HobbyLobby? Oh Yeah!

I've not felt well for two days.  So those days were spent with a box of tissue and my pillow.  I woke up on Wednesday with a new vigor and began to scrub the house of the invisible germs that I could just feel were around me.  The kitchen got a scrub down first, cupboards included, then the floors, living room, powder room, and laundry room.  With those areas complete the bedding went into the wash with tea tree oil to remove any germs.  I ordered in a ravioli dinner because food was sparse and, to be honest, I got lazy after the morning cleaning marathon.

My grand daughter called me from up North and asked me what Marley was doing.  Then, it goes without saying, I had to ask what her dogs were doing.  A giggle escaped when she quite honestly told me they were in the yard pooping.  The conversation continued as she reported details of the family trip to the local zoo.  Her favorite animal was the bear, however she did like the rabbits who were eating carrots.  Her brother asked a zoo keeper where the DNA lab was.   I probably never mentioned my family is full of science nerds with me at the helm!

Nights have been cool, but the days have been sunny and warm.  A nice warm that heals he body from the inside out.  The perfect opportunity to open windows for fresh air to permeate the rooms.

Grocery ads were delivered this morning with nothing much I need in the way of sale items.  Last week was a marathon week for sales so my pantry is stocked well.  I will pick up some grapes at 1.29 a pound and price match at Wal Mart.  Other than that there were no items that interested me.  Chicken legs are on sale, but that's a no go for me. So many years of eating chicken for my husband's diet and I have a hard time even saying the word 'chicken'.  I like stock and chicken salad sandwiches with a load of mayo and lettuce, but that's where it stops for me.

Daughter number three invited me to go to Hobby Lobby.  I was suppose to wash my hair, but saved that for when I got home because I had never been before.  Oh my, they had so much stuff in that store that we both called it quits after an hour of looking around.  Too much stimulus, even for adults.  I did find the most gorgeous woven basket the shape of a large bowl that would make a nice home for my yarn.  The price was reduced to just under six dollars after my daughter pulled up a coupon on her cell phone.

I fell in love with this woven basket.  It'll make a good home for my
yarn and placed under the coffee table on the lower shelf.

I also found what is referred to as 'candle jewelry'.  I've never heard of it before, so number three explained it to me.  Quite simply an embellishment is poked into a cheap candle to make it look decorative.  So when I got home I pulled out a piece of grosgrain ribbon to wrap around a dollar store white candle and held it in place with the jewelry.  The 'jewelry' was 4.20, on sale, the candle was 1.00, and the ribbon was free.  I'm very happy with the results.

How cool is this?  No need to look further for decorative candles.
This piece of jewelry is made from metal and glass and is
extremely sturdy.  Of course, knowing my creative juices popped
to the surface when I thought about putting a ribbon around
the candle was a pls.  There just may be hope for me yet!




That's it for today.  I'm saving the charity shop finds for another post.
Stay safe.

What's Happening at Angie's House This Week?

For the first time ever I met our eldest daughter for breakfast.  The plan was to meet at a local restaurant, but when we arrived we were informed they no longer serve breakfast.  The closest place was McDonald's so we ventured there to fill up on a breakfast sandwich.  I sometimes crave one of their egg biscuits.

When breakfast was over and we parted ways, I stopped in to the Dollar Tree.   The cashier was a happy woman who sent a genuine greeting my way.  My spirits were instantly lifted from the greeting then hit high when I spied the new back to school supplies.

My daughter brought over two large zucchini for me. From one of them I got five cups of shredded veggie, four cups that went into the freezer and one cup went into the dehydrator.  The other one was sliced and dried for use in winter stews, soups and sauces.  I hope the harvest is good this year so I can dry lots more.  I am impressed with the health benefits of zucchini, but I'm not too fond of the bland taste.  This way I can bake with it and use it in one pot wonders.

I really wish I was a better photographer, but my poor skills will have
to do for now.  The next time there's a class online, I will be the first
to sign up, just so I can do better on this blog.  One jar of the dried zucchini
will go back to my daughter and the other will stay at my house. 
She wants me to keep the shredded bunch.

My neighbor moved, but before she did she shared a few organic veggies with me, one of which was a squash.  Today that squash will also be dried.

Two mornings this week I got up early and spent some time with the two youngest grands.  My daughter needed some help for a few hours on those days, so I went early, then the eldest daughter finished off the morning watching the kids until their mom got home.  This isn't something I do often, but when the parents are in a tight spot I'll watch the kids.  I'm not the grandmother that devotes her retirement to watching the grands.  I've made that very clear to all of my children.  My responsibility ended when my kids grew up.  Their children are their responsibility.  My job is to spoil the grands.  I think I may be good at my 'job'.  Tee hee hee.

I ordered two solar lamps from amazon this week, as well.  Let me tell you they are the neatest little lamps.  I have been testing them out at night to see how well they work and decided I could save on electricity by using them now and having them on hand if the power goes out for any reason.  I thought, even on sale, they were a bit more than I would normally spend, but I felt better after my son in law told me the bulbs were LED and would never have to be replaced.

Aren't these lights the cutest things?  There's even a handle so they
can be hung up.

Our buildings are being power washed this week. My community is small so they have put aside just three days to finish the project.  My home was the first one done.  For those of you not familiar with the humidity in the South buildings need to be power washed every year or so because the humidity tends to leave green slime on them after a while.  Especially the parts that don't get much sun light.

I had to pitch one pot of tomato plants because the rain  did a number on them.  I'm hoping I get at least a few tomatoes off of the remaining plant.  Even if they have to be picked green I can make bread or jam from them.  So far the cucumber plant and the melon plant are loving the rain.  Here's hoping.  I have gotten quite a few berries off of the blackberry bushes with many more to come.  So some successes along with some failures.

I think I may have mentioned in an earlier post that I bought two winter shirts from the thrift store.  They're washed and ready for the first cold day.  The intention is to use them as sleeping shirts, but there's no reason I can't wear them in the house to keep warm during the day.

These shirts came from the Goodwill thrift store. The blue
one was half price for 2.50, the cream one was full price.
The cream one still had the tags on it and the blue one
was never worn.  A simple way of testing this is to run
your fingers over the tag.  If the printing is raised
then the shirt was never washed.

