And how is your day going????

We’re back in the deep freeze in Heavensville.  I’m dreaming of warm spring days, rides on Milly, yeah, that’s what I’m doing, DREAMING!

Nisha told me how good a little bit of salt pork was in green beans, hubby went to meat market, they didn’t have salt pork, so he came back with some kind of smoked meat seasoning, they smoke their own meats, so it’s pork rind with some meat on it, really, really smoky, and now I have that smell on my hands and it won’t wash off.  So here I sit, typing and my hands positively reek.  The dogs have become best buddies with me, however, they are lovin’ my hands.  ;0)

I’ve been making killer green beans, 2 lbs. of frozen green beans, onion, seasoning (I’ve been using a strip or two of of bacon, but today I’m trying the smoky seasoning) in the crockpot, high for one hour, low for an additional 3 hours – they are WONDERFUL.  No liquid, the water from the frozen beans as they melt is enough.

Our family loves green beans, if you do, too try this.  It’s great!  I’m usually not a fan of frozen green beans, but this is awesome way to fix them…

I’m still working on this page, I’m rebuilding my breeder’s dog pages as well, I’m a busy little bee this week…

Later…

I’m still tweaking….

The page you’re looking at it just a prototype, I still have major changes to do to it, comments don’t work either.

It’s a nail biting experience, changing the whole format of a webpage, especially when you’re not into XML coding.  I work awhile, then I pace, I work a bit more, I play with the girls, I keep going back to it, and mostly I just spin my wheels, drink multiple cups of coffee and try not to stress eat.

I really admire people who “understand” how this all works.  It’s not easy, girlfriends, trust me…

~ jan

Jennifer Hudson was awesome!

In case you missed Jennifer Hudson singing the National Anthem tonight, she did an amazing job.

Wish I had a piece…

John sent Dad this picture from his Blackberry.  It was vegetable soup, homemade bread and pie for Superbowl at his house tonight.  I’m thinking he probably had a little help with all this cooking… 

I’m building a new web page…

I was tired of the old format,  I’m trying a new style, a cleaner look, so if things look a bit “odd” it’s because I’m working on it.  Knowing me, it may look “odd” for quite a while, until I get all the kinks worked out and my modules up and running…

Fox News this morning…

They’re talking about the woman that just had eight babies.  She is thirty-three years old, a single mother, she already has six children between the ages of seven and two, she lives with her Mother, who by the way declared bankruptcy last year, in a small tract house, and now there are fourteen children in that house under the age of seven.

WTF, is this woman bat shit crazy????  She must have mental issues.  It’s going to cost $1,000 per baby, per day for these children to stay in the hospital, they are guestimating the total bill to be $2.5 million!  Who’s going to pay for this?  Hello, taxpayers…

What I don’t get is why would any ethical doctor implant eight eggs in a womb of a woman with no money who already has six children under seven years old?   Mentally stable???  Duh, it’s not rocket science.

Of course she will be on the cover of People, there is talk about her being on Oprah, she will generate cash, but think how much money it will cost to clothe, feed, educate these children, who might possibly have health issues due to multiple births.  Not to mention taking care of eight infants, plus twins that are two years old, plus the other four, it’s totally impossible!  There is no way….  Does she work?  Of course not, she couldn’t possibly work.  Welfare mother?  You do the math…

I just don’t get it, I suspect none of you do, either…

Shapeez Unbelievabra and Shortee, these just might work…

Okay, ladies, let’s be honest here, how many of you have bought all different kinds of body shapers, from torturous one piece garments that must have been designed by a man, so hideously uncomfortable that you can barely stand to wear them, not to mention that they are designed so that’s it’s almost impossible to pee, to Spanx, which are a pain in the patootie to try and get on, and let’s not forget the minimizer bra’s that don’t really “minimize.”   We’ve all done it, trying to get a smooth line, without ripping the spandex because its so gawd awful tight, forcing our out of shape bodies into these horrible instruments of torture, and still ending up with rolls and muffin tops…

This afternoon, I got a text from Linds, who was looking at something new in Redbook Magazine.  She was looking at a Shortiee, from Shapeez, and I’m thinking, hmmm, not bad, it goes well under the bra line and dips all the way to the waist in the back, and when I went to their website and saw their Unbelievabra, I’m thinking hot damn, this might just work.  It goes all the way down to the hip bones, doesn’t roll, and the back is fully enclosed, like a tank top, so the straps won’t fall off your shoulders.  It’s not that pricey either, $85, and if it works, it’s definitely worth the money…

Click here for a  review, with a link to before and after pictures, give it a look, tell me what you think?  Thanks Dilly, this looks really promising…

~ jan

On a more positive note….

My friend, Jean, the most amazing photographer I know, has posted Birds on Ice to her Picasa Web Album, so of course I snagged it for The Dish.  Look in the left sidebar, scroll down a bit, click on the picture of the bird for a slideshow of some absolutely amazing pictures that she took this week.  The clarity of her photographs is just unbelievable.  Great job, Jean!

Can’t get my groove back…

This has been a wasted day.  I have so much to do, but just can’t get thoughts organized to do much of anything.  I have a tri-state boomer, the M&M’s have been restless and needy all day, right now Maggie is standing on the computer desk blocking the screen, Mollie is in my lap, fidgeting, life just isn’t flowing smoothly…

I don’t handle not being able to get out and about well.  I can stay home for days at a time, but I know I can leave if I want to.  Ice is not my friend, however, it’s just not smart for me to go out, so I don’t.  And I fuss about it, when I should be grateful that I have electricity.  Shame, shame, shame on me!  Twenty-four hours ago I was sitting in the dark.

Tomorrow will be a better day,  Scarlett will put a smile on her face and get on with what needs to be done…

We have electricity!

I was sitting in bed last night reading an ebook on my computer, constantly looking at my  battery life. I was down to 23 minutes before mycomputer, too, went dark, and I looked up and there was a light on in the hall bathroom!  It was about 8:30pm, hubby was already asleep, of course I woke him up, absolutely ecstatic that the lights were on.  I feel so sorry for the thousands who are still without power, my son and his wife included.  News reports say that some homes won’t have power restored until mid February.

You know what the worst part of the outage was for me?  Not the obvious, no computer, television, ability to cook, etc.  It was the quiet.  The total, complete, quiet.  LC was working, the M&M’s and I were home alone, and there was no noise, at all.  It was unnerving, unnatural, surreal. 

It was dark, hubby wasn’t home from work yet, I was sitting in the living room with candles lit, the fireplace was on and I was warm, and Mollie was sleeping quietly by my side in the chair.   Maggie, however was totally befuzzled.  She kept jumping on my chair arm, tilting her little head to one side and making little mewing doggie noises.  It was obvious that she was trying to communicate with me, she was trying to figure out what was going on.  I felt sorry for her, you could tell she just didn’t understand.

