WATCHING AND WONDERING…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

G IS FOR:

a "Good Green Get"...

in thrifter slang, that is. 

Do you like to go 'sight seeing' in second-hand shops or thrift stores? 

I've become familiar with many different shops in our area and now know their 'special days' or 'colors-of-the-day' for 25-, 50- or 75%-off deals. 

This week's finds didn't disappoint my hopes for another good deal.  These were 1/2 priced and I KNEW right where they were going to sit once they were washed and dried.

What do you think I paid for these two tall vases? 



Each measures 14"

They now flank the above-fireplace painting and I think they really help 'lead you into' the trail to see what's in the picture.
(my cost answer is in my comments below)

John 8:31  "If you continue in my word, then you are truly Disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

Blessings,

NEED VS. CRITICAL

UPDATE:  CONGRATULATIONS, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA!!

WHO WON THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. 

THEY DOMINATED LSU.  WE'RE EAGER TO HEAR AND SEE THE LOCAL CELEBRATIONS THIS NEXT WEEK IN TUSCALOOSA!

ROLL TIDE!

Mondays are somewhat ‘hated’ days of the week  wonderfully welcoming on their own

…knowing you’ll be ‘getting back to work’ or ‘school’ Those things especially tickle your funny bone or eagerness to get started, don’t they?!

Our Monday was even further enhanced by having scheduled a ‘car maintenance’ appointment for BabyGirl’s car, YIPPEEEE, such fun not. 
We had mentioned the maintenance needed to be done earlier during the Winter Break but some of us like to challenge norms for this kind of ‘fun’

GOALS:

• finish work today
• corporate ‘recall’ replacement
• 110,000-mile maintenance
• yearly inspection
• reasonable cost 

Happily, I was successful setting and responding to my alarm clock.  (a praise these days)
…so I quickly checked BabyGirl’s room for ‘movement’ since dread had crossed my mind a time or two I was concerned at waking a sleeping college student.  Thankfully, it was washed away when she blurrily answered my inquiry at her door.

The weather channel had predicted rain and fog (because it’s January and we’ve been in the 60’s with thunderstorms…wha’z up?!).

After running downstairs and filling my travel coffee cup with Italian café/Almond Joy creamer,  I was sliding on my rubber rain boots when Daughter emerged from her room.  

We’ve gotten used to no one parking behind our cars in the driveway.  Why is it we have to “intentionally” remind ourselves there’s a car behind us when she returns home? 
(BabyGirl's car is black…and ‘little’?)  Oh, alright…I’m envious of hub’s ‘backing up’ alarm…it beeps when foreign objects are a foot or closer.  To remedy my not having that feature, I “back” into our driveway using my mirrors…and saving my deteriorating neck.

Arriving at the dealership, only two other cars were ahead of us, so we had accomplished the important task of ‘early’ for an ‘earlier’ finish.  Early bird gets the worm!

Update:  The service manager called with the ‘cost’ of 3 CRITICAL problems and 2 ‘needs’ found while handling the other 3 changes we requested. 

Oh.My.Word.

The early bird found a ‘rotten’ worm … or three.

p.s. We have two more vehicles to be inspected and/or repaired before the end of this month…
Oh.My.Word2.

GARBAGE WOES

Does a garbage disposal reside in your sink?  yes or no

Over the holidays I was 'taunted' for allowing food waste into the garbage disposal at a family-member's home. (Their waste system must be more sensitive.) 

Anyway it made me curious to look for the 'accepted' waste from a 'more responsible' user of a dispoal.

Naturally, I went 'a-lookin' to find the answers on the internet...here's what I found: 

According to a leading disposer manufacturer...
Do: 

• Grind food waste in a moderate flow of cold water.
• Grind hard materials (such as bones, fruit pits)...a scouring action is created by the particles inside the grind chamber.
• Grind citrus fruit peelings to freshen drain smells.
• Dispose of coffee grounds in your disposer (whether or not you are on metropolitan sewer or septic tank.)
• Flush disposer for cleaning...allowing disposer/cold water to run after grinding or after draining sink of dish water.
• Some detergents are caustic; flushing will pass such material into the drain line without disposer damage.
• Use a disposer cleaner, de-greaser, or deodorizer as necessary. (baking soda is good)

DON'T:

• turn off the motor or water until grinding is completed
• be alarmed.  Discoloration on the face of the grinding disc is normal...surface discoloration will not affect the life or performance of the disposer.

