Listed below are a few things that I'm totally digging right now. Please note I was in no way compensated for this post (although I'd love to be, check out my PR button!). I just really found these things neat, useful, fun, etc.
Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm. I even love the container it comes in.
Mary Kay Microdermabrasion set ~ a-may-zing!
Bacon...had to throw that in there, everything is better with bacon!
Mary Kay mascara, my lashes have never looked so long!
Grilled romaine with balsamic ~ if you've never tried it you should. I know, I know, who eats grilled lettuce, right? It won't kill you, just try it. Let me know if you need the recipe.
Being closer to being debt free!
Tastefully Simple Garlic, Garlic seasoning.
Growing my own produce. So far I have 4 tomatoes popping out and one green pepper. I can see more starting so I'm encouraged. And excited! Love, love, LOVE home grown tomatoes and I love it when people have waaay too many and give them to me!
Dry shampoo. Yep, dry shampoo. Is that an oxymoron? I don't know, I just know I like it!
That's it for now. What's trending with YOU?
My brain can't handle it!
So I need to clean and organize two rooms in my house right now and just the thought of these two rooms is turning my brain to mush. You see, I am a bit of a hoarder. Ok, not really. Not a pack rat either. BUT, I do like to hold on to stuff. Not broken or useless stuff. If a clothing item is ripped or stained I toss it. If something, say a cooking pan, is burned beyond recognition (long story) I have no problem getting rid of it. I do, however, almost always funtion in the "what if" mode when it comes to getting rid of stuff. What if someday, eventually, we need it??
Our laundry room also serves as a storage room and has the small "closet area" where we go if the sirens go off for tornadoes. It's a fairly large room. The closet area where we are supposed to go though, is filled with stuff. Fans, heated mattress pads, pool table, headboard, etc. All of it's in there just taking up room. The pool table and the headboard just need to go for sure, everything else, I don't know. I guess it just needs to be organized. Because what if we need the old medicine cabinet that came with the house that was in the basement bathroom since 1971? See what I mean?
The other room that gets ogranized today is my "studio". It's got all my "creative" stuff in there. But my mother in law moved and we "inherited" some of her stuff (and by we I mean Steve wanted some of thisjunk stuff) so it's been sitting in my studio. Taking up lots of room. I literally have to step over stuff to get from one end of the room to the other. I don't know where to begin to clean this stuff up. I'm in summer mode. That means my brain is in the OFF position and I can't handle thinking about it! It makes it all mushy in there and I give up without having done a thing.
But today....today is the day I start something in one or both of those rooms. I am running out of summer time and I need to get a move on with these rooms and make it happen. I'm enlisting the boys to help. That actually might turn out to be more of a hassle. But I'm willing to try. At least one of them can snap me out of my brain mushyness when I just stand there, slack-jawed, staring at the vastness of it all.
Ok, here we go....
Our laundry room also serves as a storage room and has the small "closet area" where we go if the sirens go off for tornadoes. It's a fairly large room. The closet area where we are supposed to go though, is filled with stuff. Fans, heated mattress pads, pool table, headboard, etc. All of it's in there just taking up room. The pool table and the headboard just need to go for sure, everything else, I don't know. I guess it just needs to be organized. Because what if we need the old medicine cabinet that came with the house that was in the basement bathroom since 1971? See what I mean?
The other room that gets ogranized today is my "studio". It's got all my "creative" stuff in there. But my mother in law moved and we "inherited" some of her stuff (and by we I mean Steve wanted some of this
But today....today is the day I start something in one or both of those rooms. I am running out of summer time and I need to get a move on with these rooms and make it happen. I'm enlisting the boys to help. That actually might turn out to be more of a hassle. But I'm willing to try. At least one of them can snap me out of my brain mushyness when I just stand there, slack-jawed, staring at the vastness of it all.
Ok, here we go....
Falling Behind!
I feel like I've been too distracted to write on my blog lately. I only work 3 hours a week over the summer so you'd think I'd have major time on my hands to blog, right? I have had the time. I just haven't done it much lately. I don't know if it's because I haven't got much to say (shocker, right?) or if it's just because I feel .... blah. Maybe a little of both. I haven't read any blogs, I haven't joined any blog hops. It's only been a week, but still!!!! I usually can barely restrain myself from getting in on hops and making comments and spend half a day reading others blogs.
