"Did you find it on Pintrest?" Adam says

Me: Hey I found this neat thing to do with an old floor model TV.
Adam: Were you on Pintrest again today? That site is going to kill me.

The above conversation is a very typical one these days in our home. I have found, become addicted to and have tried a couple of things I have found Pintrest. I would like to thank Adam's sister, Natalie, for telling me about this wonderful Internet place where crafty minds converge. So far I have

• Baked s'mores brownies
• Made a cake stand out of clay pots
• Attempted to make a bracelet out of seed beads and safety pins

And my newest Pintrest endeavour....homemade laundry soap. Yep, you read that right, homemade wash soap. This Tide girl must be getting cheap or maybe I'm just being adventurous. Whatever it is I am going to try and make this wash soap work.
 
According to the article, you only need to use one to two tablespoons for a normal size load. I tend to believe this is true because the women who wrote the article has no children and does about the same amount of loads of wash a week that I do. She clearly states in the article that she is a Gain girl and is very picky about her wash method. It was like she was reading my mind when she stated the two top wash musts on my list: make it clean and make it smell good. After I read the ingredient list, I decided to brooch the subject with Adam. Of course the first words out of his mouth were "What for?". The second words were "Do you need money?". And the third? Yep, you guessed it "You were on Pintrest today, weren't you?". Like George Washington, I cannot tell  lie. After I explained the simple process to him, he said he would hunt down a five gallon bucket for me to store the soap in.

So the next day, while at the local Giant, I collected all of my ingredients. They are now sitting very patiently on the kitchen table ready to become wash soap. I am very excited to try this out. Don't worry I'm not going o turn into Ms. Green overnight and walk around with matted dreads sticking out of my head. Dear God, next thing you know I'll be singing Kum Ba Ya while strumming my guitar...hardly! Not that we have to but because I want to see how much moola this will save me in the long run. Here is what I have figured out so far:

I use between a box to a box and a half of Tide a month, lets just say two boxes to make it easy. When I find it on sale a Target, a box is about $15.00. So $15.00 X 2 = $30.00 a month on wash soap. Now all the ingredients I need to make the homemade version only cost me $25.00. One of the ingredients needed is Purex fabric softener crystals for fragrance. After the mixture has been mixed, you are to use it out of the Purex bottle because it has a measuring device on the lid. According to the article, the author did forty loads and her Purex bottle is only about half empty! Surprised? I was.

My  real test with this will be washing Adam's work clothes. For those of you who don't know, my honey is a commercial HVAC technician. He has met up with some very sooty and dirty oil boilers in his time, not to mention some very wet roof tops. His uniforms will put this homemade wash soap to the test for sure. According to him, it doesn't matter if his clothes are a little stained as long as they are clean. What? What kind of women would I be letting my man leave the house looking like he just crawled out from under a rock? Are you serious? His uniforms will be clean and stain free to the best of my ability. So if this soap can do it, I will sing its praises to whom ever I talk to. I will let it be known that saving money can be easy. I will also sing the praises of Pintrest to anyone that will listen. How else would I have known that an old floor model TV can become a cabinet? Or clay pots can become a cake stand and make someone smile on her 30th birthday? Or that making homemade wash soap can be so easy and affordable?      

 

Setting the table

While I was preparing supper and setting the table tonight, a thought popped into my head. Since I can remember, I  have always eaten supper at the table, even when I was living by myself. Now, I'm not saying that I have never devoured a pizza or take out while watching a movie, I have. And I'm not saying there are nights where we still don't partake of supper in front of the boob tube, because we do. But for the most part, we eat at the table. I'll never forget when Adam and I first started living together. I spent the better part of the day cleaning the kitchen table so we could eat there that evening. (For those of you who don't know: Adam was a confirmed bachelor before he met me. So, imagine what the table looked like.) Any way, supper was almost done and the table was set. I put the meal on the table, called Adam down to the kitchen, and took my seat. You should have seen the look on his face when he came down the stairs. He pulled out his chair and sat down, as I began to serve him his supper. About half way through the meal he said " It's nice to eat at the table like this."To this I replied " Don't you eat at the table?". Of course we all know what the answer was. From that day on we have eaten at the table whenever we can: breakfast, dinner,supper or snack. Even though it is just the two of us, we enjoy the meal together and share the day. We talk about how work was, what we have planned for the week or weekend but mostly, we share the time together. 

