Hello September 2012

"Hello September 2012 .... how is it going to be this Month?"

Here we are again, September 1st, but this time around with a "kick at the bucket" it is 2012.  September means, children returning to school, summer holidays are over for another year, shorter days, Fall fast approaching, along with many more .... however this Year September will also be a Challenge to me (and my "Crabby Cabbie", I am hoping), as outlined below:

I have joined along in Carla's "Savings Challenge" for the Month of September.  Since our Budget is so erratic with a "roller coaster" of income with a business of a Taxi at hand, I am hoping to at least curb some bad spending habits:

1.  Absolutely NO buying any household items, clothing, or any item pertaining to the household (getting rid of lots of items is totally acceptable);
2.  Try to generate some extra money by selling some unwanted, unused items on Swap or Kijiji sites;
3.  Limit my "Crabby Cabbie's" Tim Horton spending to 1/2 of what it is on a daily basis (looking good so far, as there was no Timmies coffee awaiting ME on the kitchen counter this morning);
4.  Any spending done has to be on a "NEED ONLY" basis, not a "I WANT, I WANT", along with a tantrum following;
5.  Groceries limited to, and not exceeding $50.00 per week, "Eating Out" not to exceed $50.0 per month, $50.00 for miscellaneous or unexpected expenses;
6.   Letters, mailing material costs limited to and not to exceed $20.00 (since I have now just began Post Crossing);
7.  Tracking and recording every receipt for the Month;
8  All business expenses, gas, vehicle repairs, etc are exempt from this Challenge, as well as all the usual monthly "fixed" bills and medical expenses;
9.  Personal vehicle expenses/repairs also excluded as I need to get to my weekly Doctor appointment as well as pre-scheduled dates and/or appointments for the month (hoping this doesn't happen, but we all know how Murphy operates);
10.  Total September Spending Allowance of $320.00.

Wish me LOTS of "luck" as I know I am going to be needing it.  Should anything go wrong, it usually happens when one has "made other plans", does it not?  I best be printing this September Challenge/Goal off and placing copies around the house in order to keep myself on track !

Now onto my day at hand ... that Cathy gal has been having the time of her Life on the Muskoka River, and apparently at my expense !  Now why on God's Green Earth would someone like myself disclose my personal name to such a person, is beyond me .... just because I have sided with her husband, Dave, over the way she hangs the toilet paper? she now has a beef with me?  Oh my Dear Cathy, Dave and I will be ruling the "Hang the Toilet Paper This Way" World before you know it !!!  Just watch us !

Ha !  Dave can call me Cindy, but you?  I suppose North of Wiarton & NOT East of the Checkerboard, will do for you, dear Cathy?  also here's to hoping you won't be having too many more boring drab days ahead of you.

I do LOVE the friends I have made along the way from blogging my personal journal, as well as some for their Zany humour, Miss Muskoka River Cathy!  Ha!

Going forward, here is a little glimpse, or two, of the "Blue Moon" off our deck last evening ....

"Didn't really look too "blue" to me, and I should know as I love the colour Blue.  Maybe it changed and I went to bed too early to see it do so?"

"I am really not too sure how I managed this photo, however it appears I added a "tail" to the Blue Moon somehow.  I just added the Sunflower photo I took this morning thinking it looks pretty cool with them set together as so."

"Really those Sunflowers were trying to reach over to the Eastern skies where the Sun was beginning to peak out at us this morning (below)."

"Someone came running pretty quick when they heard their food dish being filled early this morning."

"It appears we have been going through quite the amount of cheese slices in our house the past few days.  Whatever works, right? does Bandit really taste the pill as he inhales the cheese, is really the question at hand here."

"I was so excited when I was going through my camera case this morning to have found this little stash in there.  Um, do I have to claim this in the September Savings Challenge, I wonder? or do I just get to spend is as found monies?"

I had mentioned yesterday the Wiarton Optimist Club was having a Fund Raising Yard Sale to raise money for a local Basketball Court.  I wanted to "show up" to lend my support, however with the September Challenge just beginning I had to leave my purse in my vehicle, just incase.  Oh man, this was so difficult for me to do so, you have no idea.  I felt myself having withdrawals as I eyed up all this really "good used" merchandise.