With that being said, there is no new news to report on, nothing happening in our lives. Well, except my mother in law is making the move back to AZ permanent on Monday, she will be staying with us on Sunday night. That's another blog entirely. Actually I could fill pages and pages on the subject but for the sake of my family and marriage I won't. No good can come of the comments I would make on the topic.
So I've got to get a move on to do...nothing. No, really, I have to run errands and my bank closes at 11 today so .... I think tomorrow I will have to sit down and just do a mind dump. Or maybe not. Who knows what I'll feel like tomorrow!
With that being said, there is no new news to report on, nothing happening in our lives. Well, except my mother in law is making the move back to AZ permanent on Monday, she will be staying with us on Sunday night. That's another blog entirely. Actually I could fill pages and pages on the subject but for the sake of my family and marriage I won't. No good can come of the comments I would make on the topic.
So I've got to get a move on to do...nothing. No, really, I have to run errands and my bank closes at 11 today so .... I think tomorrow I will have to sit down and just do a mind dump. Or maybe not. Who knows what I'll feel like tomorrow!
Instant Relief!
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Let's just say I've gotten brave and tried a few new things to help alleviate the pain and pressure I feel during planting and harvest times. One of my favorite things to do is use my Walgreens Brand Health and Wellness Product Neti Pot Sinus Wash. It provides instant relief for me. It was a bit odd at first to try to get used to that feeling of something going in one side of your nose and coming out the other. You can feel it going in your throat and you don't dare leave you mouth closed, but the results are wonderful!
The cost can't be beat either! Walgreens offers affordable solutions to my allergy problems and they are pharmacist recommended. In today's economy, we're trying to save money and still be healthy. Walgreens helps me do that with their reasonably priced products. Some of my fellow bloggers are giving away Walgreens gift cards. Check them out here: giveaways. Walgreens also has their Walgreens Way to Well Fund™ which provides a few health tests in local communities. Click to read more about it.
Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products
Sampler Village
I orderd this sample box from Sampler Village and I LOVE it! It's such a nice idea to offer samples of a little bit of everything so you can decide what you want and whom to buy from. The shipping was super fast and this is how the package looked when I took it out of the mailing box:
Super cute, right? Ready for gift giving right out of the box. And here's what was in the box:
Lots and lots of things like lip gloss, lip balm, soap samples, candle samples, tart samples, seeds, cards, facial scrubbies and the list goes on.
I was really excited to receive this stuff in the mail from Sampler Village. And just so you know, I wasn't asked to provide a review, I wasn't paid to write a review or compensated in any way, I just loved getting this stuff and wanted to share what a great idea it is! :) If you want to see more or learn more about it you can visit http://www.samplervillage.com/.
I was really excited to receive this stuff in the mail from Sampler Village. And just so you know, I wasn't asked to provide a review, I wasn't paid to write a review or compensated in any way, I just loved getting this stuff and wanted to share what a great idea it is! :) If you want to see more or learn more about it you can visit http://www.samplervillage.com/.
Home Improvement
Lord help us, we're talking home improvement again. Nothing major, just the basement bathroom. Maybe reflooring the mudroom. Linoleum is cheap enough. No idea where to begin in the bathroom though. We need to remove the existing surround, clean up the flooring and replace it all. I think for the most part the removal of the floor and repainting and putting new flooring in will be fairly easy. At least it probably won't cause tears of frustration and lots of cursing. The surround scares me though. Not one single clue on how to go about this. And I'm not just talking about removing and installing a new one. I'm scared to pick one out. How do you go about it? Duh, I realize you have to measure, but what is best? Do you go for one that is all one piece or do you go for the 3 piece one? Maybe one that includes a door or do you stick with the 3 piece and go for a shower curtain again. I can tell you that I prefer the door kind. But can our shower handle that? I have no idea!! So...farts.
We're also installing 2 exterior doors and storm doors. 2 years ago we replaced the storm doors and they were never right to begin with. Sorry, darling hubby, you are not allowed to try again. I love you, but they sucked. And railing. We need stair railing on our front steps. I have no idea how to do that either because it involves attaching it to concrete. So...farts.
Anyway, we're making slow progress. I mean, we haven't started yet, just got an idea of what we would like to do but haven't bought anything or contacted anyone yet for the serious matter of choosing a surround. Soon, I suppose.
