Random Things About ME

I so enjoy learning more about the bloggers that I interact with.  I love it when they do posts that are about themselves.  Most of these gals I will never have the privilege of meeting but it's amazing the friendships that I have formed through our blogs.  So, I decided that I would do a blog on random things about myself.  Some may be interesting, some may be silly and some may not even make sense,but it's who I am and I hope you will enjoy.
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 I love the early morning and am my most productive in the mornings.  I like getting the "must dos" done in the morning and have my afternoons free to go visit my Dad, go to hair or nail salon, visit a friend or just do something fun.

I love to bake more than regular cooking.  I can put together a most delicious meal, but I'd rather bake something.  I have made more Almond Pound Cakes than the law allows!

I want a straw for all drinks outside of coffee.  I often keep a stash of straws in the console of my vehicle for those times that one is not provided.  I even use them in my bottles of water everyday.

I wear rubber or latex gloves for everything I do that involves water, or is gooey and sticky.  My Mother did the same.  I have never washed dishes without rubber gloves.  Now, one would think as a result that I would have nice looking hands.  Well, they are soft and smooth but definitely "old looking." ~ugh~

I have never put a pan or casserole dish in my dishwasher.  I always wash them by hand as I do many other kitchen items.  In my thoughts, a dishwasher is made or glasses, cups, plates, cereal bowls and flatware.

I love birds, not so much the ones outside (although they are beautiful and fascinating to watch), but those used in decorating.  You will find them used in many areas of my home.  I have bird prints, bird figurines, and towels with birds embroidered on them.  I love the different colors of birds, their sassiness and sweetness.  I'm just a "bird kinda gal."

I love a plan and a schedule and it, also, makes me a more productive person.  I have certain days that I do certain tasks and and unless something unforeseen gets in the way, those days never change.

I love to mentor and encourage the younger woman.  I had some older women, outside of my precious Mom, that were mentors and encouragers to me and they played a vital role in my life.  I want to play that vital role and hope that I already have in some younger women's lives.

I love lipstick, well, I love makeup period!  But, when I put my lip liner and lipstick on I feel that I have my "face on."  And, it doesn't matter what I am going to be doing, I put makeup on every day of my life.  It's just a part of my daily routine.
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Okay, there you have it, a few random things about me.  There's plenty more but I'll save those for another post.  One can only digest so much at a time. ~laugh~

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

And, here's this week's Hodgepodge questions and my answers..........

1. "The cure for anything is salt water-tears, sweat, or the sea." (Isak Dinesan) Would you agree? Of the three, which has 'cured' you most recently?
Oh, I've always said that tears are very therapeutic for me.  I was caught a little off guard with some news a couple of weeks ago.  I immediately began to cry and then I pulled my boot straps up and I was ready to go!  That's the way I cope.  Thankfully I'm not one to just cry and cry and cry.  I can pull myself together and go forth after a good cry.  I wish that I had a pretty cry but I do not.  It's pretty much pitiful and ugly. 😃 

2. What's something you can't eat without salt? Do you normally salt your food a lot, a little, or not at all?
Oh, there's a lot of food that I can't eat without salt but the first thing that came to my mind was salsa.  I'm so glad that the restaurant we frequent  for Mexican food gives everyone there own salsa bowl.  If I had to share, it just might not work.

3. Sands of time, bury your head in the sand, built on sand, or draw a line in the sand...which sandy phrase could best be applied to something in your life right now? 
I haven't really done this but I have certainly felt like burying my head in the sand over all the negativity surrounding our new President.  Good grief, it saddens my heart and I pray that in the coming months we will see a major transformation across our country and MEDIA!!!

4. A favorite book, movie, or song with an island setting or theme?
The Elvis movie from 1966, Paradise, Hawaiian Style, filmed in Oahu.