• grind fibrous material like corn husks, artichokes, etc. to avoid possible drain blockage

Remember...watch you fingers. NEVER put fingers down in the disposal unless it's turned OFF.


I don't feel so bad now about my 'disposal etiquette' after I've read these 'plumbers suggestions'. 

RE-PURPOSING: CAN YOU TIE A KNOT?

THRIFTING on Monday was fun again as I browsed the aisles to see what might be new.

're-usable' is a better word...one man's trash/treasure thing, you know? 

Most of the time these wouldn't excite very many people but I had a "mess" at my house, and these would help with it.

The size 4X didn't excite me...but because there were 4 pair, it made it a REALLY good deal.

AND it was HALF PRICE day!  These cost a roaring $1.50

There was another thing planned for these puppies

it would NOT involve their EVER going over my legs, thank goodness. 

(horrendous memories flooded over me as I remembered growing up in an 'un-airconditioned' home in the Deep South with all its humidity while trying to dress for Sunday church.  Let's just say if we didn't have an extra large bottle of baby powder on hand when I was a youngster, we might not ever have gotten our clothes on, especially pantyhose.)

Thank you, Lord, I am soooo thankful for air in churches and our contemporary services that don't require pantyhose, dresses and white gloves.

'What in the world' is this woman going to do and why is there suddenly a picture of onions and potatoes?  Note the onion skins lying on the countertop

Oops, I almost forgot I also needed these to help with this 're-purposing'...

Step 1:  Where the top of the pantyhose leg meets 'panty' portion of the hose, cut off each leg.  You'll now have 2 long stockings.

Step 2:  Now, hold open one leg and drop an onion down into the leg until it reaches the foot.

you'll be amazed how quickly and easily it will slide down the leg. 

Pull the hosiery around and tie a knot firmly up against the onion

Repeat with all your onions. 

Each onion will now get PLENTY of air flow and won't rot because it is leaning up against another onion or in a container.

At the top of the leg, I knotted the remainder around the wire rack in my pantry so the onions would hange freely and be easily accessible.

To prevent them from 'flapping in the breeze' against the door each time it is opened, I attached one of the sections with a bulldog clip to another edge of the rack half way down the leg .

WALLAH!

Now I can 'cut off the bottom onion when I need to cook, and the others will stay separated and won't drop all their messy skin on my kitchen counter each time I pick up an onion. 

(My Mom actually hangs these in her basement and she's been known to have vidalia onions for months on end)

WHAT re-purposing having you been up to this week?

Blessings,

UPDATE: Satellite office report

UPDATE:   Response to Southern Board of Domestic Household Affairs, case 0306001--this is sierra kilo52 calling romeo lingo51: 

SierraKilo52 has been off-site 'thrifting' with investigator-in-training charlieVictorKilo18 and hadn't read previous message until now.

Please update the Board's files with the following sierraKilo findings

Said anomaly was not claimed by the unnamed suspect; however, finger prints found at the scene have confirmed the previous suspect.    

NOTE:  Other evidence was compromised; flushing had already occurred 

NOTE: This scene investigator didn't need further proof and was satisfied with just the fingerprint evidence.

Further follow-up investigation at this residence confirmed another conspiracy to almost mimic the tea incident. 

Latest Incident:  Drink slots of the residence refrigerator were found completely empty, even though soft drinks in abundance on the property.  (see following evidence as noted)

Evidence #0314001

Seems there might be another culprit on these premises unable to replace sodas.  Fresh 'empties' were found on the kitchen counter and in the garbage receptacle instead of in the recycle bin. (see following evidence as noted)

Evidence #0314002

We are pending fingerprint analysis and, therefore, have been unable to secure the suspect until such evidence has been confirmed. 

