Mary's Meanderings

Organizing the Pantry , Frugal with the Food

2012-01-29T20:45:00.007-07:00

While the computer was on the blitz last week I decided I would work on the pantry.

Why the pantry you ask?

I am taking the personal challenge to use only what food I have in my home for AS LONG AS I CAN- HOPEFULLY A MONTH. We have a guest who stays 2 nights a week with us and eats meals so this will be a real challenge!
It is a great way to clean out the deep freeze of all those items that have been hidden in that deep abyss!!
I do go to the store for eggs, milk- the like but everything else has to come from the kitchen itself which leads to some very creative cooking!
Well- I needed to figure out what was actually in the pantry that was useable!

Now I would love to share a lovely picture of my pantry that looks something like this with you -


source

But alas it is not to be. I just had time to clean up and organize. I would love to take everything out and paint and put pretty little paper up but if I wait till I have enough time for that it will be a loooooong wait! I was needing to get the 2 year old box of crackers thrown out- you know the important stuff so people wouldn't be grossed out when they went to open up something they thought would wet their appetite to only have it completely lost in the process!

I cannot tell you how hard it is for me to put this before picture up. It is embarrassingly messy and I would so love for you to believe my house is in perfect order at all times! Yea Right!! I guess this is what you always here out there lately- being real- so here it is

Oh please make me feel better and tell me you have a pantry just like this!!

I took the picture in a funny angle so you could see that it's not my fault!!! That bottom shelf is over 40 inches deep! How do you keep things from going in the black hole??? I thought maybe that huge blue tote would work but everything and anything just got thrown in there .

So here is my solution. I went to Target and bought one of those 3 tiered storage drawer units with wheels. Of course I didn't need the wheels but a girl has to work with what she can find. I unsnapped one of the drawer units so that the drawers would fit under the shelf area. The 3rd shelf is to the right. I have a cookie sheet on top of it to enclose it and have the basket for onions on top. Dried fruit and my different beans and rice are in the bottom drawer. The right drawer has plastic ware and take out containers that I use for when I make someone cookies or a meal.

The metal baskets I retrieved from the basement. We had bought these for our Tool Truck business years ago and they had canvas inserts which were filthy from tools but they did keep the baskets themselves in good condition.

I had some tags that I painted with chalkboard paint and used as labels to help hubby know where he could find his snacks.

I even had room at the top to put my bee buckets which were homeless for a long time! I use these for feeding the bees sugar water and also when we harvest that yummy honey! (I don't think I ever told you that we got to harvest 50# of honey this last fall!)

So it's not the prettiest pantry by far but at least I can find my Pellegrino these days! (A great buy at Big Lots!) ( I am saving those few bottles for a special day as this is not on the can buy list plus by the time I can go buy it I am sure they will be out!)

The best thing about this is that I only spent 12.00 on the 3 tier drawer unit.
The can organizers I won last year from a CSN Giveaway .
The other items I scoured the house for and then just the elbow grease used!

I did want to remind you about the great Shabby Apple giveaway ending in a few days! Would love for you to go and sign up for that sweet piece of jewelry! Click HERE to go leave a comment on the Giveaway post-

Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party, Just Something I Whipped Up, Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month), Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday, Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Make it Monday @ Brassy Apple, The House in the Roses Show off Your Cottage Monday , A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday, Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Knick of Time Tuesdays, Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays, What's It Wednesday at Ivy & ElephantsWhite Wednesdays Faded Charm, The CSI Project Challenge Wednesday French Cupboard for French Inspiration on Thursdays, The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays, Favorite Things Thursday at Katherine's Corner ,Catch as Catch CanThursday at My Repurposed Life, Kathy at A Delightsome Life Home and Garden Thursdays, No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays, My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday,French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday, 2805 for Potpourri Friday , The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday, Debra at Common Ground , Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday, Tatertots & Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party , Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special , Sunday Showcase Party

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This has been quite the week! 1000 Gifts

2012-01-28T22:20:00.001-07:00

Goodness this has been a week! Lost my day planner which I am totally in reliance on to tell me what to do each day! Broke my computer after tripping on the cord one too many times. Bill has fixed it 3 times before but this time is a no go. I still have whatever coughing, hacking thing that everyone else has around here .

