Online Shopping.....Got Me Some Deals!

Last weekend, while I was stuck sitting or laying around the house due to my foot I did some online shopping.

#2 Son needed new clothes as I hadn't bought him any since getting him some cargo shorts in the Spring.  He hadn't grown much but all his duds were wearing out.
So I sat him down last weekend on the edge of my bed and made him pick out stuff.  I must say that this method is much easier than trying to take him to the store and wait for him to point at something and grunt at me.  8-)

So we shopped and I added a couple of items in the old shopping basket for myself and I checked out virtually.

Here's what we got.....

3 x Cargo Pants  Reg. $52.00 pr.  on sale $29.99 pr.
2 x Band T-Shirts  Reg. $20.00 ea.  on sale $14.99 ea.
1 x Henley thermal Shirt  Reg. $25.00  on sale $14.99
2 x L/S T-Shirt  Reg. $20.00 ea.  on sale $9.99 ea.
1 x Women's Nightgown Reg. $36.00  on sale $20.99
1 x Women's Sweater  Reg. $40.00  on sale $28.00

Regular retail total was $337.00
Sale subtotal was $203.91

I had a code for an additional 25% off which brought the total down another $50.98 so my total was $152.93.  (The total for #2's stuff was $116.19.)

I got free shipping because the total was over $75 AND I got $30 in Kohl's Cash, so I'll get another $30 worth of clothing for free.

Then #2 Son couldn't wait for these clothes to arrive so he went up to Kohl's and spent another $120 something on 2 more pairs of pants, 3 more shirts and a jacket.  He got some good deals but he didn't get the 25% off I got online....sigh.
And he earned another $20 in Kohl's Cash so now I have $50 in that script to get him some more garments.  I'll probably pick up some underwear and socks and who know what else for him.

So around $236 for a complete wardrobe for the teen.
Not too bad for things he needed.
And we are good now on clothes for him until Summer weather 2014.

Sluggy

Successful Weekend

I'm feeling a bit better today(Sunday).
If the foot continues to improve(being able to put weight on it)it is looking like we'll get to the Baker/Vassar Family Reunion 2013 next Saturday.
Now I just have to get copies made of some photos I want to bring with me.  Photos I need help identifying persons pictured on them.  Plus a photo of the old home place that I don't believe anyone else has seen(or has in their possession).

We needed to get 2 things crossed off the "To Do" List this weekend.
#1 was to finish getting all the coats of paint on the baseboard moulding strips.
And that one got crossed off this afternoon when Hubs finished the quarter round strips.

We are now set for the workmen to come back a week from tomorrow(Monday)and cut/install all the crown and baseboard mouldings.
Then to touch up the wall paint we redid and we are ready to decorate, buy furniture and hang curtains.

#2 on the list had to be completed this weekend, because next weekend we can't do this project, and by the following weekend(in October), it would just be too late for the task.

The project is to make and can my Family Secret Pepper Relish Recipe.
It calls for lots and lots of red bell peppers and if you end up having to purchase those at the grocery store it's ridiculously expensive!  So I only make this relish if I can get red bells for cheap, which means either growing them yourself(I've never been able to grow enough of them successfully in a season to have enough to make a batch of the relish)or you can buy them straight from a farmer.  I know of one local farm that grows this variety and they ripen in early September here so you have to time your relish making with the short window of ripe opportunity.  And you have to hope other farm stand customers don't buy them all before you get there!

This window of time is usually the 2-4th weekend of September.
This weekend was weekend #3 so prime season.
So we hit the farm stand yesterday.

 The little pumpkins were already out in bins. In a week or two their Pumpkin Patch will be in full swing.  I hope to get back for pumpkins in October.  I don't have room for lots of puree in my freezer but I can get a few gourds.....

Here is an artsy shot I took....

A close-up of a bin of larger pumpkins.  I may be the whitest woman on Earth but those albinos are the whitest pumpkins on Earth.......snort

And for Tanner, a photo of her farm "buddy"......I know you miss her......lol

I didn't want a shot of these people but they just kept getting in my way, both while trying to get photos of the critters and while trying to get veggies at the stand.  Honestly, they were obviously "city slickers" and I could have sworn from the way they talked and the way they acted that they were from New York or Jersey(sorry if you are from NY or NJ).  They were obnoxious, pushy and acted like they were the center of the universe.  You know, the stereotypical "goombah"....