We still have 50,000 people without power in Heavensville, they are now asking for volunteers to go door to door and check on people.  I saw on the news last night that Kentucky has 605,000 people without power, Ryan and Lindsay included in those statistics.  I talked with Ryan a few minutes ago.  It was 50 degrees in their house, and he said the novelty has now worn off.  Poor Ry, I told them to get in the car and drive here, but he doesn’t want to leave Versailles, he feels he needs to stay there.

Hopefully, our power will stay on now, and life can get back to normal, whatever that is.  We’re lucky the outage didn’t last for days like some people are experiencing…

Blogging from my Blackberry...

I've've been without power since late morning. It's dark now, fireplace is on so I'm warm, candles are lit, hubby is working. Mollie is taking this all in stride, snoozing beside me. Maggie, however is confused as to why we're sitting here in the dark and keeps jumping on the arm of the chair, tilting her little head sideways and talking to m in her own little doggie language. I wish I could explain to her what's going on. I'm hideously bored, this is not fun sitting in the dark!

Ice, ice, ice…

We’ve been housebound since Monday, going stir crazy, and after talking to several people late morning, they told us the roads weren’t that bad, and it wasn’t that cold and it was a bright sunshiny day, so hubby decided we should get out and he would stop by Kelly’s for a haircut.

So we venture out, the side roads were pretty hideous, trees everywhere were bent to the ground, many of them snapped by the weight of the ice, but it was a winter wonderland with the sun filtering thru the thick ice on the trees.  Once we got on the expressway it wasn’t that bad, we have four wheel drive, and just took it really slow.

We wanted to find somewhere to eat, everything was closed, we were having no luck at all, but finally as we got to the other side of the city, we actually found a Captain D’s that was open.  That was pretty much it, nothing else, no chinese, no mexican, nada.  Naturally the whole city was there since it was the only place open, and after standing in line for thirty minutes, their credit card machine went belly up, and since hubby only had three dollars on him, we were sh*t outta luck.  So we get back in the car, and finally find a Hardee’s that was open.

If it wasn’t for the fact that we were starved, we would have passed, but we didn’t, and after once again standing in line for thirty minutes we ate the WORST fast food meal in the history of the world.  Never again will I EVER go to Hardee’s, EVER!!!!

As we approach the area where Kelly lives, the tree limbs were everywhere.  Streets were blocked, cars were stuck, it was a total mess.  And in front of her house sat…. a fire truck.  Oh yeah, lights flashing and everything. So I’m on my cell calling her to find out what was going on and she said she didn’t have any power, that there was a fire on the power line, and that LC would have to walk in, but she didn’t need power to cut his hair.  So he’s trekking down the street, and all of a sudden there is this huge BOOM, that absolutely scared the beejus right out of me, apparently a transformer blew.

He had parked me away from the trees, but I’m sitting there waiting on him to come back to the car, and all of a sudden there is this huge cracking noise, and a whole half of a tree falls in the yard of the street across from me.

In other words, it was NOT smart to be out, even if the roads were passable.  We hotfooted it for home, where I will stay until this friggin ice melts, probably about the first of March! 

It’s really bad here, we’re just hoping our power stays on.  Ry and Lindsay in Kentucky have no power, haven’t had any since this morning, their only heat source comes from their gas fireplace, so of course I’m worried about them.  However, John didn’t have any problems at all.  Nashville seems to be far enough south that they always miss the bad stuff.

Mother always said that the worst winter weather is always the last week of January.  Well Ma, you were right again!

Ice storm in Heavensville…

75.000 people without power, trees bent to the ground and broken, we lost power last night, but have it today, internet connection extremely spotty, more when situation stabilizes.  Stay warm!

~ jan

What’s going on in Heavensville…

All the forecasted snow didn’t happen, instead we have ice, with more ice forecasted tonight.  The M&M’s are having a heck of a time going outside for potty breaks.  It’s not that they are slipping and sliding, it’s that all their familiar doggie smells are buried under a layer of ice.

So they walk around and around, desperately sniffing every branch and tree trunk on the patio, trying to find the scent.

I always have the fireplace ready for them, they come running back in, head directly for the living room and just drop in front of it to warm up.

I made bean soup this morning, the 15 bean kind, total of 55 minutes in the pressure cooker, no presoaking, and it was wonderful.

That’s it from here.  Since discovering ebooks, I’ve now realized that I can download them directly to my computer FREE from my local library.  So can you!  All you need is your library card number, then you download Adobe Digital Reader, browse your local library’s ebook catalog online, and download your books.  I can download a total of 7 books in a two week period.  After the two weeks are up, poof, they are gone, I can’t access them any longer, but I can redownload them.

It’s a wonderful things, ebooks, why didn’t I know this before now?  I don’t have to go to the library, I don’t have to RETURN any books, no FINES, and it’s all FREE!  It’s perfect!

Try it, you’ll like it….

~ jan

80 year old salsa dancer, amazing…

Wait til she strips off the clothes and really starts dancing – this is awesome!  Sound quality isn’t the greatest, but one’s definitely worth watching.  Thanks Carlene…

Oh dear, we’re having WEATHER….

We’ve dodged the snow bullet all winter long in Heavensville, but it’s coming to an end. 

WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON WEDNESDAY
Tonight: Winter Storm Warning. 2-3” of snow and ice overnight. Low 24.
Tuesday: Another round of snow in the afternoon and evening. Total accumulations for both days 5-10”.

Hubby is not working for a few days, we trekked to the grocery store early this morning, I have projects on the computer to work on, eBooks to read, and hopefully he will cook!  Now if we can just survive the next few days, being housebound, without killing each other life will be good….

This is really bad….

But I have to admit, I just sat here giggling, then I showed it to LC, he was laughing, too, you just have to see this…

Thanks, Carlene, this was a hoot...

Wicks Sugar Cream Pie….

It was on the news today that they are passing legislation to make sugar cream pie the official state pie of Indiana.

Hubby saw this and he was absolutely estatic, and immediately began calling the kids to tell them. 

We’ve eaten sugar cream pie, specifically a frozen one called Wicks Sugar Cream Pie, for as long as I can remember.  The entire family is wild for them, but nobody more so than LC.

If you’ve never had one, you are in for a treat if you like rich, decadent desserts.  The taste is hard to describe, it’s buttery and creamy and has a depth of flavor that only comes from using artery clogging ingredients.  They are sublime, warm from the oven, and equally as good cold from the fridge.

There are recipes for sugar cream pie online, but you just can’t beat the frozen one from Wicks.  This family run business, located in the town of Winchester, in Eastern Indiana, wrote the book when they started selling these pies.

If you can’t locate them in your grocer’s freezer, you can order online from Wicks.  Here’s the click.  They are an amazing thing, sugar cream pies….

It’s a tease….

It’s sunny and 52 degrees right now in Heavensville.  The birds are singing outside my sunroom window.  Spring is on the way, NOT!!!

It’s back into the deep freeze tonight. I hate January!

Marti sent me this, it’s a goodie…

To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine... and those who don't.

As Ben Franklin said: In wine there is wisdom,
                                   in beer there is freedom,
                                   in water there is bacteria.

In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 litre of water each day, at the end of the year we would have ingested more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) - bacteria  found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop.