We're also installing 2 exterior doors and storm doors. 2 years ago we replaced the storm doors and they were never right to begin with. Sorry, darling hubby, you are not allowed to try again. I love you, but they sucked. And railing. We need stair railing on our front steps. I have no idea how to do that either because it involves attaching it to concrete. So...farts.
Anyway, we're making slow progress. I mean, we haven't started yet, just got an idea of what we would like to do but haven't bought anything or contacted anyone yet for the serious matter of choosing a surround. Soon, I suppose.
The Real Dorothy McFadden
It's a sham. I'm a fake. A fraud. I am NOT Dorothy McFadden. But I loved her so.
Dorothy McFadden is my Nanny Dot. My great-grandmother. She died many years ago, when I was 16. Nan was crazy and funky and bold. Nanny Dot was fun.
She and my grandparents lived on the same property, Nanny and Poppy in the front house and Nanny Dot in the back house. The houses were seperated bya large back yard and 4 or 5 ornamental orange trees. The trunks were painted white so the bugs wouldn't get to them. The oranges were never good to eat. We used them for other things. Like bowling. Ahhhh yes, bowling with empty soda or beer cans and ornamental oranges. Good times! Anyway, they had a routine, Nanny and Nanny Dot. For whatever reason they were both up around 4 or 5 every morning. Nanny Dot would have her bowl of cereal and head over to Nanny's house for coffee and to read the paper. Often times there was really no speaking, just coffee and a paper. She'd stay over until almost 11. She had to get home to watch her "serials". She'd come back over in the afternoon and sit outside with Nanny. There literally was a path from door to door! They'd talk about the weather, how hot it was already for March. Must mean we're in for a bad summer. And no matter how hot it was she'd always be in her polyester pants. Always. When it got too hot, she'd hike those pant legs up to her thighs. Her chicken legs! Oh my gosh, that woman had major chicken legs! She always wore polyester pants, polyester shirt and wedge shoes with red painted toe nails. If she was in a hurry, she'd paint only the 3 toes you could see peeking out of the shoe. (I think I got my polished toe nail addiction from her and I am quite partial to red, thank you very much.) On cold days (in Arizona, very few and far between) she would wear a sweater buttoned at the neck. She always wore red lipstick and rouge. Not blush. Rouge. In two little swirls on the apples of her cheeks. I'll spare you the story on the penciled in eyebrows.
Anyway, those two did everything together. Nanny Dot never learned how to drive. She told me that once when my Grandpa Harry was trying to teach her how to drive she ran over the dog and never tried again. So once or twice a week the two would head out to the grocery store and the beauty shop. They'd get the wash and curl that would last the week. Every once in a while they'd change it up and go to lunch. Picture Lucy and Ethel but without the vitameatavegamin stuff going on. Nanny and Poppy had a little place down in Mexico that they'd go to several times a year. They both loved to fish. Nanny Dot would go too. Bless Poppy's heart he never said a word about NannyDot always being around. They'd have their go arounds sometimes. Someone would say or do something that would piss the other one off, and one or the other would get the cold shoulder for a day or two. But that was it.
Nanny Dot would drink on occassion. She'd have a few cocktails and say, "hey Leesh, try this!". So of course I did. Pink lemonade and vodka. Her favorite. Sometimes she'd go all out and get cranberry juice and vodka but mostly it was just pink lemonade. When she did have a few she'd get all rosy cheeked. I don't think she ever got drunk or anything, she just got a little more.....Her randomness and her questions would get just a tad more outrageous than normal. But even stone cold sober she would ask the darndest things. One time she asked one of my aunts how the "lesbians do it". She also once told me that she wished she had tried marijuana when she was younger. I had a Nanny that wanted to get high!!! So random and so weird. The skin on her hands was like chicken skin. You could pull on it. It was cool and creepy at the same time with all the blue veins sticking out. She'd also take her teeth out just to freak us out. We got used to it but then she started doing it when our friends were around. It was always done in fun and to be funny but the humor was lost on some of those friends. The more I'm describing her the more I realize I'm making her sound like some weirdo freak. But that is not the case. She was just eccentric and fun and crazy and the most awesomest 70 something great grandma anyone could ever have!
As kids we spent a lot of time with our grandparents and even lived with them on different occassions. Sometimes when I'd go over Nan or Nanny Dot would slip me $5 and say, "split it with Johnny" Sometimes I did but sometimes I didn't. Ok, mostly I didn't. I'm sure they did the same to him and I never saw it either.