This site recommends holding onto your 'hopes and dreams' in that multiple misdemeanors continue to appear, almost quicker than they can be handled by the local CSI team. 

Will keep communication lines open in case we have MORE threatening emergencies..over. sierra kilo52 out!

FRIDAY's FINDING BEAUTY...-n- COBWEBS

AFTER MICRO DUSTING AND VACUUMING ALL THE SURFACES TODAY,I was STRUGGLING WITH 'Finding the Beauty' in the chores I do mechanically.

CHORES THAT SEEM trivial, unrewarding, tedious, dirty, and disagreeable...do they make you feed that way?

But, here are some valuable lessons correlating with the spiritual side of my life:

Top To Bottom...Mother taught me to clean a room from the top down (ceiling or the top of whatever surface to the bottom...surfaces should be touched only once; drips can be cleaned once; dusting won't have to be re-done).

You know, THIS ALSO APPLIES TO me WITH CLEANING my SPIRITUAL BODY...wash out those bad-influenced sights/thoughts with the Word of the Lord, starting in the brain...let His Words sink into my synapses...then they can be stored and pondered in my heart.

Secondly...dry cleaning/dusting with a cloth are done before changing to wet cleaning.

Oh, my mind may have cobwebs stubbornly hanging on...then the Holy Spirit convicts my heart, the cleansing tears begin to flow and I can wipe away some of the issues with tissues.

Finally, after my cleaning is completed, I must put my supplies away (where I can quickly retrieve them).

Bible study tools should also be kept ready for my next needy time...for the next SPEED-clean of an attitude, for helping calm a friend, or to help find words for a special prayer request.

His Word cleanses LIKE NO OTHER. I'll try to continue to find the beauty in my housework...even on those days they feel trivial and unrewarding...my mind will be in a better place while I'm 'doing for me and my family'.

What about you?

Ezekiel 44:10

"...From now on they'll do only the menial work in the Sanctuary: guard the gates and help out with the Temple chores..."

Blessings,

T-O-M TUESDAY...thrifty goodies

Joining this week's THREE OR MORE TUESDAY... with Tam.

My 3-OR-MORE are treasures found at a local thrift shop yesterday...calling to me from the abyss of many other things, silently yet loudly calling my name.

(I did put a few things back on the shelf, deciding I really didn't need to bring them home with me 'cause then I'd have to "find" a place for them, doggoneit!)

Three items will be going to my upstairs closet and two items will find a new home in my dining-room sideboard. Two blouses and purse were run through the gentle cycle of the washing machine and the other two previously-black tarnished serving pieces had to be sprayed with silver cleaner and briskly shined with a cotton cloth.

I always like finding new tops and purses at the thrift store...these tops still had the original tags on them...and the purse had barely been used (just some smudgy on the side--which came out in the wash).

The serving pieces will be nice to use during the holidays and on special occasions...the casserole dish is the perfect size for a small gathering and the try will do wonderfully with little doilies for appetizers.

Five items--$22...a good deal, I believe!

WORDLESS WED, 5MINs4MOM Giv'away & 30x5Challengettes

FOR MORE WORDLESS WEDNESDAY, CLICK ON THE PICTURE
"KINDA Wordless Wednesday"
Any guesses what I'm doing ALL day today??
Look what I found in DD's closet...hhhhhhhmmmmm.

L: LITTLE ladies springing up overnight, becoming young ladies
A: ALWAYS seeking the best fit
U: UBER-excited planning a look
N: NOW understanding classic over cute
D: DRESSING quickly for school
R: RUMMAGING through hangers
Y: YES,no…Hang it back up? maybe.


HELPING CELEBRATE MOMS...CLICK ON THE PICTURE :)

AND...

For my "30x5" Challengettes...
click on the following for 5 Shortcuts to Sculpt Your Body Fast

Posted using ShareThis

BROWNIES NOW...BROWNIES THEN

It’s 10:30pm and I have NO Brownie mix in the house. DH needs brownies for his class tomorrow afternoon at church and this is the only time I have to get them done.

