Recently I was reading in some magazine (probably one someone brought to the hospital) the many different ways to save money. It was more like.....if you want this thing, then just go to your cabinet and get this, put it with this other thing and shazaam....you have what you wanted to begin with. There was no way to just create more money or how to make kids do what they are told the first time, but there were some pretty good ideas on other items of my interest.
So, today I share some of my trivia (two from experience and one from the magazine). Some of you will think: "Hmmm that is pretty good redneck stuff" and some of you will think: " No way, and what has she been smoking".
#1...When you spill a half full $26.00 bottle of hair care (that silk stuff) product in you suitcase you quickly throw everyone in the house into the shower. As each comes out of the shower, you scrape the product out of the suitcase with a flat type of spatula and then proceed to have them rub it on. It is great for keeping the tangles out of chest hair, leg hair, eye brows and lashes, as well as for the hair on your head. If you should get a good heavy glob...immediately get it into the bottle. Who cares if there are small pieces of gum, paper, dust and other things. It was a ding dang expensive bottle that has been protected for months because a dime size will do you.
Don't laugh...........you have done it at least once! If not...never say never!
#2... When the garden spits out 23 spaghetti squash at one time, or the local grocery has a great sale on them and you decide to buy that many, you do the following. Bake several in a pan which contains a couple inches of water. Once baked and cooled, cut each down the middle length wise, scrape out the slimy seedy part, and then begin to get the good stuff out. Place the "fruit" of the squash into ziploc baggies, and freeze. This winter when they are $3.00 a pound, you will be pulling those things out; adding butter, salt and pepper, or spaghetti sauce. Grown at home! Cheaper than a bag of noodles! And....healthy.
#3...This is my favorite find. I have a new shower buddy. NO..get your mind out of the gutter! I love to loofah (did I spell that correctly?). Love those bath/shower gels with the gritty stuff which makes you feel soft and smell all florally. However those are sometimes very expensive and no one ever gives them as hostess gifts for wedding/baby showers, so I make mine stretch for months. Now I don't have to worry. I have a new loofah buddy, and it leaves me with a more attractive smell. I would say that the lingering aroma is almost as alluring as leather, gunpowder, or that outdoor woodsy smell. (I can already see Sarah laughing!) So.... I read an article where they suggested that you use your morning coffee grounds as a loofah. Being the inquisitive person that I am, I decided to try it. Makaley even loves it! I put my grounds in a container and let them dry (so as not to get moldy). The next morning I grabbed my wash cloth, coffee grounds and headed to the shower. Now let me get to the point. OH MY Goodness! My skin was so soft (I didn't need to use lotion). I sprinkled the grounds onto the wash cloth, poured on my liquid soap, and went to scrubbing. This big old body didn't even need the full "six cup" grounds. Just a little will do you! Yes, it makes things a little messy, so I would only do this in the shower, not in a tub filled with water! You know that there is bound to be some "coffee color" left in those grounds. I figure that my skin tone is a little more tanned after a few hundred mornings. So, I am saving on that spray on tan junk. There were only a few glitches though. One is that if you have rolls like mine, you better be sure that you rinse every crevice well! Of course I don't use it in "certain" locations since I am not fond of the feeling of sand in my crack! Also be sure to rinse really well under the arms. You don't want to raise your hands in church and everyone wonder why you have little brown seeds in your pits. Also, you don't want to start sweating and then go to dripping coffee. I use decaf coffee so if I bathe at night, I won't be kept awake! For those of you who are married....well, if your husband loves the smell of coffee then be warned now that IF you aren't in the mood, be sure to use with caution. Another warning is not to use vanilla lotion after your bath. You are a lady not a latte.