This got me thinking of some other tried and true traditions or lessons I have learned growing up that I still go by today. Here are just a few:

No phone calls  or TV on during meals 
How is your time together to be enjoyed if you can't get away from the phone or the TV. The time spent with your loved ones and family is so much more important then the phone call or TV show you just walked away from. I will admit, I do like to have the radio playing softly in the background some evenings, but it just enhances the mood. A lot of good things come out of an uninterrupted meal, most of all special time and a sense of family.

Hand-me- downs are "A OK"
I hated hand me downs when I was younger. Luckily, I was the oldest so my brother most of the gender neutral clothes that I had out grown. Mom would yard sale and Goodwill for us till she couldn't see straight. We would be made to wear the clothes,mostly for play, but still.. when your ten, being made to wear something you don't want to is murder. Now as I grow older and have become an adult, I love a good bargain on clothes, whether it be Goodwill or a yard sale. Some people are so funny about what they buy, always has to brand new. Don't get me wrong: I like something new just as much as the next guy. But lets get real folks, money doesn't grow on trees and everyone is trying to stretch George as far as possible these days.So, as far as I am concerned hand me downs are "a OK" and wearing them will not kill you.

You should wear black to funerals and dresses to weddings
In this day and age, any dark color is appropriate for a funeral, from brown to gray to blue. Be it the case, I don't wear anything but black to funerals. To me, black shows respect to the deceased and their family. Besides, black is classy and looks peaceful, all at the same time. On the other hand, women and girls should always wear dresses to weddings. I will admit, I have worn slacks and a nice top to a wedding and didn't burst into flames.No one chased me out or said I couldn't attend, but I felt weird. I felt out of place. In my mind I knew I should have worn a dress. As much as I hate pantie hose and high heeled shoes, I will always wear dresses to weddings. Call my old fashioned but old habits die hard.

I could go on and on throughout the night, but I can smell that my baked turkey pie is ready to be eaten. As fast as I can type, I will be finishing this blog and heading down two sets of stairs to the the kitchen.There waiting for me is a yummy baked turkey pie, a very handsome man, and one of my favorite times of the day. My mouth is watering just thinking about it, so with that said I am off, without the phone and the TV. Here I come supper, and here I come family value that is ingrained in me for the rest of my life.

Fresh basil

A friend of mine just got a new yellow Lab puppy, Dax. I emailed her today to find out if he has that puppy smell. Her reply was "yes he has the smell." It was then that I relized this is one of the things that I like best, or to quote Julie Andrews "a few of my favorite things".  For the rest of the day, I racked my brain to come up with my favorite things. The list just kept growing and growing and growing. I couldn't wait to finish supper tonight so I could begin sharing my favorite things with everyone. So with out farther adieu, here are  a few of my favorite things...

• The puppy smell
• Towels right out of the dryer
• The crackle of the wood stove on a cold winter morning
• The morning sounds right before the sun makes its way above the horizon
• Smelling coffee in the morning
• Fresh baked bread
• A cat's purr
• The smell of a new car
• The way new crayons smell when you open the box
• The new book smell (hard bound preferred)
• Christmas
• Fairs (Yep, I still get excited to go)
• Vanilla ice cream
• A baby's giggle
• Wedding tears
• Surprises
• Fresh basil
• The sound of snow falling
• Tulips
• Sunday supper
• Riding the Flume
• Driving and listening to my favorite song on the radio, windows down
• Laughing
• Slow dancing
• Candlelight
• Cold sheets
• Soda  fizz
• Zest soap smell (not any of the new Zests, just the tried and true blue bar)
• Pine Sol smell
• Oldies ( 50's thru the 70's) 

I could go on and on, but you would be bored till the end. So my challenge to you is this: tell me a few of your favorite things. When I post this to Facebook, leave your things as the comments. You can comment as often or as little as you want. I'm curious to see how many people share the same favorite things with me. Hey, someone may even know what the Flume is and it will be one of their favorite things too!

 

Everyone should...

