This Week on the Dining Table

The "All Seasons in One Week" Edition--

This morning my little forsythia bush is in full bloom.
We had all 4 seasons within the span of 7 days this past week.
Torrential rain with thunder, temps in the 30's with snowflakes, up to high 70Fs and then the 50's.
I'd much rather the seasons play out over the course of a year not a week! lolz

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--leftover BBQ made into a Taco Ring thing

2. Monday--Take-out(getting it at Lunch prices, reheating for dinner)

3. Tuesday--Baked Rigatoni(using leftover pasta), Salad

4. Wednesday--Tacos(using leftover meatloaf)

5. Thursday--Leftovers

6. Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Fish, Coleslaw, Mystery Veg(because I don't know what it is yet)

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--leftover BBQ made into a Taco Ring thing

2. Monday--Take-out(getting it at Lunch prices, reheating for dinner)

3. Tuesday--Baked Rigatoni(using leftover pasta), Caesar Salad

4. Wednesday--Pot Roast, Carrots, Au Gratin Taters

5. Thursday--Tacos(using leftover meatloaf)

6. Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Leftovers or FFY

Last week saw  nights of home cooked dinners, 2 nights of leftovers/fend for yourself, 1 nights of Take-Out or Eating Out.  The fish wasn't needed as we had so many leftovers(plus a small beef roast I found for cheap that I decided to go ahead and cook)so that protein moves to this week.

2 grocery trips to Weis brought the shopping to $87.28 for the week and brought April's food spending total to $360.70.   

I've got $39.30 left in the food budget for April and 0 days left in my shopping month. Rah.

My savings percentages last week was 57.06 and April's monthly savings total came in at 58.10% or 74.42% with Rite-Aid shopping included.

Leftovers going into this week....... some chicken thighs, baked rigatoni dish, taco filling, a couple of slices of meatloaf and pot roast.

Here is this week's "food plan".....

1. Sunday--Breakfast for Dinner

2. Monday--Pot Roast Sandwiches, Spinach Soufflé

3. Tuesday--Leftovers or FFY(Hubs and I have date lunch out)

4. Wednesday--Chicken Enchiladas, rice, beans

5. Thursday--Leftovers

6. Friday--Fish, Onion rings, Cole slaw, Green beans

7. Saturday--?

The pot roast sandwiches are to use up the leftover pot roast from last week.
If nobody eats the leftover chicken thighs I'll add that meat into the enchilada filling on Wednesday.  If nobody eats the taco filling I'll make up some beef enchiladas on Wednesday too to put into the freezer or I might add to it and make a big pot of chili(always a favorite with my family though not with me).
Hubs will most probably eat all the baked rigatoni dish for lunches this week(What can I say?....He is a pasta hound!)
No clue about next Saturdays menu yet.

This week will see 4 new meals cooked, 2 nights of leftovers/FFY and 1 nights of ?.

What needs buying for this menu?  Cabbage for cole slaw and cheese(seriously low except Cooper sharp).

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 last week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?

Sluggy

And the Winner is.........

I put all valid entries down and numbered them and then had Random dotorg generate a random number to pick the winner of the April Giveaway box.

And the winner is............

SMSteiner!

SMSApril 27, 2018 at 10:54 AM

Gray and rainy today in NJ, maybe the last time before spring really starts.?
Smsteiner100@gmail.com

Congratulations SMS!  Please email me your complete mailing address and name so I can get this box of goodies out to you.  I need to hear from you within 48 hours of this post going live or I'll have to pick another winner.

Thanks to everyone who entered this giveaway and look for a another Giveaway box contest to go up in a couple of weeks.

Sluggy

Finding Ancestral Connections Among Your Friends

***  Just a reminder that today is the last day to enter the current Giveaway for April.  Be sure and go to the proper post and leave an entry.
Also, look at your entries on that post and if I have left a comment that I don't have your contact information PLEASE go either post your email on a comment on the post OR email me your email info at arcure(at)ptdprolog(dot)net.  If I don't have your email info your entry is NOT valid and you can't win.
Thank you.
***************************************************


It amazes me how once you start digging into your family's past you find links to others. In particular that my ancestor knew or has a connection to the ancestor of someone I know now.