5. Yesterday-did you run your day or did it run you? How so?
I definitely ran it and I really try to do that each day.  But, life happens and some days just get the upper hand.  ~chuckle~

6. You're on an island holiday. Will I most likely find you parked in a beach chair, shopping in town, on the back of a jet ski, or snorkeling off the back of a catamaran?
Most likely I would be shopping in town, but with the right driver, I could be on the back of a jet ski.  A right driver would be one that was careful and not driving foolishly. ~just so you know~

7. What do you think we humans most take for granted?
Life in general.  I probably don't take my life for granted at this point as much as I have in the past.  And, that's, no doubt, due to the fact of aging.  I use to never give tomorrow a thought but I have lived long enough now to know that our lives can change in a moments notice and tomorrow is not a guarantee.  That's just one of the many reasons that I'm so glad that I am HIS and HE is mine.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Have you heard?????  Patton did become the White House dog.  I absolutely love "doodles."  My brother and his wife have one and theirs was the first I had ever even seen or heard of.  And, he has no idea he is a dog. ~grin~  I, personally, cannot think of a better "first dog."  Just one more feather in Trump's hat!

Monday's Musings

Well, I am still hyped up over this past week ends Inauguration events.  I have to admit that I have never, ever watched an Inauguration, perhaps bits and pieces, but NEVER for hours on end.  Friday found me with 3 TV's on for most of the day trying not to miss any part of it.

I enjoyed every aspect of it, but when he took the oath of office I found myself in tears.  My prayers will be with he and Mike Pence in the days, months and years ahead.  What a job they have ahead!

And, could Melania been any more gorgeous!  My goodness, what a classy lady! Now, if the media would just "back off", quit stirring the pot and giving the naysayers attention!

I had invited two couples over for dinner Friday evening and when I invited them I wasn't even thinking that it was Inaugural day.  When it dawned upon me this past week I decided to make it an Inaugural dinner.

 I pulled out some of my patriotic decor and my red dishes and our guests thought it was such a cute and cleaver idea.  We had such a good time visiting and talking about the hope we feel being restored in our great country.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect day!

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I am a member of a study club and we meet monthly and always have a program.  We met this past week and one of our members did a program on Foot Reflexology.  Oh, my goodness, how interesting!  And, do not mistake a foot massage as the same thing.  It is not, even though it can be very rejuvenating.
 
 Foot Reflexology is pressure applied to certain areas of the souls of the feet. You can see from the chart above that different areas of the feet are connected to every area of the body.  I find it all pretty amazing!   I won't go into all of it here but you can Google it and find out all you could ever want to know about it.  While it is best to have someone else do the reflexology for you, it is possible to do on yourself.  Certainly not near as enjoyable but it can be done.  I was informed that there are Foot Reflexology spas and we have one not far from us.  I may just have to give it a try! 

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Speaking of Google..........what on earth did we ever do before it came along.  I use Google multiple times a day.  I've gotten to where I use it to pull up a recipe that I have either in one of my recipe books or my clipped recipe file.  It's so much quicker to just Google it than to look for it.  And, that's just one of a bazillion things I use it for.  Google came into existence in Sept. 1997.  So, it will be celebrating it's 20th birthday this year. Google has totally transformed so much of what we do.  What will "they" come up with next?

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Hubby and I are not big movie goers but we've been to 2 in the last week.  I mentioned Hidden Figures in my post last Monday and what a fantastic movie it was.  Well, we decided to go see LaLa Land this past weekend and I'd probably give it 1 star out of a 5 star rating.  No joke, the above picture is of the best scene in the entire 2 hour and 10 minute show.  It was shallow with no real point as far as I was concerned but I'm betting there are those that went and just loved it.😁  It grabbed my attention because the reviews said it was a "musical."  Well..........it certainly wasn't the type of musical that I was expecting.  So much for that.........

Wednesday Hodgepodge

We're back with the HP today and Joyce's thought provoking questions.  It always so interesting to see how everyone answers them as we generally interpret them so differently.
 

