Assertiveness

"The basic difference between being assertive and being aggressive is how our words and behaviors affect the rights and well being of others."    ~Sharon Anthony Bower, author

"The difference between being assertive and aggressive is that if you don't handle it correctly people will abbreviate the word assertive and simple call you an ass."  ~Jill Anne Marie

Speak up and take back control!

Many people feel uncomfortable being assertive, which often leads others to take advantage of them. Do you ever feel like you shouldn't say something because you might hurt someone's feelings? Does your spouse shirk their responsibilities around the house and expect you to pick up the slack? While it is important to serve others often, being someone's lackey is unhealthy and it's up to you to break that cycle. Kindly address situations where you think someone is taking advantage of your meekness. Being aggressive is a negative quality that people respond to with hostility. Making your voice heard maturely and positively is a trait that will take you far and build respect among your peers.

That was another email message from Spark People that really struck a chord with me.  It is about being assertive.  This message is so very closely related to the previous one about people pleasing, so it is no wonder that it strikes so close to home for me. 

I tend to be one of those people that tries so hard to do for others and give in to all their requests, no matter whether I want to do it or not.  I go out of my way to do things for people, to try to make things special, or just help out in whatever way I can.  In the meantime, I end up feeling taken advantage of or unappreciated, or sometimes resentful because what I would like seems not to matter to anyone. 

Then I get to the point where something happens and I just blow up.  Whether it is someone verbally assaulting myself or someone I love, or just assuming they can do this or that because I always say "yes" anyway, whatever...and I finally lose it.  Some little "nothing" suddenly becomes the proverbial straw that broke the camels back and I become the biggest beotch in the whole freaking world, lol.  I hate it. 

I hate when I lose it, not because I don't have a point or a right to stand up for myself.  But because it is something so little or stupid that sets me off, and then I end up looking crazy for getting mad over something so trivial.  No one takes into consideration the crap that I had put up with for months on end.  I don't say anything about all the other little things that I did or just let go, so when I finally stand up for myself people are left wondering where the door mat went.

Whereas if I didn't set everyone up to always expect me to lie down and take whatever is thrown my way...well, maybe they wouldn't be surprised if I were to stand up for myself every once in a while.  Or if I were able to stand up for myself and say no every once in awhile, I wouldn't lose my temper over the small chit.

Oh, and B. Lynn I have no doubt this is going to strike a chord with you too.  I think it has a lot do with growing up in an alcoholic home.  The drive to people please, not to have to many needs of your own, wanting to never rock the boat, the desire to try to make someone love you.  Well, that is until I hit a very rebellious stage as a teenager.  That is where I developed the other side of my personality, oh heck for chits and grins lets call that side "Sybil", lol.  That is the one where I stand (almost) toe to toe with my dad and give him "the look".  He hated that look, I think he would have loved to just knock my head off when I did it, actually he usually threatened to when I gave the look. 

What was the "look"?  LMAO...I don't think I could possibly describe it well enough to give it full justice.  I've seen one or two people who come close to it, but not really.  It was a look of total disgust, contempt and well, a bit (actually, probably a lot) of hatred.  I think you could actually see the fire of hell in my eyes and my lip tended to curl up on one side. 

Not many people have seen it since my teen battles with my father, just one or two.  Unfortunately, they didn't have a clue and didn't know when to step away for their own good.  For God's sake, you don't poke an angry pit bull with a 6 inch stick...your gonna get bit fool!  LOL

Anyway, I just kind of thought the email message was though provoking.  Obviously, look how I rambled on and on.  If it gets you to thinking and you do an entry in your journal, please send me the link. 

Have a blessed Sunday.

Hugs,

Tee-shirts for Rylie

Last Saturday when we went to the festival, at Our Lady Of Lourdes, I bought 2 tee-shirts for Rylie.  They are too cute and I decided to use them for a graphic.  The first one is "The Toddler Rules" and I added Miss Rylie Jo's picture to it. 

Isn't that just the cutest?  Then next was I just made into a little mini-animation.  I love this tee-shirt, although I don't think Ray is too crazy about it, lol.

                                                  

I hope your all having a great weekend!

Hugs,

Win a bedroom sweepstakes

Okay, okay...call me a hopeful fool because I spend probably 15-30 minutes a day entering contests and sweepstakes.  This one I got in my mail today is being sponsored by Febreze.  The grand prize is a new bedroom suite, a high-quality sheet and comforter set, and a design consultation from the Home Mavens.  If you click on the link I am providing and enter and I win the grand prize, you will win the second prize, a high-quality sheet and comforter set.  Hmm, they didn't say if I would win anything if you were to win the grand prize, lol.  Anyway if you would like to enter please click the link.  Thanks.

Febreze Sweeps

Another quick tip...yesterday I was complaining about the smell coming from the washing machine tub.  Cathy, told me to run a small load of warm water and when it was almost full to add 1/2 cup of salt to the water.  She said this would help to get rid of any soap that did not clear out of the washer and caused odor.  She recommended that I do this once a month.  I've never heard of doing that before and thought I would pass it along to ya'll.

Here is a little message about people pleasing...it really struck a chord with me and I wanted to share it.  It came in an email from Spark People.

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."   ~Bill Cosby, comedian

                                       The dangers of people pleasing

No matter how hard you try, no matter how many hours you spend pondering and planning, and regardless of making your hardest efforts, you absolutely cannot please everyone. It is impossible. So do yourself a favor and stop now before you drive yourself further towards insanity. There are many drawbacks to being a people-pleaser. A big one is that you often put yourself in a position of subservience. Sometimes you even put yourself last, which helps no one. Remember that helping yourself and doing what you feel is important should be valued. Find worth in your own opinions and viewpoint, and don't let your desire to please others compel you to keep yourself in the background. Falling short of perfection only proves that you are a normal human being.

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Hugs,

Thursday Home remedy

 

                  

These are home health remedies that have been emailed to me or that I found on the Internet.  I have not tried them all and do NOT guarantee the effectiveness of them.  If you try one and it works, or if you have one that works for you, please email me.  Thanks.

Splinters

• Lay scotch tape over the splinter and pull off.
• Soak the area in vegetable oil for a few minutes before removing with tweezers.
• Pour a drop of Elmer's Glue® all over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue.

Sorry to get this posted so late today.  I like to get this stuff done first thing in the morning, preferably while Ry is still sleeping.  However, Rylie and I had to run down to the Health Dept. to get my prescriptions filled and we have been running around doing errands and stuff today.  Well, gotta run.  Ry is napping and this is my "free" time.  I feel like I'm back in grade school and it's recess, lol. 

Hugs,

Good Wednesday morning!

Good morning friends!  Well it's been about 7 months since I began this journal and the hit counter tripped 5,000 last night!  Isn't that exciting?  Well, maybe not to ya'll but to this simple lil' housewife who does pretty much the same thing week in and week out it is a bit exciting.