Just to let you know this posted well before it was finished.  I don't know how I did that.  I may never figure it out.  But I will be diligent the next time I have a half finished post to make sure this doesn't happen again.

Stay safe.

A Day with William Morris

I was pleasantly surprised to read a comment from reader 'Anonymous' quoting the famous English architect, William Morris.  I've not heard of him, but he seems like a pretty down to earth, bright, man as his philosophy was to have nothing in your home that is not useful or beautiful.  A modern day spin on this thought is the Konmari method where the author of the book instructs us to ask ourselves if an item brings joy.  I see this as the same line of thought.

I've taken a break from organizing and de cluttering for about a week to focus on other projects.  This morning brought with it a desire to continue the path of de cluttering.  One would think that I wouldn't have much since I moved in a bit over three years ago with a clean slate.  However, I have made some mistakes in the purchases I have made.  As an example I bought a juice container from a famous home party company when I moved in.  I have never used it because it's too big for my needs.  My family are big water drinkers so that is the drink of choice when they visit - straight from the refrigerator door.

I also recently purchased a set of four matching coffee cups that are bright and cheerful.  I always choose the unmatched cups that a family member gave me that have a sentiment on it or a picture imbedded on the surface.  Only twice have I chosen the matching cups, and that was when they were new.  The ones my family gave me bring joy.  The others are pretty, but no joy is evoked.  So, out they go.

The most recent cup sent to me from the North from
daughter number two.  This one brings joy to my heart.

The kitchen cupboards were emptied and wiped down with peppermint spray with only the useful and beautiful (in my eyes) items returned.  Useful and beautiful.  An especially easy formula to follow.

This morning's activity removed nineteen items from my cupboards.
All are in pristine condition so I will offer them to my daughters
before I send them off to donate.

I don't have many items in the garage because of the simple fact I live in a condo, I don't need many tools.  I have a rake, a broom, a hand fueled mower, and a leaf blower.  The other items consist of things like 'hurricane' water, canning supplies, gardening bin and tool bin.  Saturday I bought a second shelving unit to use for the items that were scattered on the floor.  I love the feel of the room now because it would take very little effort to set up a table and chairs for a family get together when the temperatures are too hot to enjoy the outdoors.  I'm seriously considering looking for a few beach looking items to hang on the walls.  I also have room to pull my vehicle in during inclement weather. (Hurricanes) 

During the sweeping I found a little spider behind the mower that was kind enough to catch a couple flies for me.  Even though I considered the fact that 'it was earning it's keep' I didn't want to take the chance of finding a number of babies running around the garage. 

The small grill will be going outside when the sun goes down a bit
this evening for a good scrub.  If it's stored under
the back eve the weather won't affect it. 
The dog?  I can move her any where else in the house with just
one word!   LOL

The shelves were wiped down with(you guessed it) peppermint spray and items re arranged to fit the space better. The floor also received a spray of the peppermint bug spray.  My house is beginning to smell like a peppermint shop!

Yoo Toob, The Modern (Interactive) Magazine

Let's talk about magazines.  This is one form of media that I spent half a lifetime coveting.  While bringing up our family spending money on a magazine was a frivolous act, so I bought very few.  Mostly I would grab one from a doctor's office (since we spent so much time in them) and ask if I could have it.

I would read every word that was between the covers with relish, thinking that I was being educated.  In quiet time I would pour over the pictures again and again scoring the images to memory.  I did this for about ten years, thinking that the authors were so wise.  One day reality hit.

That day was the day that I noticed all of the previous 'wisdom' was being pooh poohed and new 'exciting' information was now available.  Information like margarine was so healthy and butter was a no no in any healthy diet.  Opps, we were wrong.  New studies reveal butter is natural and better than the spread we use to tout because margarine is one molecule away from plastic.  ONE molecule!!!!  Good thing that special heart diet my husband was on that didn't allow him the pleasure of butter was so healthy for him.  My love affair with women's magazines began to waiver. 

I turned to decorating magazines for inspiration realizing that the authors of the women's magazines knew nothing more than I did.  The same procedure for acquiring them was in place.  Until a magazine called  LIVING debuted.  I had to gift myself that one.  I loved it for years - too many to count.  Then two years ago I read where the new CEO let go of 500 employees the week before Christmas.  I became so disgusted that I refuse to even read the magazine or purchase anything with the name attached since. 

I realize every company has an individual tax year, but these modifications could have been put on hold and enacted later in the new year.  Living began soliciting me to renew my subscription - the one I had for twenty years.  Sorry, I've lost total interest in a firm that has demonstrated it does not take into consideration the loyalty of it's staffers - appearing, instead,  to covet only  the bottom line.  It's in an instance like this that I have to ask how many millions is enough.

I see this conglomeration has been loosing luster ever since allowing this to happen at Christmas.  We consumers are not as clueless as this company thought.  Even if the company was loosing money, waiting three months would not have made that much difference.  I know this as a fact as the company I worked for did the same thing for years until it was pointed out to the owner how badly it reflected on him.  He changed his ways and began gaining headway in the market place, making less people angry who complained to anyone who would listen to them.

These trademark products are now often on sale and the company is begging people to subscribe to their magazine, something that was not considered appropriate by it a few years back.

Currently the only magazines I purchase are specialty ones that have information in them about a specific subject such as canning, organizing or Christmas décor and projects.  It's rare that I purchase any these days.

My new 'magazine' is yoo toob.  I love yootoob.  I have found a group of ladies that are so talented that Martha should hang her head.  The kicker is these ladies don't spend thousands on their projects.  They glamorize garage sale finds and super discounted items and their homes are gorgeous.  They create their own pillows by using fabric glue and low cost embellishments.  They organize using dollar store bins or TJ Maxx items.  No snobbery going on here.  I admire them because they are uplifting and have a heart for young families and beauty.

I can't remember which one said this, but it stuck with me. She said God created beauty and an organized environment therefore He has shown us that both of these things can bring peace into our hearts and homes.  This is the kind of wisdom that is forever motivational.

So, yoo toob, you have my vote as long as the bottom line is not more important than the people who  brought you to fame.

Stay safe.

