Monday, February 9, 2015

This Week on the Dining Table


The "Lot of Snow and More of the Same on the Way" Edition ........

 
 
This is a shot of my back deck this morning.   It warmed up and rained last night/late yesterday so we did some shoveling.
And then the rain started freezing and came down as sleet and the temperature dropped so we have a nice layer of ice over everything.  And more snow is coming later today/tonight.
Can I move out of here already??


Here's what was planned last week.....................

1.  Pizza(frozen that I doctored up), Salad
2.  Leftovers Fiesta lolz
3.  Lobster Ravioli, Salad
4.  Bean and Ham Soup, Brussels Sprouts
5.  Kielbasa on rolls, Green Beans
6.  Leftovers
7.  Leftovers
 
And this is what actually happened--

1.  Pizza(frozen that I doctored up), Salad
2.  Leftovers(I had Chicken & Dumplings)
3.  Leftovers(I had Chicken/Mushroom Risotto, Salad)
4.  Salmon, Potato Salad, Brussels Sprouts
5.  Kielbasa on roll,(I had leftover beans too, hubs had potato  salad)
6.  Lobster Ravioli, Brussels Sprouts
7.  Leftovers(I had a Roast Beef Sandwich, Salad)

Most of the plan happened except for the bean soup.
Poor bean soup. 8-)


Last week I made ZERO trips to grocery stores and spent ZERO OOP.  I did however go to Rite-Aid on Friday and spend .20¢ OOP on $9.58 worth of toothpaste.

My spending for February so far on food/toiletries is $.20 for $9.58 worth of food/toiletries.
I have $249.80 left in my Feb. budget and 19 days to go.

Leftovers going into this week are lasagna, risotto w/chicken and extra alfredo type sauce from when I made the ravioli but that will put into the freezer for later.

Here is the plan for this week.........

1.  Spaghetti w/meatballs & homemade sauce, Green Beans
2.  Pork chops, Potato Salad(leftover), Carrots
3.  Garlic Ginger Shrimp w/Stir-fry veggies, (rice for Hubs)
4.  Ham & Bean Soup, Salad
5.  Chicken Marsala, Asparagus, (noodles for Hubs)
6.  Leftovers
7.  Leftovers
 
I can almost do this plan without buying anything this week. I do need some veggies for the stir-fry and the asparagus so spending will happen but it won't be much.

The ads this week are again lackluster. Plus the weather forecast is iffy too.  I have to go out at some point this week but it won't be for long, so another week being housebound.

At the end of this week we will have lots of leftovers since all the new meals except for the pork chop meal will generate extras.  Between what we are going into the week with in leftovers and the new leftovers next week's menu will mean very little actual cooking for me.
I'll take it! ;-)
 
What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?    

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten that week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?

Sluggy

Saturday, February 7, 2015

My Crap-tastic Week

Last week was not so great.

The weather here has been sucking big-time!  Not just snow but it's been so COLD!  Trying to balance keeping the house warm enough to not be uncomfortable, but not let the electric company suck up too much of our income paying that bill.

Between the grocery ads being dreadful and the bone-chilling weather I didn't leave the house for 6 days!

Stir crazy for me in 6 days.  That's went I broke down and left the house.

I went to Rite-Aid for a "quickie" Friday afternoon......


I forgot to take a picture of the .22¢ truffle filler item I bought too.

2 tubes of Colgate on sale=$5.98
I have a $1/2 ManuQ so $4.98 +.22¢filler=$5.20.
I used a $5 +Up Reward and paid .20 OOP.
Got back 2 x $2 Colgate +Up Rewards.
I have a $5 +Ups and a $1 Cat I have to spend by Saturday 2/14 and this new $4 in +Ups to spend by 2/20.

Almost spent them all down so I can take a break from Rite-Aid until late Summer I am figuring.

I spent most of last week in TAX HELL......yes, doing state and federal taxes.

I have the state form done and we owe so that one won't go out until April something.
Needed to do/figure the state first so I can plug some of these numbers into the federal form.