1. ASAP typically stands for 'as soon as possible'. What else could it stand for in your life right now? 
I'm guilty of saying ASAP fairly often, for me, it means, don't drag your feet, just get it done!  But, how about Always Say A Prayer or Always Stop and Pray.  Wow, if we all did those last two, what a better world we would live in and I've been doing some extra praying these past weeks.  I find the older I get the more I pray. I think I realize more than ever that it is my most powerful resource.

2. Are you the last person to speak up in a group or the first to have an idea? Why do you suppose that is? Is it a good thing or no?
This all depends upon what crowd I am with or in.  If it's a familiar crowd that I know well then I will speak up much quicker and it also depends upon the subject matter.  There are some subjects that I will avoid all together and it's usually because I don't know enough about the matter to discuss it intelligently, so I keep my mouth closed. Or, it might be a controversial subject and I definitely steer clear of those conversations.  I think it's probably a good thing.
  

3. What do you remember best about being 12? 

I was one year closer to be 13!  I could hardly wait to be a teenager, not sure why, but I was so excited about it.  And, I think I was 12 when my Dad finally let me pierce my ears and he would only allow me to do it with the self-piercing earrings.  Have mercy!  I wanted them done so badly that I was willing to endure the misery for several days.  He set them in place because he wanted them even and  correct and then they s-l-o-w-l-y did their thing.  When they had done their painful thing and my ears had a time of healing he removed the self piercing earrings and put in my first pair of real earrings.  I can't even believe that I wanted them that badly. 52 years later and I remember it like it was yesterday. ~big chuckle~

4. January 18th is National Winnie the Pooh Day. Which character do you relate to the most, and why? If you're stumped go here for inspiration. 

Well, that was a fun little quiz and it said I relate most to Piglet.  And, since every question was about camping, as far as I'm concerned,it did not really give a fair assessment as to everyday situations. Yes, I would definitely be a worrier if a bear were on the loose and I was camping and I'd definitely be riddled with anxiety.  But, in everyday life, I may have concerns but I'm seldom overcome with worry and generally keep my anxiety under wraps (unless a bear is after me). And, the part about friends in sticky situations, well, not so sure about that. ~chuckle~ What an interesting question!

5. What's an app you use that helps simplify or make life easier for you in some way? 
Oh, there's several, the first being the reminder on my Iphone calendar.  I do not totally use my Iphone calendar but I do use it for birthdays and have it set to remind me several days in advance. I still like my wall calendar for appointments.  I love, love some of the photo editing apps and have started doing a lot of my editing on my Ipad or Iphone instead of my computer.  Much quicker!  I like PicCollage, BeFunky, and Over is great for adding text to photos. There are many more photo editing apps but these are the ones I use the most.  And, of course, could we even live without Maps and all the travel apps. ~I think not~

6. San Francisco (CA), San Diego (CA), San Juan (PR) San Antonio (TX) Sanibel (FL)...you have an all expenses paid long weekend to one of these destinations. Which one do you choose and why?
I would love to go back to San Francisco.  It's been about 40 years since Hubby and I went and it was such fun.  I'm sure a whole lot has changed but hopefully the Fairmont Hotel is still or more beautiful than it was when we stayed there.  Hubby received his CPCU insurance designation there.

7. Share with us a song that makes you feel nostalgic? For what? 

Oh, my goodness, the first song that came to my mind was "Oh, Sweet Pea" by Tommy Roe from 1966.  I absolutely loved that silly song and nearly drove my Momma crazy going around singing it ALL THE TIME!  I think it was the catchy tune that grabbed me and nothing more.  It truly was a pretty mindless song that probably made Tommy Roe a million $$$$$. Goodness, I was a mere 12 year old!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I started watching the PBS series Victoria which debuted this past Sunday evening. I thoroughly enjoyed it but, I had to listen soooo closely to decipher their words.  Between the accent and the speed with which they speak, it was challenging at times. Surely I'm not the only one that felt/feels this way. I had a little problem with Downton Abbey but Victoria seems to be worse. Speaking of PBS, the series, Dark Angel, starring Downton Abbey's, Joanne Froggatt, will start on May 21st.  Sure sounds like it's going to be most interesting!  AND, that's my random thought!