Goodness this has been quite the week-

I got to do some crafting while doing a day at the Antique Store this week- heres just a peek-

Had so many volunteers come for Food Box Day Prep that we got all kinds of things done at the Pantry!

Met some lovely folks- lots of lovely folks actually Friday while handing out the food boxes. We have had over 20 new folks in to our little food and clothing pantry in the last 2 weeks. That is considerable when you realize the town is only several hundred!

I found my Schedule book!!!! Called Sam's Club and had left it there. Will not be able to pick up till we head back to the big city this Thursday but I am so glad that I won't have to start all over with a new book! ( anyone have any great ideas as to how to not misplace your book? This is the 2nd time this has happened. Last year I never did find it)

Got to check on our bees and all 3 hives seem to be fine for now.

Went to a new study and met so many new people there! Got to share about the ministry in Aguilar with several of them.

I cleaned and melted down the wax from last fall's honey harvest.

Whipped up a couple of batches of lip balm-

Juiced lemons and made sugared lemon peels- Recipe HERE if you would like to try making them.

One of the things I decided to try was to use only the food items in my home to cook with for the next month. I do allow eggs and milk buying but that is about it. Well I needed to figure out just what I had and since my computer was on the blitz........I cleaned the pantry!!!!

So,yes, it has been quite a week and I am thankful for all of it!!

Oh and my hubby tried again for the 5th time (this time a little jerry riggin as they say) but he got my computer up and running again!!!! A Big Thanks!!

God gave me a verse for this year which I am wanting to walk in.

Isaiah 26:12

"Lord you will establish peace for me since you also have performed for me all my works"( I personalized it using I)

I so want to have Him perform for me all the works and it just seemed like this week was an awesome week of getting lots done.(this was also a super busy ministry week). Some of you may not know that I struggle with fibromylgia and there are days that nothing seems to get accomplished. I want to rest just as much in knowing that that's the work he is accomplishing in me during that time too- to just rest which is so hard for me.

How bout you? Do you find it hard to rest?

To tell you the truth I would love for every week to be like this one!

So remind me will you, when next week seems like nothing much is getting accomplished what Isaiah 26:12 says!

(Click here to learn more)
from simply living life to
fully living lifethe way God intended us to
seeing Jesus in every day.

What are you thankful for today?

Joining Spiritual Sundays
We Encourage Tuesdays
Women Living well Wednesdays
Along For The Ride

Time is running out to sign up for the wonderful Shabby Apple Giveaway -

I will be picking a winner January 31-

Go HERE to leave a comment on the Giveaway post.

A Book Fetish- Old, Musty, Leather Book Fetish & a Giveaway Reminder

2012-01-22T20:55:00.006-07:00

Old Books- I have always had a love for books and old weathered, dusty smelling, dog eared, peeling old leather in particular.

My dear friend Mrs.Shyne, whom I have mentioned several times had a love for books also. I received a call from her years ago. She was going to clean out several lean to sheds that had lots of old books. Would we like to come and get some? Oh my, I wish I could have loaded my car full of them all (which Millicent would have love for me to do) but we were getting ready to move to Colorado so I had to be picky and just get a box full.

After taking Christmas down I had the desire to pile a lot of those books on the mantel for some reason.

My silver trophies that I won from Dusty Lu's giveaway of a Victorias Sthoer gift certificate giveaway.

We use our wood stove insert as our primary source of heat in the winter so a fire is going pretty much constantly. An iron kettle sitting atop brings much needed moisture in the air when filled with water (sometimes I remember to drop a few cloves and cinnamon sticks for a wonderful scent throughout the house.

