This Week on The Dining Table

The "I Got Nothing" Edition.......

No photos and no snazzy updates on my life.

Feeling rather empty and uninspired this morning.

Let's get on with the Meal Update, shall we?

 

 

And here is what was planned last week---

 

Sunday--Beef Roast, Yellow Squash Casserole
Monday--Broiled Teriyaki Salmon(freezer), Asparagus, Roasted Potatoes with Onions
Tuesday--Slices off Leftover Roast, Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots
Wednesday--Lasagna(from freezer), Brussel Sprouts
Thursday--Either Roast Beef Hash or French Dip Sammies from leftover Roast, and leftover Veg
Friday--Breakfast for dinner
Saturday--Chicken & Pot Pie Noodles

 

And here is what actually happened---

 

Sunday--Beef Roast, Yellow Squash Casserole
Monday--Broiled Teriyaki Salmon(freezer), Asparagus, Roasted Potatoes with Onions
Tuesday--Slices off Leftover Roast, Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots
Wednesday--Lasagna(from freezer), Brussel Sprouts
Thursday--French Dip Sammies from leftover Roast, and leftover Veg
Friday--Fend for Yourself
Saturday--Roast Beef, Asparagus, Mac & Cheese

Everything as planned except Friday(nobody wanted BFD)and Saturday.

Chicken with Pot Pie noodles gets moved to this week.

 

The big project, well, what turned into a big project!, last week was using up that Beef Roast.  You'll see that we ate off of it every other night(4 nights)last week.  And I still have a small portion to use up tonight.  There was no way in hell I was throwing away even a scrap of that!  The scraps went to our beagle and she was quite happy about it. 8-))

 

 

As for the food spending update, this will be easy.....I spent a total of $0 on groceries last week.

Never even went into a grocery store all week.  We ran out of milk on Saturday and are now out of fresh produce to I'll be heading out this week to restock on those items.

 

I did spend $ on March 1st....$146.00 worth at the Restaurant Supply Store, the Dollar Store and Ollie's.  I didn't post it last week since it was March spending and not February spending and technically it wasn't last week(within  the last 7 days).  Man, sometimes I am a goof.

Let's just say I've spent $146 of the March food budget so far this month.

This week's shopping will be light as I will be out of town a few days and the family will be left to their own devices......might be a good thing but probably will be a bad thing but as I won't be here and be implicated I really don't care. lolz
  

No food waste last week either.

 

Going into the new week here are the leftovers we have......1 helping Mac & Cheese(which #2 Son will have eaten before the sun sets tonight), a hunk of Beef Roast, a package of Sandwich Rolls and some Asparagus.

 

 

Here is this week's meal plan----

Sunday--Chicken with Pot Pie Noodles, Carrots
Monday--Beef Stew with onions, carrots, potatoes and I might throw in the leftover asparagus too!
Tuesday--Fend for Yourself(Hubs not home for dinner)
Wednesday--Burgers or Sloppy Joes, Sugar Snap Peas
Thursday--?
Friday--?
Saturday--?

 Since I will be off in Delaware partying the end of the week, I have no clue what Hubs and the son will be eating.  I have fixings for meals Hubs is likely to make, like pasta and/or ravioli and sauce(and homemade meatballs in the freezer), a meatloaf in the freezer he just needs to thaw and reheat, slices of quiche(also in the freezer).  There is also a pork roast he can put in the crockpot and make pulled pork sammies and the grocery even has premade coleslaw on sale to go with it if they want that.  I just have no clue what they'll fix or if they'll just go out for Chinese, Pizza or FF Burgers.

Place your bets and check back next Monday! lolz

What I need to purchase for this menu?.......ground beef for Wednesday's dinner.  I'll be picking up some milk, fresh fruit and produce, as well as any loss leaders I find.

 

As for March's grocery budget--I'm going to try to keep it closer to $300 than $400....how's that for hedging? lolz

I want to eat down some of what is in the freezer and clear out some old stuff so when we go on our trip in April, there is room to stock up on frozen pizza and chicken nuggets for #2 Son to eat while we are gone.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

 

Sluggy

About Buying a Church.....Maybe

I also went out on Tuesday to look at that property I talked about last Sunday.
The realtor was late(whatever)but we got a look inside the church.