Anyway, I was just thinking about her and how I use her name for my blog. I just love that name and I love that lady so it just seemed fitting to put it with something that I love doing. So, here's to Nanny Dot~smiling down on us! Hopefully with her teeth in.
Dorothy McFadden is my Nanny Dot. My great-grandmother. She died many years ago, when I was 16. Nan was crazy and funky and bold. Nanny Dot was fun.
She and my grandparents lived on the same property, Nanny and Poppy in the front house and Nanny Dot in the back house. The houses were seperated bya large back yard and 4 or 5 ornamental orange trees. The trunks were painted white so the bugs wouldn't get to them. The oranges were never good to eat. We used them for other things. Like bowling. Ahhhh yes, bowling with empty soda or beer cans and ornamental oranges. Good times! Anyway, they had a routine, Nanny and Nanny Dot. For whatever reason they were both up around 4 or 5 every morning. Nanny Dot would have her bowl of cereal and head over to Nanny's house for coffee and to read the paper. Often times there was really no speaking, just coffee and a paper. She'd stay over until almost 11. She had to get home to watch her "serials". She'd come back over in the afternoon and sit outside with Nanny. There literally was a path from door to door! They'd talk about the weather, how hot it was already for March. Must mean we're in for a bad summer. And no matter how hot it was she'd always be in her polyester pants. Always. When it got too hot, she'd hike those pant legs up to her thighs. Her chicken legs! Oh my gosh, that woman had major chicken legs! She always wore polyester pants, polyester shirt and wedge shoes with red painted toe nails. If she was in a hurry, she'd paint only the 3 toes you could see peeking out of the shoe. (I think I got my polished toe nail addiction from her and I am quite partial to red, thank you very much.) On cold days (in Arizona, very few and far between) she would wear a sweater buttoned at the neck. She always wore red lipstick and rouge. Not blush. Rouge. In two little swirls on the apples of her cheeks. I'll spare you the story on the penciled in eyebrows.
Anyway, those two did everything together. Nanny Dot never learned how to drive. She told me that once when my Grandpa Harry was trying to teach her how to drive she ran over the dog and never tried again. So once or twice a week the two would head out to the grocery store and the beauty shop. They'd get the wash and curl that would last the week. Every once in a while they'd change it up and go to lunch. Picture Lucy and Ethel but without the vitameatavegamin stuff going on. Nanny and Poppy had a little place down in Mexico that they'd go to several times a year. They both loved to fish. Nanny Dot would go too. Bless Poppy's heart he never said a word about NannyDot always being around. They'd have their go arounds sometimes. Someone would say or do something that would piss the other one off, and one or the other would get the cold shoulder for a day or two. But that was it.
Nanny Dot would drink on occassion. She'd have a few cocktails and say, "hey Leesh, try this!". So of course I did. Pink lemonade and vodka. Her favorite. Sometimes she'd go all out and get cranberry juice and vodka but mostly it was just pink lemonade. When she did have a few she'd get all rosy cheeked. I don't think she ever got drunk or anything, she just got a little more.....Her randomness and her questions would get just a tad more outrageous than normal. But even stone cold sober she would ask the darndest things. One time she asked one of my aunts how the "lesbians do it". She also once told me that she wished she had tried marijuana when she was younger. I had a Nanny that wanted to get high!!! So random and so weird. The skin on her hands was like chicken skin. You could pull on it. It was cool and creepy at the same time with all the blue veins sticking out. She'd also take her teeth out just to freak us out. We got used to it but then she started doing it when our friends were around. It was always done in fun and to be funny but the humor was lost on some of those friends. The more I'm describing her the more I realize I'm making her sound like some weirdo freak. But that is not the case. She was just eccentric and fun and crazy and the most awesomest 70 something great grandma anyone could ever have!
As kids we spent a lot of time with our grandparents and even lived with them on different occassions. Sometimes when I'd go over Nan or Nanny Dot would slip me $5 and say, "split it with Johnny" Sometimes I did but sometimes I didn't. Ok, mostly I didn't. I'm sure they did the same to him and I never saw it either.
Anyway, I was just thinking about her and how I use her name for my blog. I just love that name and I love that lady so it just seemed fitting to put it with something that I love doing. So, here's to Nanny Dot~smiling down on us! Hopefully with her teeth in.