Just need to finish figuring the Education Credit Boondoggle(I get it wrong every year...it's totally incomprehensible!).  Then the federal is finished except for the printing, collating, signing and filing.

Then it's onto the dreaded FAFSA. Since College Boy isn't eligible for any scholarship $s or state grants I may just save myself the hassle of that torture this year.
It doesn't get us anything since we are among the super-rich(or so they tell us). ha!

Heck, if hubs gets another awesome bonus this year we wont' even be able to take the Education Credit Deal on the 2015 taxes.
Well on the other hand, not having to do that jolly little exercise in futility for the taxes would be a welcomed change! ;-)  Plus we would probably owe federal taxes next year too so I should get hubs to change his # of exemptions at work, huh?

I have also been working on College Boy's taxes(state and federal) which are a "trip to an amusement park" in comparison to ours.  I am also the "go to" person for our oldest son for help, tips/information on dong his(which I helped him through this past week).

And I don't even do the LOCAL Taxes.  I leave that for Hubs to slog through(though it's really not a big hassle like the other ones).

I go for blood work next week to see how/if my numbers have changed, in anticipation of a 6 mo. checkup/office visit with my primary HP.  Oh joy!

I need to schedule 2 tests as well at the hospital which are both overdue a bit.....because of the iffy weather I haven't done that yet.  I'll schedule those for mid March and hope we satisfy our $4K deductible by then(but am doubtful that will happen by then).
The refill of the expen$ive medication happens late February but between that an other medication refills and the blood work and OV we should be nudged up over the $2K mark at least, possibly $3K.

In blog news---I have changed my settings so that anonymous persons may no longer leave comments.  I am sorry if this impacts any of my known and/or loyal longtime readers/commenters but it had to be done. I had a slew of comments which I didn't publish last week which were harsh, rude, unpleasant, derogatory, nasty and just plain mean.  I am good about publishing people with other viewpoints(or at least I think I am)and am tolerant of other's views.  But I really don't need to see some of the absolute vitriol some folks have tried to leave on the blog.
Here's a tip-if you can't say something nice(or something not-so nice in a pleasant/positive way)shut up!

And here are 2 tips to other bloggers---don't EVER show pictures of what you eat on your blog if  you are not a size 2. ;-)  I got a lot of nasty comments on that post as well on some other ones along with the usual spam stuff I never publish.  If someone doesn't like what I post then they are free to move along to another blog.
And if you leave a comment that is ultimately constructive, don't be condescending in your tone.  The whole "attract more bees with honey than vinegar" concept, ya know?  When some folks hide behind anonymity they reveal a side of themselves that is very unflattering.

Last week's not-published comments hurt me to the quick and has been debating on whether to continue to blog(or take the blog private, or disable comments altogether).

On the good side of things last week...........
I didn't spent any money(besides that .20¢).
I got some bookwork completed.
I finished overhauling our financial/personal files and sent a trash bag of old stuff to the garbage and another smaller bag to the shredder.
I am beginning to see empty space in the freezer from eating down the frozen stockpile.

So that's all I have to report on.


Sluggy

Friday, February 6, 2015

4 Days of Food in Pictures

Back after we got home from our trip to VA and before I got sick with something cold-like, I was taking pictures of everything I ate.
I thought it would be a good way for me to visually see(I am a visual learner)what I was putting into my mouth.(shut-up Sonya!)
That's why I am putting this up-not for people to comment on how balanced my diet is or not and whether they approve of what I eat.

1/23/15
Breakfast-Tea
Lunch-turkey sandwich w/tomato & lettuce...lot of lettuce it seems. lol

Dinner-1 barbecue brisket sandwich with coleslaw on pretzel roll

1/24/15

Breakfast-oatmeal & iced tea  Took this after I ate all the oatmeal. lol

Lunch-2 hot dogs on grilled rolls w/comdiments(mustard, salt-free ketchup, pepper relish)
I was very hungry.
Also Lunch-I ate half this bowl of broccoli later.
 Dinner-leftover lasagna(Hubs served me too much, I took half off my plate. Hubs goal is to fill a plate.lol)
 

1/25/15

 Breakfast-2 biscuits w/country ham, scrambled eggs w/some pepper. (Country ham--There goes my salt intake for the day.)