I guess because it means that people actually do come and read.  Even if they don't leave comments or write e-mails.  There was a time when I wondered if me, my mom and Sascha weren't the only readers, lol.  I thought that maybe my writing was just a bit of boring fluff that no one was particularly interested in reading.  It's just kind of nice to know that people really do come back to read it.  The hit counter tripping 5,000 is kind of like a little cyber space pat on the back, lol.

I was going to pimp the journal of the person who tripped the hit counter, but I don't think she has one.  So I'll just post the comment she left...

Comment Added
A comment has been posted to the Journal:
This simple housewifes contribution to the world
About to trip 5,000
Comment from: missyolivo
"Hi there!  Never commented to you before, I read once in a while, just had to let you know I was your number 5,000!  My name is Missy and I, too, am from Toledo.  Your blog is very interesting and being a stay at home momma myself, it is sometimes just good to hear an adult point of view.  Keep up the great work!  "

 

Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment Missy.  I appreciate it, and if you ever start a journal be sure to come back and leave the link!

 

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Well, I am off to finish cleaning up before Rylie wakes up this morning.  Today my wonderful sister-in-law, Cathy, is bringing her carpet cleaner over for me to use.  Which means I need to vacuum and vacuum and vacuum my carpets so they are reading to be shampoo-ed. 

 

I mean you can't expect a whole lot from carpet that is nearly 30 years old, but I just can't stand the way they look.  No matter how clean the house is, it still has that drab, dirty look because of the carpeting.  Ugh.  I swear I am almost at the point of being tempted to ripped up the nasty carpet and just paint my floors, lol.

 

In the meantime, I will just continue to borrow a carpet cleaner from my Mom or Cathy every few months.  Maybe one day I will win that elusive $1 million dollar sweepstakes and be able to get new carpet.  Oh!

 

Okay that gives me an idea for a "question of the day" type of thing.  If you were to win $1 million dollars what would you do?

 

I'd play it pretty simple. 

1. I'd first set up a small trust fund for each of my kids.  Something that they would only be able to access at acertain age and that would accumulate interest in the meantime.  Maybe $25,000 each, just a little something that they could use for college or to put down on a house.

2. I'd buy a little country house, something located between Toledo (Ray's home town) and Bowling Green (mine and where my family is located).  Something with at least an acre of land.  Maybe a little fixer-upper...I love designing and decorating.

3. I'd get a new car...nothing extravagant, just something dependable and all my own.  Okay, okay...to be honest, I saw this little 1960-something turquoise blue convertible mustang driving down the street the other day.  I want that!  lol

3b.  I suppose I better buy Raymond a new vehicle too. 

4. I'd put the rest into a mutual fund and set it up so that I was able to receive a check from the interest every year. 

I wouldn't really want our lives to change much more than that. 

 

Okay, play with me and answer the question if you have the time. 

 

Have a great day!

 

Hugs,

Tuesday Tip

                      

A cleaning tip, or two, that you may find useful.  As I say on my Web page, these are tips that have been emailed to me, or that I have found on the Internet.  I have not tried all of them and do NOT guarantee their effectiveness.  If you do try one and it works, or if you have another one that works for you, please let me know.

Lint: Keep lint off dark clothes by not washing them with towels, washcloths, dishrags, etc. This is where a majority of the lint comes from and it's just easier to eliminate them.  Another way to get lint to stay off clothes in the washer is to add 1 cup distilled white vinegar to the load with the detergent.

My sister-in-law & link to sanity, Cathy, is back home.  She left on Friday to go with her daughter and grandson down to Kentucky for a family reunion.  Actually the trip was more about going to check on her mother.  Cathy has been hearing some things from family members that has had her concerned about her mothers health. 

Unfortunately when she got there she found that her mothers weight is down and in general her health seems to be on the downward slide.  Her mother walked Cathy and her brothers around the house showing them where she had put slips of paper with the kids names on items, letting them know who was to get what.  My heart is breaking for Cathy.  My prayers are with her, her mother and their whole family.

I've listened to Cathy talk about her family many times.  Her father was a preacher and died about 29 (I think) years ago.  They were so close, I can still hear the love and adoration she has for him whenever she talks about the "old days".  Family means so much to Cathy, I can't even begin to imagine what it will do to her it anything happens to her mother.

So if you pray, and you have a spare moment, could you please send an extra prayer up for Cathy and her mother?  I'd greatly appreciate it.  Thanks.

Well, have a beautiful day and thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,

No meal recipes today

Okay, today lets skip the dinner recipe, skip the side dishes, skip the dessert and go straight to the drinks!  LOL  These are a few that I found while reading some email articles from Better Homes and Gardens and The Food Network on summer drinks.  They sounded yummy to me.  Now if I could just find that cabana boy to serve them to me while I lay out next to the baby pool.  Oh yeah baby! 

The first two recipes are from BHG and the rest are from The Food Network.

Mojito Sparkler 
Crush 6 mint leaves in the bottom of a glass. Pour in 1 1/2 to 2 jiggers gold rum, 1 teaspoon lime juice, and 2 teaspoons super fine sugar. Add ice, stir, and top with soda.

Chi-chi 
Cream of coconut, pineapple, lime juice, and vodka meld together for a lovely summery treat. For a coconut milk shake, just omit the vodka.
 
Makes 2 (7-ounce) servings
Start to Finish: 10 minutes

Ingredients
1/4  cup vodka
2  tablespoons cream of coconut
2  tablespoons unsweetened pineapple juice
2  tablespoons sweet-and-sour drink mix
2  tablespoons half-and-half
1  tablespoons lime juice
   Crushed ice
   Pineapple wedges (optional)
   Maraschino cherries (optional)

Directions
1. In a blender container, combine vodka, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, sweet-and-sour drink mix, half-and-half, and lime juice. Add 1/2 cup crushed ice; cover and blend.
2. Pour into two glasses. Fill glasses with additional crushed ice. If desired, garnish with a thin pineapple wedge and a cherry. Serve immediately. Makes 2 (7-ounce) servings.

Mai Tai

4 ounces light rum
2 ounces Triple Sec
8 ounces passion fruit juice
Ice cubes
2 ounces dark rum
Lime wedge

Mix first 3 ingredients together in a cocktail shaker. Place ice in glasses. Divide mix among glasses and float 1 tablespoon of dark rum over each glass. Garnish with lime wedge.

Long Island Iced Tea

2 cups ice cubes
1 ounce vodka
1 ounce gin
1 ounce white rum
1 ounce white tequila
1/2 ounce Triple Sec
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup cola, or to taste
2 lemon wedges

Sea Breeze

Ice cubes
2 fluid ounces vodka
2 fluid ounces cranberry juice
2 fluid ounces grapefruit juice, preferably freshly squeezed
Lime wedge

Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour the vodka, cranberry, and grapefruit juice over the ice. Stir gently. Squeeze the lime into the drink, then drop it into the glass. Serve.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour the vodka, gin, rum, tequila, Triple Sec, and lemon juice into the shaker. Cover and shake vigorously to combine and chill. Pour the mixture, ice and all, into 2 glasses or beer mugs and top off with the cola. Garnish with lemon wedges. Serve.