What do Bedding and House Hunting Have in Common? Not Much

What a lovely morning in this part of the USA.  The sun is shining with no humidity, after 4 days of down pours and showers.  The continued rain has my yard looking like a jungle.  I cut the grass the evening before the rain started, yet it looks like it hasn't been tended to in weeks.  As soon as the drying sun moves to the grassy area, it will be clipped and tended to this morning.  The spinach that has gone to seed will be pulled to make room for the melon plant that's peeking through the soil.  I will also replant a bunch of bean seeds so I can get at least a few plants from the seeds. 

The tomato plants are flourishing in the front yard pots, which is exciting.  They were too heavy to move when the rains began and I hoped and prayed they wouldn't get water logged and die on me.  The plants that are potted in the back yard were easily moved to below the eves to protect them from too much rain. The rain was coming down so hard for a day that it looks like it battered the dill plants.  I'll play the waiting game before I decide to pull them to see if they recover.

I read an article this morning about keeping a pantry bug free.  The first thought was I have most things in tight sealing containers.  Then a picture formed in my mind of the boxes of cereal I opened for the grands when they visited.  After breakfast I went to the pantry and threw out the boxes while sealing the inner bags in a food storage bag.  I threw some bay leaves on the floor and was, once again, (but I'm sure temporarily) satisfied.

Yesterday was a gloomy day so I stayed indoors deciding to wash all of the bedding, including the bed skirt.  I thought about how to remove it by myself and came up with using the 'jiggle' method.  I got on my knees and lifted a section of the mattress up with one hand using the other hand to 'jiggle' the skirt down towards the foot of the bed.  Then I went to the other side and repeated the process.  Rinse and repeat until the skirt was free.  I reversed the operation when the skirt went back on the bed.  It would have gone much quicker if there were two people working on the removal, but I did it trying to not think of that and concentrating on the final accomplishment.

The bed spread is a king size so I wasn't sure if my washer could handle it.  It worked fine, but the dryer didn't dry it after two hours.  I spread it on the kitchen table to dry and now it's in the sun on the patio table drying.

When I was making the bed with the clean bedding I began to chuckle to myself.  When the bedding is going on after it's washed the most affable care is taken to remove all wrinkles and make sure the folds are all lined up and done well.  The next day (as well as the following days)  I ignore the wrinkles and just bring up the spread and put the pillows in place.  That's the lazy streak in me rising to the surface. 

The other thing that sticks with me is being imperfect keeps me humble.  Never do I want to get to the point that I feel I can accomplish everything on my own.  I want to always need heavenly support in all I do - no matter how trite the task may seem.  I not only pray often, I offer up my duties and tasks as prayer for those in need.  I have no one in mind, but I figure God knows who is in need.  I'm a retired Italian Catholic woman.  That's what we do as our contribution to society.  Catholic women are known for being able to pray and work at the same time.  I'm proud of that feat.

The made bed (minus the spread that's drying in the sun) the
day the bedding is washed.   Everything nice and neat.  When
the spread is dry I'll take a picture to show you the lazy man
way the bed is put together.  When I'm expecting company
there are more elaborate pillows set up.  These are the ones
I lounge on.

I may be going with my daughter and her family to look at a house this afternoon.  So far the hunt has been unsuccessful, but when they find 'the house' they will know it would be the right one to turn into a home.  The houses she likes tend to reflect the cozy home she grew up in.  I want to say that every time, but I said it once and have been holding a smile back for the rest of them.  The house we are looking at today was individually spotted by S. and her husband.  They sent pictures to each other. 

Stay safe.

A Low Key Week

The week - so far - has been quiet and slow.  I've been doing piddilly little projects to keep me out of trouble.  Monday I went to my daughter's house to help my son in law with a project.  Nothing he couldn't do by himself, but four hands made the work lighter.  The project took three hours with the two of us working on it, so I imagine it would have taken at least four hours if he were by himself.

I made new bottles of room spray and bug spray since both bottles were close to empty.  I use lavender essential oil for the room spray then for the bug spray I mix the lavender with peppermint essential oil.   Since I was already making a mess in the kitchen I made more hand soap using empty pump bottles I saved.

A short trip to the dollar store netted a pack of chalk board (like) stickers that had greetings on them.  The type of greetings that could be used if someone wanted to make their own thank you notes and such.  Pulling out my small tin of craft items I grabbed a couple of pieces of card stock, folded them, then simply placed a sticker on them.  Plain and simple, just like their creator.  I think by this time  my readers realize I'm not the frilly type.  The cards reflect that fact.  Not super creative, but along the level I'm at right now with my creative streak.



One of the cards is a thank you note card that I can write a
sentiment in that would be appropriate for the occasion. 
The other is an encouragement card that can also have
a hand written note inside.  I know a little girl who will be
receiving this one. 

I also went to a garage sale and found the perfect table for my back hall area.  On top of that I found a great lamp with lots of character.  Another trip to the store,  TJ Maxx this time, and I'm so happy with the results.  The table was the perfect color and size and I parted with 20.00 to buy it.  The lamp was 10.00.  The accessories I bought at TJM were 7.00 and 14.99. The cost of the total project was about 52.00.



The table is a slim parson's table.  I'm not sure how to describe
 the lamp other than to say it's 'cool'.  The mirror was there which
was a gift from my daughter for a birthday.  To say she got
a great deal on it would be crass.  (But, she did!)

Meals this week have been good and made from the pantry.  I made white clam sauce pairing it with bird nest noodles that covered two meals.  I also finished off the French bread I made for breakfasts-once toasted with peanut butter and once toast then sliced in thin strips to dig into soft boiled eggs.  It's difficult to remember what else I had for meals, but those two things remained in memory.

What was your week like?  Was it as 'exciting' as mine?

Memories of A Sailor and Current Things

The weekend was so active that I haven't gone out this week with the exception of a dollar store trip with my daughter.  Morning wake up time has been normal, but I fall back to sleep an hour or so after I wake up.

Pretty pup basked in the sun as I planted a few seeds.  I added to the parsley pot, planted some marigold seeds at the edge of the garden, and planted a few heirloom melon seeds in the bare spot that was created when I pulled the radishes.

