Monday Message

"Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to ‘prepare every needful thing’ (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors, and support bishops as they care for others." (All is Safely Gathered In pamphlet)

You are all probably working with summer's bounty if you are in our neck of the woods, and if not, are you thinking of what you will be planting?

Some years our zucchini is good, other times it doesn't do well. This year the plant is out doing itself. We have eaten a lot and there's more coming. Some hid so well and got bigger - no problem, we love zucchini!

Did you know you could make relish from zucchini ?? Yes, you can.

Our gardens are for some reason this year not doing so well. All are complaining of the same things.

I have been dehydrating my tomatoes and eating as they come. They are struggling this year and are not very big. Many have complained of this as well.  My grandmother loved sliced tomatoes with a sprinkle of sugar on them. This is my preferred way as well. It is more like fruit, it tastes so different then with salt on. So the next time you slice a tomato take one slice and sprinkle it with sugar and see what you think...yum!

How are you coming with your skill building?

https://www.ehow.com/how_2041672_read-sewing-pattern.html - this will help you read a sewing pattern better... it will unlock the secrets... I always think they have secrets :p

I have the other three dresses cut waiting to be sewn out of the large dresses. If you need to be frugal while sewing, look for larger clothing that can be used over again in another way. I know fabrics are so high in price. This is a good way of getting around that.

I have been working on my dish towels.

That white line is the cutting line I mentioned before but now you can maybe see better that the towels are two different towels.

As our weather is cooling I will be making up the bread mixes. I do ten jars at a time...

https://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2021/05/monday-message_10.html

https://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2022/06/monday-message_20.html - this has the bread recipe booklet that has the different things you can use the bread mix for.

These are still my very favorite recipes.

We still need to be as frugal as we can to stretch those dollars...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hry9uyd_108 - this gal has great ideas.

https://www.pinterest.com/simonavery2/frugal-times/

https://www.prudentpennypincher.com/200-cheap-easy-skillet-recipes/

I found this at the recycle place near us....

This will be my motto I think.

Missy says she finds joy in her bag and you need to find joy as well.

Tippy Longstockings says find joy in your life - find your happy place.

Monday Message

"We can begin ever so modestly. We can begin with a one week’s food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. I am speaking now of food to cover basic needs. . .I fear that so many feel that a long-term food supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all. . .Begin in a small way, … and gradually build toward a reasonable objective." (President Gordon B. Hinckley)

If you haven't yet started, this is wonderful advice, especially now.

How are you doing with skill building?

Remember last week I got those huge knit dresses? Well, I did one up and have three to go.

I was able to pin the pattern in such a way to use the neck band, sleeve bands, pockets, and hem. I have three more to go.

I have finished the weaving part of the first towel. In all there will be three - I am learning a lot!

The white two rows is where I will cut them apart and hem them when I take them off. The first towel is more periwinkle and you can see number two towel will have more pumpkin and the third will be more green.  

I am wanting to do a punch needle project along with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0MEUaaXpFc so I went through my house to pull the yarn size that she is using.

I have the punch needles already...

Collected over decade (yes, you read that right).

There was one thing though - having fibro makes it hard to hang onto things for long periods of time. So my husband gifted me this stand.

I have a hoop in it that I was ready to embroider, so I grabbed it to test the stand. I think it will work great. It is good for embroidery, punch needle, tambour embroidery - these are all things I want to learn and build on. These skills help with things to give for gifts and to pretty my nest.

So today I will organize the items needed for all and do more testing of fabrics I have.

What skills are you working on?

I have dehydrator going with these tomatoes plus a couple more trays. 

Being able to preserve our garden produce is so very helpful to our budget.

The zucchini is destined for a few meals this coming week.

Covid is starting to show up again in our neck of the woods so back to masks is coming. They hurt my ears a lot so I will be making this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwdTQZt-x5g

I hate having to do this again but we are in high risk, so we must.

This is a beginner friendly one. I say if you are wanting to learn to crochet as a skill, this will be helpful. Also, just using a scrap of yarn will be frugal.

So you see the skills help me today be able to make these to help my ears.

 I am thankful for what skills I have and will be working on more.

Missy says having skills is a great thing as there is always a cat toy to be made.

Tippy Longstockings asks if being just right in front of the fan is a skill? As summer days get hot, notice they call it dog days of summer, not cat days...