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Sunday, January 17, 2016

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Everyone has favorite things in their life that cut the edge off a day that had to be maneuvered around stressors.  Like walking through the door and slipping into PJs as soon as you turn the lock.   Then making a cup of tea and sitting on the couch for ten minutes mindlessly watching a blank television screen before everyone in your family needs your attention. 

Well, maybe the PJ thing can happen, but the tea normally has to wait until everyone has settled in for the evening.  I remember those days with fondness.  My routine when I came in from working 12 - 14 hour shifts at a local emergency room was to give the kids a kiss and hop into a shower.  I didn't want the kids to even touch me before a shower because of any germs I may have picked up while working.  Hugs and contact came after the shower.

These days life is much calmer and I take solace in small things that change from time to time.  Currently I find myself enjoying these small treats.

FOOD
1.Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that have been stored in the refrigerator for a couple hours.
2. Oranges (vitamin C)
3.Raisin bread  (There's iron in them there raisins!)
4. Banana bread (potassium)
5. Apple cider vinegar to maintain good blood sugar levels and blood pressure.  There must be some effect vinegar has to maintain health because my last blood pressure was 100 over 68.




YOO TOOB VIDEOS
1.My tastes are eclectic in this area.  My first go to video is Boss of the Swamp.  This man lives off grid, but is not a show  offie type.  He's down to earth and has the prettiest and well behaved border collie that gets a lot of attention from viewers, including me.  He's an artist and his wood working skills are to be admired.  He reminds me of my husband in so many ways especially his even personality and dedication to his tasks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsvE_zQkKqI


2. A Simply Simple Life   This family has four well rounded children, one male and three females. (Sound familiar?)  Diane vlogs through a day in the life with a Pilipino accent that can be addictive.  The videos are relaxing and informative.  What I like about Diane is when she shops she lets us know what she likes, but she doesn't grab everything to put in her cart.  She has a budget and sticks to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpYqQ3Pr8fM

3. Elizabeth Mayhem!  This lady is from the UK and has a most delightful sense of humor.   She is laid back even though she also has a large family.  Very entertaining as well as informative.  I originally began watching her videos because there were foods from the grocery store that I didn't recognize.  She was gracious enough to answer my questions when I had them.  I'm learning about another culture while at the same time being entertain with laughs and giggles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH405N2u_sA

4.Frugalnista  If you want to see a woman who exemplifies the proverbs woman, cast an eye on Vivica.  Checking out store dumpsters is legal in her state and she can find some beautiful items by just peeking in and grabbing what's on top of the pile.  I call it elegant diving.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjWE5m-uxSs


SPITITUAL
The saint that was picked out of a hat for me this year by my friend in NY was Saint Maria Galetti.  I believe this saint was canonized in 1950.  Maria was only twelve when she was murdered, but left a trail of good deeds and pure love for God.  She was also a poor farmer's daughter who happened to be Italian.  I'm having a good time researching her life. 

I added a new prayer to my list.

ORGANIZATION
I love the new desk and bookcase in the office room.  I like the feel of the small room and have intentions of added a love seat and television to it.  I have a feeling that's where a person will find me in the months ahead.  As cozy as the living room is, the feel isn't there because of the high ceilings.  I'm more familiar with smaller spaces and feel secure in them.

CLOTHES
My go to home wear are sweat pants and waffle weave tops.  Since it's winter I also cozy up with a tee shirt under the waffle weave.  I also brought out the flannel sleep pants for warmth while the pup cuddles up next to me for a long winter's sleep.

SHOPPING
Since I don't need too many items any more my shopping has been reduced to comsumables such as food and light bulbs.  I do love an essential oil I bought called Thieves oil.  I use it to make liquid hand soap because of it's disinfecting properties.  It's called thieves oil because it is a combination of oils that were put together to protect thieves in the 1400s while they stole from bodies that were effected with the black plague.  A rather vile beginning, to say the least. 