If you don't have coffee grounds at home, ask a neighbor, or the office! If you are embarrassed to tell them why you need them, you can always tell them that you heard coffee grounds are good for plants and grass, and you are wanting to put it in your flower bed! That is what my mom uses her grounds for. She has some beautiful plants. Of course she puts coffee grounds, egg shells, and out of date vitamins in the garden for dad to till into the ground during the fall. Then during the summer you end up with a zillion cucumbers and 23 plus spaghetti squash.
#4..I have dabbed honey on a zit! I got mixed results on that one. Be sure to put the band aide over the honey....otherwise you end up with honey on the pillow, then it gets in your hair and well...it is not a pretty sight. Now it is your hair and your "stickin' with it!" ha ha.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Update for now
We went in to have blood drawn this morning. Are you sitting down? We put on this cream a friend recommended for days when he has to "have a stick". So..we did that an hour before. He sits down, puts out the arm, makes the fist and says in about 45 seconds "Have you got the spot ready to stick?" and the precious girl says..."We are done." And we were. It was great! Hello....no tears and 2 tubes of blood. He stood up and off we went. Only tear shed was when I told him NO when he asked for a reward. Told him that cream was his reward.
So, the doctor just called.............his sed. rate dropped from a 33 to a 14. We are all jumping for joy. The Doctor was extremely pleased with this week's results. We will have about 3 or 4 more weeks on the meds. and not another stick for hopefully 2 weeks. We go to see Dr. Rob on Fri. afternoon. Rumor has it, he has returned from Africa!
Now....I ask you to do me a couple of favors.
#1 ...Continue to pray that Kauy will heal completely.
#2....Pray for my Aunt. She was in the emergency room this past weekend and should have been admitted..(long story) but pray for her...her daughter...my mom...and my grandmother.
#3....Pray for "the man" because he is doing the "patch" thing. He called to tell me that he had to use electricians tape to keep the patch on his arm because the sweat was causing it to slide down. He really wants to beat this thing and it will save him a bunch of money! And may I say on a personal note.....it was one of those "I would never date anyone who....." comments that came out of my mouth more than once. One more lesson in how NOT to tell God how to run your life! There are many reasons God has put each of us in the other one's life. We laugh about it regularly.
#4... Pray for me that I will become motivated to shed this weight that I have gained since my surgery. I am not happy with the way I look weight wise, but I can't find the umph to get my rump in gear.
More later.........including my newest discovery for the shower and possibly my "stolen" identity at the video store and new photos from vacation! But don't hold your breath!
Notice that I have added Christye to my list on the right.
So, the doctor just called.............his sed. rate dropped from a 33 to a 14. We are all jumping for joy. The Doctor was extremely pleased with this week's results. We will have about 3 or 4 more weeks on the meds. and not another stick for hopefully 2 weeks. We go to see Dr. Rob on Fri. afternoon. Rumor has it, he has returned from Africa!
Now....I ask you to do me a couple of favors.
#1 ...Continue to pray that Kauy will heal completely.
#2....Pray for my Aunt. She was in the emergency room this past weekend and should have been admitted..(long story) but pray for her...her daughter...my mom...and my grandmother.
#3....Pray for "the man" because he is doing the "patch" thing. He called to tell me that he had to use electricians tape to keep the patch on his arm because the sweat was causing it to slide down. He really wants to beat this thing and it will save him a bunch of money! And may I say on a personal note.....it was one of those "I would never date anyone who....." comments that came out of my mouth more than once. One more lesson in how NOT to tell God how to run your life! There are many reasons God has put each of us in the other one's life. We laugh about it regularly.
#4... Pray for me that I will become motivated to shed this weight that I have gained since my surgery. I am not happy with the way I look weight wise, but I can't find the umph to get my rump in gear.
More later.........including my newest discovery for the shower and possibly my "stolen" identity at the video store and new photos from vacation! But don't hold your breath!
Notice that I have added Christye to my list on the right.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Back in my bed!
