Unusual Home Remedies

I came across some unusual home remedies, some I have heard of before, and others that I haven't. I would love to know how many truely do what they claim. Let me know if you try them out.

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Re-sealing a sealed envelope. Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed.

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Use empty toilet paper rolls to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.

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For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dish washing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze.

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To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for a few hours. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The wax will fall out.

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Crayon marks on walls? Use a damp rag, dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!).

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Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops , use rubbing alcohol on a paper towel.

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S.O.S Pads, take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. They rust and turn smelly after being used. This is much more economical and one boc can last indefinitely! In fact, it will sharpen the scissors too.

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Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. (Now, where to put the body? LOL)

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Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks. Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak.

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Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on.

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Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks. You can also do this with towels and linen.

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To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new!

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To easily remove burnt food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove top.

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Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.

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Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

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When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness.

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Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

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To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, apply soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.

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Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So, get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.

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Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

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When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, and then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.

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Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer

Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China

Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.

Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.

Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).

Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, and then run the hot water.

Wow, makes you wonder about ingesting Alka Seltzer, doesn't it?

Bing Buys

If you are not familiar with Bing.com, it is similar to Yahoo and MSN, with a more advanced search engine, shopping, maps, etc.

Here are some not-so-common items you can currently buy on their site:

Chicken poop lip balm.  What?

Despite its name, there is actually no poop in this product. “Chicken Poop Lip Junk” was inspired by the owner's grandfather who used to tell anyone who complained of chapped lips to “put some chicken poop on 'em so you won’t lick ‘em.” According to the Bing website, the lip balm is actually made up of very high quality natural ingredients including non-GMO soybean oil, witch hazel, and vitamin E.   

Buy Chicken Poop Lip Balm Here

Giant Gummy Bear. At a whopping five pounds, this overgrown treat is the equivalent of 1,400 regular sized bears and it contains 12,600 calories. Wow!   

Buy Giant Gummy Bear Here

Twinkle Toes hoof polish. Women are not the only ones who enjoy a mani/pedi. Apparently, horses do too. Sadly I already knew this because my mother-in-law has pampered her horses before. Twinkle Toes hoof polish comes in a variety of finishes, from matte to metallic to glitter!                                         

Buy Twinkle Toes Hoof Polish Here

 

Perfume (a.k.a. ambergris). Have you ever read the ingredients in perfume? I have not until now. The ingredient, ambergris is used in high-end perfumes, and is a waxy compound extracted from whale vomit. Yes, whale vomit. Its function is to help bind the scent to your skin. But wait, you can buy small bottles of ambergris, which is said to have its own pleasant, earthy aroma. I am feeling like I need a shower now, how about you?

Buy Ambergis Here

Snake venom. If the whale vomit wasn't enough and you need more proof that ladies are fearless about the ingredients in their beauty products, look no further. To reduce wrinkles, a relatively recent fad in higher-end products is the use of snake venom. The desired effect is much like Botox. When applied, this product gives a mild freezing effect to facial muscles, which reduces visible wrinkles.

Buy Snake Venom Here

 

Ostrich jerky. So what high in protein, low in fat, and tastes like beef? Ever consider eating ostrich? When compared with other meats, ostrich has the highest protein value and lowest fat per ounce and a flavor often compared to beef. You can order it as jerky on Bing today!

Buy Ostrich Jerky Here

 

Rocking glasses. Ever been scared someone is going to knock over your drink, or do you get tired of swirling your wine glass? These glasses are designed to rock, but not spill, your wine, whiskey or brandy while aerating it at the same time.

Buy Rocking Glasses Here

Portable head massager. Look no further men. This battery-powered helmet  is said to feel like “thousands of tiny fingers simultaneously massaging your scalp.” Whether your goal is stimulating blood circulation, alleviating stress, tension and even migraines, this head massager can be used at your desk while working or during your tense morning commute.

Buy Head Massager Here

Pick your nose cups. Just in case you were waiting to have a whole party full of nose pickers picking their noses, the wait is over, get it? Haha. These cups have different noses printed on them. Clever.

Buy Pick Your Nose Cups Here

 

Puzzle alarm clock. This snooze-button just became complicated. The puzzle alarm clock forces you to complete a puzzle before the alarm will stop. The puzzle engages your brain long enough to wake you up. Buy Puzzle Alarm Here

 

Waboba ball. This is not just any ball, it bounces off water five to six feet like a tennis ball off a clay court. The ball is made from a Lycra coating with polyurethane inside. Pretty cool.