"Rivulet" over at $12 a Day blog is one such person.
She has a prominent direct ancestor named John Bidwell.  Bidwell was a soldier and pioneer and one of the first leaders, along with partner Capt. John Bartleson, of emigrant parties along the California Trail to settle the West.

He was also a founder of the town of Chico, CA.  You may remember that Rivulet obtained some seeds for the Bidwell casaba melon, which originated in Chico, CA and this fruit variety is named for her ancestor, and Rivulet grew them to "fruition" last Summer. ;-)

Among the Bidwell-Bartleson party of 1841 that John Bidwell helped lead to CA was a man named Grove C. Cook.
The "Find A Grave memorial" for Cook's gravesite is HERE.

Grove C Cook was born in Kentucky around 1800. He headed West to California with the Bidwell-Bartleson Party in 1841.
Between arriving in California and purchasing land with a quicksilver mine on it in 1845 he worked for John Sutter in what is now Sacramento at his agricultural colony of New Helvetia(also known as Sutter's Fort).
While James Marshall, a carpenter who worked for John Sutter, was building him a water-powered sawmill on the American River near the Fort, Grove Cook was also working for John Sutter distilling whiskey on the New Helvetia property.
And then James Marshall found gold and word got out, amateur prospectors flocked to the area and overran Sutter's colony, destroying his dream.

But before all that Grove Cook was living in Callaway County Missouri where he met a woman named Sophronia Sublette sometime before 1825.

Sophronia married Grove Cook, described as a "wild youth" on 31 March 1825 in Callaway County Missouri.  Three years later their daughter Theresa Cook was born in 1828.

By 1837 Sophronia and Grove's marriage was on it's last legs, as Sophronia and their daughter Theresa were living in St. Louis with Sophronia's brother, William Lewis Sublette.  She repaid William by keeping his house and Theresa was attending school in St. Louis, the cost of which Uncle William was footing the bill.

On 29 Mar 1841 William supported his sister as she brought suit in St. Louis Chancery Court for divorce from Grove Cook.
Sophronia said that Mr. Cook, "....had been guilty of  gross and wanton ill treatment toward (her)....and (had) offered such indignities to said complainant, as to render her condition intolerable.....said Grove had, for more than two years past been guilty of an addicted to habitual drunkenness: That he had abandoned (her)....and refused to support (her)".
when Grove failed to appear at the July session of court to answer the charges, the judge decreed that if Grove didn't appear at the succeeding court session the divorce would be granted to his wife in his absence.  In October of that year, Sophronia was granted that divorce and she lived in her brother William's house after that time.

In May of 1841 Grove C. Cook was among the Bidwell-Bartleson Party that left for California and far, far away from St. Louis, Sophronia and Theresa. Cook was a last minute addition to this group of travelers to the West.  By the time the St. Louis judge granted Sophronia a divorce from Grove Cook he was somewhere traveling through the Pequop Mts. in North Eastern Nevada and far away from civilization.

From reading various memoirs of people who knew Cook personally once he got out West to California, it seems he was not what you'd call an upstanding citizen at times.  It seems he did continue to have a friendly/familial relationship with his ex-wife's brothers, Andrew and Solomon.  There is even an account that states that Grove Cook nursed Andrew back to health when he fell ill in California working in the gold fields.

There is one report concerning Grove Cook that goes...."a man of wit and generosity that went far to counterbalance some less desirable qualities".  I'd say....lol

Grove killed the son of a Walla Walla chief because he didn't care for the way the youth was bragging about stealing some horses.  This almost caused an international incident between the US federal government, Mexico and the Walla Walla Indian nation.

He also married again to Rebecca Josephine Kelsey on 28 December 1854 at Sutter's Fort.

Rebecca was born in St. Louis and was the sister of Benjamin Kelsey. Benjamin and his wife, Nancy Kelsey, had been members of the Bartleson-Bidwell party as well, along with Grove Cook.