Was I surprised that when we left I noticed that their car at PA plates. lol  Obviously transplants.  How I wish they'd "go home".  We don't need behavior like this in PA(got enough of it already).  NYers who know how to behave in public are appreciated and welcomed. 8-)

 

Another shot of one of Tanner's "stubborn" buddies scratching an itch on the fence......

And a gratuitous chicken porn shot for Linda .......I swear this chicken refused to show her face.  Every time I hoisted the camera to my face, she turned her backend to me.  Is this how a chicken gives "the finger"? lolz

A  shot on the way home of the now clear cut cornfields.   Corn season is long gone......sniff......

Saturday afternoon I began the relish making process.

Some of the spoils of our farm stand excursion........

We got 26 peppers(a combination of green and red and many that were both green and red)for $6.00
And these were BIG peppers, not the tiny things you get in the grocery store.  Peppers here run regularly $3.49 or higher per lb.  Even on sale at .99¢ per lb. these peppers would have costs me $26.00!  Holy bell pepper Batman, that's way too much to spend on only 1 ingredient for relish!!

 

Prepping the veggies.......

After going through the food processor and a good deal of hand chopping by moi we got this......

After salting and draining and making the sauce we jarred the relish up and put them into the canner.....

And after 30 minutes of boiling(x 3 since w couldn't fit all the jars in), we ended up with this......

We got 308 ounces of relish, or 2 gallons, 1 quart, 1 pint and 4 ounces.  8-)

All told 308 ounces of relish cost me $15.75 for the ingredients(not counting any jars I had to buy).

Peppers             $6
Onions              $4
Sugar                $3
Secret Ingredient  FREE ;-)
Vinegar           .75¢
Mustard Seeds  $1
Celery Seeds     $1

That comes out to approx. .61¢ per 12 oz. jar.
Add another .67¢ for the jar if I had to buy it.

A good price for something homemade.

My sister in-law is addicted to this stuff.  She puts it in/on everything and even eats it out of the jar with a spoon.
I should rename this stuff  "Crack Relish".   lolz

I'm calling the weekend a success since we got both of our Projects completed.

So what's on your plate this weekend?

Sluggy


 

Feeling Better Until I Think About Money

Well I lied it seems about stopping giving myself heparin shots.
My INR levels were still not within range so I had to continue the shots after Tuesday, but as of Thursday my levels are good so I am as of last night off the shots.
Woohoo!

But I am still on the Coumadin pills and will be for months to come.
I got myself to the dr. on Wednesday but am still not ready to go out ballroom dancing. ;-)
And I'm still having pain enough to need pills for that.
bleh.

I am navigating around the house better and taking the stairs on once or twice a day with the help of my trusty cane.

Next week I may try to walk to the mailbox.
Ooooo, how exciting! lol

Since my INR levels are sort of stable and good I have the green light to go on the Reunion trip next Friday......as long as my foot says I can go.

In other news, the second pay of the month came in and I sat down to look at and pay bills.  I've transferred gobs of money from the Savings Challenge account to cover the House repair/remodel bill which I am paying the last invoice for a week from Monday, the supplies we had to buy for the remodel/repairs and to cover the bulk of the Summer Road Trip of 2013.

Even after moving all that $ and paying September's bills(except for any cash Hubs took out today that I don't know about yet and the long distance bill which hasn't arrived yet-it's only about $10 per mo.)we have at the moment $571.58 left from this month's income.

But that doesn't account for at least 1 more prescription refill this month and any cash I need to withdraw for food for the rest of the month.
Bleh.

Looks like there won't be much leftover from September, if any!, to throw into the savings pot.

We had an almost $2K school tax bill this month which we were expecting but add in an almost $600 dog surgery bill and another $600+ for a car repair and there goes any money leftover at the end of September.
Plus we overspent on miscellaneous/souvenirs/gifts for Christmas on the Road Trip in August to the tune of $400 which we are absorbing the cost of from monthly income and not covering with savings.