However, we do NOT run the same risk when drinking wine & beer (or tequila, rum, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.
                                  Remember:
                                 Water = Poop,
                                 Wine = Health.
Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information: I'm doing it as a public service

If you browse with FireFox

 

Jean sent me a link to download this Valentines Day Theme.  Just click on the link, install it as a FireFox add-on and when it restarts FireFox it will be your theme.  It will ask you to change your default search engine to Yahoo, you have to do this, but it’s no biggie, you can switch it back to Google later.  Aftr you download it, it puts a Valentine’s Day Toolbar up at the top, I didn’t want that, but it was easy to get rid of – just go to your dropdown menu, choose VIEW, then TOOLBARS, then uncheck Valentine’s Day Toolbar, and poof, it’s gone. ;0)

Here’s the click if you want to use it – it’s pretty cute!

How four pounds runs the show….

Here I sit, tucked in by the fire, Mollie asleep by my side, Maggie standing on the ottoman, throwing an absolutely hissy fit.  She’s ready to go to bed.  And she wants me to go with her.  She does, she’s relentless, she’s just making these little mewing noises and growling at me over and over.  This has been going on for the past fifteen minutes, despite my repeatedly telling her “NO!”  Nothing works, I’ve tried talking hubby into going to bed with her, but he’s interested in some Tivoed program in the den, so that didn’t work, and she won’t shut up.

I’ll cave, I know I will.  I’ll give up my nice fireside seat and go to bed just to shut her up.  I tried putting her in bed by herself, that worked for all of five minutes before she jumped down and came back in here, and started whining again.  I know I should be more forceful, but I just can’t.  Don’t want to put a damper on her spunkiness….

A sucker is born every minute…. This sucker is giving up, I’m going to give in just to shut her up!  This reminds me of what  I did with the boys when they were growing up, let them have their way - I was never much of a disciplinarian…  It’s easier just to go with the flow.  Know what I mean, Vern???

Any Knotts Landing fans out there?

This Today clip is wonderful.  Oh, that was a great soap, always my fave, but just look at them years later… 

 

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Yorkies are the 2nd most popular breed in the United States, second only to the Labrador Retriever….

Am I surprised by this?  Actually I am.  Also very pleased that the  breed is surging in popularity.  And why not, they’re adorable, non-shedding, portable, don’t need exercise, and can be trained to a piddle pad if you don’t want to venture outdoors.  Let’s face it, they don’t come much cuter than this.  Yeah, I know I’m prejudiced, but my two are pretty darned special! Veronica gave me the heads-up on this info earlier today. 

Top dogs of 2008
The Labrador retriever is the most popular purebred dog in the United States for the 18th consecutive year, according to the American Kennel Club.

The Yorkshire terrier came in second place, followed by the German shepherd, the golden retriever, the beagle, the boxer and the dachshund.

 General

With its silky-haired good looks, larger-than-life personality and energetic nature, the Yorkshire Terrier is a perennial favorite among dog lovers worldwide. A member of the Toy group, the Yorkie - as it is affectionately known - is small and frail in size and physicality, yet brave and energetic.. According to the most recent American Kennel Club registration statistics it is the second most popular breed in the United States after the Labrador Retriever.

History

The Yorkshire Terrier was first bred in the north of England county  which gave it its name. During the 19th century the original Yorkies were used as ratcatchers at textile mills. For this reason, they were originally a working man's dog, favorites with the weavers and factory workers. By the end of the 19th century, however, the little dogs had gone up in the world and had become popular companions for members of the European aristocracy. 

Physical Characteristics
Yorkies tend to have long, luxurious dark, steely blue and tan coats. They are, on average, seven inches (17cms) or so tall and weigh between four and seven pounds (1.7kgs to 2.5kgs).

Health & Medical

Yorkshire Terriers are prone to a number of health issues, many of them relating to their skin and coats. They can, for instance, suffer from alopecia and a range of allergic skin reactions. They can also suffer localised hair loss as a result of injections. Other conditions known to afflict Yorkshire Terriers include bronchitis, lymphangiectasia, Portosystemic shunt, cataracts and keratitis sicca. They are also prone go congenital heart problems.
Yorkies are regarded as having a relatively weak digestive system and can suffer vomiting and diarrhea as a result of over-eating or being given unusual foods.
Despite this, the average Yorkie's lifespan is 12.8 years.

Suitability as a Pet
Yorkshire Terriers make excellent household pets. They have great personalities and are regarded as highly adaptable dogs. They also travel well. As small dogs, they require a limited amount of exercise although they do need to interact with humans on a daily basis. Their long coats require regular grooming. 

Popularity as a Pet
The Yorkshire Terrier is the second most popular dog breed in the United States according to the most recent American Kennel Club registration statistics.

Its popularity has shown a marked increase in the past six years during which time it has overtaken breeds such as the German Shepherd, Golden Retriever and Beagle as a family favorite in the US, According to the Kennel Club registration statistics.

George Bush said yesterday about his wife…

"She filled the White House with warmth and my life with joy," Bush said. "History will show that she was a fabulous first lady."

This waivering democrat couldn’t agree more.  I so admired her, she is a wonderful woman and was a great first lady.  What a class act Laura Bush is…

~ jan

Why you should not…..

Take three Excedrin, followed by a large coffee, followed by a large Mountain Dew, followed by an Advil Cold and Sinus in a desperate attempt to rid yourself of a horrid sinus headache.  Because, if you do all of the above, you will not only be nauseated beyond belief, but you will also feel like you are jumping out of your skin!!!!  And that was my day….

This is so sweet..

The Bush daughters wrote the Obama daughters a letter about life in the White House. If you haven’t read it, it’s really charming, well worth taking a few minutes of your day to look at their life through the eyes of a child. 

I’m so charmed by these little girls, they remind me of little colts, prancing around their parents with sparkling eyes and beaming smiles.  What an adventure they are in for.

Here’s the click, enjoy….

Talk about a fashion faux pas…

Aretha Franklin is an imposing figure, with a magnificent voice, but what was up with that hat at the inauguration?  Lordy, Lordy….

The M&M’s first You Tube Video……

Hooterville, aka Digital Gurl, has been here for the weekend, and she took amazing pictures of the girls.  I made a slideshow and uploaded it to YouTube for all of you.  It’s my first attempt, I’ll get better with this after I do more, but it’s easy to do these when you have such cute little fur kids pictures to work with.  Hope you enjoy our little presentation. 

Rather than imbedding the video, as I normally do, I’m going to give you a URL to link to, because if you do it this way, when you link to the video, underneath the viewing area you will see an option to watch in high quality – click that option and the video will be a much better quality.

~ jan

Here’s the click…

Juzar sent me this, it’s a must read…

This is NY Times top emailed articles - "The 11 Best Foods You Are Not Eating" .

Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.

Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
How to eat: Just drink it.
Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.

You can find more details and recipes on the Men’s Health Web site, which published the original version of the list last year.
In my own house, I only have two of these items — pumpkin seeds, which I often roast and put on salads, and frozen blueberries, which I mix with milk, yogurt and other fruits for morning smoothies. How about you? Have any of these foods found their way into your shopping cart?

