Adventures on Craigslist

I’m so happy I have seedlings this year! Have you seen how Bob on Bob’s Burgers talks to food he cooks? That’s me, murmuring gentle encouragement to the seed trays. Right now I have onions, tomatoes, thyme, creeping thyme and two kinds of lettuce visible and under the grow light. Plus the sprouted potato. Yet to germinate are the parsley, sage, and marigold.

I have a tentative agreement with a fellow from craigslist to pick up a bunch of FREE fencing panels tomorrow. Tom and the boys are supposed to go get them and then Tom is going to use them to fence off part of the yard as a dog-free garden area. I need to have a safe place to plant all these seedlings.

Also via craigslist, I sold the minivan! It’s the end of an era and I miss it already. It all came together rather quickly. So we are down to one vehicle again while I plot my next move. That took up most of my afternoon today.

Earlier today, I baked bread and took Rocco to my parents’ to run around someplace different. After the van sale, I was able to get to Costco before they closed and use my whopping $7.17 rewards certificate. We stocked up on butter, milk, chicken breast, ground beef, toilet paper, Coke, dishwasher detergent, grapes, two kinds of cereal, whole fruit bars, and Z Bars. Then, because two of the kids came, we also got a container of mini flatbreads, mini tacos, Korean corn dogs (which don’t have any meat, I realized when we got home?), pretzel-coated chicken fingers, and some prepared sirloin. I could have lived without all of that. Everyone had the convenience food of their choice for dinner. There’s more items I would have liked to get (tomato paste, breadcrumbs), but Costco unnerves me and I’m always ready to leave after like 15 minutes.

I really want to like Costco. I like to buy certain things in bulk. Maybe I just need to go without the kids. Or go as soon as they open.

Yesterday morning I had to go to another place that tests my nerves — the Cherry Hill Mall. My daughter wanted a new dress and shoes for a middle school dance next weekend. She has been good about buying from thrift shops lately (including for previous dances) so I wanted to accommodate her request for something new. Love to spend time with her but I have to raise my ask-deflecting shield inside the mall. She loses focus and starts thinking of things she (and I) should buy. “I need shorts for summer.” “Don’t you want to get a birthday gift for Aunt X?” “Did you know Bath and Body Works has new Disney Princess scents?” I just say “no” over and over, in a pleasant tone as the requests pound the shield. A couple times we had to do some negotiating over her budget and I felt like Churchill dealing with Stalin. I was relieved to escape back home away from the scents and plastic and doodads. We got a dress for less than I expected, at least ($30), and she decided to wear shoes she already has, in return for me buying her nail polish, mascara and a pair of shorts.

After the mall I spent most of the day listing the van and then prepping for and cooking dinner. I roasted carrots and Brussel sprouts ahead of time, and then made chicken piccata and mashed potatoes (all food we had on hand). For lunch, I made little mini pizzas: corn tortillas topped with Italian cheese mix, garlic and fresh basil. Yum — haven’t had fresh basil in forever. It’s from a live plant we bought during the week, and I potted it today.

So, I’d say I got my usual weekend stuff done except I do not have a meal plan for the upcoming week yet. Will have to work on that tomorrow morning.

This week’s meals:

Sunday: Spaghetti and meatballs at my parents’.

Monday: Scrounge night: I had quesadillas and roasted carrots.

Tuesday: Roasted chicken legs and very cheesy potatoes (Tom tried making “funeral potatoes” but doubled the cheese and forgot the sour cream; still very good).

Wednesday: Scrambled eggs, sausage links, pancakes.

Thursday: Beef tacos, taco salad, cheese quesadillas.

Friday: Pizza from local pizzeria.

Lunches: two days of tuna, one day of buying lunch ($12).

Tom bought some additional groceries midweek, but not too much.

Thursday night, I engaged in some protest mending. I sewed a hole in my favorite green blouse (from the dog). It was hard to make it look good (plus I was super tired, and I’m not that good a sewer), but it’s good enough that I wore it to the office on Friday (not many people there). Plus what’s the use of protest mending if people can’t tell you mended it?

Last night I signed F. up for a volleyball doubles league (two nights a week in July). So there’s one summer activity nailed down.

Not too much else to report. The seedlings are going to start taking up a lot of my time in the weeks to come. Hope to get carrot seed planted outside this week, in the one tall planter I have that is safe from the dog.

I’m seeing a lot of people on Instagram grinding their own flour, and I’m curious. Must investigate…