And #2 Son chooses this moment to bring home an envelope from the Band about a trip to D.C. in May 2014 to the tune of $500.....
8-P
And this is even after we paid for a Disney World Band trip in 2012 and a big chunk of a Cleveland Band trip in 2013 and we've told him that any further band trips are on HIS dime!
Kids.....

And that's right after he took advantage of my weakened/sick state to wheedle $200+  out of me for new clothes(which he Did need).
ugh.
Kids.....

I am not a happy woman right at the moment as far as the money is concerned.

But I know things will be ok since we have no large irregular expenses from now until the end of 2013, so 3 months of income to try to save a portion of with no big obstacles.

Plus we have an extra paycheck month coming in November which I am going to try to put back into savings and not spend any from that!

We've got some Reunion trip spending coming up(only 2 nights so shouldn't be much extra)and a quick trip to OC in October(again, not too costly as it's a partial week and if we can stay out of the outrageously expensive restaurants down there we'll be golden)but overall expenses for the next 3 months look aok.  While Christmas will require some spending it shouldn't be too bad because I'm not a "let's spend all willy-nilly and not care what it costs at Christmas" type of person.

So I'm going to put the financial books away for a bit and not think about that all right now.

I'm off to get this foot elevated and go pop another Percocet.  Between the foot and talking about spending all this money, I don't know which hurts me worse.  8-))

Sluggy


 

Week 3 of the Boring Blog Box Giveaway is now Open!

Here's how it works if you are new here.......

 

I put things in the box(mostly what I have gotten for free or almost free)each week and when the box is filled we draw a winner from all the entries received.

Here is what went into the Box today......2 items to make your joints and eyes feel better, 1 item to make your skin feel better and 1 item to make your eyes purty......

 

1.  1 Glade Scented oil Candleholder w/candle

2.  1 Got2B Collagen Hair Treatment Sprayer

3.  1 tube of NYC Lip Gloss-Clear

4.  2 bottles of NYC Nail Polish--a pink color and a bluish/purple glitter color

 

 Over $20 retail worth of HBAs!

 

If this is your first time, please go read all the rules for these Giveaways HERE.  *As always, if you are located outside the US, you CAN enter and win but weight restrictions/shipping costs may mean your prize box will contain less items.*

***Time to enter.....You can enter on this Giveaway post until I close this post to entries.

1 entry per person per day on THIS POST.
Leave your name/email address and a COMMENT on this post.  

This week I want to hear about any good recipes you have using fresh seasonal products.
Pies, soups, side dishes, main dishes, or whatever using tomatoes, squashes, apples, pears, or whatever else is in season where you live.

I try to make my pepper relish this time of year when the bell peppers are bountiful and cheap, as well as apple dumplings and pies as the new crop of apples is coming in around here.  Fall is also fall/winter squash time and I want to try making butternut squash filled raviolis.
 

 

You can come directly to this blog post or find it through the link on the right side bar to leave 1 comment per day.  The current Giveaway Post will be linked right at the top of the side bar.

Please NOTE--You MUST be a follower to enter the Giveaway.  If you aren't one, just click on the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog to become a follower.

There are 2 ways to get 2 EXTRA entries on this and each new Giveaway Post besides the daily comment.......

1. Put my blog on your blog's Blogroll.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST with the URL of your blog so I can go check it out. **If I'm already on your Blogroll, say so in an extra entry comment once each week of this giveaway.

2.  Blog about this Giveaway on your blog with a link to this post.  Leave an extra comment for this entry on THIS POST with a link to your blog post so I can go view it.  You can do this extra entry once each week of this giveaway.

 

Two more weeks/posts after this and the box will be full and ready to pick a winner.

Any questions?  Just email me.

Happy Entering!! 

Sluggy

My Genealogy Tests Came Back

My mitochondrial DNA test results, or mtDNA,  came back last Sunday night.
That's the test that delves into your maternal genes or your X side of the chromosomes.

It can tell you where in the world your mother's, mother's, mother's, etc. to your first female ancestor, where their DNA originated.

This geographic region and pattern of migration is called your Haplogroup.
You can be tested for both your mtDNA haplogroup and your Y-DNA haplogroup, which is the DNA from your father's, father's, father's, etc. back to your first male ancestor.

While these 2 tests only give you all the way back on your paternal male line and your maternal female line, it's a start to help prove or disprove your paper trail of ancestors.