What to do, what to do. Oh, I remember seeing a baking idea on the Internet—using cake mix to make brownies. Yep, I found it on the web and mixed it up quickly…1 boxed cake mix, 1/4 c. water, 1/8 c. oil, 1 egg…and into the small baking pan for 22 minutes.

While it was cooking...I’m thinking of brownies, wonderfully sweet, gooey squares of chocolate…and other things named “Brownie”…I was a Girl Scout Brownie when I was in first grade…don’t believe I have any pictures of that time in my life. (I was the second child and pictures were not as easily made and developed back in those days). (note to self: ask Mother if she has any brownie pictures)

Speaking of pictures and “brownie” things…Now I’m remembering a small, black camera called a “Brownie”. It required little, individual, pale, bluish bulbs with wiry, oblong tips which had to be put into the camera to make a flash picture…there was no such thing as a "built in" flash.

Speaking of flashes...Daddy had an 8mm movie camera (the film had to be taken to the store to be processed) and it didn't have a flash at all...there was a separate flash bar someone had to hold while the other person shot the movie. The handle was on the bottom and across the top of the bar were four large light bulbs--that monstrous thing could have been used to light up and or heat up the entire neighborhood...those bulbs were extremely hot.
We often complained about being blinded each time the switch was flipped on...this was also our que to "do something" from my Daddy.

In the 60's we didn't have the "video finesse" this generation has at the sight of a camera. We would just wave walking slowly back and forth as we sheepishly smiled--while trying not to run into anything in the way, because after a few steps, you're eyes were so blinded by the light you couldn't see where you were going! I remember using bulbs in our small "Brownie" ...having to pull them out of the camera for the next shot (they were hot and always put a pungent, smoky smell into the room!) You’d end up with a pocketful of used bulbs if you were taking several pictures.

Back to my being a brownie…I remember going to one of my first troop meetings at the “Church of Christ” and making “sitting mats”. Our leader taught us to weave folded strips of newspapers together and cover them with oil cloth—once done, we stitched the hole-punched sides together with cording. The mats gave us padded seating on the ground without getting our lovely brown uniforms wet or dirty because they were waterproof and could easily be wiped clean.

I wonder whatever happened to my mat? …to my uniform…to my beanie hat?

Or, what happened to my brownies…my real brownies…the ones I put in the over...they’re done--I’ve got to get them out of the oven!

Leave me a funny or special memory you have about brownies, girl scouts, brownie cameras, or anything named Brownie!

MOM, CAN I PLEASE HAVE SOME...

Having just enjoyed answering 2nd cup of coffee's question about my favorite 60's vintage commercial...(which was the "slinky" commercial...everyone loves a slinky)

My mind was going back to the days accompanying my Mother to the "Big Apple" every two weeks to load up our cart. This was a big deal--getting to go to the store...today it's not such an event, but back then it was to me (obviously I was a very sheltered child). Hey, I even wore a dress and my church shoes to the grocery store and my mom often wore her heels...go figure. You have to understand that was still in the day of wearing a pillbox hat and white gloves to church every Sunday morning.

Any way, every new aisle brought my quick eyes to seek out the neatest "kid" thing...a cereal I hadn't tasted, that I just HAD to have, 'cause Linda's mommy bought 'em! "Too much sugar", she'd say...and I'd cross my arms...then she'd grab the plain Cheerios. Turning the corner, we came to the freezer section, and I remember frozen dinners being the "new thing"...yum, Salisbury steak in brown jelly (supposed to be gravy), peas tasted like dirt and the fried chicken was more like fried fat with some chicken...wow, something you could put in the oven without having to fully cook it yourself!

I wasn't too into the baking aisle at that point in my life other than being intrigued by the latest kitchen gadgets and always wanting a set of measuring spoons of my own...don't ask me what that was about?!!

On the snack aisle I would always beg for "Jiffy Pop" in the little aluminum foil pan with the wire handle...we loved watching the circular aluminum cover expand with the heat on the stove as you rubbed it furiously on top of the eye so the kernels didn't burn for 5 or so minutes...no ease of a 3-minute cycle in the microwave back then. Most of the time Mom wouldn't let us buy the Jiffy Pop since we already had a big jar of loose popcorn for us to cook the "old fashioned way,... in a pot with a tablespoon of Crisco".