We have returned to home sweet home. No major fights! No lost children! No stay children! AND...A grandmother and grandad who had as much fun as the 7 and 10 year olds not to mention those of us in our 40's. Yes, we lived TOGETHER in a hotel room. It was large..2 beds, a couch and a roll-away. Mom could even get up and move around in the night when she needed to. So....I guess it wasn't much different that last year's vacation to the beach! Just no sand.
AND...of course we had Minerva/Audrey with us. I just want to finish up with that companion that every car should have. It saves men the embarrassment of asking for directions, but does not save on irritations in life. Let's me just tell you that we plugged that talking map in every time we got in the car to go more than 1 mile away from the hotel. Okay, I take that back. We used it to get to our supper destination last night, but we could see the building and knew we could outsmart that talking screen. You know....once again I must say that we do the same thing to the One who created us. He gives us directions to live by! And what do we do? We think we can do it on our own and guess what.........we end up doing it on our own 2 miles down the wrong road before we can find a turn around. We spin our tires, burn our gas, out run others, and finally make a U-turn. Sometimes U-turns are not accomplished as quickly as some of ours were; some of us go on and on and hit the dirt, dust and bumpy roads before we decide that we should have followed the directions set by Our Instructor. Some of us catch on quickly and decide that we need to turn around sooner than later.
We are striving, along with our congregation, to be a "Front Porch" Community. We need to understand that there are those who don't always make the right turns; those who drive down the wrong highway for many miles (years) with the determination to find the right road alone; those who drive only a short time and figure out there is a better way to get where they are going. We need to be like the motel chain which promises to "leave the light on". We need to be the light for those who are tired of driving without the "right directions" whether by just not knowing any different, or by making that choice. The front porch at my house has a light, a chair, and a place to dust off at least one layer of dirt from your feet.
Who directs your daily drive? We drove around the metroplex with the help of Audrey Minerva. But.........daily we strive to drive by the map given to us years and years ago. God was good to us this past week. We had a wonderful, safe, fun, interesting, hot and blessed vacation. Even spotted people from here........there! God is good all the time......All the time...God is good.
And..........thanks Hy and Grandad; we had fun....Thanks Aunt T for doing the driving(I knew you took the routes you did just to give Dad something to do), bringing Minerva(Dad's new best friend) and swimming....Thanks Uncle T for letting Aunt T go with us....and thanks T (the man) for watering grass, potting the dog, and taking care of things here.
AND...of course we had Minerva/Audrey with us. I just want to finish up with that companion that every car should have. It saves men the embarrassment of asking for directions, but does not save on irritations in life. Let's me just tell you that we plugged that talking map in every time we got in the car to go more than 1 mile away from the hotel. Okay, I take that back. We used it to get to our supper destination last night, but we could see the building and knew we could outsmart that talking screen. You know....once again I must say that we do the same thing to the One who created us. He gives us directions to live by! And what do we do? We think we can do it on our own and guess what.........we end up doing it on our own 2 miles down the wrong road before we can find a turn around. We spin our tires, burn our gas, out run others, and finally make a U-turn. Sometimes U-turns are not accomplished as quickly as some of ours were; some of us go on and on and hit the dirt, dust and bumpy roads before we decide that we should have followed the directions set by Our Instructor. Some of us catch on quickly and decide that we need to turn around sooner than later.
We are striving, along with our congregation, to be a "Front Porch" Community. We need to understand that there are those who don't always make the right turns; those who drive down the wrong highway for many miles (years) with the determination to find the right road alone; those who drive only a short time and figure out there is a better way to get where they are going. We need to be like the motel chain which promises to "leave the light on". We need to be the light for those who are tired of driving without the "right directions" whether by just not knowing any different, or by making that choice. The front porch at my house has a light, a chair, and a place to dust off at least one layer of dirt from your feet.
Who directs your daily drive? We drove around the metroplex with the help of Audrey Minerva. But.........daily we strive to drive by the map given to us years and years ago. God was good to us this past week. We had a wonderful, safe, fun, interesting, hot and blessed vacation. Even spotted people from here........there! God is good all the time......All the time...God is good.