A few minutes to watch some videos and I was sleeping again.  I have favorite videos I watch that include ideas about decorating, cooking, and organizing.  The last few days, however, I have been watching dollar store haul videos.  I'm ashamed to call my finds 'hauls'.  These women really haul. I thought I had an addiction to nice paper, but I'm a novice compared to these ladies. They purchase multiple stickers, tape and paper items.  One girl had three large bins filled with pads of paper.  I'm not sure there would be enough years to use it all.  The dollar stores are a great resource for keeping life frugal, but These hauls bring a new meaning to the word frugal.. 

The Dollar Tree has some great food finds, such as the frozen fruits and veggies that contain no additives or preservatives, brand name breads, and even pure and organic foods.  Most of the gift wrap is made in the USA and the tape is a national brand.  I love the washi tape they have as well as the seeds and garden hand tools.  I try to remember to visit the store before I shop for anything else on my list because there is a chance the store has an item on my list.  This week I picked up a pair of small wire cutters and a box of Cow Tails.  This is where I buy bubble gum to have when the sugar cravings hit, too.  I can't say I've never bought labels there because I have.  A total of three packs to use in various projects is enough.  I love to look at everything, but for the most part I go to a dollar store with items in mind.  Most of the time I am successful.

As the saying goes in this part of the country, 'Bless their little hearts' for loving that store.


This is Bob with our son many years ago when Jr. first learned 
to ride his bike.
 

Cooking hasn't been on the agenda this week so far as I brought food home from a picnic we had on Monday.  Memorial Day and Veteran's Day have a deep meaning for my family.  It is because of the service my husband did for our country that he is no longer with us.  This fact is in the back of our minds and each of us is reminded through the weekend of our great loss.  To us, it is a great loss.  My husband was the best dad and a great husband.  To us he was perfect, even his faults were perfect. We remember those faults with a combination of laughter and quiet tears.  He will never be forgotten by his family.  The pain and suffering he endured most of his adult life will always be remembered with sadness, yet his infectious smile will be remembered with love.





Bob with one of our new born grandchildren a couple of months before he passed.
He loved children and felt honored to protect and care for them.

Bob was a man's man.  So when a fellow staffer was astonished when he found out Bob believed in God, Bob's reply was he wanted to err on the safe side.  The man was puzzled by this response.  Bob went on to explain his philosophy - If there was a God and he didn't believe, there would be hell to pay.(literally) If there wasn't a God and he believed there was, there was no consequence.  LOL!  Only Bob could get someone thinking about such a subject.

The tomato plants are doing so well that I gave one to my daughter and I transplanted one into another large pot.  I have a total of four in two pots.  They seem to like their home in the front yard.  I hope they continue to grow and produce lots of fruit.  This will be the last year I plant them if these plants fail.

I haven't really accomplished much this week.  One of the bigger projects was to clean the garage.  I swept it and sprayed home made bug spray.  Videos were also a big part of my week.

What did you do this week?  I bet it was more than I did! LOL


Stay safe.

The Weekend

I'm not sure when this will get posted, but this morning is a sunny, yet cool early Sunday morning.  Since the term 'cool' is relative I'd define it in this area as being in the 60s.  As soon as I got out of bed the garden got a visit.  Among the plants that were woken up to my prodding were the marigolds and dill.  Both are in pots as seedlings with little production.  Each pot has only two seedlings peaking out.  I aerated the soil and gave them a drink placing them on the patio table where both of the plants will get more sunlight.

The radish experiment did not go well (I didn't cull the seeds when they were babies to see what would happen.)  The space was needed for additional food, so I pulled the radishes and weeded the area to make room for something else.  I also amended the soil with compost, egg shells, and coffee grounds.  A rest for a couple of days and something else will go in the space.  I may plant a melon plant knowing the spinach will be pulled as soon as seeds are formed.  Since the spinach is next to the radish space I'm hoping there will be plenty of room for a melon plant or two.

The beans have not broken through the soil yet, but the sunflowers have.  There are four flowers along the fence near the gate.

Saturday was fun because my eldest daughter picked me up to take me shopping for tops.  I found two - a black and a white one - at Target on sale for 5.40 each.  If they last a year, I'll be satisfied. Then we had to go to the book store with the kids in tow.  Each of them can choose ten dollars worth of books that grandma will happily pay for.  I bought one book and my daughter picked up one, as well.

At home we went our separate ways, me for a short nap and her to the YMCA for a lay by the poolside with my other daughter.  Of the two in the Northeast, one had a garage sale and the other spent quiet time at their cottage.

My daughter in law posted some of the items for sale in the garage sale on Facebook.  The eldest spotted a toy police car in a box of hot wheels and requested that be sent to her.  I told her she had eagle eyes to have spotted that car in the box of many.  Since her husband is a peace officer they collect little police cars.  Not too many, though.

I have no plans for today, but since it is Sunday (the day of rest) I will not do any housework other than dishes and make the bed.  It's difficult for me to go an entire day without the bed made up.  Even when all four kids were growing up my bed was made most days.  My mother in law, who had eight children, told me if a bed is made and the dishes were done a home felt more comfortable,  I took that to heart because she was a wise lady.

While I have been writing about organization, I have also been working on an organizational project.  The master bedroom closet has been receiving a tweaking.  This is the perfect time since I finally changed over winter clothes for summer ones.

The closet is a nice size so I've tried to use it to it's fullest advantage without crowding and cluttering it up.  The closet not only holds my clothes it holds: shoes, a sewing basket, craft items, medicines stored on a shelf so the kiddos don't get into them, winter sweaters in bins, extra pillows, stuffed animals that my grands have given me, and a tray displaying the scent items I use.  A picture hangs on the back wall that was a birthday gift from the COO of the company I worked for.  The picture is a reminder of the good times during that season of my life.




Summer clothes and a couple of winter tops in case the weather
dips.  I also keep the four dresses I own in here all year.  Two
for winter, two for summer.  All pans stay in this closet, as well.
Dressy pants can be worn in any season.

These bins hold craft supplies and medicines/ toiletries.

The bins on the top shelf hold winter sweaters and socks.