Here's a shot of the outside front with the steeple.  The steeple looks to be in good shape.  The building is sided in aluminum and really sad looking.
There is a white aluminum awning over the front of the entrance as well as over the basement entrance.

 

Behind the altar was oak woodwork on the wall and framing the two doorways to the vestment room....

There were still 8 pews in place and all the original large hanging lights.  Also 2 ceiling fans.
The ceiling beams weren't exposed but plastered over but still 12 foot high.
The alter area is raised up but the floor configuration under the carpet is unknown.

All the stained glass windows had been removed when the church was deconsecrated and standard sized regular windows had been installed in the window openings.  These windows were much shorter so the window openings had been enclosed partially and every other window opening had been covered over.  From the outside of the building you could see where the windows that weren't replaced are located.

The basement has no inside access from the church.  You have to go outside and enter from the side of the building.

Your typical Church basement set-up.....

There is a kitchen area walled off in the basement.
Wouldn't you love to have that 9 burner commercial gas/propane stove?

There were also 2 powder rooms in the basement, as well as a powder room upstairs in the vestry area.

The foundation is stone and the heat is oil.  I am NOT loving the heat source.
There was once a back access from the basement but it's been walled in but the concrete stairs are still there.  Not sure on whether it's feasible to redo the back of the basement/vestment room and make an inside access from basement to main floor.

This church was built in 1888 but basically seems solid.....but not being a professional in the building trade, what do I know? ;-)

The roof is newer and in good shape.  Flooring under the carpet is unknown, probably wood but probably not a quality/grade you could do anything with.
The front church doors are just commercial grade double doors and glass.  No wooden or fancy doors here.

The total lot is over 1/3 of an acre.

I've talked to our insurance guy and he's working on some numbers.  He doesn't have a problem with writing a policy for it as he's written one before for someone who turned another church in another town into a home.

Now about the rectory house next door.......

The realtor wouldn't even let me go inside it.  He says he doesn't have the key.  They put no value on the house as it's been abandoned for years.  I suppose they don't want anyone going in it because of the risk of injury(falling through floors, ceilings and plaster walls buckling/falling, etc.).  That I can understand.
But if someone is seriously considering buying this property, you'd need to let them see it, no matter it's present condition, right?

This sort of turned me off.
Knowing if the house is rehab-able or needs to be demolished is a big deal to me!
If it can't be rehabbed then I have to spend $10K or so to have it torn down once I've bought the property(as the Seller is NOT going to have that done), so that would affect how much I'd be forking over to get this place up to snuff and thus affect how much I'd be willing to pay for it all.

So I got as close as I could to the house and snapped some photos.....

It's a large 2 story home, built in the 1930's so it might have "great bones", plus it's a classic style of home.  There is a balcony on the 2nd floor over the front porch but the porch roof is in very bad repair.

Unfortunately, though you can't make it out from the photo here, there are 3 missing windows on this side of the building.  No clue how long they have been broken and no one had even attempted to cover the openings with plastic or plywood.
I suspect there is a lot of mold inside at this point due to rain and snow having gotten in.  Perhaps it's a toxic mold situation now which raises red flags on even being able to rehab this house.  Plus the roof on the house is in bad shape and needs immediate replacing.

There is a lovely hedge of rhododendron in the right of the photo, which acts as a fence to hide the back of the property where the makeshift parking lot is for the church.
There is also a 1 car detached garage back there directly behind the house.....

It looks like it was put up in the 40's or 50's(one of those Sears and Roebuck kits?) and it's wood and in desperate need of a paint job.  The roof also needs replacing and there is rot along the side bottom exterior wall.

Besides the problems with the rectory house, getting the church itself into a configuration to be a home would be challenged.
There are 3 toilets and sinks-1 upstairs and 2 downstairs(as well as a sink in the basement kitchen), but no tub/showers.  So plumbing would have to be changed and moved unless we want to cook and clean ourselves just in the basement.  Possibility to expand the powder room to include most of the vestment room to make that a full bathroom with tub/shower.