Hooterville knows all the good stuff….

Jean and I worked with my computers today and she told me about a great add-on for FireFox called CoolIris.  Don’t confuse this with Cool Iris Preview, this is entirely different.  After you download this as an add-on to Firefox and restart Firefox, you may need to right click on your toolbar at the top of Firefox browser and drag up the Cool Iris icon, it looks like a shadow box of two squares, then you just click on it and the fun begins.  I like to click on the Discovery tab – you will see all kinds of fun things to play with, full television episodes to watch, movies and trailers to watch, games, travel, it’s really awesome.

Here’s the click to download it, remember you have to be browsing in Firefox for this – give it a try, and thanks Jean, who always knows the best stuff online….

Sausage Soup

I posted the soup recipe on Jan Can Cook, here’s a quick click.  Enjoy!

What’s happening in Heavensville tonight…

• The M&M’s have dragged a whole plethoria of toys and chewies in front of the fireplace, where they have parked their little Yorkie butts for days now.  Smart little pooches, they know how to keep warm and have fun at the same time.
• Hooterville is coming over tomorrow to work on my computers.  I continue to struggle with an intermittent connection; this has been going on since before Thanksgiving and I’m really frustrated.  Since my ISP can’t seem to fix it, I’ll put the expert on it.  Jean knows more than any technician they would ever send out here anyway.
• I’m making a pot of Sausage Soup tonight.  It’s warm, homey, one of hubby’s favorites (Ry and Lindsay, too).  I’ll post the recipe in a bit on Jan Can Cook, it’s a great soup for these cold nights.
• We went to zero last night with our temps, Nisha, however went to –25.  Brrrrrr.  It was much colder in Muncie than it was here.
• I’m going to finish that soup, post the recipe and read in front of the fireplace.  Nah, I’m not going to pick up the dog toys, I love seeing their pile of favorites in front of the fireplace, you have no idea how cute they are nestled among the debris enjoying the fire.... 

Here’s the hack for Starbuck’s new London Fog Tea Latte

The London Fog Tea Latte At your neighborhood Bucks is about $4, but it’s been hacked already.  This is perfect for a cold evening, preferably sitting by the fireplace, reading a good book, with one or more dogs tucked in beside you…

London Fog Tea Latte:

12 oz.  steeped hot Earl Grey tea
3 packs sugar or Splenda
3-6 ounces two-percent milk, warmed.

That’s it, you can make this at home for a lot less than $4.00…

Source:  http://starbucksgossip.typepad.com

An elephant and a dog, best friends…

I saw this heartwarming story on another blogsite this morning, Dooce, and snagged it for you all to see. 

Meowwwwwwwwwwwwww

If you missed Ann Coulter and the ladies on The View’s cat fight earlier this week, here it is in it’s entirety – oh my, it does get ugly…

I’ve got a goodie for you, thanks to Lindsay….

When Linds was here last weekend, she was telling me how good Marzetti’s Asiago Peppercorn Dressing was as a veggie dip, so I picked up a bottle, and sure enough, it’s awesome!  If you want something new to try,  and like things spicy and peppery, this is for you.  Give it a try, it’s really good!  I’m having it this afternoon with cauliflower, which is, by the way, the M&M’s new favorite snack,  the veggie, not the dressing…

OMG, you would think I was giving them steak the way they beg for bites of raw cauliflower.  Silly little dogs….

Oh-oh, I’m video blogging again….

Veronica and I were having a conversation earlier today about a video blog I did this morning on Facebook.  I used to do video blogs on The Dish regularly, but the program I used ceased to exist, and I’ve just not gotten back into it.

She told me sometime ago that it was a walk in the park to do them in Facebook, she was right, so I did one while ago, with Maggie in my lap.

And???   It’s no biggie to make fun of myself  at this age.  Hell, everybody else does, I might as well go with the flow.  And even though the silly videos are hugely uncomfortable to members of my family that shall remain nameless, to me they are just silly nonsense.  I don’t get embarrassed much at this age, if there is something good about getting older, for me anyway, it’s the idea that I can make fun of myself on a regular basis, and it not bother me.  It’s probably the best gift I have, being able to see myself in a humorous way and not take myself seriously.  But surely, if you read this site regularly, you realize that by now.

And if I can make somebody laugh or brighten their day, that’s even better.  Veronica actually enjoys my lame video attempts.  I wish she would do them, so I could laugh at her, too, but she’s more reserved, and I’m more in your face. I just start babbling and utter nonsense comes out of my mouth.  I’m a motor mouth,  what can I say. 

Sorry, family, looks like I’m back in the “oh no, here she goes again with the videos” sez me, laughing profusely at myself….

Kathie Lee, I guess I’m mellowing in my old age….

I’m usually in the kitchen at 10am, either cleaning up from breakfast, or putting something in the crock for later in the day, and I have the television on.  I’ve watched The View until I just can’t stand them anymore.  I’m tired of their bickering, interrupting each other and making over Barbara WaWa like she is the most wonderful woman that ever sat on her throne.

There is nothing on FoodTv that interests me at 10am, so I’ve taken to watching Kathie Lee on Today 4th Hour.  A long, long, long time ago I actually enjoyed her, before she got full of herself and talked endlessly about her kids, Casserole and Codster (hey I didn’t make that up, that’s what she called them) and her stud muffin hubby, Frank.  But when the National Enquirer set him up with that flight attendant, and got the goods on him, I really did feel sorry for her, she put on a happy face and got on with her life when she must have been destroyed, but I still didn’t like her.

Fast forward to 2009, either I’ve mellowed, or she has, because I’m actually enjoying her again.  Just this morning she was in the street, asking political questions and giving away cd’s, and there was this early 40’s something guy, and Kathie Lee said that he told her he had a crush on her since she was a kid.  So she asked her question, he answered enthusiastcally, and she said to him about the cd, “you must want this really bad.”  He answered her by saying, “oh babe, you have no idea.”  And what did she do, she kissed the guy full on the lips!  Oh, she was so grateful.  I get it, don’t you???

Let’s face it, how long has it been since somebody other than our long suffering spouses have said anything remotely suggestive to us.  Warmed the cockles of my heart, this frosty morning in Heavensville.  Bless that guy for giving an old gal a thrill….

Gran Torino…

Hubby and I took in a matinee yesterday.  Poor feller, I drag him to so many chick flicks, I thought it wouldn’t hurt me to see a guy movie for a change.  And????  It was really good!  I’m not an Eastwood fan, never have been, he’s too rangy and stringy looking, and such a sour puss, so this movie fits him perfectly as he plays a cantankerous old man, which I suspect isn’t much of a stretch for him.

