In The Refiner's Fire

We are on an Angel Food Cake kick here - served with whipped cream and berries, it's perfect! We had SNOW here on Sunday afternoon - about 3/4 of an inch of snow.  I was definitely not ready for that.  Most years we get what we call a "dusting" (just enough to see the flakes come down and maybe catch on shaded spaces long enough to take a photo) this time of year but more typically, we do not get anything resembling snow until well into November.  Thankfully, it melted.  That means it is time for soups, stews, chili and other fall dishes - roasted squash, shredded pork sandwiches, and lots of apple pie! YUM!  Fall is my favorite time of year and we have beautiful color here with so many different types of trees.  I really want it to linger a bit this year.  We spent $62 on groceries this week, after spending only $25-$35 for the last two weeks (our budget for the grocery store is back to $40/week).  Baking supplies were on sale, so I used...

Lunch one Sunday after church - grilled cheese on homemade bread, carrot sticks, and sliced apple. Better late than never, right?  I had some big meetings to prepare for and blogging slipped to the back burner.  We are still primary eating from the pantry, freezer and the gardens.  We started the week with quite a few leftovers from the previous week - both from home and two meals that we were treated to by my Parents.  And, yes, we are having pizza twice this week - Monday it was the only thing we could all agree on (even though there were other things originally on the menu!).  Here's what we're eating this week: Sunday, October 7:     Breakfast: Toast with Peanut Butter, Yogurt     Lunch: Out for Lunch (my Parent's treat)     Snack: Homemade Angel Cake     Dinner: Leftovers Monday, October 8:      Breakfast: Eggs and Toast      Lunch: ...

My first fall "tablescape" this year - all things we had on hand, gourds from our CSA, flowers from the garden, a small pumpkin, and candles from the cupboard.  It's actually in the middle of the table because we have company and are eating all the way around it right now (don't worry we pull it out from the wall first!).   I have been remiss at posting about our frugal things since school started.  Now that we seem to have settled into a rhythm of sorts, I am finding a bit of time for things less urgent (like blog posting!).  I'll pick up with what we did this week that may count as frugal rather than trying to recap since my last Frugal Friday post. We have had so many large bills this year - several emergency visits, many, many doctor appointments, several scans, and medications.  We had a large plumbing repair (the only original pipes left in the house - after almost 50 years, I guess it was time), and both cars needed new tires and one needed ne...

My *BEAUTIFULLY* risen bread dough last week - Missy made me take a photo because she thought it looked so pretty.  I tend to agree! I think I blinked and September was gone!  How does that happen?  Anyway, it did.  Autumn is my favorite season so I'm rather glad in some ways.  I don't feel like we really got a summer, so that part is a bit sad for me.  A few of the trees are starting to turn and that is my absolute favorite thing so I am greatly enjoying it! We received one last "box" of produce from the CSA.  We received Brussels' sprouts, parsnips, carrots, peppers, winter squash, decorative gourds and pears.  Several friends have given us apples - approximately 75lbs total with the offer of many more if we would like them. I have diced and froze several 2c portions for baking later this year and have dried approximately 20lbs for snacks later. We are also harvesting the last few items from the garden - tomatoes,...