Besides the plumbing changes(and there are some very old pipes in this place)and perhaps changing the electric wiring, there is the problem with oil heat.  I envision massive solar panels on this church(a great building for those as it's oriented east/west!)but changing the heating source is another expensive proposition.
Plus there is asbestos covering pipes in the basement.

The foundation looks solid but the chimney(where the heating is vented out of)probably needs work(cleaning the flue and pointing the bricks at least).

One stumbling block to buying this is where it is located.  This is a town that only existed because of a coal mine and colliery.  It was a company town up until the 1970's practically.
Where there are coal mines there are tunnels underground.
And where there are tunnels they can be mine subsidence.
Think sink holes.

The earth opens up without warning and swallows things up decades or even a century after a mine has been closed.
It's a big problem around here.

From what I can tell from the little research I've done so far, the Breaker and the mine tunnels, which ran right under the center of this town are all west of where the church and rectory sits.
I can't find anything definite that states there are no tunnels deep underground of where this property is located so there is that uncertainty.
It would not be a good thing to buy this, rehab it and then have the ground open up and swallow me up.
Nope.

Plus Hubs is not totally on board with this plan.

Well the "plan" is still up in the air really.  
Do we live in the church, rehab the rectory(or have a new house rebuilt on the rectory's foundation once it's demolished)and rent the rectory out?
Do we fix up the church and open it as a bed & breakfast, rehab or rebuild the rectory and live there?
Can we "unmarry" the church lot and the rectory house lot, rehab/rebuild the rectory and then sell it some time down the road?
Can Hubs use the church to start a microbrewery and we rehab/rebuild the rectory to live in? lolz

Just so many questions and possibilities.
And Hubs really doesn't want to be a landlord when he retires.
I thought we'd rehab/rebuild the rectory and have one or more of our grown children move in, but you just don't know if they could find decent employment for themselves and their significant others around here.

So really nothing has been decided yet but it's not looking hopeful.
Sigh

Having these facts, what would you do?

Sluggy

 

 

 

The World of Sluggy & What's Up in It

How is that for a stupid Post Title? lol

Let's see......what's been going on over here this past week.....

First off we took #2 Son out for his "My Bad Self is 18 Years old" Birthday Meal.
Of course he picked one of the most expen$ive restaurants around.......

You think #2 Son is grimacing?  You should have seen the look on my face when the bill came!!
I am not a big fan of Thai food anyway but this place ccommits highway robbery.
I could have gotten the same dish for half what they charged at the local Asian dive where we usually go.  I suppose I am paying these high prices for the linen tablecloths and that cheezy fake rose on the table, huh?

Yah, leave it to me to bitch about taking the youngest out to dinner when he turns 18.
When can he leave home and stop draining my bank account anyway?  Now seems like a good option..... ;-)

I've been having this for meals a lot this week.......

This is what happens when you buy 3 lbs. of strawberries and no one else in the house wants to eat them before they go rotten. 
And might I add that these were exceptionally GOOD RIPE berries, which is unusual given the season is so early for them still.

I've also been eating differently than usual.  I've been trying to only eat when and what my body is craving.  This works well if your body is behaving and craving good things, like fruits and veggies and lean meats.  Not so good when it goes off on a bender and wants nothing but crap like chips and cookies.

Speaking of crap......

I bought some BEER ice cream recently.

 

We live near the oldest continuously operated brewery in American called Yuengling's.
You may have heard of it?

Back during Prohibition, when no on could legally brew beer in this country , Yuengling's started making ICE CREAM to stay "afloat". (See what I did there?  Ice cream? Float?)
They discontinued the ice cream line when the people in this country came to their senses and repealed the 18th Amendment in 1933.

Recently Yuengling's decided to get back into the ice cream business and it appeared, if by magic, at my local Weis PMITA Markets.
So I took that as a sign that I should buy some.....and I did!

