Decluttering the Kitchen

I have really been in a paring down, thinning out, simplifying mood lately. Well for about six months now. I really try not to buy anything we don't need (except home decor cuties but I have cut way back on that too).

Funny how when you clean out your drawers you discover things you forgot you had and that you often have  multiples of. With the heat I have been cleaning out the drawers and getting rid of anything I don't use any longer. Ruthlessness I tell you is the key to organizing and simplifying.

Just a few of my pared down supplies all easy at hand when I need them. I can see what is in each drawer and grab what I need quickly. Funky and nothing matches but I am not spending money on matched organizers just using what I already have.

The pyrex was all my mother's. Love it all stacked and ready for use.

Linking to:
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
Homemaker Monday
Stroll Thru Life
Time Warp Wife
Twice Owned Tuesday
Women Living Well
L.A.C.E.
Raising Homemakers

Movie Day!

Off to spend a little time with these guys. It is Q's first time at the movies so I am hoping a big tub of popcorn and an Icee along with the Hundred Acre Woods keep her happy for the hour long movie. Can't wait.
** Update: This movie is darling and at barely more than an hour, a perfect movie for the younger kids. We all loved it including my 17 and 13 year olds who loved Pooh when they were little.

Rites of Summer

My daughter had a couple of friends to her grandma's house to swim.

I made them a picnic supper of chicken crispers, deviled eggs, watermelon, chips, potato salad and fresh baked snickerdoodles.

Lots of splashing and grandma's dog begging for someone to throw the frisbie.

 I got them settled and came back for them a few hours later.

Where they ended the evening with a pile of cushions, blankets and pillows for a slumber party. 

Ahh nothing like summer when you are a kid!!!

Softening a Hardscape

Along one end of our patio is the outside wall of our garage. We wanted to train a vine up it but had no planters along the wall. We found some flat backed large pots that we planted Virginia Creeper in. 

The vines climbing up the wall, surrounded by other pots of flowers soften what would be a big ugly focal point or lack of one.

In the very center is a large wall fountain.

The vines creep up and then often fall off when too heavy. I just trim them and let them climb again.

Every spring I add more potting soil and some time release fertilizer. A single pot of ivy has grown around the fountain and pots making the area look green and lush. 

Linking to:

Masterpiece Monday

weekend-wrap-up-party

Check Me Out Sat.

Sat. Night Special

Met Monday

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

Bloomin Tuesday

Summer Eats

I love the lighter fare of summer. It is hot and you just don't want as heavy a meal and that for us means salads. I love salad and can eat if everyday. We have a crunchy salad most nights of the week along with our dinner.

A summer fave is a big chef's salad.

Into this one I threw ham, eggs, turkey bacon, olives, tomatoes and cheese. 

Another of my favorite summer lunches is a cheddar and tomato sandwich. On a good slice of whole wheat bread spread with butter and topped with salt and pepper. Hubby and I have this on the weekends whenever we have fresh tomatoes to use up.

Linking to:
SNS
Sunday Blog Love
Seasonal Sundays
Homestead Revival
Rednesday

That's So Random

My kids always say that. "Mom that is so random." This post is random. A few things I have been up to.

Took down the last little flag that I somehow missed after I put all the Fourth decor away.

I am finally done painting the trim in my room.

You see lots of white smears on the green. I am a messy painter. Now I have to go over those and cover them.

I tried one of these little sponge rollers on my cupboards and door and I loved how quick it was to get the job done. Why have I not been using these all along?

Oh, and I wanted to share something too. You know the other day when I stayed in and cleaned my kitchen as it was too darn hot outside? I wanted to clean the shiny chrome part of the top of the toaster. It had become gunky with sticky stuff from all our toasting. Didn't want to spray anything toxic where our food went so I got out the baking soda and it worked wonders. See...

That's my sourdough toast. I love it with blackberry jam.

I Love George's!

George's is my produce hook up place. Don't overlook little produce shops because I save so much money shopping here. It isn't much to look at but the deals are great and the produce is fresher than the grocery store. He says it is because he buys daily from the produce market and other farmers and sell it as soon as he  gets back. No waiting around in a distribution center to be shipped out in semis.