And of course, one of my favorites....Gin and Tonic.  Actually they call this...
The Perfect Gin and Tonic

4 to 5 tonic water Ice Cubes (recommended: Schweppes) (see Note)
3 ounces gin (recommended: Plymouth Gin)
4 ounces tonic water (recommended: Schweppes)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Lime wedge for garnish

Place the ice cubes in a tall, narrow, chilled glass (the cubes should come near the top.) Add the gin, then the tonic water, then the lime juice, stirring well. Garnish with lime wedge, and serve immediately. Note: To make the ice cubes, simply fill an empty ice cube tray with tonic water, and let the cubes freeze. It takes just a few hours. Covered well, the cubes will remain fresh-tasting in the freezer for at least a few weeks.

Here is an interesting little tidbit that The Food Network provided with this recipe: The consumption of Gin and Tonic was originally used as a preventive measure against illness. During the British occupation of India, soldiers consumed quinine water (tonic), lime, andgin to combat malaria and scurvy. Hardly consumed for those reasons today, you can always use that as an excuse to have another one.

I remember my ex-mother-in-law made Chi-chi's once.  I think she mixed all the non-alcoholic ingredients, put them in a container and froze them.  Then as she made the drinks she would mix that with the alcohol.  I thought she made it with rum though.  Mmm, rummmmmmmmm.  I love it, lol. 

I used to love to mix coconut flavored rum with Ginseng tea, or coke with a lime.  Of course these days, I rarely have a chance to do much drinking.  And if I do, like this past weekend, I buy one of those little 4 packs of flavored drinks and maybe drink one or two.  Then I'm ready to go night-night, lol.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Hugs,

Sascha and her dang surveys

Hey, here is another one of these survey things.  Sascha loves these things and sends them to me all the time.  I hardly ever have the time to do them, and of course the one I chose to answer is called the LONG survey.

YOU- 
Name:  Jill
Single or Taken: Taken
Happy about that? Usually
Eye color: Blue
Shoe size: 9
Height: 5foot 3 and 1/4inches
What are you wearing right now? A pair of Rays pj bottoms and a gray tank top
Where do you live: Toledo, Ohio
Righty or lefty: Righty
Can you make a dollar in change right now: I think so
-----------------------------------------------------------
FAVORITES
Kind of pants:  Jeans
Animal: The human male
Drink: Gin Lemon Seven
Month: May, because I can start planting flowers in my garden
Juice: Orange
Favorite cartoon character:  I don't really care for cartoons, didn't really like them when I was a kid either. 

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Have You Ever...
Given anyone a bath: C'mon...I'm a mommy 4 times over, lol. 
Bungee Jumped? Nope, but I think it would be a blast to jump out of a plane.
Made yourself throw-up? Yep
Gone skinny dipping? =D Several times.  Usually in a natural body of water, although last year I did skinny dip in Rylies baby pool too.
Loved someone so much it made you cry? Yep
Broken a bone: Yep
Played truth or dare?  Yes, amazing how much crazier it gets the older you get, lol.
Been in a physical fight: Yep
Been on a plane: Yep
Came close to dying:  From what Mom & Dad told me they thought I was going to
when I was in the hospital at the age of 2.
Been in a hot tub: Yep
Fallen asleep in school: I still have kids in high school, I take the 5th
Ran away: Nope, but I thought about it a lot
Broken someone's heart: Not that I know of.
Cried when someone died: Always.  Sheesh, silly question. 
Fell off your chair: Not that I remember, but I do remember laughing so hard at our Christmas party last year that I ended up falling on my bum and sitting on the icy sidewalk laughing.
Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call: Nope
Saved AIM conversations: I don't think so...although there were some I wish I had.
Made out with JUST a friend?  No
Used someone: I don't think so, but I'm sure I have in some way or another. 
Been cheated on: YEP

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What is...
New fav:  Dove Energy Glow moisturizing lotion, oh and the new panties I got at Wal-Mart...they are soooooooooo comfy! 
Last thing you ate: An M&M cookie

----------------------------------------------------------------
Ever Had...
Chicken pox: yep
Sore Throat: yep
Stitches: I've had 3 C-sections...lots of stitches
Broken nose: no

----------------------------------------
Do You...
Believe in love at first sight: Sorry Sascha...but I don't.  I believe that you can see someone and feel an extremely intense attraction to them, but when they open their mouth that could all change pretty quick.
Believe in long distant relationships: They might work for some, but I don't think I could handle it.
Like school: Sure!  I love when the kids go back to school, LOL!
Question yourself:  Constantly, nearly every moment of every day.
Who was the last person that called you?  Ray's mother
Who makes you smile the most: My kids...Rylie is at a real fun age right now, learning lots of new things so she makes me smile a lot these days. 
Who knows you the best: Samantha Dawn

-------------------------------------
Do you...
Do you like filling these out:  To be honest...not really, but I love Sascha and usually skip doing these things, so every now and again I try to make sure to do one. 
Do you wear contact lenses or glasses: Yep
Do you get along with your family?  Ummm, well...all of them?  LOL

------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Questions...
What did you do yesterday:  Swept and mopped the kitchen floor, laundry, re-arranged our bedroom furniture (again), ran the vacuum in the bedroom, living room and dining room, cleaned the kitchen appliances.
What car/truck do you wish to have: Anything that is in good condition, runs well, is paid for and is in my name, lol.
Good driver: Yep.  Only 1 speeding ticket and that was 17 or 18 years ago.
Good Singer: I don't think so.
Have a lava lamp:No
Are you double jointed? No
When you last showered: This morning
Scary or Funny Movies? Funny
Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
Rootbeer or Dr.Pepper: Diet anything
Summer or winter: SUMMER
Silver or Gold: Silver
Diamond or pearl: Well, I have my ears double pierced and I am currently wearing a pair of pearl earrings and a pair of diamond earrings.
Sprite or 7up: Their different?!
Coffee or tea: Cappuccino
Phone or in person: Depends on who and what the conversation is about.

------------------------------------------------------
Today did you...
Talk to someone you liked: yep
Buy something: yep
Get sick? no
Talked to an ex: NO
Miss someone: Yes!