Since I am female, I can only have my mtDNA tested, as I don't carry a Y chromosome.  To get my Y-DNA tested I need to have a male relative, either a brother, father, uncle or grandfather on my paternal side of the family tested too.  Having my sons tested won't help, as they carry their father's Y-DNA, not my father's Y-DNA.
I paid for and my only male relative agreed to take the test but he hasn't sent it back yet.  Until he does I won't have a complete picture of the possible Y-DNA information for my genealogy research.

Anyway, back to my mtDNA test results.
Aren't you excited? lolz

My haplogroup is........ J*

Any other Js out there??

About J........it arose from the larger group called JT, and T also broke off and became it's own Haplogroup.

I fellow named Sykes wrote a book a bit ago, in which he says that though we all came from 1 woman, the first "Eve" located somewhere in Africa, the "daughters of Eve" gave rise to the Haplogroups around the world.  These early women each experienced mutations in their mtDNA combined with their migration around the planet gave rise to the differences in humankind around the world.

J or "Jasmine" as Sykes calls her, was a female who lived about 45,000 years ago in the Near East or the Caucasus who developed a mutation in her DNA.  Further mutations occurred in this J Haplogroup at various time frames between 27,000 to 5,800 years later which led to "subclades" or further subgroups of J---- J1a1, J1a2, J1b, J2a, J2b1, J2b2, J2b3.

Haplogroup J mtDNA humans migrated from the Near/East/Caucasus to colonize Europe during the late Paleolithic and Mesolithic eras.

Using the variations in mutations among the J mtDNA persons, scientists have been able to separate the "Jasmines" into 2 groups migrating into Europe---those that took a southerly route via water and the Mediterranean Sea into Europe and those who took the land route through the Balkans and up through central Europe.
My mutations indicate that I am a "Land Route Jasmine" who went to Europe the hard way.
Figures......I seem to do everything the hard way. 8-)
"Jasmines" are associated with and figure prominently into the Neolithic era spread of agriculture, or farming superseding hunting/gathering as a lifestyle around 10,000 years ago.

Distributed over the entire world's population, J Haplogroup has it's highest distribution in the Near East(12%), followed by Europe(11%), the Caucasus(8%), and North Africa(6%).
Within Europe, J Haplogroup is quite low, at only 12% of all native Europeans.

Here is a chart with the breakdown of percentages of Js and it's subclades in Europe.....

J* = Ireland — 12%, England-Wales — 11%, Scotland — 9%, Orkney — 8%, Germany — 7%, Russia (European) — 7%, Iceland — 7%, Austria-Switzerland — 5%, Finland-Estonia — 5%, Spain-Portugal — 4%, France-Italy — 3%

J1a = Austria-Switzerland — 3%

J1b1 = Scotland — 4%

J2 = France-Italy — 2%

J2a = Homogenously spread in Europe. Absent in the nations around the Caucasus. Not known to be found elsewhere.

J2b1 = Virtually absent in Europe. Found in diverse forms in the Near East.

It is theorized that some of the recombinations/mutations among J humans produced higher body temperatures, thus some subgroups of J Haplogroup populations do better in colder climates.
This might help to explain how Js adapted to all that Northern Western European climes like Ireland, Switzerland, and Scandinavian countries and why I like to walk around barefoot in the snow..... ;-)

Medically, Js are thought to be less susceptible to diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.  They have also found that some isolated groups of J populations tend to be longer lived than the general population.
On the other side, Js are MORE susceptible to the HIV virus so if exposed, they are highly likely to develop AIDS and do so rather quickly.
Js are associated with a fairly rare hereditary disease called Leber's hereditary optical neuropathy.
Try saying THAT 10 x real fast!

I saw a study where they are studying how a woman's mtDNA can cause her partner's sperm to lose mobility, making for infertility problems with the couple.  They suspect that women with mtDNA of Haplogroup T may have this condition.  Interesting stuff genetics.......

So what does all this mean?
It just confirms that once again, the evidence comes back to support that I am the whitest woman on the planet! lolz

Anyway, that's my earth shattering genealogical news for today.

Next time I'll enthrall all of y'all with my HVR1 and HVR2 mutations.
I know you can't wait!! ;-)

Until then, enjoy this silly video....



Sluggy