 Lunch-Bowl of broccoli/cauliflower cheese soup, 1 biscuit broiled in the oven

Dinner-Salad greens with balsamic vinaigrette dressing & breaded chicken pieces

1/26/15

 Breakfast-plain Greek yogurt with chia seeds, honey and granola on top

Dinner(didn't eat lunch that day, don't remember why not)-Chicken Risotto with mushrooms/wild rice/parmesan, Brussels sprouts

And then I got sick and stopped documenting the meals.
During this time all drinks were sugar-free,(water, G2, unsweetened iced tea, hot tea, lemon water) except for 1 bottled peach iced tea(100 calories).
I also ate 2 peanut butter cookies at some point that 4 days(probably the day I skipped lunch?)and a handful of Cheese Doodles(couldn't eat more than that due to sodium content and besides after that many they tasted nasty to me).

Short of measuring everything I eat I think I am getting a handle on this portion control deal.....except for when I sit down and eat 2 hot dogs(although nitrite-free/low sodium)with rolls at a time. 8-)

Sluggy

Thursday, February 5, 2015

A Proper Genealogy Post Part 1

It's been awhile since I've done a genealogy post so let's rectify that now.

Late last year I decided to turn my attention away from my maternal lines of ancestors toward my paternal lines.

A few of these lines are well documented(not by me but by others)but not many.

One of these researched already lines is connected to my father's father's mother's mother's line(that would be a grandfather's maternal grandmother side).

My grandfather's parents were Frank Foster BOWMAN and Catherine O'BRIEN.
Catherine's parents were Maurice(pronounced Morris)O'BRIEN and Marion(or Mary A.)Ellen ROCHE.
Let's start with the ROCHE/O'BRIEN's, shall we?

 Maurice O'Brien photo shared on Ancestry by b1pilot1

Mary Roche O'Brien photo shared on Ancestry by b1pilot1

Both Maurice and Marion were born in County Limerick, Ireland.  Maurice in 1849 and Marion in 1854.  This was right in the midst of the Great Potato Famine in Ireland.

Map of Ireland with Limerick City pinpointed

Long story short on the Great Famine--Irish Catholics had few opportunities to advance themselves due to restrictive laws of the ruling minority Protestant English who owned most of the land(if not all)in Ireland at this time.  Due to English control of the land, most crops grown were exported out of the country to England for profit. Food source for most Irish commoners was 1 variety of potato and said variety caught the potato blight so the main food source for the Irish dried up.  Even so, the English who controlled the land and crops continued to export said crops to England and grew rich while the Irish who tended the farms and their families grew malnourished and a great number of them died. 

Graphic from Here.  Note that Limerick is in the 3rd worst area for poverty at the beginning of the famine.


The recognized start of the Potato Famine is 1845 and it stretched to 1852 and possibly beyond.  This particular famine(there had been an earlier Irish famine in 1740 which was bad but not as devastating)is thought to have been caused by a blight that originated in Mexico, spread up into the US and then inadvertently brought aboard ships to Ireland in potatoes used to feed ship passengers on the voyage to Ireland.  From these tainted potatoes it took root in Irish soil and in 1845 crop loss was reported to be 1/3 to 1/2 and by 1846 3/4 of the potato crop was lost to blight.

Over 3 Million Irish people were dependent on potatoes as their food staple.  This blight devastated the population.  People starved to death in great numbers.  When tenant Irish Catholic farmers couldn't pay their rent(due to the crop failures), they were thrown out of their homes, so not only were they starving but homeless too.  Faced with almost certain death, many Irish Catholics left the country between 1845 and 1850 and immigrated to England, Scotland, South Wales, the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Graphic from This Article
No records exist to tell us exactly how many people died or left in the Great Irish Migration caused by this famine but a Census taken in 1841 compared with a Census taken in 1851 shows there are 1.5 Million less people in Ireland.
It is said that the population in County Limerick declined by 70,000 during the Famine, though the population in Limerick city rose due to starving paupers fleeing into the workhouses.

