Karen

Dreaming About My New Kitchen

Well, here we are, living in the back yard of our house, in our RV. We’d love to move on in to the house until we have to go back to work, but alas, there is no stove, no refrigerator, no bed, no sofa, and no TV over there. Even if we bought a bed and slept in the house, we’d have to get dressed and walk through the yard to the trailer just to get a cup of coffee in the morning.

We aren’t going to do the remodeling on the kitchen until November, but that doesn’t mean I can’t dream about what it will be like once the work is completed. I know we will get rid of the dishwasher–we won’t use one just for two people. That will create more storage space in the kitchen cabinets.

dual fuel cooker

We’re also going to get rid of that old electric cooktop, and get a freestanding gas stove. I actually found a Hotpoint Dual Fuel Cooker online, which is a gas stove with an electric convection oven. I never knew things like that existed, but it would give me the best of both worlds!

I know there will be new counter tops, a refrigerator, maybe a new sink, and possibly new cabinet doors, if the existing ones can’t be matched. It’s fun to think about all this, and think about how my new kitchen is going to shape up.

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Gluten Free Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Karen · 3 Comments

gluten free blueberry muffins, glutenfree blueberry muffin recipe

This morning I wanted something different, so I decided to make some gluten free blueberry muffins. These turned out moist and yummy. Even Fabgrandpa loved them.

glutenfree blueberry muffin recipe

Gluten Free Blueberry Muffin Recipe

1 3/4 cup Nuts.com Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup canola oil

2 eggs, slighty beaten

1 (6oz) container greek yogurt, any flavor (I used pineapple for this recipe)

1/2 to 1 cup Nuts.com Dried Blueberries

Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add eggs, oil, and yogurt, and mix well. Place batter, which will be very stiff, into muffin tins that have been sprayed with oil. Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes, or until browned on top.

glutenfree blueberry muffin recipe

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Thrifty Thursday

Karen · 1 Comment

This week we went to two thrift stores. On Tuesday, we had to go to Carrollton, Georgia. On the way home, we were passing by the 7 Day Flea Market and Discount Groceries on Hwy 27. I have been wanting to go in there since the first time I saw it, so we stopped there for a minute. It turned out to be mostly junk, and lots of cases of damaged grocery items. There wasn’t much that I would buy, and we won’t be going there again. It wasn’t a complete loss, though, because I got a jar of McCormick Gourmet Collection Parsley Flakes and a jar of McCormick Gourmet Collection Saigon Cinnamon for $1 each, and a can of icing for $1. (That stuff is good on ice cream.)

discount groceries hwy 27 carrollton georgia — Not bad for $3 total

Then on Wednesday, we had to go to Gadsden, Alabama to the VA Clinic for Fabgrandpa’s semi-annul checkup for his thyroid meds. We forgot about the time difference between Georgia and Alabama, so we were more than an hour early for the appointment. The American Thrift Store was across the parking lot from the clinic in Rainbow City, so we decided to stop in to see what they had to offer.

american thrift store rainbow city alabama — American Thrift Store

This store was huge. It was mostly clothing–what seemed like acres of it. But, if you take your time, you can find a bargain or two in there. It just takes looking around.

This sofa and chair could have been a bargain at $124, but you had to see it in person to appreciate how very yellow green it was. Sort of the color of snot. Yuck!

This store did have some other furniture that looked pretty good, but the prices they had on it was too much for used stuff. One coffee table had a price tag of $274 on it! Really?

Here are my purchases for the day: 2 small goblets (or wine glasses?), an embroidery pattern, 2 and part of another cones of thread, and some bra band extenders. Total spent: $2.74. Those cones of thread are very expensive in a fabric store. Joann has them on sale this week for $11.99 each.

What did you find this week? Link up for Thrifty Thursday:

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Out And About: Los Cowboys Mexican Restaurant Buchanan, Georgia

Karen · 1 Comment

los cowboys restaurant buchanan georgia

Sunday afternoon we were suffering from cabin fever–it had been raining for several days and we just hibernated in the house. We were ready to get out and do a little bit of exploring, and wound up in downtown Buchanan, Georgia. Buchanan is not a very big place–the water tower proclaims “Population 1034”

population 1034

WE wound up at Los Cowboys Mexican Restaurant around lunch time. It’s right on the square, across the street from Piggly Wiggly on one side, and the library on the other side. The place was packed with people!

los cowboys restaurant buchanan georgia — Carnitas plate

Los Cowboys has your typical Mexican menu, with appetizers, salads, seafood, combination plates, and Los Cowboys Especialdades. I ordered one of my favorites: Carnitas. Carnitas for those who don’t know, is boston butt pork roast, cooked either by roasting, or by deep frying, depending on the restaurant and the cook. It came with refried beans, rice, guacamole salad and tortillas. There was so much food served that I wasn’t able to eat it all, but I sure wished that I could because it was delicious. They know how to prepare carnitas at this place.

Fabgrandpa had the Burrito Mexicano–a flour tortilla stuffed with pork, cooked tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers, and topped with cheese , lettuce and tomatoes. He thoroughly enjoyed his meal, too.