_________________________________
 Last person who....
Slept in your bed:  She's still there...shhh, Rylie fell asleep while I am here on the computer.
Saw/heard you cry:  Probably Cathy
Made you cry: No need to go into that.
Went to the movies with? LMAO!  Ray and it was the H2O Halloween movie...sheesh how many years ago was that?
Said "I Love You": Ray

_________________________________

Ever been in a fight with your pet? No...it was Ray's dog...she was always eating my clothing.
Been to Mexico: no
Been to Canada: yes
Been to Europe: yes

__________________________________________________

Random...
Do you have a crush on someone right now:  Several...Matthew McCaughnehey, Kasey Kahne...oh and my baby, Ray too! 
What book are you reading right now:  I think the last book I picked up was called "It's Potty Time".  It's pretty cool, when you push the little button it makes a flushing sound.  LOL 
Best feeling in the world? When my kids are happy & when Ray walks up behind me and kisses me on the back of the neck and says "I love you"
Future KIDS names: ?!?!?!?!?!  If there were to be another one it would probably be something like Oh Chit!
Do you sleep with a stuffed animal: Yes I do, so what?
What's under your bed: ShoesFavorite sports to watch: Nascar is the only sport I watch
Favorite Locations: Beach
tattoo's or piercings: yes
What are you most scared of right now? Nothing is coming to mind at this moment.
Do you have a job? LOL, I'm a Mom and a housewife...I don't have a paying job, but I do work.
Have you ever liked someone you didn't have a chance with: Who hasn't?
Are you lonely right now? No.  I pretty much enjoy my alone time.  But I do get to the point where I need to be around friends or need someone to talk to.
Song that's stuck in your head right now? Well, since we just had the Disney channel on, it's the theme song from Hannah Montana.
Have you ever played strip poker: Yep
Have you ever gotten beat up?Nope
Have you ever been on radio/TV: Radio when I won tickets to a Phil Collins concert.
Have you ever been in a mosh-pit: no
Ever liked someone, but thought they never noticed you? Yep

