Stewing meat

I have done the same sort of thing.  I'll buy a large amount of beef, on sale, and then cut it up into chunks and freeze it.  While I make stew, I also like the chunks just browned off and then put in the oven in packaged gravy-with or without canned mushrooms.  I also cut some of it in thin strips, maybe dredge in a little flour, or not, brown it off and put in the oven with B-B-Q sauce from a bottle.  A pot of rice, some frozen veggies, and a meal.  It may be the same meat, but just a bit of variety.

We have to do a bit of house work today.  I have carpet cleaners coming in tomorrow morning.  It should have been done when we finished the kitchen, but the cash wasn't there.  This has been a long month, and yes, we had to resort to plastic a bit.  Looking at the calendar, this month  will be more of the same.  With the mild winter, we were ahead on our budget utility payments, for heat and light, and won't have to pay very much this month, but our budget went up for next year, as there was a rate increase.  Hardly seems worth it to be wearing jackets, and under shirts, most of the winter.

Beth, it sounds, like your visit with the friends was well worth the anxiety.  How nice it must have felt to be made to feel  welcome, and by several people from the sound of it. You may not fully realize the impact you've had on the lives of these people, until something like this happens.  Quite a validation for you, and your gentle accepting manner.

Today I plan to do some leaf printing, and then I'm out for lunch with my ATC trading group.  It sounds like a small group this month, and they changed the theme of the trade to a much less demanding one.  Since the meeting was cancelled last month, as no-one was able to make it, I have the cards I made for that.  Bonus!