Stay safe.
Angie

A Fun Birthday Party and Dollar Tree

Saturday we are celebrating my grandson's fifth birthday.  He promised his mom that when he turned five, he would be a 'good boy'.  LOL  He's too bright and spunky to be a 'good boy' all of the time.

My daughter and son in law rented a city park for the day so all of the excitement can be let loose in the great outdoors.  My contribution to the food will be a macaroni salad, potato salad, and baked beans.

I got a five pound bag of potatoes a couple of weeks ago for .99.  The mayonnaise was on sale for 2.00 each with a coupon.  The eggs I'll use are the ones I get from the milk man, so they are a bit more of an added cost.  A dozen goes for 3.29 and I used eight for the two salads.  The  baked beans were on sale for 1.67 for a large can.  With my senior discount the savings was .07 a can.  Since two large cans went into the cart the cost was 3.12 for the pass around dish.  I'll add a bit more brown sugar to sweeten them up a bit. The pasta was .49 a box, so I got a good deal on that, too.  So a total of approximately 6.50 plus a few stalks of celery and carrots which were also purchased on sale.

I had to put the macaroni salad in two containers because
there was so much of it..  This turned out super good so I brought
some home.

Let me interject a word of wisdom here.  If your celery or carrots become a bit limp while being stored in the refrigerator, place them in a bowl of ice water for about 30 minutes to re - crisp them.  The only reason they become limp is the moisture was being drawn out.  This stands only if the color is still intact.  Brown veggies are rotting veggies.

I started this post on Friday and got side tracked.  Today is Monday so I can report that the party went well.  All the kids had such fun with water guns and empty water bottles.  The day was perfect - weather wise - so the water that soaked their clothes quickly dried them.  There's nothing like a gaggle of boys running around acting like boys!   The laughter was infectious and so nice to hear.

I didn't realize I could have brought the pup with me if she was on a leash.  Next time we go there, I'll do that and let her check out the lake.  Who knew there was a large lake tucked in the center of our city.

I like this city, even though I have always preferred a rural setting. The tallest building I have seen is the City Center building which is four or five stories.  Needless to say it sticks out like a sore thumb.  Our buildings are no more than two stories and the city is sprawled out like a big suburb with lots of green space and beautiful flowers everywhere.  Small forests are tucked between housing plats for an added touch of nature.

The city is also clean because residents take great pride in the area.  I have seldom seen litter and when I do, I pick it up just like others do.

After I left the party I was close to the Dollar Tree so I stopped in to check things out.  I only
bought four items; shelf liner, Lysol wipes, labels, and computer paper.  I watched a video where the poster used rubber shelf liner in her refrigerator door to prevent glass bottles in the door shelves from shuffling around when the door was closed.  Great idea since my milk comes in glass bottles and resides in the door.

My dollar store finds this week.  The labels will be used to
identify what goes in the clear containers in the refrigerator.
The wipes are for the vehicle and the paper is just because I have a
'thing' for good paper. I know I'll find a use for it.

Accomplishments this past week are:
1. Planted four bean plants.  Since the spinach is going to seed, I'll plant more beans when the spinach is pulled out.
2.  Washed all of the bedding and scrubbed the bedroom.  It's time to wash it again today.
3.   Scrubbed the kitchen with home made orange cleaner.  I love this concoction on the stainless sinks in the kitchen.  It removes the film that accumulates which no one can see.
4.  Watched videos on organization.
5.  Put back all of the items I had to put up when the carpet cleaning man came to clean the rugs upstairs and in the master bedroom.  I let the upstairs wait until I had time to replace things and go through them to sort what I wanted to keep and donate.
6.  Did a small grocery haul.
7.  Went to dinner with the family.
8.  Weeded the garden.
9.  Watered the garden on the days it didn't rain.

Other things I can't remember!

Stay safe.

A Little of This, A Little of That

I may have found a way to grab pictures and post them on the blog.  It's rather time consuming, but for now, it works.  Here's a picture of my cucumber plant all tucked into a mix of compost, soil, egg shells, and coffee grounds.

 

 

 

The first red strawberry of the season.  There's lots more green ones. 
I may have enough for a batch of jam, if I don't eat them all!

There's five small tomato plants in a very large pot.  I'm thinking the
strong shall survive.  If my experiment does not work this year,
I'll turn to local growers to provide tomatoes.  This variety is
an heirloom one so it's not as resistant to predators and disease
as hybrids are.

A big shout out to my son in law today.  It's his birthday.  I'm proud of the man he has become.  A good dad (spoils the girl), an encouraging husband, and he likes his mother in law to be around!  Both he and my daughter, S, work hard to provide a good life for their family.  Happy birthday, JJ.

 

 

I have a short list this week for shopping.  I need more moth balls as the rain has been heavy.  They were just dispersed around the outside of the house a few days ago, but are close to being gone already.  The other two items on the list are Cliff protein bars and allergy medicine.  I take one pill a day to prevent a build up of fluid that turns into a continual sinus infection.  One before bed and the infection only appears at the change of the seasons in the spring and the fall.

 

Here's some news.  I'm getting use to it - I got a cell phone.  One of those track phones for 18.88 for 160 minutes of talk time, 160 of text time, and 160 minutes of internet time.  I have to renew minutes every three months, but the ones I don't use stay so I can accumulate them.  Now all I have to do is remember to charge it and carry it with me.

 

 

Now for the deal of the month.  Look what I found at a community garage sale for 5.00.  Slip cover and all.

 

 

 

When I moved in this home three years ago I purchased
a (fake) wicker chair on sale so I would have something
to use in the bedroom.  I knew it would someday be replaced with a comfortable one
and I was willing to wait for the right one.  I'm so glad I waited
for just the right one.  5.00!  Can't be beat. 

Whistle While We Work

Tuesday was one of the most productive days I've recently had.  My accomplishments truly astonished me.  I know I'll not remember everything, but here's to a good try.

I reorganized the pantry.  I know it was done a few months ago, but I'm also realizing that this will be an ongoing project.

I scrubbed down the kitchen counters, then polished them with Jubilee polish.  This is a product from the 1960's I was happy to find on amazon.com  Just a small dab on a clean cloth and the counter surface is protected from scratches and cuts.  Warning:  Lots of 'elbow grease' is needed to bring it to a shine.  To me, it's not only exercise, but worth the shine and good smell.

