It's Been Too Long.

I am not sure if anyone even reads this. I guess if I am going to use this space to share all my  crafty knowledge, I need to be more routine in posting to my blog.

Maybe soon. I will think on what to post and then -- it will show up!!!

Too many thoughts to get in one blog!

This past month, I have been busy but at other times I have been bored. And sometimes my brain just wants to sit.
Here is how I spent my month:
Oldest son got  married. Family cam from far and wide. My finger is doing well for those who want to know. Made vegan cupcakes. Got rave reviews. All I did was follow a recipe. But it was fun.
Youngest son had his 30th birthday  but he was in a different state so no hugs or cake. But he got the singing phone call -- we had to leave it as a message. :(
Even though I have no children going to school, I went to lunch with a friend to celebrate hers going back. Fun.

I finished some sewing projects and started others. I finished sewing a skirt that my daughter had started. And mailed it to her. She said it fit. I am suppose to be getting a picture....
I helped with a church Girls Activity Day (ages 8 to 12) where I totally enjoyed myself. Girls that age are the best!
I dried some fruit leather and will be doing more today. :) Who wants some?
Also went grocery shopping and ate out with my husband. Fun. Really.
And that is what I have been doing.
Busy sometimes. Bored others. This is my life.

Dandelions -- Not Just a Weed

They are Wishing Flowers! 

I inserted pictures so you all can see what lovely flowers dandelions are. Who started the rumor that dandelions are weeds? I think it was a jealous Englishman. Couldn't stand such a pretty flower decking out our yards. If anyone else agrees then make a comment!

My random thoughts for today --- Aren't you lucky?

*got a lesson in bed bugs --- EEEWWW!! Gross! Disgusting! ETC!!!!

*totally overfilled my dishwasher -- will the dishes be clean enough to eat on?

*finished reading all the books I checked out from the library -- ordered more and am waiting impatiently!

*felt cooler air ...heat wave gone - YEA!!!

*talked to my sister yesterday - wish we lived closer...

*got a request from Paperback Swap

*get to go buy hair dye....

*think I have found the fabric piece for part of a special project -- finally!

*realized all my videos in the VHS format are old and will not play in my VCR anymore...the tape gets twisted. :(

*Christmas wish list: DVDs of all the old movies I had...well, a few of them at least.

*I can spend the day whatever I want.,,,,,,,, Dilemma: what do I want to do?

*want to learn how to make this blog more whimsical.

*that is all for now.

Late at Night

It is usually hard for me to go to bed because I don't sleep well. Not that matters to anyone who read this blog. But I find myself up late. I think it is because I do not have anything to do when I get up.

I am starting to sympathize with those who have retired. I try to make myself work on a project or maybe even clean something!!! But it is hard to plan out a day and keep myself occupied when there is not much to do. I am sure I will find a niche someday, doing something that means something and also occupies my time. If you have a suggestion, let me know. :)

Well, I am going to try to sleep.
Pleasant dreams, everyone.
Becky

Cooking and Baking or is it Creating and Experimenting?

Recipes are fascinating. How the developers list the ingredients, give directions, supply helpful hints and now most list the percentages of salt, sugar, calories, etc. It is fun to study what order they think the ingredients should be added. I quit sifting my flour with the other dry ingredients a LONG time ago. No need for those extra steps. But I still pick up hints for making the recipe fun.

I have decided I will include my old favorites and those new to me. I may even include those that I have embellished or created. My husband is my only taste tester. He is still alive. I guess that says enough.

Check on the side bar for "Pages". I have started a Recipe File. They have all been tasted and liked. The hints are all tried and true. SOOOOO ---
Bon Apetite! ( you have to read that with a French accent in your head)

(*j*)Becky

Friendships - making - losing - renewing

Friendship

I have thought a lot about that word the past few months. Not so much what it means but how I have tried to make a friend, then develop it or kept it going. I think it boils down to this: I see someone I would like to get to know. They have qualities I admire or character traits that I wish I had or seem to be pretty well put together, you know, they have a handle on life. People like them, they seem happy and confident. Then I try to talk to them. Be interested in their life. But I don't think I put that plan into action in high school.


My high school 40 year reunion is coming up in a week or so. I have received a few invites via Facebook and my high school alumni web page. But I am not going. I have never really kept in touch with anyone from school. The one good friend I had moved and never wrote to me. I had other friends but they were all in the church and lived in about a 20-30 mile radius of my home. A couple of those I kept in touch with for years. But no one in high school.