And..........thanks Hy and Grandad; we had fun....Thanks Aunt T for doing the driving(I knew you took the routes you did just to give Dad something to do), bringing Minerva(Dad's new best friend) and swimming....Thanks Uncle T for letting Aunt T go with us....and thanks T (the man) for watering grass, potting the dog, and taking care of things here.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
We played all day
So, today we did the Zoo in big 'D'. Wow, it was very fun, very nice, very clean, and very very hot. I think it was 102. There were several "favorite" parts to the zoo. There were animals that we had not seen, and some of our favorites. One of the most interesting things at the zoo was.....are you ready for this....a zoo GPS. Can you believe it? It works like this. For $6.95 you rent this GPS. Every time you stop at an exhibit, this lady would come on the screen and tell you about the animals you are watching. It was so neat....a tour guide that traveled at my mom's speed. She would shut down for lunch and restroom breaks. She also was quiet during the monorail ride. It was supposed to be a 3 hour tour. You know what you have heard about 3 hour tours. That was true for this tour also. So...we got there about 10:30 and left around 3:30. Our plans were to go to the aquarium, but........Kauy said he heard the swimming pool calling his name; my camera's battery quit; mom was wearing out; and it closed at 5 so we came to the hotel............. just in time for the "social hour" complete with dinner, drinks, and a drawing for points with the hotel chain. Can't beat that!
For those of you who were surprised that we were gone out of town....then that tells you two things. I can keep my mouth shut, and I can get out of town without anyone knowing it!!!!! Ha
For those of you who were surprised that we were gone out of town....then that tells you two things. I can keep my mouth shut, and I can get out of town without anyone knowing it!!!!! Ha
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Staycation has ended....on the road again
I have kept my plans under lock and key. I have learned that all plans are subject to change. Today we pulled out of town and headed to the big 'D'. We (mom, dad, Aunt T., me and the kids) decided to go see some sites in Dallas. We didn't leave until after 1PM because we...well, we just took our time. We were in the car no more than 15 seconds and we had the first cat/dog fight. She hit me; he breathed on me.......and they were not even in the same row of seats.
We made it to Eastland and decided we needed a coke and some lunch. Dad decided to sit in the 2nd row of seats with Mom and Makaley. We have found the way to keep that man entertained. Drive as we please, do as we please........just let him hold and play with the GPS. He was too funny. You know, it is a gadget. A luxury. And we trusted it to give us directions to locations we didn't know existed. As we were listening to "minerva" (she gets on the uncle's nerves) or Audry (she is audible) I was listening to the amazement in voices of others as they watched the screen, and listened to her get us out of a wrong turn. She even told Aunt T that she was going a little too fast ("caution"). It just made me think that we will sit there and let a computer type machine run our life whether it be for a day, a few days, or whatever length of time. However, we have a hard time sitting there and just letting God do the driving. The very one who knew us in our mother's womb, we don't trust to get us from one point in life to the other. Is it because the GPS talks to us? Is it because it shows us pictures ahead of time so that we get on a wrong road? That is not faith. Faith is believing in that which can not be seen. So..........maybe GPS should be turned over to God. God's Positioning System. He puts us where we need to be...when we need to be there. He created the heavens so that 'Minerva" can tell us what to do!!!
Oh, and by the way............... We went to the Mint to watch the making of new money. I saw enough money to buy family and friends a GPS and a new car to put it in. The kids were amazed and hung on every word. The guide showed the kids how to tell if the bill was printed here. Of course Kauy had to get a bill out of my purse. After examining it, he determined it was from here so in his happy little voice he just yelled out: "Welcome back home little guy!" When we were younger (loved that adj.) our family visited the Mint in Washington. This was far better. Put it on your must visit list! It is free....well until you get to the gift shop. ha ha
I am not telling our plans for tomorrow. That will be a surprise to us all. We will use our GPS but are thankful that God has given us this time to be together.....all of us well!