Rebecca had come West in 1843 with her parents, David and Sarah Jane(Crozzart)Kelsey.  This group of the B-B party had branched off and gone to Oregon instead of California, first going to Oregon where Rebecca married William Henry Fowler in 1843.  Shortly after Rebecca, her Kelsey clan and William Fowler(among others)decided to go to California from Oregon and Rebecca sought to seek a divorce from Fowler upon arrival at Sutter's Fort in 1844.

At some point at the Fort, Rebecca caught Grove Cook's eye.
There are conflicting reports on whether Rebecca was granted that divorce(as the area was still part of Mexico so US laws had no juisdiction-Thomas Larkin had been appointed American consul to the area but he legally wasn't able to grant divorces on Mexican soil).
One source says Rebecca was denied so she went ahead and married Grove Cook anyway.....another saying she obtained the divorce from Fowler.  Bigamist or not a bigamist? Just pick whom you want to believe.  ;-)

Rebecca Kelsey married Grove Cook at Sutter's Fort.
After working for John Sutter  Grove settled in the Santa Clara Valley and became part owner of the historic New Almaden quicksilver mine.  Grove Cook it is said, fought during the Mexican war and was involved bringing US statehood to California.  He found and lost a few fortunes along the way, finally dying while visiting Santa Cruz in February of 1852.
Rebecca went on to marry Dr. Christopher Grattan before dying in 1871.

So what does this Grove C Cook character have to do with my family?

Sophronia Fullen Sublette is my 1st cousin 6 x removed.  Sophronia's Great Grandfather, Lewis Sublett, and my 6th Great Grandfather, William Allen Sublett were brothers.  Their father, Pierre Louis Soblet, who emigrated to the Virginia Colony with his parents in 1700 onbroad the Mary and Ann sailing ship, is our common ancestor.

Sophronia's grandfather, Littleberry Sublett, was a branch of my Soblet/Sublett family that moved away from Eastern Virginia into Kentucky and their descendants onward into Missouri and some onto points further West in America.  At some point this branch of Subletts began spelling the surname with an extra "e" at the end, Sublette.  But whether you go by Soblet, Sublett or Sublette it is all the same line.

Sophronia's plaque on the Sublette memorial--photo by BJ Sublette

Sophronia died on 20 April 1843 and is buried in the Sublette family plot along with some of her brothers and sisters at the Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis Missouri.  Seems she didn't live too much longer after divorcing Grove Cook.  She lived out her days keeping house for her brother William in St. Louis.

Grove Cook is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Santa Cruz, California.  I think being planted halfway across the country from each other seems right.

That my cousin was married to a guy who was on first name basis(at least as long as they were traveling overland to CA)with one of Rivulet's ancestors is so very interesting to me and shows how you just never know what connections we all have as human beings with one another in today's world

Sluggy

Frugal Friday....the April 27th Edition

Let's see what frugal wins we had here at Chez Sluggy this past week.......

*  Assorted Deals and discounted meats at Weis(PMITA)Markets this week.....

I spent $87.28 at Weis this week and earned back $3.15 in cash rebates this week.

*   4 transactions at Rite-Aid bringing home items we can use(and/or can be put into the giveaway boxes).

 Spending down Plenti Points, earning Bonus Cash..............

All the while trying to make heads or tails of the transition from the old reward system to the new one.

*  I found more money laying on the ground again...........

A lowly Tom Jefferson coin but hey!.....found money adds up!

*  I used up leftovers from last week, incorporating them into new dishes this week.........
--The leftover rigatoni I cooked up for a pasta and fresh sauce dinner a week ago Sunday got baked with cheese and sauce and served on Tuesday with a Caesar Salad. I also put about 4 Tablespoons of pizza sauce leftover from when I made pizzas into the sauce I made for the baked pasta dish.
--This past Sunday I took some leftover pork 'cue, 2 tubes of crescent rolls dough, some cheddar and a bit of bbq sauce and made a BBQ ring(like a taco ring).  Used up a leftover and some rolls tubes that needed to get used.
--On Thursday, Hubs took most of the extra meatloaf I made last week and turned it into taco filling.