It was fun checking out the pet food aisle seeing what toys were on the market for my doggie...he was part German shepherd and loved to chase anything I threw. I especially loved the little plastic, squeaky hamburgers...they were easy to find in the yard and didn't roll if I overshot my target. I also remember we didn't have dry dog food then...it was the nasty, wet, slimy canned food like corned beef hash that slid out of the can after you opened it with the "manual" can opener...eeeeeewwww, I can still smell the pungent beef stench!

Naturally, being a Georgia girl, we would budget so we could have Cokes in the house...we got one a week...we thought they were horribly expensive when they made it to $.50 a bottle...what was the world coming to? Every once in a while we'd get RC Cola, my granddaddy sold those in his gas station store along with moon pies, one of my favorites. You see there weren't any store derivatives then and some times my Mom would buy Dr. Pepper. Another eeeewwww,I've never been able to swallow and enjoy Dr. P...it reminds me of cough syrup.

Being a child who never sat still, I always wanted to push the cart...which meant I often ran into the back of my Mom's heels...even when I had been forewarned before I even got into the store (Could I help it that whatever was intriguing me on the aisle would cause me to look away, and she was the one who stopped!) How many times did I promise not to do it again?! Then I would inevitably get into trouble for running with the cart and jumping onto the back foot bar as I wheeled down through the toilet paper aisle...at least it was cushioned when I hit it! Jeez, it could have been the Coke aisle, and there was no plastic then.

But, bar none, my favorite part of the grocery store was the checkout lane...where ALL the good stuff was...Juicy Fruit gum, ChickStix, Animal Crackers and CRACKER JACKS (my favorite). I was always big on getting a treat in the box, the fun of working your way to the bottom or just dumping it out in a bowl as soon as I got home so I could "see what I got"! About the only thing I never liked about Cracker Jacks was when you'd get a stray kernel and about break your molars...I can still hear their commercial playing...if you've never heard or seen it, look below my post...I pulled it off YOUTUBE.com.

What mundane things did you do with your parents that you enjoy thinking back on now? What are some of your special memories about those times?

Cracker Jack, anybody?

Proverbs 10:7The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

Meet Him in the Kitchen...

As we prepare meals for our families this week, may we each remember His Word as we are about our work. His Word gives us many ways to “meet Him in the kitchen”.

Last week I used many different spices in some of my “southwestern” food, and coriander (dried cilantro) was one I used a lot. Have you every thought about the spices the Hebrews used in their Old Testament days are some we STILL use? The next time you buy coriander at the grocery store, say a quick "thank you" prayer since it is so easily accessable and you don't have to “go around gathering” it! (Numbers 11:7-9 The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar.)

Before starting your work, and each time you’re handling any raw meats, remember “clean hands” will keep you and your family healthy. (Psalm 24:4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.) Now the pure heart might be a little harder to come by…but you can ponder and pray over yourself as you wash your hands.

When I’m cooking from scratch, it naturally takes longer than when I start with a pre-made mix.

We love New Orleans style rice and beans, as well as shrimp etouffee, and with each of them I must prepare a Roux (pronounced somewhat like the English word "rue"). It’s a mixture of my good flour and a tasty fat of some kind, usually pork fat, cooked down until richly brown—a wonderful base of the gravy. I have to be diligent, stand and slowly cook it to just the right point or it will be ruined. The Levites also stood and cooked their offerings in pans, with aromas drifting up to their Lord. (Leviticus 2:7 If your grain offering is cooked in a pan, it is to be made of fine flour and oil.)

And, I’m sure you and I share this last point:

Once I’ve worked hard cleaning, preparing my various items, cooking all the food, and putting away any leftovers and washing up the pans and dishes, I absolutely love to kick back in my blue leather, winged-back chair in my den. I get great comfort in knowing our Lord rested after all his creativity (Hebrews 4:4 And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world…"And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.")

My actual menu plan is in my right margin...

For many, many great recipes, visit here: http://orgjunkie.com/2008/08/menu-plan-monday-august-18th.html ... you won't be disappointed!!