Black Friday

     "Why is it called Black Friday?"  my husband asked.  "Is it that miserable?"  He was contemplating buying frenzies at Big Box stores.  He only likes Antique Malls.  There he is an indefatigable shopper.  
     "No," I replied, "It's about being in the black, financially."  And I thought about what I had said.  The stores would be in the black, making a profit, but what about us, the buyers?  Would we be in the black?
     According to the early morning National news (3:30 am) credit card debt is up and so are defaults on credit card payments.  So no, we wouldn't necessarily be in the black.  More likely in the red, trying to right the economy on borrowed money.  Then I saw an item on the computer, spam most likely, saying "boycott shopping on Black Friday. Instead, make it a no-buy day."  And I thought, "That would keep us in the black!"  I really like the idea.  It fits right in with my buying diet.  Not that I'm so good at it.  We went to the Southport Antique Mall last week.  I didn't spend much but I did buy.  Not new stuff but that doesn't really get me off the hook does it?

Character Doll, Old woman with glass eyes.

The Basket Seller

     I can't make out why the old Woman is dressed in a pinafore like a little girl.  Of course, she is naked at the moment and I have done major surgery on her, giving her elbows, knees and wrists, so that she can be posed.  I've been to Joanne's and gotten snippets of purple and red to make her a dress and hat.  The basket lady's face is faded but I don't intend to strip her down.  Maybe a little judicious face painting is in her future.  What fun!

     

     As I mentioned previously, we are back on the once a month grocery shopping schedule.  Last month I bragged that we had saved $50 doing that but now I have to report that I spent that money on sale meat and things we ran out of, such as butter, white bread and soft drinks for my Husband.  This month I spent over the allotment but after all it is Thanksgiving.  And Christmas is coming up.  The little house is full of food and goodies.  One of the things I did was to buy bones and make beef broth.  I saw it done on the Victorian cooking videos I saw on youtube.

     It wasn't a short task, in fact it took two days to finish.  The meat and vegetables were first roasted in the oven, then cooked all day, cooled and skimmed, then, the next day reduced a bit.  I got 4 pints of pretty but rather carrot flavored beef broth.  For what I spent, I could have bought the most expensive bouillon available!

  

The recipe recommended throwing the meat and vegetables away but I couldn't bring myself to do that, but minced up the meat and using some of the broth made an excellent Strogonoff for Sunday dinner.  On Monday I had not planned anything nor taken something out of the freezer so I hurried to make some tomato soup (tomato sauce, canned milk, some tomato paste, dill weed) and grilled some cheese sandwiches.  I felt guilty about it just until Bill sat down and rubbed his hands and said "Oh, good, one of my favorite meals."

     Eliyah and I went to May's greenhouse to look for miniature plants and found many to choose from.  They didn't cost much either.  So we chose miniature palms, frittaria and a small fern.  Here are the terrariums we made"

       We are cooking at home alone for Thanksgiving.  A difficult choice but we plan to eat out for Christmas.  We did the same thing for our Birthday and Anniversary, ate out on one and at home the other.  After all, I make good feasts.  In fact, Bill insists that my food is better than any restaurant's, although he loves to eat out.  My menu is entirely predictable, though I won't be eating the mashed potatoes, I'll have a dab of sweet potato plain.  Also only a dab of stuffing.  No cranberry sauce but I'll be making a cheesecake out of Victoria Magazine with a glaze of cranberry juice  thickened with geletin and using sweetner rather than sugar.  So carbs but not unlimited carbs.  Now that I limit carbs, I find not much need for sugar, it's far too expensive in carbohydrates!  That surprised me but I confess that there are many proteins that I actually like better than sweets.  This week I made Pate' or chopped liver, if you will.  Flavored with sour cream, dill and spring onions, it is a delicious snack.
     I am reading a book, "Disaster" about the history of Earthquakes, floods, plagues and etc. 
I have to say, it is making me very thankful this week.  My petty complaints don't mean much beside catastrophes which do away with 90% of the population!  Nothing like being put in one's place.  A very Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Making my own clothes!

          I have been thinking about clothing myself without the second-hand option.  It's funny but I don't feel the same way about the clothes I buy and those I make.  When the children were small I made many items, pajamas with feet, frilly dresses, curtains and slip covers, even some underwear.  When my oldest son graduated from the eighth grade, I made his suit, of dark green polyester blend and it was not my best effort.  I had never been taught to tailor things and I didn't know how it should have hung from the shoulders.  However, it couldn't be noticed on a trotting horse and I'm sure he wore it only a few times.  The point is, one looked at patterns and fabric and there was no limit how much trouble one would go to in order to have the thing wanted.  But buying retail, I tend to look at the price tag first and then consider if it's ok.  Ok enough to wear.  Maybe goes with something I already have, sorta.  I don't seem to see the manufacturers of clothing as asking my opinion.  In fact, I have bought some items that sort of dismayed me but seemed trendy enough.  Buying second hand, even the trendyness goes.  So when I thought about sewing some things, I was perplexed.  I didn't know what I wanted!  I did some research on line.  I found articles about fashion, especially for older ladies, that mentioned classic styles, shawl collared jackets, 40's style tailored slacks, the little sheaths and full-skirted dresses I made in High School are back in style and flats but with little white socks now.  But I could not find outlets that sold these items.  Not in my price range anyway.  I began to go through my collection of Victoria Magazines, they don't show many fashions but what they do show are very classic.  I took a girlfriend and went to the fabric store.  Patterns were on sale for the same prices I used to pay, just $1 or $2 apiece.  I had a coupon good for 1/2 off a piece of cut fabric.  I looked at linen and linen-look, hunting for Taupe.  I had to settle for a medium brown but I like it.  Then a piece for a dress.  I already had some white linen for blouses, some green denim for shorts, some plaid for a casual top.  I spent $43.   When I got home I spread them all out on the bed to gloat over!

     It was not so easy to get back into the sewing mode.  I made the green shorts first and made a slight cutting error.  The same thing with the plaid blouse but I fixed it.  The button holes aren't as nice as I wanted but practice makes perfect, or at least better.  Now I'm working on the first white blouse and it's coming along nicely..  It makes me feel happy to be working on these things for myself.  And already I've become picky about what I'll wear of what I already have.  Also I've hemmed up good pieces left languishing for lack a little hand-sewing.  This is gonna be fun!


     Friday I took the day off and went with a friend to see the Indiana Pioneer Mothers' Memorial.  It consists of 88 acres of virgin timber just south of Paoli, Indiana.  I took pictures but it was a cloudy day and virgin woods are dark always but here is a view of the Memorial wall in the center of the woods.  Quite a walk for these old legs.  But I loved it and thought it well worth the effort.  Afterward we had lunch in Paoli, came home and took a nap!

     There are no menus this week,  I've been busy so Bill did the shopping and I've just been making easy things.  Meatballs and tiny bits of pasta tonight!