"People were out and about pretty early checking out all the Yard Sales in and around town.  The Optimist Volunteers must have been out really early to get all of this set up."

"Once the BBQ was set up I am sure there must have been some business going on at this location to raise some funds."

"Before I left there most certainly were a few swarming around this table of goodies.  I personally had to drag myself away from a very tempting Cherry Pie."

There is a surmountable amount of work that goes along with these fundraisers, including the front runners and all the "behind the scenes"  people working to get it to the front end.  My hat goes off to all the volunteers who give their time and energy to these events.  Volunteers are the "Back Bone" of our Countries many many times over !

When I got back home Rob and I managed to have a "wee" bit of time together, and I do mean "wee".  Our friend, Lisa, came by to borrow a dog crate from us.  I could not let her leave without taking some Beets and Cucumbers along with her.  It wasn't long after Lisa headed back home that Rob had to put on his "Crabby Cabbie" hat to head South again.

Rob was barely gone down the highway when my friend, Diane stopped on it to bring me back some baskets I had sent along with garden produce in them a week ago.   We managed to have a bit of a visit.

I really think I have been a bad influence on Diane, as she was way up North of the Checkerboard to Lion's Head picking up some stuff she had purchased from a Facebook Swap I had introduced her too.

"Oh man did she "score" herself a couple of good deals.  A heavy iron and stone Bistro set for $20.00 and a beautiful Teak shelving unit for $30.00.  Way to Swap Shop Diane !!!"

Why does nobody come to my house when I have it "spic and span" spotless?

Of course, Diane needed to use my washroom facilities, which I hadn't yet gotten around to cleaning today.  *Sigh* ... thank goodness Diane reads my daily blog well knowing either how busy or fatigued I am at any given time.

Once Diane was on her way, I got to vacuuming our bedroom and tidying up a few other little areas.  I had to go meet up with my "Crabby Cabbie" over at Southampton before 1:30 pm yet today.  Knowing that he hadn't taken anything along with him in the way of food I got busy getting a surprise baked to take along for him.

"I had just enough crushed pineapple and zucchini leftover from the loaves I baked yesterday to make up 2 dozen Zucchini Pineapple Muffins."

"Wet meets Dry."

"Almost 2 dozen had I divided each muffin cup just perfectly."

"Fresh out of the Oven, with two semi cooled and put in a brown paper bag for my favourite "Crabby Cabbie" guy.  Where could I ever begin to tell how good these are?"

Recipe please?
Zucchini Pineapple Muffins
Recipe Source: allrecipes.com
Yields: 2 Dozen, more or less

INGREDIENTS:
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups white sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple,
drained
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
You have scaled this recipe's ingredients to yield a new amount (24). The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield (48).
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour 4 muffin pans, or use paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the oil, eggs, zucchini, pineapple and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Fill muffin cups 2/3 to 3/4 full.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

WARNING:  You will not be able to stop at one muffin !

I did deliver the muffins to my dear Rob, spending maybe 1/2 hour with him before he had to zoom off to be the great "Crabby Cabbie" he is.  I actually helped him out by doing two (really easy, as it was someone I knew) calls for him before I headed back home.

Going through Hepworth I had noticed the "open" sign at With Love~Distinctive Gifts Your Heart Desires.  I wanted to see if there was still a Quilt there I had eyed up in the Spring.  Alas there wasn't.

"Regardless I had a nice visit with Owner, Jaime.  Either drop on in when you are going through Hepworth and you see the "open" sign, or visit on her Facebook page HERE."

I did finally make it back home again to four pretty happy Australian Shepherds and my two Guinea Pig House Guests.  Once everyone was attended to I prepared two envelopes, which will hold cash for my September Budget.

"I couldn't get away without an expenditure on the very first day, as Bandit needed some more Hydrocortisone Cream for his Hot Spots.  A dent in the Miscellaneous spending envelope already.  Oopsie, I just realized I need another envelope for my Post Crossing $20.00."

Another full day almost behind me.  Whatever will I do tomorrow?  I will have to wait and see what tomorrow brings, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".