couldn't believe it. I scooped up all I needed and started seedlings today.

Homemade Yogurt and Pizza

For all of you bloggers and lurkers out there who are hoping for a Kim from Daisy Cottage-style gorgeous blog post, this isn't going to be one! http://deardaisycottage.typepad.com/

Folks are worried about the economy and complaining about food prices. One of those people is a friend of mine whose husband eats lunch out EVERY DAY during the work week. This astounds me. If you can afford to spend over $1,400 out per year on lunch, the economy hasn't hit you yet.

Over the last year, we have vastly reduced the amount we spend and continue to look at ways to do even better They have been small changes, things like buying cheese in bulk and doing the shredding at home, buying regular carrots instead of baby carrots, shopping at the Dollar Store and Big Lots, eliminating diet soda, etc. The small changes led to the big change of cutting our grocery bill in half.

The last four pics represent a very successful attempt at making yogurt without a special appliance. I found the recipe here:

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/giftinajar/homemade-yogurt.shtml

Unlike the recipe, I did not buy a candy thermometer. I heated the milk to just under boiling when the bubbles formed at the sides and let it cool until my pinkie felt comfortable in the milk, but it was still hot. That would be Annie's thermometer, I guess. I let it sit overnight on the blue heating pad you see with a towel over it. If the yogurt isn't think enough for you, let it sit in a sieve lined with at paper towel or coffee filter for about a half hour. It came out just perfect.

One of the biggest changes is my commitment not to waste food. For several months, I have used up every morsel of food that has entered our house, as well as composting every bit of that which is not edible. That's not spoiled food, mind you, there hasn't been any spoiled food. It is the papery skins of onions, carrot tops, celery bottoms, etc. I have carefully utilized food in such a way that nothing has gone bad. That's the way it should be, but has not always been, here at the house at 256.

Americans waste an appalling amount of food with no excuse. It isn't that we don't have electricity of proper storage methods. We are simply lazy and inattentive when much of the world goes hungry. There's an interesting blog about it here: http://www.wastedfood.com/ There are moral implications to wasting food, as well as economic ones.

In my new effort not to waste food came last night's dinner, whole wheat pizza with dough made from the breadmaker. My recipe makes two small pizzas. I found it here: http://www.recipezaar.com/Whole-Wheat-Pizza-Crust-for-Bread-Machine-142788

I use whatever I need to use up in the fridge for pizza. Yesterday I had: a small amount of cooked, crumbled sausage; 1/4 of a package of sundried tomatoes; several onion halves; about 20 black olives, two tomatoes getting slightly soft, some pine nuts; some mozzerella and some ingenuity.

I carmelized the onions, which you can see in the first pic. I don't always use marinara sauce on pizza. This time, I brushed both pizza doughs with EEVO. I put black olives, sun dried tomatoes, sausage, fresh tomatoes, parmesan, onions, and mozzerella on one. I put black olives, 1 box of frozen spinach, two cheeses, onions, garlic, and pine nuts on the other. I topped both with crushed red pepper and Italian seasoning.

Last year, I would have thrown out the onions, the tomatoes, the pine nuts, and the olives. I'm glad that economic necessity prevented that this year. I hope you also enjoyed the shot of my cell phone. I have no idea why I left it in the shot.

The Eggs and I

I was having such a good frugal day on Monday. I went to the Dollar Store and got a great deal on shaving cream, some spices, and a replacement for the funnel Bruce decided to throw out, for whatever reason.

Then on to Farm Fresh, in the next parking lot over. Consolidating trips to save gas, don'tcha know. Got rutabagas, cabbage, and fruit that was on sale. The rutabagas and cabbage sound grim and Oliver Twistian, but we love both. Boneless chicken breasts on sale...rock on. Good price on eggs...way to go. Get three dozen. Request Monday military discount. Call to ask hubby to pick up windshield wiper fluid instead of Windex when he gets the dog food, thank you, Debra: http://debrasotherthoughts.blogspot.com/

Rush home to pop pre-made dinner in the oven: meatballs parm. Good job. Dinner will be ready on time. Carry all the food up the five steps to the house. Talk to sister on phone. Consider that if my sister and my phones were wiretapped, we would shock many. Smash six eggs while distracted. NOT FRUGAL!

Last year I would have thrown them out. On Monday, I thought about them. I could scoop them out, nuke them and mix them to supplement with dog kibble. I could make a stir fry now for tomorrow and use the eggs in an "egg drop soup" effect.

Eureka! I can make up three breakfast sandwiches for Bruce. I can do that and still talk to Kerry on the phone. I made a plain omelet and added a few bacon bits I had left over. I cut the omelet into three. I had buns in the freezer from a bargain shop last pay period. Added slices from a leftover tomato and a tiny sprinkling of grated cheese and voila!

Now before I get some comments, I broke the eggs when they slid out of my hand into the kitchen sink. It was a smooth move reminiscent of dumping the compost from under the sink all over my sneakers and the kitchen floor on Sunday when I went to take it out to the composting pile. I was fragrant. I would not use eggs that came from the store broken, because they could have salmonella poisoning.

Bargain of the Day

I am a voracious reader. I used to just buy whatever I wanted, never considering the library, reading a review, getting recommendations from friends or finding a cheaper way to buy new.

The result was that by last year, I was drowning in books. I actually threw some away. The same thing with magazines. Half the time, I wasn't so crazy about the books, which I bought on impulse. I've wised up.

My local Starbucks has a big wicker basket to exchange books. I've picked up a few and dropped off plenty of books and magazines. I borrow books from friends or my mother and sister. I get recommendations before I buy a book. I particularly like to buy books my blog girls recommend.

Yesterday, I decided to add two books to my wish list on Amazon: Housekeepinng and The School of Essential Ingredients. That way I don't forget about them, have time to consider them and family members can look there if they need a gift idea.

I noticed that Amazon has a charge card with incentives, no annual fee. Bruce and I have been using credit to our advantage, by picking a credit card with cash back or other perks. My husband uses one from a favorite store and it pays for his shoes and cowboy boots. We charge EVERYTHING and then issue a draft from our checking account the same day, paying it back.

I decided to get the Amazon card so I could start getting credits to spend there. Why should Bruce have all the fun? Imagine my surprise when I saw a message on the screen saying that I had received an immediate credit which paid for my wish list books with just sixteen cents for me to pay. The shipping was free, with orders of $25 or above. The costs are vastly reduced from the bookstore. You can also order used books for a very reasonable price.

I still do use the library, but also like to have my own books. This is a very cheap way of doing it.

Speak to the Hand

They're six and nine. Piper and Jaime are acting so grown up in these shots I feel like they should be applying for their learner's permits!

Christmas Trip to Richmond

Piper, Bruce and I drove up to Richmond for a trip to the Carytown neighborhood. We went to a few very interesting stores. One store sold only spices. The next sold only beads. Our final stop was 10,000 Villages, which sells fair-trade goods from all over the world.

Radio Flyer

Back before Christmas, Bruce and I took a drive up to Richmond, VA via a back road. I love old-timey back roads. On the way, we stopped at a huge antique mall and picked up this fun miniature Radio Flyer wagon. I used it on the porch with old-fashioned toys for Christmas. Now it holds my potholders and kitchen towels.