________________________________________________

Random...
what color is your underwear right now? Lime green
Whats the first things you notice about the opposite sex? I'd like to be philosophical about it and say "eyes are the window to the soul" like Sascha said, but I like a nice looking bum.
Your Favorite Food? Lobster
ever get so drunk you dont remember? I don't think so.
Are you too shy to ask someone out?Yes
Hugs or Kisses? Both
dogs or cats? Neither, I'm allergic to both
Favorite Flower? Whatever is in bloom.
Have you ever fired a gun? Good Lord NO!
How many pillows do you sleep with? 2 and a big stuffed rabbit
Who are you missing right now? Sammi
Do you think (any of) your ex(s) miss you?Hahahahahahahaha, not at all.  Well, maybe one...every now and again.  LOL

~~~~~~~~~~~

Tosay we went to a festival at the Our Lady of Lourdes.  They had rides, games, food and music.  It was a real nice time.  I wish we would have had a babysitter for Rylie because Ray and I would of liked to stay and listen to this one singer. 

Here is a picture from today.

Well, I just moved Rylie into her bedroom.  She slept all night last night in her own room.  I am hoping for the same results tonight. 

Good-night & Hugs!

About to trip 5,000

It is a beautiful day outside, so I'm not going to be on here long.  Sorry Sascha, your long survey will have to wait until another day, lol. 

However, this morning I did notice that my hit counter is close to passing the 5,000 mark.  Cool.  If you happen to be the 5,000th visitor please leave a message and a link to your journal if you have one.

Thanks!  Have a beautiful Saturday, I'm off to enjoy mine.

Hugs,

A cool new journal to check out

I usually don't get much time to go and read journals, but Rylie is sleeping and I had some free time tonight.  Sheesh, it's 12:22AM...usually I've been asleep for an hour or 2 now.  LOL  Anyway, I went and read this new journal called Parallel lives and I think ya'll ought to go and check it out.  It's pretty cool.  It is written by Jen and Heather...go here> Our Parallel Lives.

Every Friday they are going to ask a top ten question.  This is the question this week...
"List the top ten words/sentences that best describe you."  *
And the following are my answers to the question:

*I am a mother of 4 children, boy-girl-boy-girl, ranging in age from 2 to 20 years.
*Short, I am 5' 3 and 1/4 inches tall.  I always make sure to get that 1/4 inch in when answering how tall I am.

*Even though my paternal grandfather was born in Mexico and I am part indian,  I am  blonde, have blue eyes and a sprinkle of freckles.

*I am an observer, usually very quiet until I get to know you.

*I am an introvert...until I get 3 beers in me...then I love to sing at the kareoke bar, lol.

*I also have a low alcohol tolerance (see answer above)

*I tend to be a doormat, until you push me beyond my limit.  At that point it's best to be prepared if your going to attack me or someone I love.  Better yet, don't do it when I've been drinking. (see answer above)

*I am a budget shopper, or some might say cheap.  Most of my clothes come from the clearance racks at Wal-Mart of the $10 and less stores.

*I  tend to be obsessive.

*I have been told that I am pretty.  I hate the way I look and refuse to let people take pictures of me.

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Hugs!

Home Remedy

These are home health remedies that have been emailed to me or that I found on the Internet.  I have not tried them all and do NOT guarantee the effectiveness of them.  If you try one and it works, or if you have one that works for you, please email me.  Thanks.

Sore Throat

• Mix 1 tsp. lime juice and 1 Tbls. honey. Swallow tiny amounts slowly 2-3 times a day.
• Mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day. The vinegar kills the bacteria.

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Yes, my mood does say that I am feeling a bit mischievous today.  This morning I was reading an article in the local paper, The Toledo Blade.  Actually there were two articles, one about one of our former councilmen, Mike Ferner, who was found guilty of vandalism for spray painting "TROOPS OUT NOW!" on a highway overpass. 

The other was an opinion based article about the trial.  Basically this fella, Thomas Walton, believes that the jury (which found Ferner guilty in a mere 20 minutes, probably 15 of which was used to drink some coffee and have a potty break) should have been informed that they could have acquitted Ferner based on his "...nobility of purpose in courageously protesting a morally wrong and undeclared war". 

Let me just regain my composure..."nobility of purpose..."LMAO!  I see nothing noble about sneaking onto an overpass in the dark of night and spray painting your opinion.  There is nothing more noble in what he did than some young punk declaring his love for "Susie".

In my opinion, if this fella Thomas had been on the jury of any of the accused terrorists, he probably would have acquitted them "...based on the strength of one man's commitment toa worthy cause."  Come on get real Mr. Walton! 

If Mr. Ferner felt so strongly about his point of view, and wanted to act like a responsible adult rather than some young punk, he could have chose any other option available to him.  For example, instead of spending "$10.24 for a can of fluorescent orange spray paint", he could have gathered some folks who felt the same, collected some money, and made bumper stickers and nicely painted signs that could be proudly displayed around town.

The irony is that perhaps Mr. Ferner was afraid that if he displayed a sign, with just such a message in his own yard, that the sign or perhaps his home would be vandalized.  I guess Mr. Ferner, in his ultimate wisdom, felt it was better to become the punk vandal rather than the victim of...well, someone just like himself.

Hmmm, well in explaining the situation to ya'll, I think I just wrote my letter to the editor, lol.  I may change some of the wording, or add a few things, but it sounds pretty good to me.  What do ya think?  Let me know.

Have a wonderful day.

Hugs,

Happy Birthday Stinkerbell!

Eighteen years ago today, my baby girl, Samantha Dawn was born.  Isn't she just beautiful?  She has been such a joy.  Yes, I may be blocking out a few memories during those teen years, lol.  But I have been around many other teenage girls, and compared to the chaos that some parents have to go through, I had it easy. 

Sam and I have always been extremely close.  I love our relationship exactly the way it is.  I wouldn't change a thing about it.  Except for maybe being able to spend more time together, just the two of us. 

I remember when she turned 8 (I think) and I took her to Kaufman's restaurant in Bowling Green.  We made a day of going there and celebrating her birthday, just the 2 of us.  Then there was the year I let her get her ears pierced.  Then her 16th birthday when I let her get her belly button pierced.  (Hey, her friends were getting it done at 13 and 14.  I made her wait until she was 16.) 

I won't be with her, but I know that she has an appointment to get a tattoo today.  Her dad is real unhappy about it.  She is getting a small hibiscus flower (see graphic above) tattooed on her lower back.

For her birthday I gave her the diamond that was in the engagement ring her father gave me.  After we divorced I had a jeweler put it in a necklace setting.  It is probably about a third of a carat, if not a little bigger.  It looks absolutely beautiful on her.  I had thought about giving it to her on the day of her wedding.  However, I thought that receiving the diamond from your divorced mothers engagement ring might be bad luck on your wedding day.  So I decided to give it to her on her 18th.

I'm not playing favorites here.  When Ray's girls turned 18 I went and bought each of them a diamond necklace.  So they all got something very nice on their day of becoming legal adults.

I love you Sammi!  May every day be a bit happier than the previous one.  You will always be my baby girl Stinkerbell!

 

Tuesday tip

                               

A cleaning tip, or two, that you may find useful.  As I say on my Web page, these are tips that have been emailed to me, or that I have found on the Internet.  I have not tried all of them and do NOT guarantee their effectiveness.  If you do try one and it works, or if you have another one that works for you, let me know.

Laundry Basket Freshener: Place a fabric softener sheet in the bottom of your laundry basket (remember to change it weekly.) You can also simply sprinkle some baking soda in the bottom of your basket and that will help absorb the odors as well.  Placing a sheet of fabric softener on your linen shelves will help keep your towels and sheets smelling clean and fresh too.

              

A recipe and some stuff

Good Monday morning!  It is lovely outside at the moment, although later on the weathermen are calling for a terribly hot one today.  They say with the heat index, and all that mumble jumble, it is going to feel like 105 degrees today.  Ugh...thank goodness for a refreshing baby pool, lol.

Actually, I'll probably keep Rylie inside most of the day if it is going to be that hot and nasty out.  We may hit the pool for a little bit, but I don't want her outside too long in that kind of heat.

Okay, back to the regular broadcast, lol.  With this heat I thought lets keep it light and simple.  If you buy some of the pre-cooked chicken at the grocery store, you won't have any cooking to do at all with this recipe.  This is another one from those nice folks over at Spark People.

Asian Chicken Salad
Serves: 4