I just piled the books every which way and

placed a few pieces of tarnished silver around .

2 different candleabras on either side

old keys-

silver pitcher with twigs -

I feel like I am in an old castle library -

a comfy chair by the fire completes the look.

I am playing with using textures on pictures as Picnik is letting us use this for free till they close down in April.

Jesse our dog loves the fire and sleeps as close to it as possible. He will all of a sudden realize he is too hot and get up to flop down a few feet away.

Old books-

I actually have read many of these on the mantel.

There is just nothing better then an old book!

Please don't forget to sign up for the wonderful Shabby Apple Giveaway -

I will be picking a winner January 31-

Go HERE to leave a comment on the Giveaway post.

May link to these parties
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party, Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month), Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday, Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, The House in the Roses Show off Your Cottage Monday , A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday, Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Knick of Time Tuesdays, Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays, What's It Wednesday at Ivy & ElephantsWhite Wednesdays Faded Charm French Cupboard for French Inspiration on Thursdays, The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays, Favorite Things Thursday at Katherine's Corner ,Kathy at A Delightsome Life Home and Garden Thursdays, No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays, My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday,French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday, 2805 for Potpourri Friday , The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday, Debra at Common Ground , Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday, Tatertots & Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party , Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special

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Picnics and Cactus

2012-01-20T20:12:00.002-07:00

My Christmas cactus started blooming this week.It is the prettiest shade of fushia.

Today I also found out that Picnik will be closing their photo editing site-

I am so sad as this is the site I used for my photo editing.

One good thing is that they are letting anyone use the premium features till the close in April.

I have wanted to play with those great textures Kim Klassen's uses and makes so thought I would try it out.

That crazy Valentine snowman wanted to be in all the pictures! Just look at how he moved around !

Not sure these were the best pictures to try the textures on but it was fun.

So now I need your help in knowing what program to use now that Picnik will be no longer?

Would love a free on if possible-

I know-call me cheap-

I call me frugal!!

I would love for you to go and sign up for the pretty Shabby Apple giveaway I am having to celebrate 800 followers. Just click Here on the bracelet picture at the top of my page to take you to the giveaway post to leave a comment.

May Link to Beverly at Pink Saturday Feather you Nest Friday
Tickled Pink
The House in the Roses
A Delightsome Life
Knick of Time
A Stroll Thru Life

The Perfect White to Collect- Milkglass + a Giveaway!

2012-01-18T15:53:00.005-07:00

(Please read entire post for Giveaway information-

comments left on this post will not be counted towards the fun giveaway)

I love milkglass for its simple beauty and it's price! I am able to pick up pieces for just dollars still at thrift stores and garage sales. While organizing my china closets a few weeks ago I gathered all my whites and displayed them on several shelves.

I love the covered candy dish with the beautiful handpainted rose garland.I did pay more for this piece as I just fell in love with those roses. I think it was about $25.

Milkglass comes in all kinds of patterns- my favorite is hobnail. I picked up the pretty vase farthest back and to the left last summer for $5.

The cake plate was my hubby's grandmother's and I use it and all these pieces all the time.

If you are wanting to start a pretty collection I encourage you to think about collecting milkglass. You will soon find that you have a lovely collection and it won't be harsh on your pocket book!

I am having a fun Giveaway to celebrate 800 followers and would love for you to sign up to win! I think you will love wearing this pretty piece! To sign up click here to take you to the giveaway page.

You must go to the Giveaway Page and leave a comment there- comments on this post will not count toward the giveaway-

May link to these fabulous parties-

Jill at French Cupboard
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage Sherry at No Minimalist Here f Cindy at My Romantic Home
Courtney at French Country Cottage
Honey at 2805 Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground Sherry at The Charm of Home

White Wednesday at Faded Charm
Knick of Time Tuesday
Nifty Thrift Tuesday
White Wednesday
Home and Garden Thursday
Frugal Friday
Meet and Greet Saturday