My total was 23.06 and here is what I bought:

1 flat of strawberries

bananas 

4 Persian cucumbers

Peaches

Cherries

corn on the cob

cantaloupe

1 package of hamburger buns ($1 bin)

red leaf lettuce

mushrooms

bag of broccoli (contained three head of broccoli)

Feta cheese (1/2 lb for 2.46. Can't beat that)

My daughter wanted to come home and make smoothies. Check out that vintage blender. Yes, it was in the house when we bought it. 11 years later and I have no idea how long his Grandma owned it, it still works great. Good old American made products. I wish we could get manufacturing back here. Seems more green to me. I would pay twice as much for something that lasts twice as long. Most would agree. And no ships clogging up our ports with junk that came from overseas.

Q wanted banana smoodie as she calls it but first made a phone call on it.

Aww summer strawberries.

Umm!

Linking to:

Thrifty Thursdays

Tales from Bloggeritaville

Homemaker on a Dime

Thrifty Groove

The Saved Quarter

Different Views

Did you see Brenda's post this week? I love her weekly Blogger tip posts. Went out to the garden to try some of her photography tips.

Fresh picked produce in a very OLD bowl.

Same subject from different angles is what she recommended. 

I had fun just zooming in and out. Laying on the grass like I was all official.

With summer heat the garden is waning a little but that is okay. I like to stay indoors during the heat of the day.

Then every evening I come out with my youngest usually for dessert in the yard. That is when I take a stroll through the garden and water my pots. A nightly ritual I do enjoy.

Linking to:

BNOTP

Brambleberry Cottage

Open House Party

Home Sweet Home

Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday

French Country Cottage

Mod Mix Monday

Finding Happiness

I used to wonder in my 20s and 30s when I would finally get to the day when I would say I had arrived at happy or as I now see it what I was looking for was contentment. Like one day it is just going to change and the angels would sing. I am not sure what I was expecting to happen to bring me to this place. As I have gotten older into my 40s, something happened that changed how I look at things. 

I stopped looking outward and starting looking inward. I had to determine my own happiness. It wasn't going to arrive like a package and it certainly couldn't be bought. I had to "grow where I was planted" and decide to be happy". I always enjoyed life but I would let the daily struggles get me down instead of looking at them as the blessings they are. I still tell remind myself and the kids that thankfulness makes even the worst tasks easier. (Except picking up dog poop). I still mumble things under my breath when I have to do that chore.

I really just focused inside our home and on the family. 

No comparing to others, wishing my car was newer. Just down to basics. Make good meals for the family, take care of my home and what I already have, make memories with the kids. My mom was always so satisfied with her simple life. Never wanted more than she had. I feel I am finally at that place. Maybe it comes with age. That is a blessing about getting a little older. You know what counts. Today it has been hot, so I stayed inside and spruced up my kitchen until it sparkled. That feeling, to me anyway, is worth more than any new thing I could buy or place I could run off to. I am happy here with what I have. 

I put in my profile for this blog that I was striving for contentment in the simple things. Blogging has helped me to be so thankful for what I do have and not what I don't. Others may wish they were this or that, but other than sewing envy I have of some of my favorite bloggers or artistic talents I know I will never achieve (you know who you are), I just appreciate what you all share with me everyday and the friendly comments I so look forward to. With a thankful heart...

Elaine

Wow Us Wednesdays

Rednesday

Share the Love Link Party

Not Just a Housewife

Time Warp Wife

Good Life Wed.

WFMW

Raising Homemakers

LACE

Weekend Bloggy Reading

Homemaker By Choice

Revenge

First off, if you don't have a sense of humor today, don't read any further. I thought this so funny I had to share. My little one received this darling swim suit from her auntie for her birthday. I wanted to snap some pics of her in it. So took a few and set the camera down.

Later that day I was looking at my pics of the girls and this is what I see...

Those dirty rats or should I say older sisters. This is what they did to my baby with our water balloons. And how did they get her to post like Mae West? Her revenge will come. Some day they will be grey and wrinkled and she will still be young. Oh our house. It is crazy town.

Oddities

While out in the garage unplugging our energy sucking refrigerator, this little oddity fell behind the fridge. I had never seen it before and it must have been tucked away sitting on top. Amazing it didn't break but was just wedged behind it when my hubby handed it to me all dusty. Gave it a spin in the dishwasher and it came out all clean. Now isn't this just the funniest little piece? A price tag inside said $2.49. Should I keep it? Is it too hideous or would it look good in my retro aqua kitchen makeover?

Want to know or maybe you won't want to know something odd about me? I like my pancakes under done. You know, a little batter still oozing out when I cut into them. I know my kids say it is gross but what is not to love about gooey batter? Like cookie dough. Why does it always taste better than the actual cookies.