*  I got this flyer in the mail from an online store I buy clothing from on occasion........

I have a $10 reward for them I earned this past Winter that expires in May.  I'll make up a list of items worth picking up/that are needed and be sure to use my reward and do some shopping during this sale.  Maybe I'll get lucky and find a free shipping code to boot!  And I'll be sure to go to the site via a cash back savings portal too.  8-))


*  On Monday we had a hankering for Chinese Take-Out so I got everyone's order that morning and I went to the restaurant before 3 pm and got 3 dinners for us.  Before 3 pm you can get the Lunch prices/amounts which cost $2 less per entreé.  Hubs went ahead and ate his early but the rest of us heated up our entreés at dinner time.  I find that the reg. dinner time quantities are too much(I can generally get 3 meals out of my single entreé).  Nobody here likes the same thing so sharing an entreé between us isn't going to happen.

*  I am so glad I picked up a 5 lb. log of Cooper sharp cheese a couple of weeks ago.  It is saving me scads of money buying it this way!

This product runs $7.99-$8.99 per lb. at deli counters in the grocery stores here and sometimes I can find it on sale for $5.99-$6.99 per lb.
The restaurant supply store has it sliced, prepackaged(in plastic wrap on a styrofoam tray)for $4.99 sometimes but I hate buying that because of all the packaging waste and because they wrap it so tightly that the slices get stuck together and you can't get them out singly for a sandwich.

So I invested in a good cheese slicer awhile back and now I slice about a lb. at a time and store the slices in a ziploc bag(which is washed and reused).  I just have to make sure to wrap whatever is left of the cheese log well so it doesn't dry out.  Buying a block of cheese costs me $17.99 for 5 lbs.(unless I find it on sale for $15.99)so it's costing me $3.60 lb. when I do the slicing myself(or $3.20 lb. if I find it on sale).

And those pesky bits and pieces of slices that come off the bottom end of the log when slicing?

I use them along with a heel of a loaf of bread(which nobody eats)and make myself a cheese toast breakfast after slicing!  Add in the turkey sausage patty I cooked up and you have a filling meal.

Or if I slice cheese and it's not meal time, I put the bits in a baggie because someone around here is likely to have nachos, tacos, a salad, etc. where they want shreds/bits of cheese on/with it. ;-)

*  I didn't get the Weis Friday Freebie last week because it wasn't something we'd eat/use.  It was a reusable grocery bag in homage to Earth Day rolling around this year.  I really don't need MORE reusable grocery bags so I didn't get one.  Just because something is free, if you can't/won't use it/have enough, you don't have to take it.

*  Monday saw me back at the dentist's for a filling replacement................

I got a few toothpaste Qs($1/1 Colgate)and asked for more sample size freebies.  Two more tubes of Sensodyne for Hubs and 2 bottles of Listerine.  Always ask for dental freebies because you never know if they have them if you don't ask!


*  But the best frugal buy this week was this.........

5 lbs. of matzoh for a quarter.


A good week of frugal wins here.....how about you!
How has frugality helped your personal economy this week?

Sluggy

More Rite-Aid Shopping This Week

While I was in the town NW of mine scooping up some discounted meat deals at Weis I hit a different Rite-Aid.
I had 4 $3/1 Rimmel face item Qs and wanted to see if this store carried any of these items as my R-A doesn't.

I also needed to buy 1 more Visine to reach the $75 mark to earn a $20 Allergy BC Reward on my card.  I also had $2.41 tracking toward a second $6 Rimmel BC.

1 x Visine allergy 20% Wellness discount=$4.63
1 x Rimmel sculpting face kit BOGO50%=$6.49
1 x Rimmel insta flawless skin BOGO50%=$3.24
SubTotal........$14.36

Coupons Used
1 x $2.50/1 Visine CatalinaQ=$2.50
1 x $2/1 Visine In-Ad R-AQ=$2.00
2 x $3/1 Rimmel face item IPQ=$6.00
Coupon Total......$10.50

$14.36 + .26¢ tax=$14.62-$10.50=$4.12

$4.12 in Plenti Points was used to pay the OOP.
I earned back $26 in BC($6 wyb $12 Rimmel, $20 wyb $75 allergy items).
This receipt shows I earned the $26 in BC and I have $25.72 available in BC Reward.
The receipt also shows I now have $17.92 in Plenti Points left on this card.