Buy Waboba Ball Here

Friday Food For Thought

Last night Chris and I went to his parent's house for dinner. We are so fortunate to have 2 sets of parents who are constantly calling us to hang out, eat dinner, or watch a movie with them. One of the many perks of living close to them. Although I felt different 3 years ago, I am grateful now to be close to the people we love. So anyways, we are at their house and they asked us if we needed another freezer- they are looking to get rid of the one they keep in the garage. Chris and I got a great deal on a second fridge/freezer combo when we moved this past summer, so we have more than enough refrigeration. It did get me to thinking, though, about what we could do with our own unutilized freezer space. Here are the ideas I pulled together from various sources around the internet.

* Candles: Keep your wax candles in the freezer and they'll burn longer, especially table tapers that burn very fast. One word of caution, the candles your grandmother used to burn were actually made of natural waxes. Today's candles are made up of non-typical waxes from petroleum products because they are cheaper, but they burn hotter. If you place these candles in the freezer, when you take them out to burn them moisture from the air will condense on them leading to spattering, much like adding water to a hot pan of grease. Stick to only cooling the tapers and not the fatter candles to avoid the risk of fire.

* Batteries: Storing batteries in the freezer helps them retain their charge longer, but this is more true for NiMH and Nicad batteries, which can boost battery life by 90% after being frozen, and this is less true for alkaline batteries, which boost their life by only about 5%.

* Plant Seeds: Many (but not all) types of plant seeds will keep longer and germinate more successfully when stored in the freezer. Many of the planet's most important seeds are being stored in a chilly seed vault in Norway for an unforeseen doomsday.

* Plastic Soda Bottles Filled with Water: Some people do this to have a cold drinking bottle ready for a long day out in the sun, but back in Grandma's day, many kept water filled bottles in the freezer to insulate it and help keep cold longer if the electricity failed.

* Wine cubes: If by some chance you find yourself with leftover wine, which is easy to do if you and a friend open a full bottle, pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it. "Wine cubes" are perfect for cooking.

* Pantyhose: Not sure if I believe this one, and I cannot remember the last time I wore pantyhos, so please let me know if you do and decide to test it out. Keep your pantyhose in the freezer, they're less likely to run and they last longer. (Oh yeah, and don't forget to thaw them out ahead of time to wear them... burr!)

* Atypical Freezer Food: Put flour (and spices) in the freezer to keep bugs out. Some people even keep their scrap food (a.k.a. trash) in the freezer until trash day. Doesn't save money but saves on the smell in the trash can. Also, freeze leftover broth in ice cube trays to add to soups or casseroles, helps to cool down down soup while not watering it down.

* Toys: Some doctors recommend freezing your kids' stuffed animals once a week or so to kill dust mites and prevent allergies.

* Laundry: Freeze your damp laundry in a plastic bag- some claim it makes it easier to iron, but a better reason is to prevent your wet laundry from having mildew and eventually that musky smell it gets over time.

* Money: Well we have all heard about the people who stick their money in the freezer... I could not find a good reason behind it other than hiding your money. If only freezing our credit cards to save money worked- it wouldn't even take up a lot of freezer space. Just a thought...

Hope you found some practical applications here. If nothing else, at least it is some food for thought. Happy Friday!

Local Home Prices

Good news for those in the west area of Houston wanting to sell there house (and for my LIFO predictions), February data for west Houston home sales reveals a 1% increase in homes sold with a steady price increase as well. Overall, the average sales price in the Houston area rose 6% in February. Sounds to me like we could be headed out of the recession. Hence the LIFO (last in first out) prediction I thought Texas would follow. Many in our area have not felt the affects of the recession, with one major exception, the housing market. With this turn around the corner in February, we may be, for the most part, at the tail end of it. Just in time for the spring home buying season! That should make some realtors very happy.

Source:
West University Examiner

Fav Flickr Photos of the Day

Never Saw It Coming

You know those realities that you suddenly become aware of and you stop mid-motion or mid-thought whatever it is you were attempting to do at that moment. It is like running into a brick wall.
A few examples:

• Leaving your car window open, as it is pouring down rain outside.
• Remembering that you forgot to turn the dryer on, as you board a plane to leave the country for a month long vacation.
• Locking the keys in the car, when the spare set is over an hour away.