I washed the bedding and mattress pad.  Then I vacuumed the rug and the mattress.  With a damp cloth with tea tree oil on it, the mattress got a wipe down.  The decorative pillows were next to get a wipe down, then the kick boards.

Anything on the counters was washed in hot soapy water after the microwave was cleaned.

In the evening I cut the grass.  Three companies -so far - have said they'd fill in the grass with rocks so the ground would be level and I wouldn't have to worry about cutting grass.  No one has shown up to complete the project.  I guess when you want something done, a person must do it themselves.

When I look at my accomplishments on paper it doesn't look like much.  But, the efforts took most of the day.

This morning I weeded the carrots and pulled three radishes up along with more parsley and spinach.  What a feast I'll have for lunch.  I also sprayed weeds in the rock area with vinegar.

As a side note, I apologize for no pictures yet.  I'm having a difficult time finding where they went to on my new lap top.  I'll keep trying to find them.

Stay safe.

What a Gorious Day It Is!

Today's weather can be described as fabulous.  A nice breeze with warm temperatures.  No humidity just glorious sunshine - most of the day.  The olive tree and lemon tree have spent the day in the backyard.  I just brought them in because there is a small threat of rain.  I just watered them so they don't need to be in a rain shower.  I also know there was rain last night because the soil in the garden has been splashed up on the contrasting color fence.  Dirt tends to stick out on a cream colored fence.  LOL

Both of the trees were cropped when they were transplanted into larger pots.
The lemon tree has grown a number of new leaves that
are growing outward.   All of the mature Myer lemons trees I've seen are more
bush like than tree like.

I know this looks messy, but I can't wash it down just yet.
The soil already has enough water in it.

This morning was a lazy time as I went across the street at a WAWA to grab a breakfast sandwich.  They're 2/3.00 and made from good ingredients.  All real food.  They own their own dairy farm and use the products from there in their stores.  I ate one and will save the other for another meal.  (OK, the pup and I ate one!)  

The gas is always the lowest price in the area, as well.  In case you want to know, never grab gas when the truck is there filling the tanks.  The action of filling the tanks raises up any debris at the bottom of the tanks and can goo up your gas tank.

I pulled weeds this morning after inspecting the veggies.  The parsley is going strong as is the garlic.  Things like this make for a nice beginning to the day.  I put down landscape cloth behind the blackberry bush to discourage weeds and kill off the ones that are there now.  I can reach the other garden on a daily basis to weed it out, but this side goes back too far.

The blackberry bush has produced an off spring. 

The big pot I want to grow tomatoes in is now in the front yard filled with soil, peralite, egg shells. and compost.  I can see now why compost has been referred to as black gold.  I'm amazed at how the food and leaves I put in the bin last year has morphed into black soil.  Simply amazing!

The egg shells and compost waiting to meet the soil.  I've done everything
I can to provide a healthy environment for the heirloom tomatoes this year.
I'm hoping for a successful season.

I bought this pot when I moved in three years ago.  It was a good investment
because it has stood the test of time.

The Red, White, and Blue now proudly waves at the front of my home.  I have to say these past few years have been rough on our country, but the people I know have persevered and have come out strong.  Of course, the ones I know can be just as stubborn as I am.  Everyone has a good attitude and a strong belief system in place which gives them the fortitude to move forward determined not to fail.  Most everyone has adapted a simple life style embracing the free things in life rather than accumulating material 'stuff'.  I'm proud of our success, but in the secret chambers of my heart I wish more people would see what's truly important.  All in good time. 

The greenery is coming to life just in time to welcome summer.

Isn't she a beauty? 

A Blessed and Whirlwind Weekend

Good morning!  The weather is glorious in this part of the world which makes me want to build a bridge - that's how much it energizes me.  Instead of building a bridge, I'll most likely stick close to home and work in the garden.  Saturday was nice, too.  This is a picture of me on Saturday.

I went crazy cleaning and scrubbing the floors.  I got down on my bum and washed the living room floor by hand.  It's amazing how we think things are clean until we get a bird's eye view of them.  There wasn't much dirt because the floors get steamed on a regular time table, but the corners were hiding all sorts of things like little pebbles and Christmas tree greens.  I only found one tiny spider trying to create a new condo home, but he went the route of the one I found in the window when I washed the bedroom window.

Then I cleaned and organized the refrigerator and freezer because I couldn't find the cookie dough balls I froze a few weeks ago.   The cookies were made and the asparagus soup was completed for dinner.  I did find makings for pizza in the freezer so I thawed those out for a nice addition to the soup.

A head of lettuce was waiting to be washed, dried, and put into jars, so I got right on that, as well.  I washed the lettuce in cool water and added a teaspoon of vinegar to the water to kill any bacteria that could linger behind, then sealed it in a jar to preserve it.

After that I got out the home made orange cleaner and cleaned the counters and sinks in the house.  It's difficult to remember what else was cleaned, I only remember I just kept going.

Note to self.  Stop and rest once in a while.  You are no longer young enough to move all day and half the night.  The pain in my body woke me up at three AM and had me  close to tears.  Since big girls don't cry, it finally dawned on me to take some aspirin.  The pain reduced enough to continue sleeping after being awake for one and a half hours.

Easter was a fun day for all of us.  We went to lunch at a local pub, eating on the deck.  The restaurant is on the Inter Coastal Waterways so the scenery was great.  There was a dock off of the deck so, of course, we had to take the kids down there to get a better view of marine life.  The only 'life' we saw was three fish that washed up and never made it back to the water.  The eldest grand spotted a few barnacles on the dock leg for excitement.  Lunch was went down easily and time went by in the same way.  We left to go to number four daughter's house after two hours of yakking and munching.

I stopped at home to grab the kids' Easter baskets, the dog, and change into my jeans before I took the short drive to her house.  The kids played in the yard then sat to color two dozen eggs.

I was surprised to see my daughters both made up a little bag for me.  I'm the simple sort so they popped simple things in the bags for me.  I received home made pickled eggs (from their father's recipe), sunflower seeds, a pretty pen and table of paper, among other small items.  Did I mention Peeps?  Oh yea, they had to be in there, too. 

