Tuesday's Tip: Whiten Your Teeth and Shower!

I don't like to whiten my teeth... It gets me all crazy to just sit there with those trays in my mouth. So... what do I do? I put these trays in and then take a shower! That usually takes care of at least 15 of the 30 minutes required for these whitening messes.
How about that?

Manic Monday

Work: I start my new job

Home: I plan to keep an "early bird" schedule so as to incorporate one hour of household tasks each day.

Projects: Filters need to be changed and leaks need to be handled.

Garden: Pickling jalapeno peppers is on the radar.


What is going on in your world?

Spiritual Sunday: Short but Sweet

We had a visiting priest this Sunday who gave a very short sermon that was quite to the point. He touched on completing our daily duties well and always for the greater glory of God. I love sermons like these dotting the calendar as a great reminder that not all of us are meant to do great things. We are, however, meant to do everything well and always for Our Lord.

Saturated Saturday Back from Arizona

I just returned from Arizona (you knew that) and spent the day picking up the house and spending time with my husband.

Monday I will start a new job and so extra time has been spent putting everything in order before the big day!


Above is a picture I took on a hike with my younger brother (in Arizona)....I know I am old, but I am not THAT old!

Canning Salsa!

Tasteful Tuesdays: Salsa

Easy Salsa
Seasoning
Salt
Garlic (if you can, use whole garlic cloves that have been roasted, and then chopped)
Pepper
Cumin (freshly ground if possible)
Lemon or Lime
Main Ingredients
Tomatoes (I use Roma tomatoes)
Jalapeno peppers
White onions (I prefer these over yellow)

Optional:
I will sometimes roast New Mexico chiles ( or pablanos sp?) chiles and add those. They add a whole new layer of flavor.
Cilantro
Cayenne peppers
I normally make this in a food processor and just cut all the items into rough pieces. The seasoning is all based on your preference so there is no way to really indicate how much. I do know I rarely use more than 2 onions during a 16-20 ounce creation of salsa.

Thoughtful Thursday: A Tale of Two Mornings

Yesterday morning at 4:35 A.M., you would have driven by my house and seen quite a hysterical woman standing by her vehicle door. She had made her way to her vehicle and opened the passenger door to load her work bag into the car. As she opened the door… something dropped. It dropped and landed on her head. It almost seemed like a small tree branch with leaves. Seemed like it, until the tree branch with leaves started to move and then made an animal like noise! YES! It was a bat! A bat on her head and in her hair! Picture the hysterical woman dropping all her possessions, flipping her head all over the place and wringing her hands…

This morning…picture the same woman driving to work during a massive storm. Streets are absolutely flooded, yet she presses on. She journeys to her place of work with a skirt soaking wet and shoes completely water logged. What could be the solution? Microwave the shoes! 30 seconds and they are relatively dry, oh so warm, and molded to her feet.

Relief With Heat

I recently purchased these Tylenol Prescise patches that can be applied to a specific area for temporary warmth. The packet is filled with charcoal and, when rubbed together, triggers the heat. These are self adhesive, but I found that I needed to use a wrap as well to keep the product in place.

I have been using these to help with very sore wrists(damn that typing!) and it works lovely.

Saving Money and Being Cute!

I am attending a baby shower and wanted to utilize a more unconventional gift bag/box. I decided to use this lovely green box from a previous order I received in the mail. The ribbon was also a part of the order and then I went artistic! Hubby and I receive lots of address labels in the mail. This particular set had babies as the motif on the labels and that is what I used to decorate the box.
Cute?

Wheelin' Wednesday

I have been tackling the CVS deals for Blink Eye Drops and Purex laundry detergent 3 in 1 packets.

Blink Eye Drops are $7.99 with 7.99 in ECB's. I couple that with a $1.00 off coupon and it turns into a profit. On top of that, I have a balance on a medical insurance card which allows me to purchase this item. Profit all around.

There are $3.00 coupons for Purex in the Sunday paper which makes this deal rather sweet.
Purex is running for $5.99 (3 in 1 packets) with 2.00 in ECB's. I add the coupon in and we have a $.99 cost. Not too bad for a detergent deal. I used ECB's from previous transactions to cover the cost and paid taxes out of pocket.

Any deals going for you this week?

FRIDAY'S FAVORITES: SIERRA GAMES!

For all those who need a little nostalgia...here is a great link to Sierra games!