It was really different, omg, he was such a racist, I’ll be shocked if people don’t start having fits about how bad he was, but it was funny and sad at the same time.  It’s a goodie, grab a man and go see it…

It’s an early Valentine’s Day at Munchie Business…

I took an hour tonight and built a new index page for my main website, Munchie Business.  I know, I’m rushing it a bit, but it was time for Christmas to go, and I love vintage valentines.  Doodads courtesy of the talented MoJackson…

Robin sent me this tonight, these little girls are amazing…

While watching the Golden Globes…

I had a revelation.  Other than Kate Winslett, who I think is just about the best young actress around, I no longer identify with anyone but Frances McDermott, Meryl Streep and Sally Field.  I’ m finding the whole show entirely boring, and the “actresses” totally silly.  It just isn’t doing it for me…  I used to love watching these award shows.  Have I just grown too old?  Were they better in the old days than they are now?  I guess I’ve just moved on….

I’m embarrassed for most of them because they just going on and on and on until everybody is totally uncomfortable.  Get off the stage already…. I’m switching to the Housewives…

I’ve been really busy….

I think i’m suffering from blogger’s burnout.  Me, who opens my mouth and sticks my foot in it on a regular basis can’t think of anything to say today.

It’s been a busy weekend, Ryan and Lindsay were here, we did the family thing, now all is quiet and I’m blank.

I’m sure it’s just a temporary thing, something will surely pop up that I can talk in detail about tomorrow.

In the meantime, Scarlett is going to read a book….

Just wanted you all to know that I’m still kickin’.

Finally!!!!!!!!

I don’t know about the rest of you, but when the internet is down at my house it’s the end of the world.  Seriously.

I’ve jacked around with my online connection for two months, remember the little man came out and couldn’t fix it.  I’ve had intermittent service since before Thanksgiving.  Well, it went down again this morning, and this time it didn’t come back at all, I’ve been down since 8am.

And the kids are coming, and there is beef stew to finish and bread to put in the Zo, and I’m having a hissy cause I have no connection.

I called Insight, it seems they have a special little man that comes out when the first one flakes out.  So I said to them, in total frustration, “oh, so first you send a flunkey, and then if he can’t fix it, you send something that knows what they’re doing?”  Now that wasn’t very nice of me, omg, in fact I sounded exactly like my mother yelling at that guy, but I was beyond frustration.  And he schedules me for Monday afternoon with the “specialist.”  Probably not until Monday beause I was being a total be-otch…  Okay, I deserved that, I’ll admit it now that I’ve calmed down. 

So what do I do, I call Hooterville, who is smarter than anybody at Insight, she tells me to go to Wally World and get a new modem, even though mine isn’t but a few months old.  So off I go, buy the thing, come home, put her on the speaker phone, she tells me which little thingies to plug in, I do what she says, power it up, but it won’t connect. Grrrrrr!

So I hang up, take a deep breath, unplug everything, do it again, this time I tightened up the little nut thingie that screws in really, really tight, just like hubby does, and HOT DAMN!!!!! The thing connected!!!

It works, it really works, well for now it does.  I still haven’t cancelled out the special little man that’s coming Monday, this isn’t my first rodeo with intermittent service.  But for now it’s working, and I can access Parker’s Beef Stew from the net,  and  cook.  And hopefully, the only thing stewing in the kitchen will be dinner!

Hooterville is such a rock star.  She really is.  I don’t know what I would do without her…  She always gets me out of my technical messes, always!!!!

Sarah Palin, a revealing interview….

 

If you have no interest in her, just ignore this video, it is however, really interesting, what she has to say, now that the dust has settled…

Don’t worry, I’m not going to make this a habit, putting on political info, she does appear to be very honest and forthcoming with all the questions that were asked of her…

 

Say it ten times, Jan

I will NOT procrastinate today, I will NOT procrastinate today……………

procrastinate

A
verb

1
procrastinate, stall, drag one's feet, drag one's heels,shillyshally, dilly-dally, dillydally

postpone doing what one should be doing; "He did not want to write the letter and procrastinated for days"

Category Tree:

act; move

╚wait; hold off; hold back

╚delay

╚procrastinate, stall, drag one's feet, drag one's heels, shillyshally, dilly-dally, dillydally

╚procrastinate

A blast from the past this cold January afternoon…

 

Hooterville was going thru some old files this afternoon and she came across this old website I built for Munchie, oh it was a long time ago,  probably ten years or so.

It  was hosted on a site called Tripod, I can’t believe the files are still there. 

It is the first page I ever built, this is where my love of playing on the computer started, so if you would like to take a little trip down memory lane, here’s the click to the site.

There is even music, which of course annoys the hell out of everybody, I would never do that anymore.  But it’s a fun look at my sweet Munchie, my first Yorkie, the one who will always be the Queen!

On the goldfishy page, Munchie is licking the aquarium.  I smeared the glass with peanut butter that day to get her to lick it.  That’s the same aquarium  that Munchie toppled into one day when she slipped hurrying down the stairs.  She lost her footing, flipped off the side of the stairs and totally submerged herself, if I had not have been right there, the poor little pooch would have drowned.  Oh it was awful! I was horrified at the time, but we’ve all had a few chuckles about it over the years, Veronica was laughing about it just while ago….

It was fun looking at all of this again, I hadn’t seen these pages in years!  Thanks Jean, you always find the good stuff….

Does anybody ever eat a McRib????

We were tooling down the street today, I looked up at a billboard at Mickey D’s that said, “McRib is Back!”  Just when I thought we were finally rid of it, it’s back again!

Why oh why?  It’s the most disgusting sandwich I’ve ever eaten.  Do people really eat McRibs?  They trot them out year after year, there must be a high profit margin on the things.  They taste horrid, I can’t imagine why anybody would order one.

Now the Cheddar Melt.  THAT was a beautiful  sandwich! A thick beef patty, grilled onions, cheddar cheese on a rye bun.  It was AWESOME!  Yeah, it really was, it’s the only sandwich from McDonald’s, well except for my beloved filet of fish, that Deanna adores also, that I actually liked.

But do they ever bring back the Cheddar Melt?  NO!!!!  Some idiot at corporate is too busy trying to force us to eat that worthless McRib.  Blecht!  Morons…

The M&M’s first interview…

What breed are you?
Maggie: Yorkshire Terrier, obviously.

Mollie: What she said, but without the obviously.

How old are you?
Mollie: I’m 6,  but am going on 50. No matter what my parents tell me, I feel the world rests on my shoulders and it clearly ages me. I feel my fur is thinning and I'm wondering about fur plugs.

Maggie: I’m 2, but I feel 1 & 3/4 actually.

What is your full name?
Maggie: Margaret MooLatte, aka Maggie Moo

Mollie:  Molasses Maybelline, aka Mollie Mo

Do you have any nicknames?
Maggie: Oh yeah, I have a bunch, Maggin’ Waggin’ Tails a Waggin’, Mewster Brewster, Petite Bete, Maggie Moo-Hoo, and others too embarrassing to mention….