When I left her house I had intentions of going home, but drove the short distance to the Dollar Tree instead.  I found an entire box of (6 count) my favorite protein bars.  I hope my excitement didn't disturb anyone.  Those who love the dollar store know that the items in there can be there one day and never seen again.  You bet I grabbed those bars!  I considered it my lucky day when I found one lone roll of my favorite wrapping paper that I use for Christmas gifts.  The kicker is it's Made in the USA!  I picked up some bubble gum for when I have the feeling of needing sugar, as well as more grosgrain ribbon and stickers for file folders.

The protein bars are peeking out in the top left corner of'
the picture.  The ribbon looks yellow, but it's cream colored.
I like basic colors so they can used with colorful papers.


 

I best get myself out to the garden to grab those little weeds that think they can live in my yard.  You don't pay rent, you can't live here! Ha!

The seedlings enjoying the spring sun light.


 

PS:  Thank you, Bob, for the song - There Will never Be Anyone Else But You, by Ricky Nelson.  Big girls DO cry.

Helpful You Tubers and Carolyn LaRoche, Author

It's not true what they say about teaching old dogs new tricks.  Yesterday I learned from two young mothers on you tube.  One is Annie's Simple Life.  Ann has been trying some new things she finds on the internet.  She tries them out and gives a report on how well the experiment works.  In this video she made foaming hand soap from organic castile soap that worked well.  You can see how she does it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5thOCXF8S80


Hillary of My So Called Home is also a young mom who has an interest in keeping her family and budget healthy.  She often purchases clothing from a site called' twice'.  Twice pays you to highlight gently used items that they sell, shipping included.  There is a comprehensive list of manufacturers they accept so there is little room for error.  If I remember correctly, Hillary buys and sells on the site.

Since I have just purged my closet, I have had a shipping packaged mailed to me.

You can see what deals Hillary came up with here:


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

Both of these ladies are sweet and helpful to anyone who desires to learn new things.

Good luck and let me know what you think.

It's also worth a mention that my daughter's new book is released on www.amazon.com this morning - in e format or print.  Titled 'Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos', by Carolyn LaRoche, it offers the reader intrigue and romance that is sweet between a cop and his wife.  This is her second published book, with two more accepted.  You will love this captivating read.

You can catch an excerpt and an author interview here:

http://www.alliekincheloe.com/author-interview-carolyn-laroche/#comment-1112




Stay safe.

Recent Accomplishments

(Somehow this post went up before it was completed.)


Life has been a bit slow this week so there's not much to talk about.  The one thing that happened was my daughter and her family came home from California.  There was a death in my son in law's immediate family, so they were on the opposite coast for quite a while.

Today I have an appointment in the afternoon and Marley has her annual check up tomorrow afternoon.

I have accomplished a few things this week, nothing earth shattering, though.  My seedlings are being babied and sprayed with water twice a day and  the windows have started getting their spring cleaning.  I started in the bedroom and will clean one or two a day.  Since they need a thorough cleaning I will clean them one at a time.  The lower part pulls out and into the house for easy cleaning, but I'm not sure how to clean the outside of the upper windows.  I'm thinking the hose needs to come out with the sprayer attached.  There's time to figure it out.  On the very first window I cleaned I found a spider already thinking it wanted to take up residence in my home.  No!  He now has joined his relatives in dead spider space.  If you don't pay rent, you don't live in my house!  Simple as that.

The asparagus I purchased for this week was washed to remove any 'debris'. (did I spell that correctly?)   Some will be cooked up for dinner, then a portion will go to make soup.  The rest will be frozen in a food saver bag for a future meal.  Meanwhile I'll work on eating the fresh green beans and radishes I bought for this week.

Breakfast came late this morning because I wasn't hungry earlier.  A hot bowl of oatmeal and half a bagel will tide me over until mid afternoon.  I'll have my big meal of the day then and a small meal of fresh veggies and peanut butter toast later in the evening. 

Oatmeal is one of my favorite meals.  The bagel is just added adornment!

When we go out to eat at a restaurant I eat so much that I'm filled for most of the day.  But, at home I stick to three meals a day.  My goal is to stay as healthy as I can because I want to be around for my grandchildren to know they were loved by me.  Those thoughts build confidence in a growing mind and body.  Our children didn't have input from their grandparents, as distance separated us.  I'd like to be a part of my grandchildren's life if for no other reason than to reinforce the love that their parents give them on a daily basis. 

For the grandchildren that are separated from me by distance I send cards and talk to them on the phone, then visit once a year.  I'm proud of all of them and love them dearly.

All of the bedding was washed and sprayed with lavender fabric spray this week, as well as the normal two loads of clothes that get washed each week. 

I will also need to return a couple of items to Pier One.  This is what happened.  I watch a couple of ladies on yoo toob.  They are fantastic ladies with quite a gift for decorating.  And their creativity sparks my interest.  I thought I can do that with some inspiration.  Well, no I can't.  I figured out that my style is more cozy than chic.  My style is 'less is more' where their style is 'more is better'.  For them it works.  For me, not so much.  I'm more of a down to earth person, not so glamorous as these ladies are.  I still love to watch their videos, but for entertainment purposes only.

I found I'm most comfortable with clear space than
surfaces covered with multiple items.

The tub area will stay the same.  I have all that I need to be comfortable
when I take a bath. (vs. a shower)

I also de-cluttered a couple of areas in the bedroom.  I don't wear a lot of jewelry so I will be giving some of it to the one daughter who does like adornments.  She also wears the same size shoes I do and can choose what she wants before I donate what I can no longer wear - or need to wear.  Most of the shoes are from my work life and were rather expensive.  I would be embarrassed to say there are quite a few of them so none have experienced heavy wear.  There IS one pair that just could not be parted with -yet.  They are my power heels that I wore to special meetings or after work events.

These are the favorites in my closet.  I have no where to wear them these
days, but I will hang on to them a while longer.

What have you accomplished this week?  Don't be shy.  Share with us!

Stay safe.