The fruit that tops this salad helps to make an already healthy dish packed with even more vitamins. 

INGREDIENTS
2 cups cooked chicken, skin removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 cups cabbage, shredded
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup carrots, grated
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 mandarin orange or tangerine, divided into sections
1/2 cup nonfat Asian or Oriental-style salad dressing
black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, combine chicken, cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, cilantro, cucumber, and dressing. Toss well.
2. Top with green onions and tangerine sections. Pepper to taste.

Mmmm, doesn't that sound yummy?  Not much help though if you have a meat and taters kind of man like mine.  In which case, if he say's that isn't going to be filling enough for him, you point to the hot dogs or bologna in the refrigerator.  LOL

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At Merriam-Webster the word of the day is...

hirsute adj. - 1) hairy 2) covered with coarse stiff hairs

My choice for the word of the day is...

Inept

Main Entry: in·ept
Function: adjective
Pronunciation: i-'nept
Etymology: Middle French inepte, from Latin ineptus, from in- + aptus apt
1 : lacking in fitness or aptitude : UNFIT
2 : lacking sense or reason : FOOLISH
3 : not suitable to the time, place, or occasion : inappropriate often to an absurd degree
4 : generally incompetent : BUNGLING
synonym see AWKWARD
- in·ept·ly/-'nep(t)-le/ adverb
- in·ept·ness/-n&s/ noun

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Saturday I worked at a festival from 11am until 11pm.  Actually with clean up and packing things up for the night, I didn't get home until almost 12am.  That is a loooong day.  It was hotter than Hades and I was beat, absolutely exhausted.

Do you know what I got to do when I came home?  I had to go clean up the kitchen, put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and run it.  Then I got to run the sweeper to clean up the popcorn that the baby had thrown all over the living room.  Spend some time with the baby, gosh did I miss her.  That was the absolute longest time we have ever been apart.  I didn't get to go to bed until 1am or so.

Are ya all getting the idea of where I got the idea of my choice for the word of the day?  Although at this point, I don't know if describes how I felt at the end of that day (or rather the beginning of Sunday morning) or how I felt about the ol' mans ability at home on Saturday.  LOL

I can't imagine how all the women who work 40 or more hours a week do it.  I mean just imagine having towork 9 hours a day and then come home and having to work another 4 or 5 hours.  

Dealing with the kids and their needs and wants, trying to get dinner fixed, doing the laundry, cleaning, etc.  All while the hubby is sitting in front of the tv or on the computer relaxing (lol, I almost typed relazing, hmmm.  Maybe I came up with a new word) and hollering about how tired and hungry he is.  I know that is what it must be like for a lot of women.  I can't even fathom it.  No wonder so many women have nervous breakdowns.  It's probably the only vacation or relaxation they are able to get.

So for all of you women out there working, full-time or part-time, married or single...Let me stand up and applaud you.  I can not imagine the strength, determination and drive it takes to do everything that you have to do day in and day out.  So for my mother, and the millions of others like her...
  -*-*-BRAVO!-*-*-

Have a wonderful day and stay cool.

Hugs,

Thank you Michal!

    
Thank you so much Michal for honoring my journal by choosing it for your list of top picks this week.  There are some weeks when I begin to wonder if anyone even finds any of this stuff useful.  Then one of my trusty regulars will leave a comment saying "thanks for the tip" or "I'm going to try that one", and I know that someone is reading and finding something of interest here.

I truly appreciate all my regulars who come every week and stay in touch with their comments.  I especially want to thank all my regulars who keep coming back every week.  I want to thank those of you who have put me on your list of Journals that you recommend.  I've gained new readers thanks to you. 

I want to thank those who are taking a few moments of their time to come and have a look-see at my journal because Michal chose this as one of her picks.  I appreciate you taking the time to visit and leave comments.  It really is nice to see so ya'll stopping by.

It really is like a big pat on the back to know that someone finds this journal interesting enough to post it as a pick of the week and recommends it to others to check it out.  Thank you again Michal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last evening I was suppose to work at one of those lunch wagons.  Toledo is having a "Wing Thing" event, festival...whatever at a local mall parking lot.  It is being sponsored by some local radio stations.  There are a bunch of bands playing.  I was really looking forward to the Aerosmith tribute band that was gonna play last night.

However, it rained again.  Lately, here is Toledo (located in what is known as the Black Swamp in the old days) whenever it rains...many streets and homes start to flood.  So of course, the parking lot where this event was to take place flooded and it was cancelled. 

I am working again today too.  Hopefully we will not have anymore rain.  They are calling for a very hot day, somewhere around 95 degrees.  Humid, probably, too.  Ick!  I am off to go get ready.  Samantha is watching Rylie for us since both Ray and I will be working today. 

I am hoping the vertigo (caused by an inner ear infection) isn't too bad.  I got the prescription filled, but the pharmacist warned me that it causes some to become very drowsy.  I took it last night, but it didn't really seem to help. 

I can't take that stuff during the day.  I am chasing a 2 year old all day long and can't afford to be any more tired than I already am.  I don't know which is the lesser of two evils...being dizzy or being sleepy. 

Well, I am off to get ready for my day.  Again, thank you for visiting and I hope you found something useful or interesting in your stop by my journal.

Hugs,

PS~If you like graphics feel free to check out my little graphics journal...Coloring Inside the Lines.  I don't spend as much time as I'd like working on graphics, but you may see something you like there.  =D

Metal mouth

This is just so gross!  I thought that since Rylie was still sleeping, I would go and visit some journals.  But reading just makes this "vertigo", or whatever, worse.  I keep getting that nasty metallic taste on my tongue and then the light headedness and slight room spins. 

 

Although the room spins are bad and really mess me up...I think the metal taste in my mouth is the worse part.  It just tastes so dang awful and the fact that it nearly always comes just before a dizzy spell...oh sheesh...there it is again!  Blech, ewww, it is so gross!

 

Gotta go...I don't know if it is the computer screen or the letters or what...but I just can't stand this.  Lucky for me the Dr said these only last 8-12 weeks.  Y-i-p....oh I can't even fake it.

 

Later.

J.

 

SCJohnson

Have ya'll been over to the SCJohnson site?  It's kind of cool.  I get an email every now and again...not daily like some places, errr.  They send me links for cleaning, crafting, decorating and some recipes.  This one sounded absolutely delicious and I wanted to share it with ya'll.

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade
-Recipe from SCJohnson Clean Home Journal
Add a new twist to an old summer standby with this delicious lemonade "slushee" that happily marries strawberries and lemons. (Although you can use fresh strawberries, the best slushee effect is achieved by blending frozen strawberries with crushed ice.) If you use frozen strawberries, let them thaw a tiny bit before blending so that they are easier to crush in your blender. Also, it's best to use precrushed ice; if using ice cubes, choose the smallest ones to avoid harming the blades of your blender. The length of time you blend the drink will determine its thickness. More blending time equals more liquid. Less time gives you a drink you can eat with a spoon!

Serves 2 (per 8 oz. serving)
2 cups frozen (or fresh) strawberries (about 24 strawberries)
1/2 cup crushed ice (or smallest cubes possible)
1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
3 packets of sugar substitute or 2 Tablespoons of sugar (or to taste)
3/4 cup water

Optional
1/4 lemon, sliced, for garnish
1 Tablespoon of ginger, fresh or dried (finely chopped)
A few mint leaves

Tools: Ziploc® Bag with Double Zipper Seal (for crushing ice)
Rolling pin
Blender
Measuring cups

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes

Allow frozen strawberries to thaw slightly.
Before placing ice cubes in blender, crush large chunks by sealing securely inside a Ziploc® bag and rolling over the bag firmly with a rolling pin.
Combine lemon juice, strawberries, sugar substitute or sugar, crushed ice and water in blender jar. If blades get stuck, add more water.
Blend on high with lid tightly secured until smooth and thick.
Pour into glasses and serve immediately. Garnish with a slice of lemon, if desired.

Chef's Tip: To make this frozen strawberry lemonade less tart, feel free to add more sugar substitute or sugar, as desired. Our version is tangy, with just a hint of sweetness.

Diane's Tip: I love to add a Tablespoon of finely chopped ginger or a few leaves of fresh mint to the blender jar before blending. It gives an extra kick of flavor.

Home remedey

                     