I have to tell you that this transaction did NOT go off without a hitch.

The cashier insisted on scanning my Wellness card first, then scanned the 3 items, then scanned the 4 coupons(1 Visine, 1 Visine in-adQ, 2 Rimmel Qs).  Before she got to the last Rimmel Q($3)my total showed $1.92.  She then said I had a choice of either A-not using that $3Q or B-she would "adjust" it down to $1.92.
Some days I should never leave the house and interact with the human race as I nearly let slip from my lips, "What planet where YOU raised on?!?" ;-)

I kept that little gem internally and said to her, "It's illegal to adjust a Q price so no you're not doing that and why would I buy this item if I can't use a Q on it....that makes no sense.".

So I told her to take my Wellness card off the transaction, use the last $3 Q and then we'd scan my card again.
Did all that and my total ended up being $4.12 which the Plenti Points attached to this card absorbed.
I earned $26 in new BC for this transaction($6 for the Rimmel, $20 Allergy Reward as my tracking hit $75 on this transaction).

You'll notice that on the receipt were it says "Available BonusCash Reward" I have $25.72.
That's actually correct as I have 2 x $5, $6 from Rimmel purchase on Monday,  2 x $4 from Burt Bees purchase on Monday and the $1.72 leftover on Monday when the computer took $2 in PPs and used .28¢of it and 'converted' the balance of the $2 to BC.
Add all that up and it's $25.72.
The next time I used this Wellness card/account my receipt should show I have $51.72 in Available BC Rewards.  We'll see if that holds up.

Then since I still had 2 Rimmel $3/1 Qs I bought this on my son's card...........

1 x Rimmel palette BOGO50%=$6.49
1 x Rimmel instant flawless skin=$3.24
1 x Rimmel stay matte finish 20% Wellness disc.=$3.99
1 x R-A flonase on sale=$13.99
SubTotal........$27.71

Coupons Used
2 x $3/1 Rimmel face product IPQ=$6.00

$27.71-$6.00=$21.71

2 x $5 BC came off and I was left with a balance of $11.71 + 30¢ tax=$12.01.

Then I had her scan my card after ringing up everything and applying the Qs again.
The $12.01 was absorbed by $12.01 in Plenti Points.
I earned back $10 in new BC($6 wyb $12 Rimmel, $4 wyb R-A flonase).

This receipt shows I earned the $10 in BC and I have $2 available in BC Reward(from the $2 I earned on candy bars last week-the 2 x $5 I used don't show as they were earned before last week when all your BC started going into a "wallet" whatever that is. lol).
The receipt also shows I now have $54.75 in Plenti Points left on this card.
The next time I use this Wellness card/account my receipt should show I have $12 in Available BC Rewards.

But again, this part of my receipt is incorrrect.  It shows I was awarded BC for the purchase of Rimmel(yes)AND I was awarded BC for the purchase of Allergy medicine(no).
Yes, I earned tracking toward the Allergy Reward but didn't earn a "reward" yet.

It is SO misleading by NOT HAVING THE AMOUNT OF BC YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED FOR EACH  ITEM ON THE BOTTOM OF THE RECEIPT!  Someone who wasn't "with it" would look at this and think Hey! I've got an extra $20 in BC on this card because the receipt SAYS I do!  But they'd find out the next time they bought something that no, they don't have an extra $20 in BC.

Rite-Aid needs to go back to including the $ amount of the BC Award earned on this blurb on the receipt, especially until the Transitional phase from PPs to full on BC is over with!
Boom.
Mike drop.

Your customers are really, really TRYING to stay with you Rite-Aid but you are making it very, very difficult!


Sluggy