The Goal That's Set, is the Goal That's Met

The goal that's set is the goal that's met.  I'm not sure how many times my children have heard these words come from their mother, but I'm close to positive they secretly roll their eyes  saying under their breath that they know.  They know!  Of course the eye roll means nothing to me.  I'll say it anyway.  Repeating something is one of the benefits of being a mom, no matter how old the 'children' are.

These words ring true with any goal set, whether it be a conscious plan or a goal we are not aware of. 

A conscious plan is when we want to meet a goal.  Research is done, conversations take place (even if they are within yourself) and a load of thinking that threatens to  provide steam coming from our ears.  As an example:

A person wants to get out of debt.  The decision is made, the goal is set.  Researching the way to accomplish this comes first.  Should we tackle the smallest debts first, then snowball the rest of the debt?  Or perhaps tackle the debt with the highest interest when the journey begins?  The next step is talking about the benefits of each way then coming to the conclusion what will be more comfortable.  Finally the steam starts poring out from our ears because we have thought about how to meet the goal until a bath and a glass of wine sound pretty good.

An unconscious goal can come under the heading of foolish behavior.  Most young people can exhibit foolish behavior.  It's what they do.  No one starting out in life is wise.   Wisdom is obtained through experience.  Even if we were taught the right path, our wings have to soar and we have to make mistakes.  Mistakes are made once and we learn from them.  Maybe twice with a reprimand from ourselves to ourselves and a decision to end the behavior.  It's all part of growing and maturing.

When a mistake becomes a habit, then the goal has been set.  This type of goal usually has a negative effect on a person and those around them.  An example of this goal could be as simple as keeping a home environment that is unhealthy.

There are days, now and then, when we will wake up and all we can do is walk through the day like a zombie.  Everyone has those days.  To walk like a zombie everyday and not care about a healthy or clean environment  is a habit that turns into the goal met.  One day we wake up and dislike what life has become wondering how it got this way.  The cycle begins, then defeat sets in. 

The ideal path would be not to fall into the trap.  Life, however, often times is not ideal.  As a matter of fact, life seldom exhibits ideal situations.  I can't say how many times I've fallen on my face only to have to pick myself up and move on.  Moving on wasn't always easy, but my main goal was to learn to be content in any situation.   Somehow I figured out that was one of life's little hidden truths.  Looking for the best even when the sky is falling in.

I can tell you the things I did to improve life and mental health, if it will be helpful.  (This is where I wish I were gifted with words of magic.)


The most important thing I ever discovered was the power of prayer.  For everything.  When I was overwhelmed with four kids, I prayed and thanked God for the children.  When my husband was young and came home from work only to deposit his socks on the bedroom floor, I prayed and offered up my anger to heaven.  That sounds strange, but I figured it was the only place that a negative thing could be turned into a positive.  When our son wanted to go out on his own (I knew he wasn't ready) I  gave up worrying and gave him to God.  God was the only one who knew my anguish.  God was the only one who could help me.

I made myself, with a prayer, keep our home clean and healthy.  Especially when our son had cancer.  I would wash every surface every morning with a disinfectant.  I did this out of love for my family.  Were there days I slacked?  I had to, but the important things got done every day.  For someone else there may be other weaknesses they don't want to be turned into habits, then goals.  Pick anything and seek the path to turn the habit into a positive goal taking one step at a time.

Being honest is the first step.  There's no need to be honest with anyone else, just yourself.  List turn around goals on paper and hide the note.  Work on one thing at a time and be kind.  After all, we are  works in progress.  Patience is the answer here.  Time can't be stopped, so we can make  goals to use time to our benefit.  Taking small breaks from a goal is also healthy, if they are short breaks.  Before you know it, life will be something that is living, not something to wonder about.

Disclaimer:  Please know I'm not in the business of judging or preaching.  My own imperfections often rise to the surface.  The goal is simply to assist those who seek a positive path.  After all, I don't want my 66 years on earth to be wasted!  (I can't believe I'm 66.  My mind feels 20!)

The Evolution of Holiday Decorating

Since it's raining and quite gloomy this morning I have settled in to watch videos on yoo toob.  There are a few ladies I have been watching because I learn more about decorating - specifically, holiday decorating, from them.  This is something I have just gotten into thinking about.  Christmas has always been a big decorating time for me, but all other holidays pretty much went to the wayside with the exception of window clings or a table center piece.

Today I watched a series of videos about table scapes.  I had no idea there was such a thing before.  A centerpiece on the dining table is all I have ever seen anyone do.  Maybe a candle on each side of the centerpiece.  These ladies go the mile with place settings, center pieces, as well as other small items such as name cards and menus.  I know I won't go the whole mile, but I will travel down the road of tablescaping for maybe half of the mile.

One lady explained the benefits of raising items up on a stand.  I have a springy looking cake stand, so I used it to prop up the wooden bunny I have in the center of the table.  With a place mat under the cake plate there was enough room to put the candy jar and jar of pink polka dotted straws to the side.  I like it.  I don't know if the evolution process will continue, but for now I'm comfortable with what I have done.  I keep reminding myself this is a work in progress.

I took things from around the house to add to this centerpiece. 
The cupcake candles are from the dollar store, as are the candy
and the straws.  The placemat under the display was
on sale (clearance) at Dillard's.  The four placemats surrounding the
center were also from Dillard's clearance section.

Remember the sticker paper I got at the dollar store earlier this week?  I was under the impression it was sticky paper, but soon realized it was paper that can be used to place favorite stickers on to create your own sticker book.  Even with the new information, I went ahead and cut squares out to match the size of the plain card stock ones I made for the Easter tree.  They got glued on top of the plain squares and have added a bit of festive color to the tree project.  The grandchildren can use the backs to write their names or draw a picture.  Again, this may evolve even further, but for now I'm satisfied.

In this photo you can see the evolution of the hanging tags on the Easter tree.
I left some of the tags plain card stock to, hopefully, add interest.  Each
tag has a small doily sticker in the center.  The ribbon is cream and
mint green that I bought at the dollar store.  That store has the
neatest things in it.

 



The tulips were moved onto the counter to finish off this display.

I am evolving.  From using only the scientific portion of my brain into awakening the creative side.  I don't think creativity will be full blown in me, but I'm happy it is being somewhat explored and developed.  Thank you for going on this journey with me.