Well, unfortunately, I am all too familiar with the "brick wall" feeling. Most of the time I get caught up in my hurried, fast pace life and I make the mistake of unconsciously going through the motions. Sort of like the times you drive somewhere, and once you get there you don't recall most of the trip, which is pretty scary. I have to admit that at times I am just too embarrassed to call anyone to ask for help to get out of the situation that I got myself into. I probably shouldn't tell this story, but if it helps anyone else today feel better about themselves than I am all for it...

About 2 years ago, I was driving to work when I realized my car was low on fuel. So I stop at a nearby Kroger, right off of Beltway 8, thinking I have barely made it, with little if any gas left in the tank. I reach for my purse, shuffle around inside looking for my wallet, but I can't seem to find it. Oh no! Did I leave it at home? Here I am 40 miles away from our house with no gas and no wallet. So I muster up the courage to call Chris, hoping he is still at home and hasn't left for his 45 minute commute. Thank goodness he was home, but he could not find my wallet anywhere. I was panicked. When did I last have it? Hmm... Oh, I remember! I bought groceries at HEB last night, so it must be in my purse or my car. Checked everything again for the 5th time. Still no wallet. 20 minutes have passed and I am starting to get worried about being late to work. Chris tells me to start driving to work and he will bring me a gas can. So here I am about to have a heart attack, back on Beltway 8 going, can you believe it, 30 mph. Yep, people are passing me and staring me down like I am a lunatic. 20 minutes later I pull into my office's parking lot. In total shock, I turn off my car, take a deep breath and head into work. About an hour later Chris shows up at my office, completely out of the way, a good 45 minute detour from his office with a gas can and my wallet. Here's the catch. Chris decided to stop in at HEB and just ask if they happened to have a wallet. Yep. I had left the wallet in the cart in the parking lot of HEB and someone had turned it into the store. Nothing was missing. Man, that wall left a pretty big, nasty bruise.

A few weeks ago I had a person walk up to me in a book store, as I am reading the back cover of a biblically based book, she asks me if I consider myself "A woman of faith." I said, "Yes, of course." And she said, "Really, in what ways?" She caught me off guard. I asked, "Well, what do you mean?" And she says, "What ways do you trust in God completely, handing it all over to him and not controlling the different elements for yourself?" Man... I definitely trust him, but did I have to give specifics? I thought about it the rest of the day and even the areas of my life that I came up with, I realized my hand is still in control. I am still hands on, weary of what the outcome might be if I completely let go. The last thing the woman said to me before she continued her shopping was, "How can you call yourself a woman of faith if you are not living by faith?" Another bruise, except this one was going to leave a permanent scar. Not only did I not see this brick wall, but it fell down on top of me after I ran smack into it.

My challenge has been the realization that I cannot figure things out on my own, plan my future, or understand why certain things have happened to me. Those are the areas of my life I am convinced I need to hang onto as a crutch, but God tells me I must trust in him for comfort and let go of them.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding". Proverbs 3:5

"For we walk by faith, not by sight". 2 Corinthians 5:7

What is the crutch in your life right now that you know you need, but God is telling you that you don't? Don't let the brick wall hit you before you see it coming.

Vampire Squid- Turns Inside Out

Okay everyone, education for the day. This is beautiful!

Happy St. Paddy's Day

To honor the holiday, here are few Irish bumper stickers to make you smile:

•"So Irish My Liver Hurts."

•"If you're lucky enough to be Irish then you're lucky enough."

•"Kiss Me. I'm Irish or Drunk or Whatever."

•"When Irish Eyes are Smiling They're Usually Up to Something."

•"God Is Good but Never Dance in a Small Boat — Irish proverb."

•"Rub me for good luck."

You Can Stop Wondering Now...

Today's entry is bound to get me into trouble, but what's the point of discussing the obvious and safe topics that you can read about on any front page across the world. Pushing forward in an effort to familiarize everyone with a few lightly treaded ideas, but at the same time acknowledging that I am not an "expert".

Among the many celebrity fads that we have seen come and go and come again, the one we hear about a lot but know very little about is the star-studded Scientology. Adopting children from Africa or Ethiopia may be something not hard to understand, but when ask about their "new found" religion, many celebrities have responded vaguely about what exactly Scientology is.