Monday's Musings

The 3rd Monday of 2017 and what a big week this is for our nation.

 This Friday, January 20th, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.  10 weeks ago the American people spoke and  the result was, no doubt,  the biggest surprise in the history of our country.  And, many of those that voted against him cannot get over the fact that their candidate lost.  Well, I pray that "they" will get over it, accept it and get about the business of helping Trump make America great again.  I am praying that his inauguration will go smoothly and not be interrupted by rioters and those up to no good.  I'm hearing all the talk of how tight security will be and it truly makes me nervous.  May the Lord have His shield of protection over this day and cause us all to come together for the betterment of our great nation.

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When did my little Princess grow up into such a big girl?  She is absolutely thriving in 1st grade!  She dresses like a big girl, and acts like a big girl but it's so hard to believe she's 7 1/2 years old. But, I love each age and stage and what it brings.  It's all a part of growing up!

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Some of you may have seen my FB post about this movie Friday evening.  But, if you did not, let me just say, this is one of the best movies of all time! It was recommended to us and we were so glad we took the time to go see it on the big screen.  The story is awesome and the acting is superb! You will leave with such a good feeling.

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 I love Valentine's Day!  I do think it is sooooo over rated as far as gifts and flowers go, but I do love the day.  I'm not sure we can emphasize love enough and celebrating a day of love is too much fun. And, baking in heart shaped pans is lots of fun too. 😉 And, opening the mailbox to find a Valentine card inside warms the heart. FYI - 4 weeks from tomorrow is Valentine's Day.  I don't do a lot of decorating for Valentine's but I do like to have a few touches around in our living area.
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If you want to read the Bible thru in a year then I highly recommend this Bible.  It has each day's reading broken into passages from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs.  It is probably about 15 minutes of reading per day.  I am enjoying it so much and am DETERMINED to read it all the way thru this year.  
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Lea's Favorites

There's no Hodgepodge today so I thought I'd share some more of My Favorites with you.  I seem to have a lot of them lately and why would I keep them to myself when they might become your favorite as well.  I've always liked to hear what others' favorites are and then it gives me reason to try it. So, here's to more of my favorites.........

Ladies, if you do not have one of these and you hate digging for your keys,then you need to get one ASAP!  I don't even like pulling my keys out of a key pocket on the inside of my purse, much less digging to find them.  I've had one of these for a couple of years and I could be a poster girl for the company.  It simply hangs on the edge of your purse with the keys falling to the inside. purse!  They make a great gift too! 

Talk about a quick breakfast!  Simply pull the top off, fill with water up to the line, stir, microwave for 45 seconds and wala it's ready to eat! I do add a tad of butter but it definitely doesn't need any sugar/sweetner.  I use milk instead  of water in mine and it's a bit more creamy.  And, it comes in several flavors, this one just happens to be my favorite.  And, just throw the empty container in the trash.  You can't beat it and it's healthy eating too. ~it's win win~

This is the neatest item to add to your cleaning closet, the Hurricane Spin Scrubber.  It is battery operated (not rechargeable) and has a lot of power.  I got it to use cleaning our big walk in shower and also for our front and back porches.  You just need a bucket of water, whatever cleaning agent you want to use, and your Hurricane scrubber.  As you can see from the picture, it has 3 different heads, depending on what you are going to be using it on, and it extends to almost 4 feet.  So, no more bending over, just stand and guide it where you want it and watch it work.  Yes, it can be found on Amazon and also Bed Bath and Beyond.  Why anyone would want to go into a BB&B where everything is crammed into the store and the aisles are barely passable, is beyond me, but that's your choice.  I'll choose Amazon any day! 😊

It is rare for me to use dry shampoo but 2-3 times a year I find myself in a bind and need some.  A friend of mine told me about Dirty Secret and I decided to give it a try. It is truly amazing!  I was very nervous the first time I used it but there was no need to be.  It added life to my hair and bought  me another day before I washed my hair and that was my "Dirty Secret." ~chuckle~