Mollie:  Princess Pollywog, Sweet Cheeks, Mollikins, Momma’s little budha dog, I don’t like the last one so much…

Where do you usually sleep?
Maggie: daytime – in my hidey hole, behind a cushion on the couch, nighttime, in my bed between Mom and Dad

Mollie: daytime – anywhere Mom is, I shadow her, nighttime, in my bed between Mom and Dad, next to Maggie

What is your favorite thing to do?
Maggie: Fetch, fetch, and fetch, oh and run laps, I’m really fast.  I do like chewing Texas Toothpicks, too. And I like going for walks so I can acquire territory through various bodily functions.

Mollie: I don’t do much, I just like to sit mostly, but I do like going on the golf cart, and unlike my sister, I don’t feel the need to mark territory, it’s too much effort.

What is something unusual/interesting about you?
Maggie: Excuse me? Um, EVERYTHING about me is unusual and interesting. I’m totally fascinating…

Mollie: I’ve had three litters of pups, and they messed up my girlish figure.  Maggie still has hers, but I’m more like Mom, thick thru the middle.  I’m really cute, though.

Who is your best friend?
Maggie: I'm a momma’s girl, but I do enjoy laying on Dad’s lap in the evening, watching television.  I actually have two dog best friends, London and my sister, Mollie.  Mollie is a rock star!

Mollie:  I love, love, love my Mom.  I never let her out of my sight.  I tolerate Maggie’s best friend, London, because Mags likes her, and I just adore Maggie.  I really do. Mags and I are great buddies. Did you know every morning when she wakes up she jumps in my bed and gives me a big kiss.  She does, she really does.  I like it, too…

Did you go to obedience school? If yes, were you Top Dog or did you flunk out?
Maggie:  No, I didn’t go, but I’m sure I would like it, I’m extremely popular with other dogs and people.  I’m actually very obedient now, well I AM, when I want to be, hehehehehe!

Mollie: Obedience? What is that? Never heard of the thing. Is that some kind of cult?

Can you do any tricks?
Maggie: Not really, Mom doesn’t think I should have to beg for food.  People don’t, so neither should I.

Mollie: Yes! I can pee on the floor just like *that*. Nobody even has to ask me!

Any last comments?
Maggie:  Well, even though I was a McCain supporter, I just want to say that I'm excited about a new dog in the big house. I strongly think Obama should consider a yorkie; I mean, we don't have fur, we have hair - therefore, we're clearly the most intelligent choice for a kid with allergies. And for those who always say yorkies are too smart for their own good? I say - jealous much?

Mollie: I could care less what kind of dog is in the big house, I’m more interested in what’s happening in Heavensville.  I moved here last summer, and I like it!  I get lots of attention, I always have fresh water, Mom buys me the really pricey all natural dog food, the kind that doesn’t smell like barf, it’s really good, and I get tummy rubs and lots of smooches every day.  What more could a fur kid want?

I’m spending a lot of time on Facebook

Lindsay started talking about Facebook several months ago.  I thought it was similar to MySpace, and geared toward a younger audience, but oh was I wrong!  Facebook is fantastic…  Not like MySpace at all.

I’m starting to post family photo albums there,  along with a lot of other nonsense, but everything is private, you have to be my “friend” to access me on Facebook.  If you’re interested, send me an email and I’ll send you an invite.  It’s amazing how many people are on FB, I’ve connected with a lot of people from the past.  You just might enjoy it, also.

~ jan

Light Deprivation….

I don’t do well in January or February when winter closes in and days are grey and gloomy.  Since moving my computer to the sunroom a couple of years ago, it has helped a lot, but it’s still not fun.  I mean what do we have to look forward to in January, dieting?  That’s about as much fun as a toothache…

But endure it I must, I have a lot of computer projects,  not a lot of motivation, but I’ll get there… about March :0)

Are these people nuts?

Well let’s add two more stupid kid names to the list of crazy celebrities – today Rebecca  Romjin and Jerry O’Connell had twin daughters, and what did they name them -

Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip

I’m not joking, they really did!  They named one little girl Charlie after Jerry O’Connell’s brother.  What were they thinking?  What will they call them?  Dolly and Tulip?

I name my dogs cuter names than this!  And I thought Julia Roberts naming her twins Phinneus and Hazel was bad.  This tops it.  Stupid, stupid celebrities, what lengths they go to for publicity…..

Toto, they aren’t in Kansas anymore….

Check out this link, it’s the Obama girl’s lunch menu at Sidwell School.  Do little kids really like this stuff???  I certainly would, dunno about the kiddos.

Here’s the CLICK.

Christmas in Heavensville, one final look…

 

Oh this is good….

Carlene sent me this link this morning of Uncle Jay explaining 2008 – it’s a goodie… enjoy!

Please, oh pretty please, with sugar on it…

Out of the mouths of dogs, well kinda…

One year in 40 seconds, amazing video….

Following the herd….

It’s not quite the midnight hour, hubby and I just got back from the movies, we saw Four Christmases, it wasn’t so great, either. I’m just not having any luck at all with movies this Christmas season.

But that’s not what this post is about.  However, something happened at the movies tonight that made me think once again of something John said to me a few months ago.  In fact, I think I blogged about it before, but it’s worth a repeat.

During the hustle and bustle of being out and about this holiday season, his words have followed me everywhere I went and saved me a lot of time.  What he told me that made such a difference was, “Don’t follow the herd.”  He said this to me one day when we were out and about, while he went some alternate route through a back alley instead of waiting in a long line of traffic, and I’ve thought of it often since.

He said that the majority of people are like sheep, they blindly follow where others lead, and that we should never follow the herd, but strike out on our own.  I’ve thought of that time and time again, when instead of waiting in a long line of traffic, I’ve purposely gone a different route. I’ve gone the opposite way of where I was heading and doubled back, I’ve gone thru the back exits at shopping centers, I use service roads instead of going with the flow of the traffic, I’ve tried to be creative in check out lanes in stores by going to some out of the way area and checking out quickly, instead of just standing in line with the herd at the main registers.

You may say, “duh, I know this.”  “What is she blogging about this, for?”  But do you really, do you conscientiously look for alternative routes instead of waiting patiently with everybody else? If you don’t, think about it, going a different direction is truly liberating.

I put this into practice tonight at the movies.  Hubby parked the car, I was waiting in line to get tickets, the only line that was open, I might add, and it was extremely long.

Instead of just standing there waiting with the flock, I went to the registers that were closed, thinking that they would open up because the line was so long.  Sure enough, after just a minute here came a guy and opened the register, and we were able to walk right in, while the herd stood there, waiting….

Silly post, perhaps, and maybe the rest of you are “mavericks” who strike out on their own, but I think perhaps not, maybe you can learn from this, too – think about it the next time you are in line for anything – try something different instead of just blindly following the herd, it really works.  Smart son, I’ve got….

As the year ends, my gratitude journal…

I’m grateful for -

• Hubby’s continued good health
• The smile on John’s face and the twinkle in his eye
• Ryan and Lindsay living so close and being able to visit so often, I still pinch myself sometimes…
• Maggie’s recovery from liver shunt and sweet Mollie in our lives
• Good friends that mean more to me with each passing year
• The country life, it soothes my soul every single day
• Online friends, I have some really special ones; without the internet I would have never known they existed
• A bit more wisdom, it really does come with age
• And finally, I’m grateful for the ability to get up every day and be self sufficient, it’s a wonderful thing that I try not to take for granted….