We made it to Eastland and decided we needed a coke and some lunch. Dad decided to sit in the 2nd row of seats with Mom and Makaley. We have found the way to keep that man entertained. Drive as we please, do as we please........just let him hold and play with the GPS. He was too funny. You know, it is a gadget. A luxury. And we trusted it to give us directions to locations we didn't know existed. As we were listening to "minerva" (she gets on the uncle's nerves) or Audry (she is audible) I was listening to the amazement in voices of others as they watched the screen, and listened to her get us out of a wrong turn. She even told Aunt T that she was going a little too fast ("caution"). It just made me think that we will sit there and let a computer type machine run our life whether it be for a day, a few days, or whatever length of time. However, we have a hard time sitting there and just letting God do the driving. The very one who knew us in our mother's womb, we don't trust to get us from one point in life to the other. Is it because the GPS talks to us? Is it because it shows us pictures ahead of time so that we get on a wrong road? That is not faith. Faith is believing in that which can not be seen. So..........maybe GPS should be turned over to God. God's Positioning System. He puts us where we need to be...when we need to be there. He created the heavens so that 'Minerva" can tell us what to do!!!
Oh, and by the way............... We went to the Mint to watch the making of new money. I saw enough money to buy family and friends a GPS and a new car to put it in. The kids were amazed and hung on every word. The guide showed the kids how to tell if the bill was printed here. Of course Kauy had to get a bill out of my purse. After examining it, he determined it was from here so in his happy little voice he just yelled out: "Welcome back home little guy!" When we were younger (loved that adj.) our family visited the Mint in Washington. This was far better. Put it on your must visit list! It is free....well until you get to the gift shop. ha ha
I am not telling our plans for tomorrow. That will be a surprise to us all. We will use our GPS but are thankful that God has given us this time to be together.....all of us well!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Kauy statements...for today
On our trip to pick up Makaley at Camp today: "How many more 'in a little whiles' until we go get KK?"
On our visit to the doctor tomorrow: "Mom, if they keep taking blood from me there will be no more me."
Other suggestions for camps: Camp Ain't gonna whine no more
Camp Responsibility
he is bored.....ready to get moving.......and I am worn out from entertaining. Stay posted...I may add to this post.
On our visit to the doctor tomorrow: "Mom, if they keep taking blood from me there will be no more me."
Other suggestions for camps: Camp Ain't gonna whine no more
Camp Responsibility
he is bored.....ready to get moving.......and I am worn out from entertaining. Stay posted...I may add to this post.
Another Day rolls by!
Okay, I am still working on the 100 things about me. Promise me that you don't do that when you hit your 200th post! I think I am up to 59 or so. Great. I don't think I am that interesting of a person, and I feel like I have already told you everything about me. Thank you all for reading these. I get emails asking for another post, and I wonder if you are just bored with life, have a warped mind, or reallly get into these things. Some of you just love me and that is all there is to it. And so you know....I love you too!! If you know something about me that I need to post, let me know. I can cut and paste pretty well.
Kauy and I have had another "together"week. Makaley is at church camp. Her first trip there. She called me on Tuesday, and haven't heard a word since. Does that tell you something? That is the child that has had a vacation. She has attended 4 camps. Two of them were stay at home go during the day............the other two were pack your bags and get away from Mom. Which left me with the dirty room, loads of laundry to do when she returned, and days of hugging and loving that we missed out on. I know that I rag on my two kids often, but I love them so very much. They are a blessing! So, does that make their dirty rooms a benefit of the blessing? I think not. This week in camp, Makaley had different chores such as mess hall duty. Yep, she had to clean the kitchen. Do you think she told them "just a minute"? Do you think she whined and asked "What about so and so?"? I would bet not. And why is that? From now on we are going to have "Camp Ostlien." I will buy the T-shirts! So the trick is...like a package of those dry noodles.....just add water.............well, just add the word "Camp" to your last name and that should do it. IF not, add a great adjective in front of it such as.......Attitude adjustment Camp. See if that works.