Nothing makes my calendar happier than colored pens!  Yes, I still use a wall calendar for our appointments and meetings.  I have had a wall calendar for sooooo many years and while I do love my IPhone calendar and my Outlook calendar, there's just no replacing my trusty wall calendar.  I keep up with birthdays on my Iphone and Outlook calendar.  And, yes, it's fun using these colorful pens to write our appointments and meetings and it makes for a happy and colorful calendar. 😊

I saw these in our local cake shop a few weeks ago and decided that I "needed" them.  The shop owner said that folks will use them to make small cookie cakes and when she said that, I had to get them.  I tried them out last week by making a chocolate chip cookie in one of the pans and it turned out beautifully.  I sprayed the pan with Pam and the cookie came right out after it had cooled.  Of course, these pans would work great for a thin layered cake as well, but I imagine I'll do more cookie making with mine or perhaps mini pizzas.  They are 8" in diameter and cost $15.  I thought that was a pretty good deal and they make for some fun baking!

That's it for my favorites today!  Hoping your 2017 has gotten off to a great start, ours has been uneventful thus far and,that's a good thing.  We won't turn around twice and the year will be half gone, so make each day count and never forget to do good and be kind.  

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's HP time, the very first one of 2017!  How can that be?  Time just keeps right on rolling by.

1. Share one favorite moment/memory from your Christmas holiday. 

Just one??? This was so heart touching.......when it came time for Bridget and her family to pack up their car, Clancy began to cry.  He knew that their departure was near and he did not want to leave.  It  tears me and Poppa up when he does this but at the same time, it just shows how much he enjoys being here.  So, so precious!  BTW, by the time they actually left he was okay and did not leave crying. ~thank goodness~
 

2. What was the best thing you ate over the holidays? Was it homemade or store bought? If it was homemade did you make it?
We went to dinner at some friends house a few days before Christmas.  She fixed an eye round roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, rolls and blueberry 4 layer delight.  It was absolutely delicious, just good "soul" food.  She's a great cook anyway but this was "over the top" with goodness!

3. What was one of the most beautiful things you saw over the holidays?
 Our church has a gorgeous sanctuary  and at Christmas it is even more gorgeous.  This year the ladies added a touch of turquoise and white with the green and red and it was stunning.  We still have a most traditional style sanctuary. ~few of them left~

4. What does fresh start mean to you?
A clean slate, a new beginning , the beginning of a new period in time. I love Monday's and I love new years, although it just means that time continues to fly by. ~ugh!~

5. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very positive and 1 being not so great) how would you rate 2016 in terms of personal achievement and well being? Explain. 

Well, not sure I had any personal achievement but in well being I would rate it an 8-9.  Of course, just surviving another year has to be an achievement of sorts. 😌  As to well being, I feel very blessed that I continue to enjoy good health, I'm still very able bodied and pretty much happy with life as it is.  Of course, there's always room for improvement.

6. Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse, or just general uselessness. Go here to read more about how the words were chosen or, if you're like me, to find out what in the world the word or phrase even means or the context in which it's used. There were quite a few on this year's list I'd never heard before.
Here's the 2017 list of banished words-
You, Sir-focus-Bete Noire-Town Hall Meeting-Post Truth-guesstimate-831-historic-manicured-echo chamber-on fleek-bigly-ghost-Dadbod-listicle-get your dander up-selfie drone-frankenfruit-disruption

Which word on the list would you most like to see banished in 2017? What word or phrase would you add to the list?

Their all a bit on the stupid side as far as I'm concerned and I would love to see the word "sucks" banished.  It's just so ugly and nasty and that's all I'll say about that.

 

7. Large or small, light or deep, share with us one goal you have for the new year. 

I plan to read the One Year Chronological Bible through.  Just after 3 days I find it such a more interesting read than non-chronological.  