I don’t handle stress well anymore…

I’ve been having internet problems for a month now, I lose signal for a bit, then it comes back on.  I’ve talked to my ISP, nothing has been resolved.  Yesterday I was down from early afternoon until late last night.  So I called them again this morning, and they sent out a little man.

Of course it was working when he got here, so he tightened some cables, messed with my modem  with his gauges for a bit, pronounced it in great working order and left.

Well, I know it isn’t fixed, I’m just sitting here waiting for it to go down again, stressed to the max.  I called Hooterville, she gave me some ideas, I swear that woman knows more than any of the technicians they have on their payroll.

Just wish I could roll with it like I used to, but I can’t do it anymore.  So I’m in a mood, because I’m frustrated.  Yeah, I know, in the overall scheme of things, I don’t really have anything to bitch about, but you all know how addicted I am to my computer(s).  I’m thinking I need a major attitude adjustment!  A burger and fries would help….  And a warm oatmeal or cookie or two might just help with the happy hormone.  But of course, I’m eating healthy, so that’s out the window.  Poor pitiful me….

Why is it???

I was talking to Maggie and Mollies breeders this morning, Anna and Stef, as we’re redoing some of their webpages, and Anna was telling me about Jack, a Yorkie she has now, and how he is the most special dog she’s ever had.   She’s been breeding dogs for over twenty years,  why is it that this particular dog means so much to her?

I understand what she means, because for me, Maggie is my one dog in a lifetime.  Some of  my friends get upset with me when I acknowledge this, but it’s true.  There is just something about Maggie that is so special to me.  It’s not that I don’t or haven’t loved my other dogs, dearly. I’m absolutely crazy about Mollie, she is the sweetest little soul, but there is just something about Maggie that tugs at my heartstrings like no other dog ever has...  Just had to share that this afternoon

A lazy Sunday night….

Don’t go see this movie….

Christmas Day we went to the movies.  There wasn’t a lot to chose from and against our better judgment, we went to see Marley and Me. 

The movie was a stinker from the get-go.  And then the dog dies!  It was just an awful movie, not well written at all, Owen Wilson was horrid, Jennifer Aniston was the only bright spot.  The dog was meaner than a snake. he was just an awful dog, and then he dies.

Well, we made it to the death scene, got up and walked out. John is dealing with an old dog, not in good health, we just didn’t need to watch the ending.

Save your money, if you’ve ever loved a dog, this movie is not for you!

Exciting news from Heavensville…

 

The breeders that I got Maggie and Mollie from, Anna Stringer and Stephanie Barnes, recently sold a Yorkie pup to Miley Cyrus, and four other pups to Hannah Montana cast members.

I built their website for them, annstefs.com, and Miley Cyrus’s official site is going to be linking to my pages soon.

Anna and Stef  have wonderful dogs.  I’m so happy for them to be getting this great publicity!  Imagine that, my girls are related to a celebrity pooch!  Of course, mine are cuter. *grin*

~ jan

.

This is John’s dog, Oreo.  ‘O’ is  fourteen now, and not in good health, but she’s still a feisty girl, and the sweetest little soul ever.

I’m dogsitting this week for him and enjoying my time with her.  The three dogs are so cute together, I’ll post some pictures of them for you in the coming days….

It was a really special Christmas at our house…

 

Notes from the kitchen….

I made quite a few things from Jan & Friends Christmas Recipes yesterday.  Cousin Phyllis’s Red Velvet Cake was a breeze to make,  my only problem was the cooked flour and milk mixture that you chill and put into the icing to thicken it – you have to do it at a really low heat, and it tried to lump, but I put it thru a strainer and it was fine.

Marti’s Grape Salad is in the fridge, it tastes wonderful, haven’t seen  how everybody is going to manuever eating those whole grapes yet, hubby thought I should cut  them in half, but the juice  would run into the dressing, so I vetoed that. 

We’ll just chew with puffy cheeks and hope the grapes aren’t too juicy.  I tried to get small grapes, but couldn’t, these things were really large so eating this could be interesting :0)

 

John’s Cleaning Ladies coffeecake turned out well, despite LC turning off the oven in the middle of baking it.  He thought he was turning off the timer, and I didn’t catch it for awhile, but it turned out fine…

Veronica’s Mackinac Fudge was easy to make, too.  She told me not to beat it with a mixer for the full six minutes, just to beat it until it got thick and glossy, so that’s what I did, I probably beat it for about 3-4 minutes, John gave it a thumbs-up, he loves that recipe.

 

The No-Cook Cherry O Pie I made for myself, yeah, I did.  I’ve loved it since I was a teenager, and since I’ve been carb deprived for weeks, this was my Christmas food of choice.

The recipe for it is on Milly Scraps, here’s a quick click if you want to check it out.

Jan’s favorite things on the cheap, day 9

Today it’s Jan’s great idea on the cheap that didn’t work out so well for me.  I was watching Regis and Kelly one day and they were talking about how great Preparation H is for under eye puffiness.

Okay, so that made perfect sense to me, it shrinks hemorrhoids, it should reduce under eye bags.  So I’m off to Walgreens to buy a tube, come home smear it on, yuck, it’s oily, it smells awful and doesn’t seem to make any noticable difference in the way my eyes look.

But I gave it a couple of more chances before I threw it in the drawer – my eyes were still puffy, it didn’t help a bit!  Maybe this little trick will make a difference for you, the price is right, only $4.99, but for me it was money wasted.  But maybe not all is lost, if I ever have a  flair-up, I’m all set! ;0)

Jan’s favorite things on the cheap, day 8

I’ve been a Buff Puff fan since the 80’s.  These reusable pads work great, easily getting rid of the dull skin layer, giving your face a smooth, satiny sheen.  Veronica is fan of these also, and I recently introduced them to Linds, and she loves them, too.  They come in the large,  tear shaped reusable pad pictured above, or throwaway singles.  I prefer the original, reusable ones, I think they work better but they are really hard to find anymore.  I used to be able to get them at any drugstore, but I’ve had to search lately for them, and V isn’t having any luck at all finding them.  You can, however, buy them online at drugstore.com.  Interested?  Here’s the quick CLICK.  The cost of these, only $5.19

However, if you really want to try something great that costs more than my self-imposed $15.00 limit, Neutrogena makes a Healthy Skin Rejuvinator that is just amazing.  You can buy it from Amazon, or go to Neutrogena’s site to watch a video about it with Diane Lane and get all the information. 

If you’re not familiar with this product, it’s a battery powered vibrating facial massager, with disposable puffs that are infused with ultra-fine crystals that do a wonderful job of exfoliating your skin.  These little crystals are hard to wash off, though, this works best to use before you bathe. It’s much easier to wash them off in the shower, it’s really difficult to get rid of all the grit with just a face cloth.  The cost for this system  is $32.99, and it’s a great product.  The big cosmetic companies make their own versions of this at a much higher price than Neutrogena, but this product works really well.  I usually alternate it with the Buff Puffs.  Works for me…

I’ve got more glitter on me than an old lap dancer….

