Live Simply, Simply Live

I am such a slacker....

I've so been meaning to come here, share all those millions of little details and bits of stories and rememberances that are roaming around my head and then BHAM! Life gets in the way. Work is busy, Tim has an allergic reaction, Jones makes dance team, Amy has a biology melt down and nothing gets shared. Such is the way of my life recently.

BUT, I do want to share this.

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If I were cool and technologically savy I could just share the pictures, but I'm not so here's the link. It was slow in the ER yesterday (YEAH!!!!!) and I was able to slip out of here at 1400, so Brian and I went for a long walk. We toured the Saturday market in downtown Vancouver, we meandered along the water front, we walked by the Fort, we sipped diet coke. It was WONDERFUL! And the weather couldn't have been more cooperative. Sunny, warm, breezy with just the right amount of cool lift in the air to combat the heat of the sun. Well, most of it was great. Brian has this obsessive thing about the Columbia River and boats and he wanted to walk along the I-5 bridge and watch the boats go under the bridge. OK, I can be a team player. But only for a bit. These huge semi's are roaring by inches from where a person walks, the bridge is OLD (built in 1915 or 1930 or there abouts) and the walkway is narrow, leaving a brief amount of space between you, the rail and the water. Then Brian wants to stop in the middle and watch the boats roar by,  several feet below us in cold, murky water. As we stood there the bridge would rattle and reverbrate with each passing semi. I looked at the man like he's nuts (because he is!) and I walked backed, quickly, to terra firma. I don't so much like bridges anyway but that was just nuts. No more bridges for me. He's on his own from here on out. After the bridge was the waterfront, and I loved that.

So, I ended up with a few blisters, sore legs and a touch  of sun left on my face. It was so wonderful (well, except for the bridge thing) that I can't wait until we can go again :)

Oh, and that picture of Kristy and I? It's still at home and I'm still at work, but I'll get there.

Another day...

And I've still not posted that pictue of Kristy and I. But I will. Tomorrow. For sure.

But for today I am wondering about something important to me. And maybe important to some of you as well. See, I love books. I mean I really, really love books. One of my all time favorite date nights with Brian involves sharing a mocha at 'bucks and spending hours browsing the aisles and rows at B & N. But I have a small problem. I read a lot and I prefer to own the books I read (well, most of the time) and all too often I buy the same book more than once. And that frustrates the heck out of me.

So I have this cute little altered book I made that is much like an address book, only the names are authors and the contact information is lists of books I've bought/read by each author. Problem is, the cute little book lives on a shelf in my room, not in the handbag that travels with me to B & N. So, even though I try to be proactive I still duplicate purchases.

My question is this.... what type of small, portable, inexpensive hand held device would help me with my dilema? I can't see spending $1K on a Blackberry that would be grossly under utilized, nor do I need a phone with Internet access and GPS on 20 continents. I just want something to store my authors' info in so I don't keep buying the same darn books!

I have a B & N gift card for the kind soul who leads me in the right direction :)

Sometimes, I'm not so bright.

I take calcium and multi vitamins and B & D every day (because I'm supposed to, not necessarily because I want to) and I've added omega 3 to my regimen because I'm told it improves brain function. Clearly I'm not taking enough.

Today is my dear friend Kristy's 39th birthday (ooooh, am I supposed to say that out loud? Ah well, I'm older so I guess I'm entitled a few liberties) and I scanned an old picture of the two of us to share and show how gorgeous she is. And to share and show how foolish I was in my younger years (I'm sure I can't possibly be 40 in the picture) because back then I straightened (or at least I tried to) my hair every dang day. What the heck was I thinking?! Oh, yeah, my hair was shorter then, but still. It didn't really work and Lord knows it looked horrid.

