Empty Nest

Today we became "empty nest-ers". Our youngest daughter became a "college girl", and the oldest has been out on her own for just over a year (married, expecting a precious baby girl). Suddenly I have no children to be responsible for right this minute.

It feels kind of strange!

However other events in our lives are changing the finacial picture for us. Hubby is about to be laid off. I have only found part-time work and have no unemployment left. And now the Making Do slogan is a very real aspect of our budget. I have been stocking up a little at a time on canned goods, and boxed food (hamburger Helper, cake mix, pastas, etc). We do have a small freezer which already needs to be re-organized and a few "fishing" meals designed to get the oldest stuff out and used up. So, this week, as we clean our house without someone under foot moaning and groaning or refusing to help out, we will also be planning some major meals.

To that end I have just ordered Angelfood for February. We chose the $41 Bountiful Blessings Box and the $25 Sirloin Steak box. That, with the turkey we have frozen, 2 chickens, several bags of green beans, and atleast 3 bags of filling for fruit pies or cobbler, all mean we will not starve.

I have a sad event to share. The bread machine has died. It was located on the counter and I opened a cabinet door only to have a piece of corningware fall out and land on the glass viewing window of the breadmachine lid. I can report the corningwear came out much better from that tussle than the machine did. So now I am gathering recipes that do not require kneeding. Fortunately there are a lot of them out there. And we have all the bread making stuff, so we will have bread for sandwiches.

As I shared last time, I have been recovering from oral surgery. The good news is I am getting used to the plate. The bad news is that I still can't chew. So I anticipate a menu of very soft foods this month. With the exception of the steak. If its not soft and tender it will take spin in the blender!! This diet of mashed potatoes, eggs, ice cream, oatmeal, and yogurt really really needs something in it I can chew. I may puree my honeydew melon so I can eat it too!

So next post will list the meals (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner). This should help me get back on track. Also its time to make laundry detergent. Mom and her friend want to learn how to do itt, so we are all going to meet at her house and I am going to teach them the "recipe".

I have also been considering making bar soap. I love lye soap. It sounds so harsh but its really not. Its a lot of work, but I feel like making soap and candles would probably good survival skills.