 

It was pretty good and how could I NOT like a flavor called root beer float?
It is a bit pricey however so I doubt I'll buy it again, unless it's on sale and/or I have a coupon.
*Note*  There is NO beer in this ice cream(mores the pity).
I was tempted to take a bottle of my Sprecher's Hard Root Beer and make an actual alcoholic root beer float with this, but #2 Son scarfed up most of this ice cream before I got a chance. Grrrr

When is that kid leaving home???

In other news......

I got a call from the Coumadin Clinic earlier this week, frantically wanting to know why I haven't gone for my "pro-time" blood test so they can measure the "clottiness", or lack thereof, of my blood.
I told her my physician told me to discontinue the treatment and testing since it's been 6 months since I had that clot in my kankle.
Evidently the doc didn't let then good folks at the Clinic know I was released from treatment.
Not very "up" on follow through my new doctor.....

I also got a call from the medical caseworker I was assigned to last April when I had my health scare.
She informed me that since I was not a Medicare patient and no longer belonged to a certain health insurance plan, the company of which she worked for, she would no longer be following my treatment and calling me up sporadically to annoy me with useless chatter.
Ok....see ya!
She's a nice lady but seriously, I am not an 80 year old doddering old fool(not that all 80 year olds are like that!)who can't remember where I put my keys or what pill to take when, who needs "monitoring".

And in further news.....

I got a burst of energy the beginning of last week and listed a set of fabrics in my Etsy store.  A flurry of sales activity followed within 48 hours of the listings going live(Yay me!)and after that?.....nothing.
*Crickets*

And when I went to pack one of the fabric lengths(I usually iron the cotton/blend fabrics before shipping them so they fold better into the envelopes and look nice)I noticed some faint stains(possibly were there when I bought it?)so I had to decide what to do.  I saw that the buyer made rag wreaths so I figured she was just going to cut this shit up anyway and a few faint stains wouldn't be a problem.
So I shipped it out and then emailed her about the possible problem and after she inspected the fabric we could talk discount and/or refund.
At least I got another piece of fabric out of here, right? lol
And as I thought, the stains were NOT a problem and I have yet another happy, satisfied customer.
Go me! 8-)))

So you would think with actually selling some fabrics I'd be motivated to keep it up?
Nope.
But I did list 12 more fabrics this morning and am going to try to get the rest of what I have measured and photographed up this weekend, and maybe relist a few listings that expired from the first go round of listings I made.  I'll hold back listing/relisting the flannels, corduroys and wools until later in the Summer because who wants to sew flannel with Spring almost here?

I went out on Tuesday to run some errands.
The Panera Bread place was beckoning me as I drove past, and seeing as it was $3 off a baker's dozen of bagels Tuesday I gave in and brought bagels home.
It's Friday and we are down to 3 bagels left.

I also went out Tuesday to pick up some goodies to take with me to Delaware next weekend.  I am making up little goodie bags for everyone who is attending the Bloggerpalooza.  Just a little something as a remembrance of Yours Truly.  It's been a challenge to figure out WHAT to put in the bags as I haven't actually met any of these people in person!  Yes, I correspond or read their blogs/they read mine and a couple I have actually talked with on the phone but I am starting to freak out just a little bit about going to this thing!  I know it will be fine but will they like me in person??  That remains to be seen.
"Insecurity Central" here......

But hey!, how could I NOT fit in with this bunch?

   A photo from the touristy dress-up like an old West characters Shop from last year's gathering.

 

And on the car front, because you know, there are ALWAYS things going wrong with cars............

Hubs took my minivan in for inspection and a general tune-up/check the tires, belts, hoses and doohickeys, and an oil change.
$200 later it passed inspection, has new oil flowing through it's innards and got a new gasket for something or other.
But the word is we need body work done as there is rusting on the undercarriage which might cause it to flunk next year.
Fan-so-tastic!

The car is 10+ years old and just turned over 97K miles.  At least it should get me to Delaware and back no problem.

And that's about all going on here.
What's up in your world?

Sluggy

 

Don't Overlook These Food Sources

When it comes to finding deals on grocery items, don't overlook your local Dollar Store or Restaurant Supply Store.