Yikes, tangent. Anyway, I scanned this picture, I don't have PSE or any photoshopping abilities anyway so I can't retouch it or fix my wrinkles or chin and I certainly can't add any wrinkles or chubbiness to Kristy's smooth visage. So, I was proud. I was bucking up, sharing my many imprefections, her beauty  and I was planning ahead. Only I scanned the photo to my computer at home while planning on posting her birthday wishes while at work. See the problem here? No, I didn't email the photo to myself, that would have been entirely too easy. I just never made the mental connection that my home and work computers don't have the same stored information. I was admittedly pretty red faced when I brought up "my scans" at work and found something entirely different than on the "my scans" I have at home. Oops.

So, a very happy and blessed birthday to you Kristy. Here's wishing you many, many more.

And the picture? I'll share that tomorrow. From my home computer :)

Laff Olympics

I know that some of you are post 70's types and may not remember Super Saturday cartoons. This was back in the era of 3 or 4 channels, MAX, and when just about EVERYONE, who was anyone, watched the same thing (Like Happy Day's and Laverne and Shirley, Little House on the Prarie and The Walton's). In the days when we didn''t really have choices on Saturday mornings. It was golf, some PBS nerdy show, or Saturday morning cartoons. So, even if we didn't truly love a specific cartoon we watched it anyway, because we didn't have VCR's or DVD's or the luxury of flipping trough 50 channels until we found something we liked. I don't remember what was before or after Laff Olympics, and even though it wasn't my favorite Saturday morning cartoon, I distinctly remember it.

Why? Because I have one of the groups residing in my home. See, Hanna Barbera had 3 groups.... the Yogi Yahooey's, who we all loved, the Scoobie Doobies, who we also loved, and the Really Rottens, who we were supposed to dislike, because they were the bad guys. The ones who did evil and sneaky and dastardly things. The ones who cheated to win, but who never seemed to win anyway. (Wouldn't it be nice if real life worked that way?) And, which of th three groups do I have you ask? The Really Rottens, of course. That's what I call my kids. Mostly when I'm whining about their latest exploits to Brian, but to their faces as well, 'cause I wouldn't want them thinking I was talking behind their backs.

The nobody who spilled ink on the living room carpet? The Really Rottens did it. The "wasn't me" who knocked the SECOND hole in the exact same space in the drywall? The Really Rotten's once again. And the "I dunno" who continually wipes grime on the walls, leaves ink pens in pants' pockets, fails to clean up the dishes in the sink, the clothes on the floor, the papers on the counter and the crud on the bathroom counters? Yep, once again, it was the Really Rottens. And all four of them live in my house (well, when Matt is here anyway).

So, if you ever hear me (or see me, being as this is a blog and all) refer to my darling angels as the Really Rottens, you'll know exactly who I'm talking about.

 

 

Bet my Grama knew this stuff

Because my Grama was just smart like that. She knew the coolest little tidbits and household hints.... she'd put Helpful Heloise to shame! I saw this surfing around the net tonight (not so busy at work) and I thought I'd share it with all of you. Because I sure as heck didn't know all this cool stuff :) Good bye fruit flies!!!

DID YOU KNOW?

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream.

Reheat pizza= Heat up leftover pizza in a no stick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

Expanding Frosting=When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread=To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it re heat faster.

Newspaper weeds away=Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

No More Mosquitoes =Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away! =To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper.
The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

Flexible vacuum =To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling =Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt
or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose.

Measuring Cups =Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water.
Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield =Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope =If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside,
just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.

Conditioner =Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves
your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like.

Goodbye Fruit Flies =To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants =Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it
so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS =The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink, ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material - I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like.

Well, the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free -- that nice fragrance too, you know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box, well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to catch fire & potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (& to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out & wash it with hot soapy water & an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday!
I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share!

The End

Saturday!!!

I love the weekend. Mostly because I don't work (unless I pick up an extra shift, and then it's my own fault!) and Brian doesn't work and it means stuff can get done around the house! It is supposed to be gorgeous here today (it was in the 90's yesterday, which is a bit more "gorgeous" than I like, but supposed to be a bit cooler today) and the yard is calling my name! I spent a few hours weeding the front blueberry's and planters yesterday and they look pretty darn good. Ready for some fun summer flowers. But the backyard has a whole lot more weeds than it needs. And since I am DETERMINED to plant a bit of a garden this year, well, the weeds have to go. Any bets on whether or not I can bribe the kids and Brian to help me?