Let's face it..we are only here for a short amount of time. No matter how long we think we should be allowed to cruise around the Earth, the man upstairs has other plans. He watches out for us from the time we are just a twinkle in our father's eye. He guides us to become the fine men and women that we are. He never gives us more then we can handle, although sometimes it feels that He does. Some where along the path of life, whether it be a uphill climb or a smooth straight away, we make mental notes in our head of things we are going to do before we pass on. I believe Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson call this the "bucket list". Everyone has one and if you don't you need one. I have a very teeny, tiny one. So far some of the "drops" in the bucket have been crossed off. Anyway here are a list of some things I think everyone should have on their "bucket list".  

• Buy a brand new car I said brand new,not brand new used to me.
• Hold hands with your honey in the car just like you're two teenagers 
• Make out in the car with your honey in the drive way I'm sure a lot of small children are products of this going to far when their parents were checking off their list
• Go on an expensive vacation
• Donate clothes to the Goodwill or Salvation Army Do it, instead of throwing clothes away
• Teach your children all of the songs you knew in grade school This includes all the Miss Suzy ones with the swear words
• Learn your grandmother's recipes They may not taste the same at first but that's not the point 
• Buy something insanely expensive that you really don't need This does not include the brand new car
• Eat sweets that you enjoy This includes the Peanut Buster Parfait from Dairy Queen

This list is short but it hits home for a lot of us. Take my list and make it your own. Learn to appreciate the little things in life. Who says you have to do all the things on your list, but you should at least get to few. Remember: When we are gone, our memory carries on. Make your list and let someone carry your memory on.

Ode to My Curls..

Oh curly hair on my head,
You are not very pretty when I get out of bed.
Some of you are flat and some of you stick out;
There are days you will not go into a pony and make me want to shout.
I mousse you, and spray you to stay into place,
Mostly so you don't fall in my face.
By the end of the day you seem to fall limp,
But days when the weather is humid, you blow up like a blimp.
I should be thankful that I am not bald,
Or that I look like I have been mauled.
For thirty-three years I have lived with your mess,
You can't even be still when I am wearing a dress.
I was forced to keep you short when I was little,
For fear that you would become frizzy and brittle.
Around fifth grade I decided to let you get long,
Even though I was warned that you would not become very strong.
You grew and you grew all down my head,
I could even get tangled when I slept in my bed.
I was into my twenties when I dared to give you a cut,
It took me this long to work up the guts.
Off the beauty shop and into the chair.
Soon there I sat with so little hair.
My head felt colder,
I had left the long hair behind so I could look older.
Soon I met a boy who loved all my curls.
He acted like I had given him the world.
He likes to touch them and make them spring,
Wrapped around his finger, they do most anything.
They tickle his nose when I lay on his chest,
For watching TV, this is the best.
I never knew how much you would do to a man,
But now I know all along you had a plan.
You brought me to a place,
Sometimes I think by heaven's grace.
Here is a someone who can put up with you,
And me too.
So to you my curls, I must say
As much as you pest me and there are days I wish you would go away,
I love you with all that I have in my heart.
Even though some days taming you is an art. 
My life has changed since he wants us to stay,
I will never again straighten you to make it go away.
Even when I am eighty, and you will be gray,
I hope that he will still try and play,
With you on his finger the way that he does now.
For then I will know that I have been given a gift,
You, curls, will always be there when I need a lift.
You have brought me a man that I adore,
Together, you, me and him will be forever more.

 


  

Thirty three years of song

Did you ever stop and think how much music makes an impact on your life? How when you hear a song it takes you back to a different place and time? Evokes a smell? Makes you smile? Makes you giggle? While listening to the radio this morning, an idea popped into my mind. So, in between folding Adam's uniforms and baking a cake, I decided to "blog it out". These are some of songs that take me back to another place and time, bring back a smell or make giggle. I hope that some of these bring the same kind of memories to you and make you feel all of the emotions I did.