"Were it not for Scientology, I would either be completely insane or dead by now." - Lisa Marie Presley

First, before we explore the topic, take a look at who is currently following... Celebrity Scientologists

Now that you know the who, let's dive into the what.

Scientology was founded, well incorporated rather, in 1953 by the late science fiction novelist and publicist L. Ron Hubbard and it teaches that people are immortal spiritual beings. It offers a method of  "spiritual rehabilitation" by re-living traumatic events from the past in order to "free themselves". Scientology believes that souls, "thetans", reincarnate and have lived on other planets before living on Earth. Hubbard's writing, healing, and membership are offerred to followers after they have paid a fee (in most cases thousands of dollars) to the Church, which explains why it is not a well published topic, the reading material is normally strictly safeguarded from the public. In 2007 a Church official claimed a staggering 3.5 million people were members in the United States, but according to a 2008 survey published by the City University of New York, only 25,000 people in the United States would, if asked to, identify themselves as Scientologists.

So why the recent celebrity following? As far back as 1955, Hubbard began "Project Celebrity," acknowledging the value of famous people to recruit the masses, to endorse the teachings, and to give Scientology greater acceptability in mainstream America. In a society that often equates celebrity with credibility, using highly recognized celebrities would certainly help overcome Scientology's skepticism. Recently Hubbard's successor, David Miscavige, began aggressively recruiting and pampering them by forming "Celebrity Centers," a chain of country club like places that offer expensive counseling and career guidance. Heber Jentzsch, president of the Church of Scientology International, was quoted in the newspaper Scientology Today, "We need to find out how to reach key people in the media, in government, in the control points of society, the people who rule things."

The late Yvonne Jentzsch, the originator of the first Celebrity Center, said the way to hook celebrities is to "admiration-bomb" them, basically emotionally flood them with attention and admiration. The Scientology staff quickly learned to give celebrities the excessive God-like admiration they are vulnerable to and the reason they got into show business. In return the celebrities receive guidance, comissions, and many "country club" like perks.

If you feel the need to research this topic further, beware, there are some VERY strong followers For and Against it. Specifically, those skeptical of Scientology have claimed it is a corrupt scheme falsely portrayed as religion with a goal of obtaining money and power through publicly accepted celebrities.

Interesting story on this topic in Time Magazine, The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power. Take a look if you are interested. Pretty deep accusations and a little beyond my expertise (wink wink), but goes to show how isolated these celebrities may be from the reality of Scientology.

Yawn... Blink... Blink... Whiplash

For most of you mommies out there you may be all too familiar with this maneuver in the wee hours of the night while you rock your little ones back to sleep.

This is your reminder that we Spring Forward on Sunday morning, so don't forget to bump your clocks up an hour on Saturday night- which means we lose another precious hour of sleep.

A little history about Daylight Savings that you might enjoy...

Daylight Savings Time is NOT observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and by most of Arizona.

Springing forward not only increases the hours of daylight but has been shown to increase the incidences of heart attack and motor vehicle accidents immediately after the time change.

The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a study about the increased risk of myocardial infarction, heart attacks, that occur after the Spring Forward. The study, run by physicians in Sweden, examined patients dating back to 1987 and found a 5% increase in heart attacks in the first three days after springing forward and a small decrease when clocks are turned back in the Fall. The probable causes stated by the journal are: the disruption in the chronobiological rhythms, the loss of one hour of sleep in the days immediately following the clock turn, and the resulting sleep disturbances with the overall time adjustment.

One more thing... did you know DST was created by the Energy Policy Act? I bet you didn't know the biggest reason we change our clocks is that it saves electricity. Energy use and the electricity needed to light our homes is directly related to when we go to bed and when we get up. In the average home, 25 percent of all the electricity we use is for lighting and small appliances, such as TVs, VCRs and stereos, which most people use in the evening when the whole family is home. In the Spring, the sun sets one hour later, reducing the period between sunset and bedtime by one hour. Studies done in the 1970s by the U.S. Department of Transportation show that we cut electricity usage by about one percent EACH DAY with Daylight Savings Time. At first this surprised me because I thought we would use a bit more electricity in the morning because it is darker when we rise, basically offsetting the energy savings in the evening, but we typically do not use the small appliances in the morning before work. Interesting...