Well, it’s just gone to hell in a handbag here today.  The net is just up for a minute, then down again.  I finally started wrapping that ugly paper with wide red ribbon, the wired kind, which would have been really pretty if it wasn’t for that awful paper, nothing could make it look good.

Anyhoo, the red ribbon is embossed with gold snowflakes, gold glitter snowflakes.  Now this isn’t my first rodeo with glitter, I’ve had plenty of disasters with it, and now I not only have glitter all over me, but it’s all over the dining room rug and you can follow a glitter trail all the way down the stone floor to the den where the presents are deposited under the tree.

So  now I have that mess to deal with, not to mention that the M&M’s have been tromping thru it, so they probably have glitter imbedded in their fur, too. And trust me, everything that glitters is not gold….

Oh well, ‘tis the season, right?  Um-hum, sure it is…

Jan’s favorite things on the cheap, Day 7

Today it’s Micro Tweeze.  It’s a jar of wax, you take off the lid, heat it in the microwave for two minutes, or a bit less, just until the center starts to liquefy, then you put the lid back on until you get to the bathroom – heaven help you should trip and spill that wax all over your floor! Then just get out the magnifying mirror, take a q-tip, an orange stick would work, too, I use a q-tip, dip it into the jar and get a big glob of wax – this is the secret, heavy application, if you smear your brow with a thin layer of wax it will not come off and you will curse me and rue the day I was born. 

It took me awhile to get the hang of this, but you can learn from my mistakes.  I’ve done it so much, that I can roll the q-tip and distribute the wax thickly and evenly. Don’t try rolling it on!  You’re a newbie, gotta learn what you’re doing before you graduate to rolling, first you glob!

So you need to dot a thick glob of wax on your outer brow bone, then another glob closer in toward the arch of your brow, and maybe still another if you need to,  just make sure the globs touch so that it all comes off in one piece.  Press the wax into your skin, being careful not to get it into your eyebrows or heaven forbid your eyelashes, let it cool until it hardens, and starting from the outer corner, quickly rip it off!!!  OUCH!!! Of course it stings, but only for a minute.  You don’t put cloth strips on it like they do in the salon, just glob it on and rip it off. 

It works really well, yeah, works for your upper lip and those pesky post-menopausal chin hairs, too – ughhhh, just don’t go out of the bathroom until you’re finished…. I don’t even let the dogs see me, don’t want to traumatize them.

The jar says you can use it on bikini line, too – you’re on your own with that one, I’m not gonna go there.  I have a girlfriend, who shall forever remain nameless, that had a total disaster with waxing her bikini line herself… YOWSA!

This jar of Micro Tweeze lasts forever, and costs under $12 – less than one salon visit - is that a good deal or what????

Well that was a stupid idea…

I now have raffia all over the dining room floor.  Egads I had forgotten how that stuff strings all over the place.  I wrapped one gift, and it looks just horrid!

It’s hopeless, it’s that stupid paper, no matter what I do, the gifts just look terrible.  Grrrrrrr, I’m not in a good mood, can you tell???? AND, internet goes down constantly this morning, if this even publishes it will be a miracle.  Just one of those days….

I bought the most gawdawful wrapping paper…

I don’t know what happened this year, I usually buy really pretty wrapping paper, but the stuff I have my presents wrapped in is butt ugly!!  What was I thinking???  I was out and about with a Tri-State-Boomer sinus headache, and I bought multiple rolls of this snowman paper.  I guess I liked it in the store, my brain must have been foggy from all the sinus meds, I brought  it home, hubby wrapped the gifts, that’s what we do, he wraps, I put on the ribbons, and after he got them all wrapped I really looked at that paper and Geezy Pete,  it got hit by the ugly stick!

I was putting on lots of curling ribbons, loading it up with all kinds of geegaws in a desperate attempt to make it look presentable, it still looked horrid, so in desperation I went to WallyWorld and bought raffia, now I’m gonna try loading it up with raffia.  I seriously considered throwing all the paper away and starting over, but figured hubby would throw a hissy, so I’m trying a work around.

I’ll update you on how that’s working out for me.  Probably not so good….

Jan’s favorite things on the cheap. Day 6

Eyelash curlers, those instruments of torture that we squeeze our eyelashes into in an attempt to make them curl.  Nisha once put both rows of her eyelashes in the contraption when she was a teenager and didn’t know what she was doing.

I went a bit over my $15.00 budget on this one, ladies, it’s $19.00, worth the money, too.  This eyelash curler is from shu uemura, you probably will have to order it online, but it’s a quality curler, unlike some of the cheaper models I’ve had in the past.  And the best trick of all, heat it first with your blow dryer, let it cool a bit so you don’t burn your eyelids, then curl, works much better.

Here’s the quick click to shu uemura’s site.

And now for the mascara.  I’ve tried a ton of them over the years, and always go back to Maybelline.  Even the makeup artists love Maybelline, it’s a great product.

Lancome even came out with a vibrating mascara this year, yep, you heard me right, vibrating. Wonder how that’s going over for them…

For years I used Great Lash, the industry standard in the pink tube, but a couple of years ago I tried their XXL Volume & Length Washable Microfiber Mascara.  It’s a two stepper, first you put on the white fiber building layer, then you top it with the mascara.  It really does fill in and lengthen thin lashes without looking fake.  My color of choice, black/brown.  Works for me.  So does the price, it costs about $5.99.

Tomorrow, yes you really can wax at home, really you can.  If I can do it, so can you and you’ll save major money and free yourself from salon visits….

Jan’s favorite things on the cheap, Day 6

 

Ahhhh, lip balm, don’t you love the stuff that glides on like butter, and makes your lips really supple.  If you’re a regular to this site, you know that  me, along with several other readers of this blog have a serious Carmex addiction.  I’ve used it for the last twenty years, and can’t go to sleep at night without it slathered on my lips.  No other brand will do, it has to be Carmex, because it’s all about the sting… And it has to come from  the little glass pot, I don’t like it in a tube. Even Trish’s little granddaughter, Larkin, smears her little lips with the stingy balm.  Carmex rules, but…. just at night. AND, Carmex has come out with it’s first new flavor in 70 years, CHERRY CARMEX!!!! I haven’t found it yet, but I’m on the lookout for it, so is Trish!  Want to read all about Carmex??? Here’s the link… It’s a cute site!

For daytime use, nothing compares to Kiehl Lip Balm.  Oh, my, is it ever wonderful.  It’s sooooo moisturizing, has no odor, and leaves your lips with a glossy, non greasy feel.  I can’t buy it locally, I have to order it online.  It’s available  at Bloomies or Nordstroms if you live in a bigger city, if not, you can order directly from the company.  Here’s the CLICK.  And the cost for this bad boy, a mere $6.50, and worth every penny…

Tomorrow it’s mascara and my favorite eyelash curler….