These are home health remedies that have been emailed to me or that I found on the Internet.  I have not tried them all and do NOT guarantee the effectiveness of them.  If you try one and it works, or if you have one that works for you, please email me.  Thanks.

Smoking Habit

• Lick a little salt with the tip of your tongue whenever you feel the urge to smoke. This is said to break the habit within 1 month.

*As a smoker, I am highly skeptical of this one.  But I may give it a try...oops, except my Dr said to stay away from salt, especially right now.  Chit...he said to avoid salt and two other things...dang this ole-zhimers (lol)...I can't believe I already forgot what he said.  Oh well.

 

Have a great day.  I know I will, I am busy cleaning and reclaiming our house after our month and a half long guest left in the middle of the night without so much as a good-bye, much less a thank you.  Oh well, at least I can move Rylie back into her own bedroom and begin the re-training her to sleep in her room again.

  :::happy dancing:::   =D

 

Hugs,

Back from the Dr.

Sheesh, I am so tired.  I just got back from the doctor and running to the store to get some lettuce for the tacos I am making tonight.  The doctor said it is probably labyrinthitis.  Basically, something like an inner ear infection.  He gave me a prescription for an antihistamine saying that it should help when the dizzy spells happen.

No anti-biotics or anything like that though.  Sometimes I really wonder about this doctor.  Not like I have much choice since I go to the county clinic.  Otherwise he said the condition usually resolves itself in 8-12 weeks.  Hmm, "good news" (NOT) for a mother of a toddler.

Oh well, just wanted to let ya'll know it is nothing serious.  Thanks for the well wishes.

PS~Good news, my BP reading at the DR office was 119/86.  I think that was the lowest reading I have had in the past 10 years.  The new meds must be working better than the old ones.  I did forget to tell the Dr about the metal taste in my mouth though.  Oh well, if it doesn't get better, or continues to get worse over the next few weeks, I'll go back in.

9:01 sharp

Today I am calling the doctor, at 9:01am sharp.  For the past 2 weeks I have been having a few of these mini dizzy spells.  But yesterday was just awful.  I probably had about 4 or 5 of them. 

At first I thought, perhaps it was related to my hypertension.  So after the one that happened when I was sitting at the computer, I checked my blood pressure shortly thereafter (as soon as I was able to stand without falling over) and it read 115/92.  That's not bad.

Then several hours later it happened again.  This time when I check my BP it was 153/102.  What the heck?  Maybe it has something to do with my blood pressure running high and low.  I don't know.

I talked to my mom and she told me that dad had a problem with vertigo.  So I looked up vertigo and yep, that pretty much has the symptoms.  Except for the nausea which I also have. 

Of course, this morning I get up and my head just feels...off.  I don't know how to describe it.  It isn't a constant state of dizziness...just kind of light headed and on the verge of being nauseaus.

It is 7:54am according to the clock in the living room.  I guess I will go and get my shower.  I have an hour and 7, now 6 minutes until I can call and try to get into the doctors.

Wish me luck.  Have a healthy day.

Hugs,

Cleaning tip, Go Google yourself

Okay, feeling a little frustrated here.  I just had this almost all ready to click the "save" button when a certain 2 year old, messing around by my computer, hit the little button on the power strip and turned off my computer.  So here we go again...

                       

A cleaning tip, or two, that you may find useful.  As I say on my Web page, these are tips that have been emailed to me, or that I have found on the Internet.  I have not tried all of them and do NOT guarantee their effectiveness.  If you do try one and it works, or if you have another one that works for you, let me know.

Ink Stains: The best way I have found to get out ink stains is to put rubbing alcohol on the stain - it disappears! This must be done before washing.

One day Rylie (yes the naughty computer turner off-er) went crazy with an ink pen on a new outfit I had gotten her.  I went to the bathroom to get the alcohol and discovered I was out of it.  So I grabbed my bottle of hairspray, and sprayed it on the ink.  I rubbed it with a rag and viola!  The ink stain was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last week my other baby girl, Sammi (weep, weep, about to turn 18) told me that she Googled my screen name and came up with a pretty cool result.  Apparently I was written about in a little article in the Toledo Freepress.  Hmm, well I was going to post the link to it here.  But I just went to get it and apparently the archives for May and June are gone...poof.  Oh well.  It was cool to see that someone had actually found my little journal and was recommending it as something to go check out.

So go "google" yourself.  It might be kind of fun to see what comes up.  Both my public journals came up, my kraft foods registration came up and some other things too.  Google away and if you find anything cool come back and share it with us.  Or write about it in your journal.

I also googled my full name...but I always get results for some woman who wrote some book that has the same name.  LOL  Yeah, like this housewife and mother is going to write a book based on feminism.  I can't even stand up for myself, much less our entire sisterhood.

Well, it's been a gray waiting on the rain to come kind of day.  Rylie is refusing to take a nap, so I guess we will go have a snack.  Have a great one.

Hugs,

Recipe

Shhh, be very, very quiet.  It is only a quarter till 6 am at the moment.  I've been up since 4:19.  I can't sleep.  This really stinks, it will make for an extremely long day.  With my luck I will really start dragging butt around 1 or 2 pm and Rylie won't want to take a nap.

So since I can't sleep I thought I would go ahead and get on to post my recipe for the day.  Might as well get something done.  I don't think everyone else would appreciate if I were to start running the sweeper or the washing machine right now.

Aloha Pork Chop Skillet
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 4


2 tsp. oil
4 bone-in pork chops (1-1/2 lb.)
1 medium each: red and yellow pepper, cut into chunks
2 cans (8 oz. each) pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
1/2 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup Kraft Catalina Dressing
1-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1-1/2 cups Minute White Rice, uncooked


HEAT oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chops; cook 5 min. on each side or until browned on both sides.

ADD peppers, pineapple with its juice, broth, dressing and garlic powder; mix well. Bring to boil.

STIR in rice; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min. or until chops are cooked through (160°F.) Remove from heat; let
stand 5 min.

 

Have a beautiful day.

 

Hugs!

Breakfast recipe

I received this recipe in my email from SparkPeople.com.  It sounds like a tasty breakfast casserole that would be perfect to prepare the night before and just put in the oven the next morning.  Great for when you have company for the weekend.  Just put some fresh fruit out with this and your "good to go".  Mmm, and maybe make a mimosa...I just love orange juice and champagne...what a great way to start the day, LOL.   

Breakfast Casserole
Serves: 8
A sure family favorite, make the night before and pop into the oven.

INGREDIENTS
12 ounces Light (50% less fat) breakfast sausage
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
4-1/2 cups sourdough bread cubes or croutons
8 ounces shredded reduced fat sharp Cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon mustard powder
2 large whole eggs
4 egg whites OR 1/2 cup egg substitute
2 cups low fat milk

DIRECTIONS
1. Crumble sausage into a medium non stick skillet. Cook over medium heat until nicely brown, breaking up into bits with spatula as it cooks. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning. Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with canola cooking spray and set aside.

2. Add sausage to large bowl along with toasted bread squares, cheese, mustard powder and salt, if desired. Add whole eggs, egg whites (or egg substitute) and milk to mixing bowl, and beat on medium-low speed until smooth and completely blended.

3. Drizzle egg-milk mixture over the sausage and bread mixture; stir to blend. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spread top evenly, cover with foil, then chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake, covered in foil, for 45 minutes. Uncover the foil, and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees. Bake for about 20 minutes longer or until set.

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Okay, this past weekend we went up to Ray's Aunt Ronnie & Uncle Steve's cottage on Saturday for some swimming, fishing and just get away from the house.  While we were there they cooked hot dogs and hamburgs on the grill.  They make the juiciest burgers, YUM!  I learned their secret and I am going to share it with ya'll.