One of my very best friends is now in heaven. We grew up together and she joined the church, but she didn't go to my school. Even though we lived at opposite ends of the town and went to different schools, we went and did something every weekend. Especially when we started driving. So much fun. After we each got married, we kept in touch but lived farther away. I moved back to my hometown, she was still here and we had kids the same age who played together. She died at the age of 46. I miss her terribly.

I think I got off course there.... sorry .... anyway...

I have been reviewing How I Make Friends. My social base is my church. I only say hello to my neighbors when we are out gardening, walking past to get the mail and --- no, that is about it. I don't work at a "job". but I do sew for other people. I don't do anything in the community. No good excuses. I would like to but am a bit shy about it. All of us have a shy factor.

At church. I tend to become friends with those that I serve with in a calling, but those change, so, friends change. However, I do have a couple of friends in my church that I do things with. Lunch. Movies. Temple. Sewing dilemmas. Dipping chocolate. Preserving foods. And sometimes when my car is down, they  graciously take me places I need to go. Boy, do I have a lot of fun!!!

So, that got me to start thinking about how I make friends (See paragraph one) and why I don't have any from high school. If I want to make a friend, I have to work at it. I have to put myself out there and try to talk to them. Get to know them. What I have found is that as friendly as I am, there are still those who do not want to know me. Huh. And I thought everyone wanted to be my friend! Ah, well.


I have made some new friends this past year or so (AT CHURCH) and gotten closer to a few more. I know that I have friends from years ago that if I called them to talk, it would take off from when we were close. So, maybe I do have a lot of friends. Mostly from church. I wonder if it is too late . . . . Maybe I will revisit the alumni web page. And maybe their bodies have changed a lot too and I do not mean just the gray hair! LOL!!

My challenge: get out there and make or renew ONE friendship this week. I know, it is a short time. But you have a short attention span anyway. You probably didn't even read this whole thing. That's okay. Neither did I.


Happy Friendshipping!
(*j*) Becky

Funeral Programs

I know it sounds weird but I like to design funeral programs, you know, the ones they hand out for a remembrance?

It all started when my mom passed away and we had to put together her funeral in less than three days. We ended up with a program from the funeral home and besides costing too much, it wasn't what we wanted. The time constraint made it impossible for someone to do it.

The first time, I volunteered to do one for a woman in our church and the family thought I was kind to do it. It was probably more selfish than anything. I wanted to help and this was one way I could. Sometimes you have so many people helping that there isn't anything to do. So, this is my "cubby hole" of service. I try hard to make a nice program and hopefully the family will keep it for their family history, something that has the right dates, names and places on it. I have done some for the members of our church and some are not members. I have done some for those that were dear friends and some I have not known at all. But it is all the same -- I feel joy in helping them, giving them something nice for their families. A memento.

It is just one of those things that tickles my fancy.

(*l*) Becky

Junk Mail - Send it back!

Sometimes I get a forwarded email from a friend. She knows I don't like or ever read most of them. But today she sent me something interesting. There was a LOT more but this is what tickled my fancy and I thought: "post it on your blog"!! so here it is. I hope you enjoy it and make use of it's suggestions... I am going to! Maybe I can get a smaller recycling bin!

 Maybe I will post the other suggestions at a later date. Or maybe I will delete the email. Hard to say at this point....




 (3) Junk Mail Help:
When you get 'ads' enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return these 'ads' with your payment. Let the sending companies throw their own junk mail away.

 When you get those 'pre-approved' letters in the mail for everything from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw away the return envelope.

 Most of these come with postage-paid return envelopes, right? It costs them more than the regular 44 cents postage, 'IF' and when they receive them back.

 It costs them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was around 50 cents before the last increase and it is according to the weight. In that case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these cool little, postage-paid return envelopes. 
 One of Andy Rooney 's (60 minutes) ideas. 
Send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to American Express. Send a pizza coupon to Citibank. If you didn't get anything else that day, then just send them their blank application back!
 If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name isn't on anything you send them.
  You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them guessing! It still costs them 44 cents.
 The banks and credit card companies are currently getting a lot of their own junk back in the mail, but folks, we need to OVERWHELM them. Let's let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail, and best of all they're paying for it...Twice!
  Let's help keep our postal service busy since they are saying that e-mail is cutting into their business profits, and that's why they need to increase postage costs again. You get the idea!

  I   Love   to   Read ! !

I LOVE to read!!!! I have to check out from the library or borrow from a friend which sometimes limits me in church fiction authors. But I still manage to go through a book or two a week.

Here are some of my favorites and what they use a hook to reel me in (they are all murder mysteries). I would recommend you start with the first ones published, as the characters grow, their romantic relationships grow too.

