Hello friends!

May is now behind us. I can scarcely believe it. The beginning of May feels so much like spring, while the beginning of June marks the start of summer for me. What a difference one month makes.

June is the month that my two youngest take their university finals, and complete their first year of university studies. Classwork may come to an end, but full-time summer employment is just beginning. Summer employment for my daughters means a Monday through Friday position on campus, cleaning dorms, kitchens, and meeting rooms, as they're on the housekeeping team. It's hard physical work, but at least they come home to rest, instead of studies and papers. Friday afternoons are the real highlight for the girls. The university puts on a barbeque lunch, gratis, for its student staff. Bonus -- they get 1 hour for lunch instead of 30 minutes. These are real perks when you're 19 years old. The other really awesome thing for them -- they each received raises! Summer employment may be a necessary evil in their eyes, but at least they're treated well, and earn a significant portion of their tuition each summer.

June is also the month that my part-time employment comes to a close. I'll start back to work in September. But I'll miss those little guys, and I'll miss the opportunity to earn some money. But this now means that my Thursdays are free again. And maybe I can take on more projects around the house. I have this one major sewing/decorating project, for which I bought all the necessary materials a year ago, before news of our income reduction. Adjusting to this reduced income took all of my energy last summer, fall and winter. It still takes a good deal of work and energy, but maybe, just maybe, I can tackle this project, which, for some reason, feels like summer work.

June is the month that I can take a break from planting the garden and just keep up with weeding. It does mean that more produce will come into the kitchen for me to process. But that's a fun thing, to watch the freezer stock of garden veggies grow.

June is the month for strawberries, and more strawberries and even more strawberries in our garden. We are so blessed with a healthy crop of strawberries this year. My favorite way to eat them is simply fresh. If there are enough strawberries, my second favorite way to eat them is in strawberry sorbet. I'm hoping to be able to make at least one batch of sorbet this June.

June is also the month of roses, here in the Pacific Northwest. While some of the rose bushes began blooming in May, June is when I cut roses every week to fill vases for the house. My favorite roses are the English roses, with their full blossoms. But we also have some nice hybrid tea roses, a rosa rugosa, and one lovely, old fashioned climbing rose that I have entwined in an apple tree in the front yard. I saw this in a photo years ago, a climbing rose entwined in an apple tree. It caught my eye, and I vowed to recreate this some day. Well, ours has been growing now for 2 years, and is on the verge of looking like something I once saw.

June is the month of Father's Day. My father-in-law lives 2 hours north of us. We'll drive up to visit with him. I'd like to bring a couple of homemade goodies with us, perhaps a batch of eclairs, or a box of cookies, and some homemade jam.

June is also the first full month of cookouts for our family. We do hot dog roasts around the fire pit, as well as bbq's on the grill. Our weekend entertainment centers around the outdoors for the summer. We have a croquet set and some horseshoes for active fun. Then after dark, there are s'mores to be made, then the waiting and watching for signs of nightlife in the yard. We sometimes see a family of raccoons crossing down by the pond. And the bats are interesting to watch circling over the neighborhood. Occasionally, an owl will be spotted. These creatures keep themselves hidden during the day, but provide interest for us in the evening.

My wish for you is that June will be a month of abundant joys, as it is for me. Let's make June spectacular!

with warmest regards,
Lili Mounce

Happy frugal things in May

Giving away some vanilla beans!

Yes, this made me happy! And they weren't too expensive. When you find something really awesome, you just want to share. My personal income has grown a tiny bit, through blogging (ads on the page), and I am very happy to turn some of this around in the form of giveaways to you. I have something in mind for next month, too! (Yeah, I know, you're saying to yourself, "there are ads on the page? Where?" I never notice the ads either! So I'm amazed that they ever get clicks.)

Chive blossoms!

Sprinkled over salads, making chive blossom vinegar, and saving the seeds from the blossoms for adding to bread dough or topping rolls before baking

The family cook-out!

This is a summer tradition for our family. A few times per month, beginning in May, and running through September, we have a fire in the patio firepit and roast hot dogs and make s'mores. It gets us all out of the house, into the fresh air, and enjoying the sights and sounds as night begins to fall.

Freezing eggs!

I froze 3 dozen eggs in muffin pans, and froze 1 dozen eggs, 3 to a container, for making quiche later this spring and summer. These were eggs bought for 99 cents/dozen just before Easter, that's half what I would have to pay if not on sale. So for every dozen I buy and freeze, I saved $1! That makes me happy!

Brightening up the dining room!

Searched through  a pile of table linens to find something "springy". Not much there -- but did find this mint green table round, and square card/game table cutwork cloth from my grandmother. The round doesn't fit perfectly, but it's good enough. I added the spring basket that I made last year, plus these 25 cent canning jar candles for decor. Now I think that says spring.

I accidentally left the yogurt to culture overnight -- and loved how it turned out!

I had been incubating yogurt for 3 to 4 hours. Leaving it for 12-13 hours got me into researching long-incubation for yogurt-making. The yogurt was thicker and more tangy than 3-hour yogurt. And as a bonus, long-incubation reduces lactose even further, a boon for those of us lactose-intolerant. But, for batches since my goof, I've been most happy with 7 hours of incubation. In case you're needing some hints on making yogurt, I have a rather lengthy post here.

Experimenting with making mustard!

I've made 4 batches, so far. My first batch was super hot! My second batch was slightly sweet with the last of the honey added afterward. The third batch, I made to be a hot dog mustard, so added turmeric, and cooked the mixture to moderate the spiciness. And the fourth batch was an additional yellow hot dog mustard, as we seem to go through it quickly. (The day I made this last batch of hot dog mustard, I also made ketchup -- to have with bbq's this month.)

Homemade mustard can be tricky. An interesting thing, if you want mild mustard, then you heat the mixture. If you want hot mustard, then you use only cold ingredients. And either way, mustard needs to mature for at least 24 hours to get rid of the bitter taste.

Potting up the violas and pansies that I found on the clearance rack at Home Depot for 19 per plant!

I bought 48 little plants. They bring cheer and color to the deck and entry of our home.

~~~ no photo here. Do you really want to see my socks? I think not!~~~

Socks! Socks! Socks!

I used 2 $10 coupons, one to Kohl's the other to JCPenney's, on socks! For a grand total of $2.63 I got 6 new pairs of socks for myself. I chose 1 package of Adidas, and 1 package of Nike socks. So far, I like them both. We'll see which ones last the longest.

Making Rhubarb Crumb Muffins and Lemon Balm-Mint iced tea!

A delicious springtime treat.

What frugal things made you happy this month?