Imagine being pregnant and bearing children into a world like this!  Not knowing if you can feed them and being malnourished and sick yourself and not knowing when/if the authorities will be at your door to throw your family into the streets.
This is the world my ancestors were born into.

Maurice and Mary A. Ellen wed in Ireland thought I don't know the date or in what church yet.
I do know they were Catholic however, as they were both buried in a Catholic Cemetery in Ansonia, CT at the end of their days.


Photo by F.A.G. member AlyciaK.


Their first child named Honora "Nora" was born about 1875 in Ireland and the second daughter named Mary about 1877.
I haven't nailed down which ship they took to America but I do know it sailed from Ireland in the Fall of 1879.

And how do I know this?
By June 1880 in that year's census the family is found living in Derby, Connecticut.   Derby is in New Haven County on the Housatonic River.


Derby on Connecticut map. Derby is West of New Haven, North of Bridgeport


The family consists of Maurice, Mary Ellen, children Honora, Mary and Maggie.  The first 4 members of the family are noted as being born in Ireland.
Look at where Maggie(or Margaret as was her given name)was reported as being born..............


Maurice-Ireland
Mary-Ireland
Honora-Ireland
Mary-Ireland
Maggie-Ocean

So Mary Ellen was "great with child" on the voyage and gave birth at sea.  I bet that was exciting, but not in a good way. ;-)

Maurice and Mary Ellen went on to have another 5 children that I can find---Bedina(who might have died in her teens), Catherine(my great grandmother), John, Annie and Josephine(who also died in her teens and is buried with her parents).

But there is a mystery revolving around Annie and/or Josephine and another child someone else has on their version of this family tree that is also a mystery to me.

We'll ponder all that next time.

Sluggy
 

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Find A Grave Genealogy....A Rant




I've been a member of the "Find A Grave" website for over 2 years now.  (In a month and a half it will be 3 Years!)
I joined once I started getting into genealogy seriously as a hobby.

But I have a love/hate relationship with the F.A.G. site.

I have tired for years now to get a few of my family member's memorials on there transferred to me for upkeep.
Specifically my maternal grandparents and that grandmother's siblings and parents. 
Their memorials were created by a guy who lives in that county of Virginia where they lived whom I don't know personally nor is he related to my peoples.  He's just an avid genealogy freak.

Or WAS an avid genealogy freak.
This person NEVER responds to requests for transfers, nor does he respond to emails AT ALL.
And it's just not me as I've contacted others who have tried to correspond with him and he doesn't answer them either.

I find this very strange because on his member bio page he states, "If a family member contacts me I will gladly transfer their memorial over to them."
This is a down right LIE!

And this guy manages over 4 THOUSAND memorials!  Or rather "has ownership" of that many....he doesn't manage anything.
Clearly he is a memorial Hoarder.  He is standing in the way of correct memorials and loving family members who want them updated and accurate.

And I know he has not passed away himself because as late as last June 2014, he was still taking photos of headstones for other people's memorials!

Now it's not like I HAVE TO have all my dead relatives memorials.
I have written to him with information on these ancestors that needs to be updated and/or corrected on their memorials.
And he sees fit to not respond and/or fix any of the information either!

I have even written to the Powers That Be at F.A.G. to let them know about the problems this guy is causing numerous members.
And their response is to NOT RESPOND to my inquiries.
I tell ya, I am about at the point of making duplicate memorials for these relatives so I can get the correct/proper information out there......even though making duplicate memorials is a no-no.

At least if I did make dups and this guy objected, he's have to actually email me, right? ;-)

I at least went ahead and got some information put onto my family's memorials that he "maintains"(ha!) last week.

There is a feature on F.A.G. where you can submit family links to the person's other relatives' memorials directly to F.A.G. and they will check them out and edit the memorial held by the non-responsive member themselves.  But they won't correct specific information(name, dates, places)just the links to their other family members.

I am just so frustrated I could chew steel!!

Sluggy