HAND SOAP
Distilled water
3 Tablespoons castile soap
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
5 drops essential oil

Place oils and soap in a pump dispenser (I repurpose)
Add water to about 1 1/2 inch from lip of the dispenser
Cap and shake well



Do you have favorite things this month that help you get through the day?  Kind of a spark of sunshine during a dreary winter's day.  Please fell free to share in the comments section.  Until the next time, stay safe.

14 comments:

  1. Hi Angie, I enjoyed that post and feel like I know you a little better. It's Summer here in Auatralia and still school holidays. January is a time to go to the beach and spend time with family. Days are hot and long. My main interests are reading and I am adding more plants to my outdoor deck. The large deck is where I spend most of my free time. I have been buying more palms and potted plants to create a tropical flavour. I spend a lot of time in my wild garden and this is my constant pleasure. I continue to read more about countries I love and have some interesting shows I watch such as Live free or die. People who live off the land. Angie we do have some similar interests and I too am very interested in other cultures.

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  2. Don't you just love learning about other cultures? I'm on England right now and found a great series of videos on yoo toob. The one that stands out is the War Time Farm. I've watched that twice so far. There's a great series that teaches about past eras such as Victorian and before. Our country wasn't even a twinkle when some of these eras existed in England. (Tudor, etc.) Your deck sounds peaceful and relaxing. Stay safe and thanks for commenting. Hugs.

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    1. Angie have you watched the 1940s house? It's on YouTube and I love this series. A family who "go back in time" and live as if they are living during W W 2. Another interesting show is "back in time for dinner" and each episode is set on an era eg 1950s and depicts what English people were eating at that time .

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    2. I've also watched the war time farm . Such a good show.

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  3. Hi Angie, I am interested in how you take the vinegar. Not sure I could down it straight haha.

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    1. Hi Angela. I like the taste of vinegar so I drink a tablespoon of it straight from the bottle. One benefit of doing it this way is it's done and over with in a second. I've heard others drink it diluted in about an ounce of water. My way of looking at it that way is you're prolonging something you don't like the taste of. If you decide to go this route have some baking soda on hand and brush your teeth with it after you drink the vinegar to stabilize the effects the acid could have on your teeth. The one type that I know works is an apple vinegar with a mother in it. Good luck and let me know if you decide to go this route. The health effects are astounding.

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  4. While there is summer in Australia, we had minus 6° Celsius (about 20° F ?) in Southern Germany. And this first frost in the year means, I have to defrost the upright freezer. I can control the contents and clean the freezer while the food is safe outside. This "icy"
    work is done now and I could dream of coming spring while the wood-fired oven keeps us warm.

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    1. Waiting for the cold weather to set in before defrosting the freezer is a brilliant idea. Such a simple thing, but I would never have thought of it. This is why comments are important to Angie's community. I told my daughter and she said she was going to defrost today and put her food on the porch table. Thank you for the information.

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  5. Well, since I live in coastal CA there's no real summer or winter... or spring or autumn for that matter! We have two seasons. Wet and dry. It's the wet season now, and we're finally getting the rain we so desperately need. I love a rainy day. Having music playing on the stereo soothes me, so most days I have CDs or Sirius radio on. Today it's Enya CDs. I also love to read. Books are a borderline addiction of mine. Food wise, my favorites are soft cooked veggies (broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, spinach and zucchini) with rice or pasta, mashed potatoes and gravy or baked yams, bread and butter, and anything seafood. And I love soup of all kinds. Other things that make me smile include turquoise or pearl jewelry (I love to make my own), strolling through antique shops, and spending time with my DH. I'll have to try your vinegar idea!

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  6. An excellent post with great links for you tube. I have been having a bit of a look this afternoon and they look very good.

    Thank you Angie,

    xTania

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  7. Welcome, Tania! It's so good to see you here. Thank you for the compliment. I'm happy the post was helpful.

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  8. What a lovely post. I've added a few items to my list of items to try and a couple of new YT vloggers to my list as well!

    Where do you purchase your Thieves oil? I have a YL membership but would love to find it cheaper.

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    1. Welcome, Karla! It's nice to have you join the discussion. I use amazon for many items for two reasons. I accumulate gift cards from using a search engine and my credit card points are attached to it. So many items I get free, I paid 10.99 for it. I hope this helps.

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