Another random daily factoid.

Follow-up From Previous Post

Dear Mr. "M", I stated facts. If you are uncomfortable with the facts please talk to the statisticians and do not force your racist and political agendas on others. No your "colored" opinion did not upset my "ivory" world. This is my blog and as such I am entitled to my opinion, free speech until our government changes that as well. "Uneducated" is not an opinion it is a fact, and it does not imply laziness, that was your words. If they are pursuing the "American dream" then tell them to get an American education and their "greedy employers" will be able to pay them more based on their abilities rather than their welfare status. If you want to bark up a tree, this is the wrong one. Go find someone else willing to listen to your biased and racist comments about entitlement. There will no longer be an "American dream" if the unemployed, uneducated, and low-income families do not change their status. We will become just like the countries that they "left their families for" and we will have all lost the dream. Oh and if you choose to leave someone comments, you should leave your information in return. Otherwise, mind your own business. If I don't know you, have never met you, I don't care to hear your feedback on my posts and I will delete them if you choose to leave them on my blog. Thanks and have a great day!

Daily Factoid

Most people that know me well know that I am intrigued with the most random facts and uncommon studies. If you let me, I will rattle them off to you and then give you my unwanted opinion, views, and deeply felt reaction to them while standing on a 10 foot tall soap box with a megaphone in hand for all to hear. So, no surprises here, I came across a new study, just out, hot off the press, and yes I am itching to share. This is where Chris tends to tune me out, or pretend to listen, nod, and say "Yes dear that is interesting." Nevertheless, interesting fact of the day...

We have all heard the predictions that our country's demographics are changing dramatically, that we will be a minority in our own country within the next 40 years. To further excel this change, researchers have discovered it may actually occur much sooner. Why? Well, let's face it, white women are getting married and having children much later these days, while minorities, Hispanics in particular, tend to have children at a very young age and typically have a lot more children. So two forces are working against us. White Americans are having less babies, and Hispanic women, which is a growing number on its own, are having more. Specifically, each Hispanic woman has 2.99 children while each white woman has 1.87 children on average.

With the 2010 census beginning next week, many are curious what the numbers will reveal. In 2008, 48% of all U.S. born children were of a minority race.

Okay, so I probably sound like a racist person right now. Believe me my concern here is not about the race card. The implications of this issue are far more than we commonly think about. Take this study further and we find that according to the U.S. Department of Labor, only 56% of Hispanic women work, 25% of those only work part-time, and there is only a 33% chance of working if they do not have a high school diploma. My concern is not our country's demographics, but rather our country's sustainability, level of poverty, and population of the undereducated. As the fewer educated adults have fewer children, who will ultimately pay the taxes to support the low-income families of this country. As the debt of the U.S. grows and the minorities do too, we could be in for some tough times. Call it a far-fetched prediction, or just a quirky fear of mine, but I do think America is due for a rude awakening soon. China's communist/socialist leadership with child bearing restrictions may not seem so inconceivable in the next few decades as our country approaches a similarly run government and an overpopulous unemployed.

Stepping down for now and carefully handing over my megaphone- I have done my fair share for the week, hope I didn't lose anyone on this one.

Great Food, Great Friends, and Music? well...

Back from the wedding, what a blast!

Best moment of the weekend was dancing with my brother. Even on his own wedding day he was tearing up the dance floor. That is Jess to the core.

Worst moment of the weekend was watching Cayley endure a bad cold or sinus infection. It is always nice to have a doctor on hand at your wedding though- man that worked out well.

Most memorable moment of the weekend was walking out of the hair salon, Wendy and I, just chuckling to ourselves that we would definitely stand out at the wedding.

Most dreadful moment of the weekend was listening to Kirk karaoke at the reception. What was he thinking? It was worse than listening to a dying pig.

I have to hand it to my mom, she held it together most of the weekend, with the exception of her one weak moment during the music at the church. She is one amazing person. All 3 of her children are unbelievably different, like night and day. Yet, somehow she gave each of us our own unique weddings exactly the way we wanted them to be. She never pushed her opinion or worried about our choices, she made them all work the way we invisioned them and they fit our personalities perfectly. How many moms can you say that about?