That brings me to another thing. I created a new word during the stay in the hospital. Before long doctors will be sending you in for an attitudectomy (sp). I saw many a person who needed one. Not those dealing with us mind you..........they were great (I am still working on that post). There were some there bless their hearts that felt that everyone in that hospital was to stop what they were doing and wait on them. Hand and foot....thoughts and deeds. Wow. I was just happy that I didn't have to collect the specimens. I can do the rest...well, sorta.
And so, I will close today with two things.
#1 congratulations to Aunt Traci and Christye....they have their own blogs now, and I will get them on my list of favorites soon. Way to jump in ladies! Of course you will be ahead of me with the technology just like Brandi, but oh well. It won't be the first or last time huh?
#2 kauy is doing well. We are not loosing any pills to spitting them out. The only one lost was because I set it in a tiny speck of water, and it dissolved before he got to it. You know, he does the take one now, wait 10 min. and take the next. Except yesterday he got them both down in a hurry so we could go to the movie to see Indiana Jones and whatever he was chasing this year. AND...there was only one snake in the movie this time. Anyway, we go back tomorrow to see the Doctor. He will have to do blood work so pray for us and the person who will be holding the needle. I do however have the cream that my friend Tammye told me to get! So that should help numb the problem. I will let you know how things are going!
Thanks for the prayers!
Kauy and I have had another "together"week. Makaley is at church camp. Her first trip there. She called me on Tuesday, and haven't heard a word since. Does that tell you something? That is the child that has had a vacation. She has attended 4 camps. Two of them were stay at home go during the day............the other two were pack your bags and get away from Mom. Which left me with the dirty room, loads of laundry to do when she returned, and days of hugging and loving that we missed out on. I know that I rag on my two kids often, but I love them so very much. They are a blessing! So, does that make their dirty rooms a benefit of the blessing? I think not. This week in camp, Makaley had different chores such as mess hall duty. Yep, she had to clean the kitchen. Do you think she told them "just a minute"? Do you think she whined and asked "What about so and so?"? I would bet not. And why is that? From now on we are going to have "Camp Ostlien." I will buy the T-shirts! So the trick is...like a package of those dry noodles.....just add water.............well, just add the word "Camp" to your last name and that should do it. IF not, add a great adjective in front of it such as.......Attitude adjustment Camp. See if that works.
That brings me to another thing. I created a new word during the stay in the hospital. Before long doctors will be sending you in for an attitudectomy (sp). I saw many a person who needed one. Not those dealing with us mind you..........they were great (I am still working on that post). There were some there bless their hearts that felt that everyone in that hospital was to stop what they were doing and wait on them. Hand and foot....thoughts and deeds. Wow. I was just happy that I didn't have to collect the specimens. I can do the rest...well, sorta.
And so, I will close today with two things.
#1 congratulations to Aunt Traci and Christye....they have their own blogs now, and I will get them on my list of favorites soon. Way to jump in ladies! Of course you will be ahead of me with the technology just like Brandi, but oh well. It won't be the first or last time huh?
#2 kauy is doing well. We are not loosing any pills to spitting them out. The only one lost was because I set it in a tiny speck of water, and it dissolved before he got to it. You know, he does the take one now, wait 10 min. and take the next. Except yesterday he got them both down in a hurry so we could go to the movie to see Indiana Jones and whatever he was chasing this year. AND...there was only one snake in the movie this time. Anyway, we go back tomorrow to see the Doctor. He will have to do blood work so pray for us and the person who will be holding the needle. I do however have the cream that my friend Tammye told me to get! So that should help numb the problem. I will let you know how things are going!
Thanks for the prayers!
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