1. You Are My Sunshine: Oh my! When I hear this song I am three again and sitting on my Pap's lap..in the car..up front. I don't ever remember the car having a radio, but I pretty sure it did. Anyway we didn't need it because we would make our own music to with this song. I can't remember if we sang the whole song or just the first verse over and over again. At the end I would always get a kiss on the top of my head. And then we would move on to another song. Funny, how I don't know what the other song was, but I can remember this one clear as a bell. I know this one so well that my cell phone plays this tune when my Mam calls. I guess some memories never die.
2. Hit Me with Your Best Shot by Pat Benetar: I don't remember doing it but my Mom says this was the first song I learned fro the beginning to end. I still know all the words.
3. Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi: I think I was five or six when this song hit the air waves. On Friday nights we would go the the Pizza Hut for dinner and they had a juke box. I can remember begging for a dollar to play five songs. I would get the dollar but Mom always wanted one of the songs to be this one. I felt so grown up, walking over to the juke box, inserting the dollar bill and picking the songs. We would sit, eat pizza and listen to Bon Jovi. To this day when ever I hear this song on the radio, I can smell pizza.
4. Shameless by Garth Brooks: Thank you Mom for implanting another memory into my head. I believe it was the early 90's when Garth hit it big on the charts. I was ten or eleven and we had a Chevy Spectrum hatchback. It was a brand new car but cost extra to get the radio. We did get a radio, but for a couple weeks before that we used an old jam box with batteries. My God, I think this tape was wore out before we could even play it in the radio. Listen, rewind, listen, rewind. Always rewind just enough to the beginning of this song, never any more. I just heard this song the other day, and I looked over to make sure it was coming out of the radio.
5. Don't You Want Somebody to Love by Jefferson Airplane: I went "all the way" with a boy for the first time when this song was playing. Enough said!   
6. When a Man Loves a Women by Percy Sledge: This was the first dance song my ex-husband and I danced to at our wedding. To this day I cant listen to it and its been almost three years. Horrible that he could take one of my favorite songs and make it seem so disgusting to me.
7. Summertime by the Fresh Prince: Love this song! I believe this song is summer in it purest form. From the slow rap melody to the words, its all about summer!
8. Hangin' Tough by New Kids on the Block: Bubblegum at its finest! I was sooo in love with Joey McIntyre. I had him on my wall, on my school folders, I even had trading cards. God he was dreamy! I would listen to this tape for hours on end. I pretty sure I liked the whole tape but this song stands out in my memory.
9. Don't Be Fallin' in Love as She's Walkin' Away by Zac Brown Band: This song reminds me of Adam. He waited three years for me before he asked me out. Three years! I'm glad he finally did because we will be together three years in January. Everyday he makes me smile. Together we are a great fit. I am very blessed to have him in my life.
10. Women Like You by Lee Brice: If the above song makes me think of Adam, this song makes him think of me. The words to the song are so true its scary.

I hope I have inspired you to take a trip down memory lane the next time you hear a certain song. Let you mind remember the good times and the bad. Let yourself smile and giggle. Let yourself get teary eyed and weep. Music makes us alive and healthy. Its everywhere not just on the radio. So, kick back, prop up your feet and let your mind wonder. I can almost promise you it will be the best free vacation you have ever taken! 

If you've never owned a pet..

If you've never owned a pet, then you are surely missing out on one of life's greatest pleasures. I can't begin to describe the calming joy that they bring into your life. Here are just a few of the many joys that a pet can bring to your life:

A steady rock when the waves are rough. 

Someone to open presents with.

Someone to sunbath with.



Someone to guard the house when you are gone and a warm kiss, wagging tail included, when you return home.

Someone to nap with on lazy Sunday afternoons.

Someone  to remind you to stop and smell the flowers every now and then.

But most of all just the simple joy of being, whether it be a comfy chair or the cold tile floor.

  

Just enjoy everyday and every breath. Soak up the sun and dance in the rain. To often we try to keep up with the Jones' and miss the little things that make life worth while. We need to take a cue from our furry friends: SLOW DOWN! Who cares if the Jones' have a big house, four cars and a swimming pool. You, my friend, have a roof over your head, clothes on your back and food on the table. But most of all you have more love then they will ever have, you have pets. They love you unconditionally and give more than they receive. In my mind and many others, a house is not a home without a pet. So the next time you have a bad day, hug your pet. Trust me, it is the best medicine in the world!