8. Insert your own random thought here

This is the Spann family and this picture was taken for their Christmas card this year.  One month ago this precious family had no idea that in a matter of days their lives would change forever.  On Dec. 15th Tracy, husband and Dad, was diagnosed with Giloblastoma brain cancer.  On Dec. 29th Tracy died.  Yes, my friends, just that quick!  I have known Tracy most of his life and his parents are dear friends and go to our church.  It has made my heart so incredibly sad and I ask you to remember in prayer, his wife as she faces the future without Tracy and his sweet Dad and Mom.  I imagine that they all are still in such a state of shock that the reality of it all may not have fully registered.

Lea's Favorites

Well, Happiest of New Year's to you!  A new year, a fresh start, a clean slate!

Now, perhaps some of my favorites will become your favorites and make your 2017 an even better year.😊

These have most likely been around for a long time but I only found out about them a few weeks ago.  We have a filtration system in our house and it pretty much keeps any ugly rings from forming in our commodes but I have noticed some slight stains so thought I'd give these a try.  They are like magic folks!  And, I hear from someone who had really bad rings in her commodes that these took care of those.  So, if you have commode ring issues, get yourself some of these.  And, yes, they are on Amazon!!!  They are good for a lot of other things too but the commode is the only thing I can attest to.

These have been around for quite some time as well but I just purchased one.  As I've said before our Acacia wood floors are just beautiful but they show every little piece of lint, crumb and footprint.  I have been  using the plain Swiffer but it does have the suction that this little fella has and this is by no means like a regular vacuum  but it works like a dream for lint, crumbs, etc plus it has the cloth attachment.  So, between the suction and the cloth it will take care of the floors between the big cleanings. It's for hard surface floors only.  It operates on a rechargeable battery so there are no aggravating cords to fool with. As my Dad would say, "it's the cat's meow."

If you are like me and do not fry, then you need this Pyramid Pan Liner.  I cannot stand the smell of fried food in my house and we just don't eat fried food very much anyway.  But, if we do, it's always at a restaurant, except for French Fries.  There are times that we want some FF and cooking them in the oven with this liner is awesome.  They are crispy just like they came out of good ole' cooking oil but far more healthy.  Yes, it's on Amazon as well. ~isn't everything~

I've been reading about the wonderful things concerning these Hymalayan salt lamps for a long time.  Just before Christmas my Dad decided that he wanted a couple for his little apartment.  So, I ordered 2 for him and got them set up for him this past week.  If they do half of what the articles say they will do then he'll be a happy man for sure.  You can read all about them here.  Aside of the benefits, they are quite attractive.  I'm thinking we need one in our bedroom, so am going to wait and see what Daddy thinks of his before ordering ours.  I did start using Hymalayan salt to cook with several months ago.

Have you met Alexa?  If not, I highly recommend her.  She's like having your own personal assistant. ~chuckle~  There is the Echo tower and the Echo dot.  My finding is that the big difference is in the sound they produce.  I wanted something small and out of the way.  It's about 4" in diameter and 2 inches in thickness.  You can ask her pretty much anything and she will give you an answer.  She knows great jokes too.  She gives me a Flash Briefing each morning (that's the latest news and weather).  You just say her name and then tell her what you want.  I also use her to play music when I don't want to use our sound system that goes throughout the house.  Oh, you have to download the Echo app on your smart phone and part of that app is your lists.  You can tell her to add something to your list and it will appear on your phone.  So, if you want to do your grocery or to do list that way she's ready to do it for you.  You just say, "Alexa, add milk to my grocery list."  Truly amazing and sort of scary to think that some gadget is that smart.  Amazon had them for $39 the week before Christmas so I got the kids one and us one.  The Grans had a blast with her and nearly wore her out with them asking her to tell them jokes.

In closing I wish for you abundant blessings for this new year.  May you have more happiness than sadness, more smiles than tears, and more than anything may you have a peace that passeth understanding in any and every situation you may face this coming year.