Crummy pictures, funny story

Well, it made me laugh anyway. But maybe that's because I know Tim and I "get" him... most of the time. Scenario: Jones is teaching Hannah and Heather a dance for CYT, in our family room. Tim walks in from school, watches a minute or two, hears Jones repeatedly saying "5,6,7,8" before they launch into the moves, then start again. Obviously less than impressed with their dancing ability he walks off muttering "at least they can count". But Tim being Tim, he was serious :)

Anyway, these have been on my desk since NSD and since sleep wasn't happening I decided to finally scrap them.

Stanford?!

Amy has never mentioned an interest in attending Stanford University. Maybe because the school is so spendy. Maybe because it is notoriously tough to get in to. Maybe because the overall level of intelligence is intimidating. Whatever the reason, Amy hasn't mentioned that particular school. I found out yesterday that for the 2008-2009 school year the scholarship levels had been increased. No admitted/accepted undergrad whose parents make under $100K (and we do) are expected to pay tuition. That's $34K a year. Sure, there is still room and board and books, but dang, that brings Stanford into the realm of possibilities. When I mentioned it to Amy her eyes lit up. A lot. So who knows, Stanford?

ATG

What does that mean anyway? Attempt To Glue? Whatever the meaning, the gluing device is awesome and I should have listened to hundreds, neigh thousands, of scrappers who a long time ago said "get this!!!"

In my effort to help stimulate this wretched economy I've been shopping recently on a favored scrappy website, www.scrapsupply.com

I finally broke down and purcased this adhesive tool and I'm only sorry I didn't purchase it long ago. It works REALLY WELL. I spent most of last week working on an album of my mom's childhood for her Mother's Day gift and the tabs just weren't cutting it. I'd glue someting and it would pop back up. Most frustrating. Yet the gold line glue used in the ATG gun kept those old, paper backed pictures down like a charm.

So, as a public service announcement, and in further effort to kick this economy into gear, I'm encouraging you to get one if you don't already have one. It really is worth the $50.

You are the everlasting God..

How come I don't have one of those really cool song players so I can share this song with you? Oh, now I remember. It's 'cause I'm cheap and I got the $4.95 deal. Darn it. Well, pretend I have one of those click-the-link-and-it-plays deals. 'Cause this song rocks. And while Chris Tomlin is a gifted singer and does a fabulous job, our church band really rocks this one up.

Our family goes to curch on Sunday nights. I'm not 100% sure why we started going then, maybe because it is a great time to wind down and recharge from our always busy weekends. Maybe it's because the Ascent service we attend has modern, up-to-date Christian music and the kids like it (yes, Brian and I like it too). Maybe it's because on Sunday nights after church we go out to eat and have our only family dinner of the week (I work nights, Brian works morning and evenings  so the kids eat a lot of Costco food).  Whatever the reason, we love the service and that's when we go.

The past several weeks Pastor Matt has been teaching from John. He does a fabulous job of really making the passages come alive. He studied Greek so he often shares the meanings of the Greek words and shows how the original words work in the current English translation. He is also incredibly knowledgeable about the Bible in it's entirety and does an amazing job of bringing passages together to paint an entire picture of the time, place and emotions prevalent at the time of the passage in question. So, bible study has been great and the music minister is on track with choosing songs that reflect the message and meaning of the passages we study.

This last Sunday this was the opening song and I love this one. I would imagine it is based on Isaiah 40:31 "Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength... They shall mount up with wings as eagles.." Which is clearly not from the book of John, but it sets the tone as Jesus has his longest conversation ever with his disciples. I love that verse so it just makes the beauty and power of the song extra special. Hope it blesses you as it does me!

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary

You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles.