Cattle trailer

We have a new cattle trailer!  Well new to us....it was actually made in 1973, hubby has been on the look out for one for a couple of years. He wanted an older model he says the metal is thicker and this one only has slight rust, its been redone in the past. I know...I said no more big items for a while, but like usual he managed to get it in a trade so no money exchanged hands.

She need a little work...like tires replaced and I can sand/paint it and few other minor things, but I think it looks great!

It has a side door, in case one (or more) of the animals we are loading gets a little grumpy we can open the side door and get out! It also has a door inside so we can load a few in front then close and latch the inside middle door and put a few in back and best of all I will not have to pay someone $50 a head to haul animals for me anymore! :)

Dehydrator another yard sale find

I have been on the look out for a dehydrator for a while now (since mine broke) :(  I have found a few but they had been used (a lot). This past Friday I stopped by a yard sale (can you believe, yard sale winter...) on the way to take mom to speech therapy and low and behold they had a dehydrator, still in the box! I spoke to the lady, she said she never got around to using it yay! Happy Dance, because I got it for $5.00! This was a big thing on my list for saving money, I do can and freeze, but dehydrating food can be so convenient to use! just put it in a zip lock bag or jar and store on the shelf, cant wait to try it out this week. (but making soap first) :) Another big thing on my list toward saving is getting our cellar repaired, it is usable the way it is (but just). The cellar is well over 100 years old and the concrete in places is in bad shape. I know it would be easier to take out and replace, maybe close to the same (cost wise) but I like the old, when I walk down there I feel like the stories it could tell.... Well one step at a time. :) See my dehydrator, ain't she pretty

Well the first item I am making is beef jerky, hubby has a recipe he used a lot a few years ago before our old dehydrator bit the dust. We all liked it so that is what I will use first. Problem is with hubby's hours, getting him to write it down for me. You know how it is....he says a little of this and a little of that and let Marinate over night. Well I need it wrote down with the amounts or I know I will not get it to taste the same :p
I also found a powdered egg recipe that I want to try over at Modern Day Redneck, we have been getting a lot of eggs lately and I had never thought about dehydrating them, I think its a great idea!
If anyone has some good recipes for dehydrating meat, veggies etc. please give me a holler I'd love to try them :)

Books, Books and cotton Yarn

I stopped by a couple of yard sales today with my sister while we were waiting for mom to get out of speech therapy. I am so surprised at what I found, I read all the time and knit or crochet, so I always have a book, yarn and needles with me where ever I go. Well the first yard sale I went to had 5 balls of sugar and spice cotton yarn for $1.00 each. I had picked up two at another yard sale last month. With all of these together (and with a few from my stash) will more than make all of my dish cloths for Christmas presents and leave me a few also! The next yard sale I had to splurge on myself, They had over 300 hard back books (she was in 3 book clubs) they all look brand new and at .50 cents apiece! Well needless to say I picked up about two years worth of reading for $23.00 (this is a little less than one book cost new), so I picked up 46 books for the cost of one new and they are authors I love to read!
 I really like our decision to live more frugal! Even though there are so many items (cheep and new) I am not going overboard on yard sales I have just picked up a few items that can be used. I am also actually looking forward to Christmas this year without any worries about how to pay for it! This year I am making presents for everyone except my father-in-law, I will purchase something for him. The best part is I already have most of my Christmas presents made! except for a couple more aprons and eight more dish cloths and re batching my soap! This puts a whole different approach to Christmas for me, I feel like a kid again!
 I owe a lot to Rhonda at Down to Earth for giving me the boot I needed! I have been canning and making soap for a number of years. The boot I needed was thinking about our future and what it can be and how best to get there this is what I thank Rhonda for! I think I am off to a good frugal and happy start!.  :)

This is prettier than a new pair of shoes! Hope there are other
people out there that feel like this.

Yarn and Books = Happiness!

Yard Sales and Marching Band Festival

Just thought I would share my thrifty finds today since there were a lot of yard sales around town today along with the band festival, its usually overly crowded and hard to navigate around. This means for me, when they are having the festival, needless to say, I stay as far away as I can. Today was going to tell me otherwise though, I forgot to get animal feed yesterday, (I wonder did my mind do this on purpose?) Well, since I was already in town........I just had to go to a few yard sales. :) I was extremely glad I did! I picked up a few items that I have wanted for a while but would not purchase new (remember frugal!) Best of all all but one were still in the plastic sealed coverings and in their original boxes! and I only spent $8.00 dollars for everything.!!

A coffee grinder for a $1.00

Coffee press also still in the box and with two
matching coffee cups for $1.00

This is the only thing I purchased that was not
sealed and in its container. A message board I
put this on the wall next to my embroidery
machine for customer orders. I gave .50 cents.

1/2 gallon mason canning jars also still sealed in plastic .50 cents

And now, I saved the best for last.....a PASTA MAKER, I have found
electric pasta makers, but not a hand crank. This is the favorite
of all favorite finds! Best of all the lady said she never used it
and it also was still in plastic ya! I purchased this for $5.00 I felt
like doing a happy dance! Whohooo! :) Now to get to cooken!

Material

My Aunt Erna (dads sister) called and ask me to stop by yesterday to visit, I love to visit her she also lives on a farm, but in the next town over. Its always very relaxing, having a cup of coffee with her and of course mom is with me. The two of them are so cute! they usually end up talking about old times, or how they did this or that, I always leave with some new (old) way of doing something! This time when we got ready to leave she took me over to (what she said was a little) bit of material to take home with me, she said, if I wanted it. Yes I said! Love it I said! and it was not a little bit of material, it was three boxes! Lots and lots of yards of material all ironed and neatly folded, now to start looking thru all the patterns I got a few weeks ago at that yard sale hummm... Then there are the quilts I have been working on (3) of them and the pillows I started, I also started on a couple dolls, I do need clothes for them.... not enough time in the day, but it sure feels good!  :) Thanks Aunt Erma!

The Illustrated Dictionary of Knitting by Rae Compton

I just finished my first dish cloth yesterday! Ya! Also the book I lucked upon at a yard sale last April (can you believe it for I think $2.00) is chocked full (272 pages worth) of illustrations on knitting! I'm in second heaven I finally after doing the dish cloth,  and reading Rhondas blog Down To Earth , for the last year, (she really gave me the push I needed) feel like I can learn to knit! I am using this book for the dish cloth I am starting now. I think I am hooked on knitting, so happy :)

The Author has composed a very well rounded amount of illustrations accompanied with an easy understanding of the stitches that makes it (for a beginner at knitting) seem very easy to grasp. :) I am hoping one day I will understand knitting enough to try making socks.....

Patterns, Patterns and more Patterns!

It never seems to amaze me at what people purchase and after a few years sell (cheap) I lucked upon a yard sale the other day and found all these vintage patterns, all but a few have never been opened! Lucky me!! I felt like I hit the jackpot :p  Best part they were all for $1.00, cant do better than that at kroger! sorry old saying. They are pictured below, aren't they fabulous! 62 in all! now I had better get to sewing! Happy days, do a little dance!

Knit and crochet books

I went to the used book store today and found two books to my liking! The crochet rugs I got for .50, I have a round rug almost finished and wanted to try an oval rug (for the kitchen) but I had no idea how to crochet it oval. As soon as I am finished with the round rug I am starting the oval!
The illustrated dictionary of knitting I also picked up, this one cost $3.00 but is in really good shape. So.......I am going to learn to knit yah! I have wanted to for years, but you know how it goes I know how to crochet and have since a little girl and I can crochet pretty fast. A few years back (about 18) I tried to learn to knit (for a few hours) and got disappointed, it took forever. But all things come with practice and this time I WILL keep at it until I CAN knit. Wish me luck!