King's Quest, Police Quest and so many more!

WheelIN’ WEDNESDAY: Money Back?

Hubby loves the razor deals! He always has a fresh razor for his next shave!


This deal turned out to be a money maker before tax and I just love that!

I did walk away with 4.00 ECB's after using the coupon in this week's paper and ECB's from a previous transaction.

MANIC MONDAY- Vacation is in Sight!

Work: I am going to work more overtime this week.

Home: Hubby was on vacation this past week so the house isn’t in total chaos. He assisted with picking up the house-which is always a plus in my book! I will also have a few days off in the month of August to put things in order-can’t wait!

Church: Major bookstore orders going out this week! We will definitely be stocking up!

Projects: My “artist” is back in town and we have started preliminary talks about the kind of label I want for my lotion.
Hubby and I need to purchase jars to start our salsa preserving project. If we have the items this week- we should be able to can at least two to three jars that can be utilized (eaten) in the winter months.

What is going on with you this week?

SATURATED SATURDAY

I spent Saturday morning praying outside of the abortion clinic. I was so happy to see a large number of Catholics from different parishes praying and outnumber the pro choice people! Through more prayer and action- we will overcome the immoral deficits of this nation!

The rest of Saturday was rather quiet. I think I had a bit of heat exhaustion and really had to take it easy.
My tasks were of the quick grocery store, making breakfast, a bit of laundry nature.

Later, I attended Saturday Mass and then headed out to dinner with a fellow parishioner.

What did you do on Saturday?

A Song for My Mama

Life is not a highway strewn with flowers,
Still it holds a goodly share of bliss,
When the sun gives way to April showers,
Here's a thought that we should never miss:
Though April showers
May come your way,
They bring the flowers
That bloom in May;
And if it's raining,
Have no regrets;
Because, it isn't raining rain, you know,
It's raining violets.
And when you see clouds
Upon the hill,
You soon will see crowds
Of daffodils;
So keep on looking for the bluebird,
And listening for his song,
Whenever April showers come along.
Though April showers
May come your way,
They bring the flowers
That bloom in May;
And if it's raining,
Have no regrets;
Because, it isn't raining rain, you know,
It's raining violets.
And when you see clouds
Upon the hill,
You soon will see crowds
Of daffodils;
So keep on looking for the bluebird,
And listening for his song,
Whenever April showers come along

Thoughtful Thursday: Why Do We Complicate Our Lives?

I consider my life stressful. I work a large number of hours, have a home/garden to keep up and engage in various volunteer endeavors. Is my life busy? Yes, it keeps me busy all week long. Is my life complicated? No, I don’t think my life is complicated. How have I come to this conclusion? I came to this conclusion through a conversation with my husband.
We were having dinner and proceeded to converse about my day (he is off this week from work) which lead to a conversation about the lives of others. In every example we could see that it was the choices of that person which caused the immediate and future complications. These choices were often against God’s law and the consequences were quite disarming. In one situation, the person had left their faith to marry someone who had previously been married and the marriage was valid. Ten years later, we have two people who have no faith. The husband cheated on her, divorced her, and is quite manipulative with their children. She is without money, living with another man, and seems to be taken advantage of on a regular basis. What if she had remained in her faith? What if she had not chosen man over God? Do you wonder how less complicated and peaceful her life would be in the present? What if she left this current man and just lived on her own? She wouldn’t have to absorb and involve herself in his complicated life. She could concentrate on her relationship with God and her children and really start to be at peace.
I examine my own life and can see a steady pattern of complications and sadness anytime I am not doing God’s will and cultivating/maintaining my spiritual life. At this moment, I am out of sorts and I am craving time in front of the Blessed Sacrament. I am happy that Saturday is coming in two days and I will be able to pray and meditate before, during, and after Mass.

Without God we are nothing but chaos.

Tuesday’s Tip: Jalapenos!

I don’t know about you, but our garden is full of lovely peppers in various shapes and sizes! We love peppers, but not everyone can enjoy as freely as we do in a no children home. My sister mentioned that she would like to cook more with jalapenos but it worried about touching a pepper and then inadvertently touching one of her children. Well, we can simply utilize my mother’s trick! She will take a handful of the peppers and throw them right into her food processor to be chopped. She can then store these in a container and will just spoon a portion out to add to any meal. It is simple and cuts down on any direct contact with the peppers! Isn’t she snazzy?