We have two restaurant supply stores around here but only one of them carries fresh fruits and vegetables.  Often, unless something is a loss leader at the grocery store that particular week, I can get Fruits and Veg cheaper at the restaurant supply store.

I made a trip up last Saturday and got Strawberries, 3 lbs. for $5.

$1.67 a container beat out even the grocery stores which had Florida strawberries as loss leaders for $2.50 a lb.
Regular price on fresh strawberries around here is $3.99 or higher.

I also picked up a 5lb. bag of carrots for $2.49.

Carrots last a long time so no problem using these up.  Carrots are so versatile in savory or sweet dishes.  I usually shred some to put in meatloaves or meatballs too.  I use to shred carrots into my spaghetti sauce when the kids were little and needed more veggie matter in their diets.....they were never the wiser.

The largest bag the local grocers carry around here is a 2lb. or on occasion a 3lb. bag.  Regular price for a 1lb. bag is $1.49.

I bought some yellow squash on this trip too(though I didn't take a picture of it).  It was $1.29 lb.(regular price at the restaurant supply store)but I usually wait until it goes on special for .99¢.  IF I can get yellow squash at the grocery stores here(as they are usually out unless it's July or so)it goes for $2.99 lb.

I also buy my onions in bulk at the restaurant supply store, if the farm stand is not open when I need them.

I got this 25 lb. bag for $13.49.  That's .54¢ a lb. compared to the .83¢ I have to pay for the regular priced  grocery store variety.  I prefer to buy 50lb. sacks of onions as that is the most economical.  I just finished up the last 50lb. sack I got at the farm stand last September.  Since the garage where I keep my makeshift plastic tub/root cellar is too cold now, this sack will live in the corner of the kitchen until the end of March.
Onions can be cheap and a great addition to dishes when you need flavor.

And Spring time means Asparagus Season.  I picked up 4 lbs. of this tasty weed on Saturday at $1.49 lb.  Regular price at the grocery store here is $3.99 lb. and I've only seen it go as low as $1.99 right around Easter time only.
There is nothing better(or better for you)than a plate of "spear points"!  ;-)
We prefer to grill or roast ours, rather than steam them.  The direct fire brings out the sugars in them. Mmmmm......

Another place I will do some food shopping is at our Dollar Store, the ones that have a refrigerated and frozen section.

I love Gyoza or Japanese Pot Sticker Dumplings.
But what I don't love is paying an outrageous price for them.  A reasonable priced brand disappeared off the market shelves here so I checked out the restaurant supply store and found a bag of approx. 50 dumplings went for $16.99.
Yikes!
So one day while checking the Dollar store I spied Gyoza Dumplings, bags of 10-11 for $1.
Sold!!
Same amount of dumplings as the $16.99 bag for $5.00.

I also buy frozen fruit at the Dollar Store for dessert toppings or fillings, smoothies, or to flavor iced tea or for just thawing and eating.

Recently one of the Dollar stores here started carrying frozen seafood.  These salad shrimp are great for shrimp salad sandwiches(1 3oz. package is the perfect size).  I got some scallops as well. 

There is a specific company that I can't recall at the moment that makes a seafood cake....like a crab cake but it has shrimp and scallops in it as well.  It's very tasty but at $9 a box(for 2 cakes), it's quite pricey.  When I can pick up crabmeat on special, these shrimp and scallops will allow me to replicate that seafood cake without spending $30 on the ingredients.
These small shrimp and scallops are also good for adding to dishes like stews or casseroles or stir-frys....dishes were a big nice piece of seafood/fish isn't the star attraction but where you want the flavor of these items to shine through.
I make a fancy pants dish of scallops, mushrooms and asparagus in a cheese sauce inside a puff pastry shell.  It's quite elegant really and decadent.

Ok, I've babbled on enough here.  Just a thought about thinking outside the box when it comes to finding food.

Sluggy

 

I Just Can't Fathom What Some People are Thinking!