Linking to:

Mod Mix Monday

Frugal Challenge-Lowering Your Electric Bill

Electricity here in Southern California aint' cheap!! To cool our home in the summer is very expensive. We decided to have one of the free energy audits of our home and here is what we learned. I want to share in case it can help any of you lower your electric bill.

Our bedroom is really warm. The one room in the house that doesn't seem to cool down. Afternoon sun all day, beating down on it, just warms it up. Of course a huge tree would help, and that will be planted in the fall, but the audit suggested an awning. To Amazon I went, and found one I thought was nice looking but reasonably priced. Also, I had 10 bucks in Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks so instant discount. Hubby installed it, and my gosh what a difference it did make. Without sun on that window, our room did not heat up like it normally does. We could leave the shutters open and let the afternoon breeze in.

We love the results so much we are going to put them along the entire back of the house. 

As part of the audit they let you know what are real energy suckers and our garage freezer was high on the list. She said next to a pool motor, which we don't have, keeping a refrigerator cold in the summer in a hot garage is a huge draw of power, so we ate through what was in there and I cleaned out my house fridge and

made room for what needed to come in the house. For the summer months I will not stockpile any meat. I would rather be cooler and run my air more than have an extra roast in the garage.

Now, I do not have a large fridge, so I have to be organized. We have two refrigerators and we keep waiting for one of them to die before we get a new one for the house. The waiting continues.

I know it looks empty. Was on my way to the store.

Another thing she said was an energy waster in the summer, and I was very surprised to hear this, were fans. Now, we always would leave ceiling fans and other fans running all day and she said that to only run them when you are in the room. Fans do not lower the temperature of the room but make you feel cooler with the breeze, so to switch them off when you leave a room.

Also, all those nasty video game consoles and chargers should be placed on a strip and turned off when not in use. I am on my girls about this all the time. The older girls' room has 50 things plugged in in there. I will be checking to see they are turned off.

I will see how our bill is next month after these changes and will give you an update.

Linking to:

Met Monday

Show off your cottage Monday

Motivate Me Monday

Dittle Dattle

Homestead Revival

The Saved Quarter

Domestically Divine Tuesday

Happy Sunday!

Happy Sunday everyone. Not going to fight the warmer temps today, so I am taking the little one for a dip in the in-laws pool. Everyone else is busy, so just going to splash around for a couple of hours and wear out a little one. Hope you all have a fine summer day.

Where There's a Grill, There's a Way

I hate to turn on my oven in the summer and I try to use my cook top sparingly. We grill several times a week and I wanted to use up some green beans I had bought and a zucchini from the garden. I thought why not, I grill other veggies.

Just made a foil packet by placing two long pieces of foil to make a T. Then I take whatever veggies, toss in some fresh chives, salt and pepper and coat with a little olive oil. Fold up the foil packet and put on the grill with your meat.

The veggies steam wonderfully in their packet and the house stays cooler. Just open and serve.

Linking to:

Seasonal Sundays

I heart Naptime

Lamb Around

Sunday Showcase

Nifty Thrifty Things

Flamingo Toes

Salsa Anyone?

   Did the windows on one more side of the house today and boy you'd think I was sending the kids to the firing line. One child who is actually 20 said, "Mom you pick the most absurd projects." I told her that cleaning the windows and screens once a year was not absurd. I also reminded them that they slept in five hours later than their father's time to get up for work so to quit complaining and get working.

Okay on from the complaining about my teens. After the windows I picked all these tomatoes so if you think you need a large plot to have a garden, you don't here is the size of my tiny suburban garden from a previous post.

I think a big batch of salsa is on the menu this weekend to enjoy with some grilled fish tacos.

Put the rest of the blue glass jars in the kitchen. These were probably originally in the kitchen here as we found them in the cupboards when we moved in. So now they are home.

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Linking to:

Sat. Night Special

Seasonal Sundays

Small Town Soaps

Ginger at Small Town USA asked for suggestions to name her handmade soaps and guess who's idea she chose? Mine. I just immediately thought why not "Small Town Soaps". Now, I am not normally clever so this may be the last time I come up with a catchy name but the best part is she sent me some soap to enjoy.

Too cute all in pink and green.

There it is looking fab in my soap dish. My girls and I all had to try it as soon as I put it out. They were like,"You can make your own soap?" Too funny. As if soap can only come from Walmart or something.

It is wonderful. Thank you Ginger!!