Amazing weekend, can't wait for you to see...Stay tuned for pictures!

Family Tradition

The last Wheeler will be married off tomorrow. Strange to think of my brother as being a married man, but not strange at all to picture him as a dad some day. Is that weird? Well anyways, I am really looking forward to seeing my whole family this weekend as we meet up from all over the big state of Texas. There is nothing quite like it. Did I mention my grandfather has 10 brother and sisters. Yep, lots of fun! They all made a trip down for my wedding, and this was the first time Chris had met most of them (he had met a few at our Christmas reunion the year before), and they did not disappoint. The Wheeler tradition when a member of the family gets married is to give a full, 32 gallon trash can. When I say full, I mean filled to the point that the top will not close. And here is the interesting part, the contents are unlabeled cans. Typically, a variety of canned goods are bought, the labels are removed, and then both are given to the wedding couple who then have to guess when opening the cans. In our situation, the labels were not in the trash can with the canned goods, so not only did we not have a clue what was in each can, but we didn't even know what the possibilities were. Needless to say, one night when I had planned to have a side of vegetables for dinner, I was amazed to discover the contents of the can was dog food, can you believe it? And then there was another instance where I happened to open exactly what I needed, green beans. Unfortunately, once the green bean casserole had been cooked and we sat down with our friends who had joined us for dinner, I suddenly realized the casserole tasted a little off. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, until Chris says to me, "It tastes like pickles." Sure enough, after a phone call later that night to my granny, there is such a thing as pickled green beans. Who knew. Moral of the story- don't judge a book by its cover, don't judge food by its appearance, always smell the ingredients of your recipes as you are cooking?!?!

I am looking forward to the look on Heather's face when she sees a huge trash can at the reception tomorrow. MMMMMmmmmm! I hope they get some great surprises.

FITatudes

Something interesting I heard about- thought this was worth sharing because it could be life-changing if taken with the right direction.

In the Bible, Matthew 5:3-10 is often referred to as “The Beatitudes,” the directives at the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Each Beatitude is a necessary element in a successful relationship with God. These “Beatitudes” were used as a model to develop the 9 FITatudes, which are key components to a sustainable and healthy lifestyle (source: fitatudes.com). I personally think it would be reasonable to take each one of these and spend several months studying it, seeking direction on it, and applying it in your life. With that in mind, it could potentially take 3 years to reach a sustainable and healthy lifestyle, but hey, I would have to say in the grand scheme of things, what's 3 years?!?! I hope that these speak to you as they have to me, happy reading...

1. Absolute Trust in God: Go BIG, or go home!
◦ Happy are those whose absolute trust is in the Lord…for they shall not be disappointed. – Proverbs 3:5

2. Humility and Personal Responsibility: Keeping your ego in check, so you can own your own dirt.
◦ Happy are those who take humble responsibility while giving God all the glory for the undeserved gifts He bestows…for they shall experience God’s glory. – Philippians 2:3-9 & Matthew 7:3-5

3. Forgiveness: Be transformed mentally.
◦ Happy are those who release themselves from holding a grudge or passing judgment for someone else’s sin and learns to forgive…for they shall also be forgiven and experience earthly freedom and everlasting life. – Matthew 6:14

4. Positive Thinking: Your body achieves what your mind conceives.
◦ Happy are those who free their minds of useless “chatter” and immediately replace negative thoughts with positive ones…for they shall be able to focus on life’s essentials. – Phillipians 4:8

5. Devotion to Others: Birds of a feather must flock together.
◦ Happy are those who encourage others and who willingly join their family and friends in faithful fellowship, inspiring and motivating one another to lead a High Performing Life…for they shall likewise be encouraged. – Hebrews 10:24-25

6. A Life Budget with Gratitude: Healthy mustn’t be expensive or time consuming.
◦ Happy are those who are grateful and content with what they have wisely budget their resources…for by observing boundaries in an “anything-goes” world, they shall not squander their resources or overindulge, thus avoiding problems in the future. – 1 Corinthians 10:23

7. Healthy Food and Proper Hydration: Heavenly bodies begin with healthy foods.
◦ Happy are those who drink sufficient water and eat fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole foods…for they shall not often be constipated, and they shall be healthier, better nourished, and at less risk for lifestyle diseases that those who mock them. – Genesis 1:11-12