Final Grades
I don't know about you but seeing the envelope from the high school in the mail always makes me run the "Lord Vadar Death March" ditty through my head. I don't know why though. It's not like Ryan is a bad student or a bad kid. He makes decent grades and is kind and respectful to other students and teachers. So I get a pit in my stomach thinking it's going to be something bad. Usually it a notice saying it's Parent Night at the football game with 2 free tickets to get in.
But final grades came out and I have to say that, for the most part, I was pleased with Ryan's grades. He has an IEP in math and he's carried at B or C all year. For him, that's awesome! He struggles with math. But the one thing he usually does not struggle with is his English class. The kid loves to write, what can I say! Back in February he was sick for quite awhile and we didn't know what was wrong with him. Blood work came back low on white cell counts and we were thinking the worst. So he fell behind and didn't get caught back up. He had a huge project due on Greece and it spanned two separate classes, English and World Geography. It made me wish we had a writing tutoring company that could have helped him catch up and do the best possible job he could have. What he turned in was marked "disappointing" and I have to say it probably was not up to the standards of what the teacher wanted, however, he was literally falling asleep while working on it. I just feel that maybe a writing tutoring company and an extension on the due date would have made all the difference because they could have helped Ryan piece it out and take it on in little chunks. I tried, but sometimes Mom is not well received as a teacher around here.
Anyway, the final grades overall were pretty good, the final in math being a B, thank you very much! There was even an A or two thrown in. His freshman year challenged him a bit so both of us are really looking forward to a happy, healthy sophmore year!
But final grades came out and I have to say that, for the most part, I was pleased with Ryan's grades. He has an IEP in math and he's carried at B or C all year. For him, that's awesome! He struggles with math. But the one thing he usually does not struggle with is his English class. The kid loves to write, what can I say! Back in February he was sick for quite awhile and we didn't know what was wrong with him. Blood work came back low on white cell counts and we were thinking the worst. So he fell behind and didn't get caught back up. He had a huge project due on Greece and it spanned two separate classes, English and World Geography. It made me wish we had a writing tutoring company that could have helped him catch up and do the best possible job he could have. What he turned in was marked "disappointing" and I have to say it probably was not up to the standards of what the teacher wanted, however, he was literally falling asleep while working on it. I just feel that maybe a writing tutoring company and an extension on the due date would have made all the difference because they could have helped Ryan piece it out and take it on in little chunks. I tried, but sometimes Mom is not well received as a teacher around here.
Anyway, the final grades overall were pretty good, the final in math being a B, thank you very much! There was even an A or two thrown in. His freshman year challenged him a bit so both of us are really looking forward to a happy, healthy sophmore year!
Success! Success?
So a little while ago I posted about coupons and wondering if I could feed my family on $50 a week. You can read that post here. I'm happy to say that I can. In a way. HyVee was having a pretty good sale so I didn't stop at $50, I made the hour trip (one way, mind you) worth the gas it took to get there and bought extra of some of the sale items. Here's how it went down:
Sloppy Joe Sauce $0.67
Hamburger Buns $0.99
Crinkle Cut Fries $6.18 (ginormous bag that will last more than a few meals)
Pizza Crust $4.45 (pkg of 2)
Jar of pizza sauce $1.85
2 bags of shredded cheese $3.00
Hamburger meat $6.00
Pork Chops $10.00
A few more things that I can't remember. But the point is, I can feed us dinner for $50 including a few snack items. It's definitely not enough to feed us breakfast and lunch for a week too, but it's a start. I think what I'm going to do is allow for $75 for food and $25 for household goods such as toothpaste and shampoo and dogfood and make it an even $100 a week. Use cash only and when it's gone it's gone. Right? Right!
Did anyone else try this week?
Sloppy Joe Sauce $0.67
Hamburger Buns $0.99
Crinkle Cut Fries $6.18 (ginormous bag that will last more than a few meals)
Pizza Crust $4.45 (pkg of 2)
Jar of pizza sauce $1.85
2 bags of shredded cheese $3.00
Hamburger meat $6.00
Pork Chops $10.00
A few more things that I can't remember. But the point is, I can feed us dinner for $50 including a few snack items. It's definitely not enough to feed us breakfast and lunch for a week too, but it's a start. I think what I'm going to do is allow for $75 for food and $25 for household goods such as toothpaste and shampoo and dogfood and make it an even $100 a week. Use cash only and when it's gone it's gone. Right? Right!
Did anyone else try this week?
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