Joanne Fluke - Hannah Swenson owns the "Cookie Jar Coffee Shop" and shares all her favorite or newly developed Cookie/dessert recipes. Each book has at least one recipe every chapter or so. Joanne Fluke's website: murdershebaked.com

JoAnna Carl - Chocolate mysteries - tips/trivia on chocolate This is a fun one. I love the humor, which is my kind, the sarcastic, under the breath muttering kind.

Terri Thayer - stamping, quilting. Limited books, about 3. Waiting for her to write more.

Donna Andrews - (PG-13) Titles such as We'll Always Have Parrots, Swan for the Money, No Nest for the Wicket. Start with her first and work your way up. It is worth it! Some are more funny than others, but she really has some very diverse location/plot set-ups. I mean, Extreme Croquet in a cow pasture?

Lillian Jackson Braun: Definitely start with the oldest published and work forward. There is a story behind the story.

Dorothy Gilman: Mrs, Polifax series. Older lady gets involved with the CIA -- just to have something to do with her life.....

LDS:
Rachel Ann Nunes, Betsy Brannon Green, Michele Paige Holmes, Clair M. Poulson, Lynn Gardner, Traci Hunter Abrahamson, and my new fave: Josi S. Kilpack who has a new series out that is food related and about an older sleuth. She is way fun to read!! However, some of Josi's are much more serious. Read the flap.

I am also hooked on Regency Romance novels but only the older ones. I had a very favorite author and she started modernizing her words and now they are pretty much "R" rated. Too bad. I have learned so much about Napoleonic era, 1800 - 1816, mostly England history and the peerage.

I lately joined an online paperback swap. Check it out: http://www.paperbackswap.com
I don't have that many books to add to it but I like the idea of low cost books, basically the postage. Better than buying brand new.

I want to read some new ones out: Marilyn Bunderson, "The Mark" and Rochelle J Christiansen, "Wrong Number", but my library doesn't carry them yet. I have made requests, but it will take a while.

Well, that is it for now. It has been fun sharing with you.

Happy Reading!!!!
(*j*) Becky

Uses of Vinegar
1. Good stain remover
2. Clean shower head: bring to boil 1/2 cup each of vinegar & water, take off burner then put in shower head. Let soak for a while, using old toothbrush or similar to get all the 'crusties' out of the holes. Should be very easy to brush away.
3. Shower curtain: One cup of vinegar in the washing machine cold rinse cycle will take away mildew.
4. Window wash: 1/2 cup each water & vinegar, with sponge or rag wipe window with solution. Use old rages or newspapers to wipe dry. Hint: Dry the outside of the window with a sideways motion and the inside with up and down motion. That way you can see places you have missed. Feel free to reverse the inside/outside motions! Change it up!
5. Full strength for hard water stains, rust, bath rings. Clean while the tub/shower walls are warm after using. Use a non-abrasive scrubber and a little elbow grease.
6. Decal remover. Soak for a several minutes and then rub off.
7. Add a couple of cups to the rinse cycle (no clothes please) with detergent to help clean out the pipes.

If you know of other ways to use vinegar in house cleaning, please share your "Tried and True" hint!

Monday. July 12, 2010. 11:30pm This is not a special day or a momentous one. It is just another day.

Sometimes it is hard to find things that I want to do because I have so much I should be doing. Today I did't want to do housework or gardening or work on getting all the medical papers from last year's three changes of companies sorted out. I only wanted to get this blog going. I have been thinking of doing it for a long time. Just to be a part of the world of technology. So I asked a friend to help me.

This was a day that I felt like I did accomplish a few things. My good friend came and helped me set up this blog and taught me a few things about computers that I didn't know. She even brought me lunch. "Extra mile" blessings for her. I also got two loads of laundry done. It didn't all get put away but it is clean. I made dinner and went to the library with my husband for Family Home Evening. It got me out of the house and into the fresh air. We checked out a few "old time movies". Nice to see the blue sky and a few clouds and visit with hubby.

I feel like I need to share. Share things I have learned or look interesting or are new to me and that you might like to know. With all the kids gone and no grandchildren close, I feel a big empty space. I love to teach. I like to think it is because I want to learn too but I suppose some of it is that I feel like I have all this knowledge and no one who wants it. Is that the way it is when you get older? Please say No!

I am hoping this blog will contain some helpful hints about all those things that are stuck inside that want to come out. My dilemma is what to begin sharing. I feel like I am bursting! And I also want to learn more as I go along. Experiments, insights, realizations, helping, serving. Who knows what will pop up. But whatever it is, I hope it all comes out right and with love. Most of all love.

It is late. Now it is the next day. Tuesday, July 13, 2010, 12:25(-ish) am. I am going to bed. I wish you all pleasant dreams.

(*j*) Becky