8. Respect for One’s Body: R-E-S-P-E-C-T your B-O-D-Y.
◦ Happy are those who – recognizing their body is a gift from God – get it moving every day and obtain proper rest…for their muscles and joints will be supple and adaptable and they will experience bountiful energy. – Genesis 2:2-3 & Timothy 4:8a

9. Perseverance: Keep on keepin’ on.
◦ Happy are the faithful and diligent…for they shall obtain results. – Hebrews 12:1-3

A bit oF History with Perspective

Okay, so I am not much of a history buff, but my grandfather was. He had every book written about every president in his library, and while I was too young at the time to admire his interest, I now look back and wish I had more time to sit and listen to his wisdom. One thing I knew for sure from listening to him was that Harry Truman was a different kind of President. He probably made as many, or more important decisions regarding our nation's history as any of the other 42 Presidents preceding him. However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House.

The only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in, which was in Independence, Missouri. His wife had inherited the house from her mother and father and other than their years in the White House, they lived in this one house their entire lives. A side note, and interesting fact about the "Summer White House" as it was called, there are rumors that Harry Truman has been seen walking around the house even today... oooh spooky. When he retired from office in 1952, his only income was from a U.S. Army pension which was only $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an 'allowance' and, later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.

After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There was no Secret Service following them. When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, "You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale."

Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, "I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise."

As president he paid for ALL of his own travel expenses and food.

Today's politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on their positions, becoming quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale.

Good ole Harry Truman was correct when he observed, "My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!

I say dig him up and clone him!!

Keep it Up

So Chris and I have a tradition of eating breakfast together on Sunday mornings. Saturdays always tend to be a little fickle because we both run around to workout classes or golfing, hair appointments, yada yada, so Sundays are the mornings I really look forward to. Anyways, this past Sunday we had just sat down with our food and Chris had not even had a minute to take his first bite before I just starting blabbing. I mean going on and on about who knows what. I suddenly had all these life questions and theories. Just out of the blue, for example, I asked Chris what a travel review of the United States would look like. When we go on vacations I always look up the "must sees", the things each town or country is most known for to ensure we really experience the culture of the area we are visiting. So I had proposed the question to Chris, What would America be known for? I really could only come up with a few, Hollywood, Statue of Liberty (or just NYC in general), a Texas ranch, Washington D.C. perhaps? It really just makes our country seem lacking in culture. Chris just laughed. He really had no response. In fact, he just kept eating, enjoying his food wondering what the heck I was theorizing about. So I smiled, nodded, and said, "See, this is why I have a blog....." And finally a response from him, "Good point, keep it up."

Thinking about this question again, I did a little research, putting myself in the shoes of a foreign visitor to the U.S. and here is what they said:
Places so quentissentially part of the USA that everyone should visit at least once, and honorable mention to the entire route of Route 66.

1. The Alamo: San Antonio, Texas
2. Arlington National Cemetery: Arlington, Virginia
3. Boston Harbor: Boston, Massachusetts
4. Brooklyn Bridge: Brooklyn, New York
5. Civil Rights Museum: Memphis, Tennessee
6. Disneyland Park: Anaheim, California
7. Empire State Building: Manhattan, New York
8. Gateway Arch: St. Louis, Missouri
9. Gettysburg National Park and Cemetery: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
10. Golden Gate Bridge: San Francisco, California
11. Graceland: Memphis, Tennessee
12. Grand Canyon: Arizona
13. Hollywood sign: Los Angeles, California
14. Kennedy Space Center: Merritt Island, Florida
15. The Liberty Bell: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
16. The Mall: Washington, D.C.
17. Mount Rushmore National Memorial: South Dakota
18. Niagara Falls: New York State
19. Plymouth Rock: Plymouth, Massachusetts
20. Pearl Harbor: Honolulu, Hawaii
21. Roswell: New Mexico
22. Statue Of Liberty National Monument: Liberty Island, New York
23. Washington Monument: Washington, D.C.
24. White House: Washington, D.C.
25. Yellowstone National Park: Wyoming

In case you are thinking what I am thinking, I am not all that impressed with this list. Seems very shallow as far as I am concerned, and heavily leaning towards government/ battle sites or not really one of a kind. Any thoughts? No wonder all of my top 10 must sees before I die are NOT in the U.S., very sad, yes I admit it.