Los Cowboys is located at 115 Van Wert Street, Buchanan, Georgia. Their phone number is 770-646-6853, and they do have a take out menu. Oh, and say hi to Alex if you go, and tell him I sent ya!

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A New Financial Goal For The New Year

Karen · 4 Comments

credit card debt, financial goals, paying off debt

Now that we have closed on the house, and spent tons of money on the sewer connection, electric connection parts, propane tank, furniture, etc., etc., etc. it is time to start planning for the next phase. We have a little bit more to accomplish before we leave to go back to Arizona, but for the most part we are done spending money. Now we are going to be on a mission to pay off our credit card debt.

We have less than $5,000 to pay off, which is not a lot. We have had way more credit card debts in the past, but paid them off long ago. We have tried really hard to keep those bills in check. I have only used credit cards for medical bills–and those credit cards have come in handy when I needed them.

Along with the credit card balances we have on three cards, we also have a couple of medical bills that are being carried by the medical facilities. I thought about paying them off with one of the credit cards, but those facilities are not charging interest on the balance, so I am just making the monthly payments on those. Once we pay off the credit cards, I will use the money we have been paying on the credit cards to pay off those medical bills.

The last thing we have to pay off is a consumer credit debt we just incurred to purchase a washing machine and dryer for the new house. I would have liked to have waited until we had the cash to pay for them, but the company offered a payment plan

“12 months same as cash”, where we can take a year to pay for those two items, and pay no interest on the debt. It made sense to us to go ahead and get them now, and save the money we have been spending at the Laundromat. That $12 a week for 52 weeks will almost pay for the purchase.

So, here is our long term plan for 2012:

Pay off three credit cards
Pay off two medical bills
Pay off one consumer credit account
Put $2,500 a month in a savings account
Reduce the amount we spend on groceries by 25%
Close our account at Bank of America (we have already opened a new account at a credit union)
Eat out less

That is my financial plan for this year. Are you taking any steps to change your financial status this year? Do you set goals for savings or for paying off bills?

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Sewing For The New Baby

Karen · 1 Comment

I know y’all know I love to sew, but I love to sew for the new babies most of all. I spent yesterday cutting out two projects so that I could sit down to sew this afternoon. The first project was a changing pad. It was a really quick and easy project: you cut out two oval pieces of fabric, and two oval pieces of batting. Layer them together with the fabric right sides out. Stitch some quilting, trim, and finish off with some bias tape. Done.

quilted changing pad — Quilted changing pad

The other side of this is striped in the same colors. Just roll it up, put an elastic band around it, and it is good to go.

quilted changing pad, sewing for baby — Roll it up and you're ready to go

When it is rolled up, it fits into the diaper bag. Actually, this is a large bag, so it will hold quite a bit of stuff. The breast feeding cover matches it, too. I didn’t finish this today. I got the outside quilted and stitched together, and the pockets attached to the lining before it was time to make dinner.

quilted diaper bag, sewing for baby — The Monkey diaper bag

I used Pellon 70 stiff interfacing and some polyester fiberfill batting to make a nice quilted bag that will stand up by itself. The bottom is reinforced with a second piece of Pellon 70 to make it extra sturdy. When I did the quilting stitches on the monkey print part, I used wavy lines because it is easier to do that without it looking like you messed up. On the brown fabric on the bottom, I used just straight lines. Tomorrow I’ll finish the lining and attach the handles and it will be done. Then I can start on a matching quilt. Sewing for a baby is fun!

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A Cute Gift!

Karen · 5 Comments

Every once in a while, you meet someone who just ‘gets’ you. That is how it is with me and Marcie. She is a fellow fulltime RV’er. We have corresponded online for several years, and participate in a couple of forums related to RVing, and we met in person a couple of summers ago in Kanab, Utah. She is in Tuscon, Arizona, hanging out with family and enjoying her two grandsons.

I received a package in the mail from her this week, a surprise! When I opened it up, here is what was inside:

The note inside said something about using these in my office where I can plan my next trip. How cute is that?

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Thrifty Thursday

Karen · 3 Comments

I love shopping thrift stores, flea markets, yard sales, and other places like that. Besides getting great prices on neat stuff, it is, to me, one of the best ways to recycle and re-use. Why buy something brand new when you can get the same thing for less money used? That is the idea behind Thrifty Thursday, where I show you the things I have found each week while shopping the thrift stores. This week I am including a linky, where you can link up and show me what you have found, too! Come back every Thursday to link up and play along with Thrifty Thursday.

I forgot to get the price on these, but I love them! I used to have one a long time ago. If they are still in the store next time I go, I am going to get at least one of them.

This week we went back to the Apple Barrel Antique Mall in Bremen, Georgia. While it isn’t technically a thrift shop, we like to look for bargains in antique shops, too.

copper molds, copper decorative molds, thrifty thursday — Copper molds

I have always wanted some of these copper molds to hang on the kitchen wall. These were in excellent condition and had a price tag of $24 for the set of five, which was a good price, but I didn’t have $24. This is something else I’m going to get next time I go it if is still there.

embroidered vintage apron, thrifty thursday — Vintage embroidered apron

That’s it for this week. What did you find?

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