Add wet bread crumbs and chopped onions.  Now I also add Worcestershire sauce and a bit of seasoned salt.  Uncle Steve says not to cook the burgers all the way through to keep them juicy.  But we have a small child and meat that isn't thoroughly cooked makes me a bit uneasy.  So I go ahead and cook them through, but I make sure not to over cook them.  =D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now to go along with those delicious hamburgers I like to make potato salad.  Me?  I peel and cut my potatoes...how ever many it looks like I will need.  I chopped onions, celery and boiled eggs.  I make a dressing with approx. 2 Tbls. vinegar, a couple scoops of REAL Mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste.  And taste I do...because I like it just a wee bit tart, so sometimes I add more vinegar, MmmHmm good. *edit* I was just re-reading this and realized that I forgot to say that I also add a few squirts of mustard.  =}

However, for those of you who are more health conscious here is a tip from RealAge that is 'spose to be better for you.  Me?  It's summer and I love my Potato salad just the way I make it.  LOL  But here is what they have to say...

Chill Out

"Healthy" and "potato salad" can go hand in hand.

Unfortunately, everyone's favorite summer side dish can send blood-sugar levels soaring, thanks to all the high-carb starch in spuds. Here's how to fix that: Boil the potatoes ahead of time and refrigerate overnight. The next day, make the dressing with vinegar and olive oil -- not mayo -- and mix with the potatoes. Both chilling and using vinegar neutralize starch's blood-sugar effects.

 

Thats it for today.  Have a good day and a wonderful weekend.

 

Hugs!

Home remedy and a lil' memory lane trip

             

These are home health remedies that have been emailed to me or that I found on the Internet.  I have not tried them all and do NOT guarantee the effectiveness of them.  If you try one and it works, or if you have one that works for you, please email me.  Thanks.

Smelly Feet

•  Soak feet in strong tea for 20 minutes every day until the smell disappears. To prepare your footbath, brew two tea bags in 2 1/2 cups of water for 15 minutes and pour the tea into a basin containing two liters of cool water.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I remember that my mother would not let my 2 brothers and I wear leather or vinyl sneakers.  We had to get those blue and white cloth sneakers from K-Mart.  She said that way our feet were able to breath and didn't sweat as much as they would in the other type of shoes.  Of course, I'm sure the fact that the shoes were like $7 bucks and she was buying for 3 kids didn't have a thing to do with it, LOL. 

 

I hated it at the time, mostly because all the "cool" kids were wearing leather Nikes.  But it makes sense, I guess.  If someone in your family has a problem with nasty foot odor, you might want to try getting them cloth shoes AND make sure they wear socks.  The socks will help absorb the sweat and odor, rather than having it just seep into the shoes.  Ewwww!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!  I just realized this morning that my little girl, Samantha, will be turning 18 in a mere 13 days.  It just can't be possible.  How can I still be just "29" years old and be the mother of a 20 year old boy and an 18 year old little girl?

 

When Sammi was little I use to sit with her and say "Do you promise to be my baby girl forever and ever?  And never grow up?"  She would promise me that she would stay my baby and never grow up.  You lied to me Sammi!  LOL

 

Oh gosh, I miss my kids being little.  At the time, it seemed like all they did was fight and argue over the silliest little things.  But there are so many things I would like to go back and do over.  So many times that I miss.

 

Oh and Sammi...I'd like to go back and visit that day that you got David in trouble by carving his name into Sascha's dresser.  Yep, boy did I mess up on that one.  But hey, where you guys scared when I started taking your fingerprints?  Or did ya know that I was trying to trick you into spilling the beans?

 

Well, I guess I better go and get started on working on a special Graphic for my baby girls 18th birthday.

 

Have a great day!

 

Hugs!

Cleaning tip and 4th pictures

 

                           

A cleaning tip, or two, that you may find useful.  As I say on my Web page, these are tips that have been emailed to me, or that I have found on the Internet.  I have not tried all of them and do NOT guarantee their effectiveness.  If you do try one and it works, or if you have another one that works for you, let me know.

Gum On Clothing: Use egg whites to remove gum on clothing. Brush egg white onto gum with a toothbrush. Let sit for 15 minutes and then launder on the items normally.

I personally haven't had a problem with getting gum on clothing, yet, but I wonder if the ice method wouldn't work for clothing too.  You know, hold ice on the gum to freeze it and then work it off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope everyone had a fun filled and safe 4th of July.  We went to the fireworks (pictures below) on Monday night with Ray's brother Gene, his 2 kids (Tyler and Mara) and his lady friend, Debbie.  We sat Mara and Rylie on top of our car with a bunch of snacks.  Rylie was entertained for a few minutes, then she started getting whiney.  Then just as the fireworks started she went into full blown tantrum mode.  We finally just sat her in the car and let her have her tantrum.

On the way home, Daddy said, "I wish she was older so she could sit there and worry about how much trouble she was going to be in when she got home".  LOL, of course she didn't get in trouble.  I did make her go in and give Daddy a sorry hug...after which she smiled and hit him on the leg.  She wasn't trying to be a party pooper,there was just too much going on, too much sugar, and it was late.  Hopefully next year, when she is a little older, it will work out better.

Then yesterday we had a cookout.  A bunch of the family came over.  It was just burgers and dogs.  I made cupcakes (Martha Stewart recipe), potato salad and used Aunt Ronnie and Uncle Steve's recipe for burgers (yummy).  Cathy (fav SIL & my link to sanity) brought some more burgers and beans.  Red & Ludivia brought more hot dogs, fruit and soda.

It was an alright day.  I find myself easily frustrated with people lately though.  All I know is that one day someone is going to ask for something or help and I am going to say no.  This is something that I just won't forget or forgive.  We have stepped up and done more than our fair share.  There is the safety of a child to be taken into consideration, less than a 2 weeks certainly wouldn't kill them.  I know, I'm talking in riddles.  I'll probably vent more in private, lol.

Have a great day! 

Hugs,

Happy Independence Day

      Have a great holiday! 

                                                     
                                               

We are having a cookout today, so I have to keep this short and sweet.  I'll put the usual Tuesday post in tomorrow.  Be safe!

Hugs!

Recipe & stupid people

Todays recipe looks a little involved...but the picture they sent of this looked really yummy.  You can check it out in more detail at Better Homes and Gardens.

High-and-Dry Clambake
Source: Better Homes and Gardens
Prep: 30 minutes
Grill: 15 minutes
 
Ingredients
20   littleneck, Manila, or cherrystone clams in shells
1  cup salt
3/4  cup butter, melted
1  teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
2  tablespoons lemon juice
2  tablespoons snipped fresh basil or 3 tablespoons snipped fresh dillweed
4  small fresh ears of corn in husks
8  sheets  nori or 1 large bunch parsley
2,  7- to 8-ounce fresh or frozen lobster tails, thawed and halved lengthwise
8  ounces cooked kielbasa or other smoked sausage, cut into 8 slices
12 to 16  sprigs fresh basil and/or dillweed
   Salt and pepper

Directions
1. Thoroughly wash clams in shells. In a large pot or kettle combine 4 quarts cold water and 1/3 cup of the salt. Place clams in the salt water mixture; let stand 15 minutes. Drain and rinse well. Repeat soaking and rinsing twice more, using new water and salt each time.
2. In a small bowl stir together butter, lemon peel, lemon juice, and the 2 to 3 tablespoons snipped fresh herbs; set aside. Remove corn husks; clean several husks and set aside. Use hands or a stiff brush to remove silk from corn. Brush corn with about 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture. Lay clean husks back in place.
3. Tear off four 24x18-inch pieces of heavy foil. Lay 2 sheets of nori or 3 to 4 large sprigs of fresh parsley in the center of each piece of foil. Cut four 12-inch squares of 100 percent cotton cheesecloth; place 1 square atop nori on each piece of foil.
4. For each packet, arrange the following on cheesecloth: 5 clams in shells, 1 ear of corn, 1/2 of a lobster tail, and 2 slices of kielbasa. Brush about 2 tablespoons butter mixture over cut sides of lobsters. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of remaining butter over each packet. (Reserve remaining butter mixture until serving time.) Top with a few sprigs of basil or dillweed. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bring ends of cheesecloth together in center. Seal foil packets, allowing room for steam to build.
5. In a grill with a cover, place foil packets, seam side up, on grill directly over medium coals. Grill, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until clams are open, lobster is opaque, and corn is tender, carefully opening packets to check doneness. To serve, open packets. (Discard any clams that have not opened, nori, if using, and herb sprigs. Replace with fresh herb sprigs, if desired.) Pass remaining lemon-butter mixture. Makes 4 servings.

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Did anyone else read this short article?  I'll just call it stupid people...I have a low tolerance for druggies. 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

Hugs!