I have been on a few local yahoo lists for years now.  One is a local Tag Sale or Yard Sale site where you can sell things.  Another is a local Christmas/Holiday list.  This one started out as a mix of folks who needed help providing Christmas for their kids, for whatever reason, and folks who have a want and the resources to help provide for these families.  It's like a cyber Salvation Army giving tree.  People who need help are spread throughout my state on this list and you can choose to play Santa for those who can't afford to at the Holidays, either folks who are local to you or you can choose to ship to anyone on the list anywhere in the state.

This second group was so successful that the owner/originator decided to start another group list with a similar purpose, but not limit the help to Holiday giving and not to limit it to presents for your kids/loved ones.  Any time of year and any type of help is acceptable to ask for on this list, for the most part.  You can't ask for a car or large sums of money, et cetera.  Physical items of lesser value(money toward paying a bill, used furniture for your apartment) and/or guidance(like legal advise or help contacting appropriate agencies for your needs)and/or personal help(such as rides to doctors, help repairing a roof, babysitting, cooking for someone ill)....that sort of thing.

About 4 years back, the requests on these lists started getting out of hand(parents asking for new gaming systems, computers, new smartphones, asking for gifts for grown children who could get a job and buy their own stuff, etc.)and too many cases of fraud(folks asking for help when they clearly didn't need it, and folks receiving help from multiple people without disclosing this)started happening.  The system in place started to be abused by a certain element of the membership which made those who were giving help decide to either drop out or severely limit what they gave/who they helped.

In January of this year, this email came across the "Year Long Help" List.  It's from a mother of a grown child asking for help for her daughter.
I was floored by what it said.

All the identifying information and names have been removed.
Here it is......


"This is on behalf of my daughter in XXX County who does not have internet access. I've over-extended myself horribly helping her for the past few years and literally can't help her anymore. She is broke and her water is being shut off. The local community action agency (which the XXX agency referred her case to) says they can't help her unless she has a source of income (which she doesn't have).  Welfare was cut off. She is in a rental property but is facing eviction for nonpayment of rent. She says she won't go to a shelter because of her pets (four dogs & 2 cats). Her spouse (also low-income) moved back with his family and took their newborn with him. I have her older child with me. Due to rules in place by county children & youth services, she is not permitted to be with either of her children, so she can't move in with her husband nor can she move in with me. Need advice, suggestions or other options to have her consider.  She has no income and no government benefits now."

Here is the only response this email received.....

"tell her to go live on the streets if she don't want to go to a shelter"

And here is the response from the original note's writer.....

"Hi all, Thanks for the advice. I personally think she needs to look at getting a job or some sort of income. She disagrees and says she's too anxious to ever work. She says that if she has a big family, then the various pieces of the government will help her, by moving her up on section 8 lists, free medical care, food stamps, etc. She plans to go to the various agencies next week, because she just found out she's a few weeks pregnant again and she says that will get her qualified fast for all this aid. I hope she knows what she's doing, because frankly, I don't understand it. I just always worked for whatever I could. Thanks; I guess time will tell whether she is right or wrong."

Now I have no clue what the background, what all went on in these people's lives the years leading up to this plea for help.
Obviously this daughter has some very disturbing ideas about being a grown-up and how one should conduct one's life.  And frankly, I blame her parent(s)for some of this, as it sounds like this mother was a major enabler and helped this daughter to end up at this point, thinking others owed her a life/a living.  Allowing your grown kid to continue to mooch off of you, her parent(s), just reinforced these notions that other people "owed" her something.

I try not to be judgmental, but seriously??
Since when is having another baby going to help your situation if you can not support yourself now?

And something bad which is not spoken of here must have preceded the state banning her from being around/living with her other children.  What makes her think the state won't step in and take a newborn from her too?

And how many other people out there in the society also have this thought process and seriously believe that society OWES them money/housing/transportation when they do nothing to help themselves?  This Entitlement Attitude seems to be growing in a certain segment of our society.

People like this are what gives social agencies(government backed AND privately funded ones too)a bad name and make taxpayers balk at their hard earned dollars being spent in an unwise fashion on social programs.

What are your reactions and thoughts to this email plea on behalf of this woman's daughter?
I am very curious to know.

Sluggy