Hot Cougar Make-up Look for Over 40 by Kandee Johnson….

Let’s have a little fun with makeup this Saturday night…

I stumbled onto this series of makeup videos on YouTube.  The makeup artist is Kandee Johnson, and she’s GOOD, ladies.  Maybe a little over the top with some of the looks, but so much fun to watch.  In this video she does her Mom’s makeup, I think it looks awesome!

 Here is the direct link to 60 of her videos.  But this isn’t all of them, look in the right sidebar when you are watching a video in YouTube for lots  more.  Watch a few of these and you will learn a lot! Pinkie swear!

I hope you enjoy…

~ jan

 

This one about whitening your teeth for under $10 is interesting, too…

 

 

And finally, the one about how to tweeze, shape and groom eyebrows.  That’s all I’m posting, you’re on your own now, these videos can get addictive, be warned…

 

 

Okay, just one more, this is all, really!

 

Lacura Skin Care Products

Barb was telling me the other day about this line of Lacura Skin Care Products, what great products they are, and how well they work.  It’s a complete line of anti-wrinkle night cream, day creams, exfoliaters, toners and cleansers, and they all sell for under $5.00.  Yes, under $5.00.

Sounds impossible, doesn’t it?  And who has this line of skin care products????  Aldi’s.  For real, Aldi’s Grocery Store! I saw them today!!!

I wanted to do a bit of research before I tried them, but so far everything I’m reading about the products is very favorable.  Here’s what one reviewer had to say -

 

 

 And here’s a link to an article about Lacura.

I always scout out the good stuff for you, girlfriends!  I’ll be stocking up on these products this weekend and let you know what I think.

~ jan

Home again….

It was a great trip to Nashville, we spent two days in the country, visiting nurseries, soaking up the sunshine, enjoying visiting with John and Deanna.  I don’t know when we’ve had a better trip.  We had lunch yesterday at Barbara’s Home Cooking, a Nashville institution.  We ate outside in the grass,  our plates filled with  turnip greens, field peas, fried apples and okra, all washed down with sweet tea.

It was one of those unplanned trips that turned into something really memorable. 

We’ll be visiting bebe Abby soon, oh my life is so blessed this October…

Does microwave popcorn cause cancer?

I was talking to V yesterday, she mentioned that studies are linking cancer and lung disease to microwave popcorn, the kind in the bag with the butter and seasonings already on it, which, btw, I don’t eat. I’m a pop my own big yellow kernels in my trusty  Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn popper kinda girl. I’ve never been a fan of bagged microwave corn, its too salty for me and has an off taste.  I really do try to eat foods in their natural state, I hope that you are all doing the same.

She told me to Google it, sure enough, a lot of information came up regarding this.  Just thought you would all like a heads up, if you’re not aware of it.  Made your Monday morning, didn’t I???

Here’s the link…

Looking for a great halloween wallpaper for your computer desktop?

 

Hooterville sent me a link to some great free halloween wallpapers to download for your MAC or PC, here’s the click, enjoy…

~ jan

My phone has risen from the dead, hopefully…

Despite all my attempts at destroying my Blackberry with stupidity, it “appears” to be working.  I have to reconnect it with Verizon, but all the little thingies seem to be operating properly.

Ryan kept telling me, leave it unplugged from the charger, leave the battery out, be patient.  But oh no, I couldn’t possibly have patience, I kept putting in the battery, and “trying” it. 

I upgraded software with it yesterday by plugging it into my computer and using Blackberry desktop, it worked briefly but was still screwy, so I put it on the dryer and left it and so far today, it works.

So, if this happens to you – words of wisdom from somebody here who never does as she’s told.

1.  Immediately take out battery.

2.  Plunge phone and battery into a bag of dried rice, seal to get out the air and leave it for three days.  The rice absorbs moisture and dries phone.

3.  LEAVE THE BATTERY OUT.  You can short out the circuit board with damp components, which we thought had happened to me.

Hopefully, this won’t happen to you.  It’s a pain when it does, and I quickly discovered I’m way too dependent on my phone.  Duh, no surprise…

Finger still hurts when I type, car isn’t going yet, apparently the new starter they installed was bad, but oh well, it will all work out.

I’m making caramel corn this afternoon to take to Johns, it’s an old recipe that I’ve made for years, and it’s a goodie.  Here’s a link to try it  if you have the urge.

We’re heading to Nashville for a couple of days, then next week, going to visit Cuppycake! Oh, and her parents, too.  Oops, sorry guys, I didn’t mean to omit you.   Abby is out for a car ride this afternoon,  she’s  leaf peeping.  Gawjus day for fall colors with a sweet little bebe riding in her infant seat, makes their world brighter this pretty October Sunday, I’m certain…

Nosy little dog….

Deanna sent me this picture tonight of my Granddog, Oreo, snooping in the fridge.  I needed that smile after the day I’ve had!  Thanks sweet girl!

If life is good, keep it to yourself!

I was having such a good day yesterday, spent the day with Hooterville and her son, Doug, and I commented to Ang on the phone how good life was.

Not fifteen minutes later, I was making chili, cut my finger on a can lid, almost to the bone.  Then I dropped my cellphone in the sink, splashed water on it.  It died!!!!!  I didn’t take out the battery, instead charged it, now it’s really dead, Fred.  Oh, and my car died, too.  Had to have it towed, they put in a new starter, got me all fixed up.  WRONG!!!

LC took my Blackberry apart this morning, it wasn’t even wet, but the keyboard won’t work.  Ry said I shorted out the circuit board.

Veronica came today, her birthday is Sunday, so we were going to shop and have lunch.  Maggie jumped on the back of the chair, started limping, wouldn’t put weight on her foot.  She didn’t yelp, so I knew it wasn’t serious, but anyway, I was going to drive, we got in the car.  Nada, nothing, el zippo, dead, dead, dead!

Just got home  a bit ago, decided I needed to turn on the fireplace, it won’t light….  But the good news is that Maggie is no longer limping, and V and I had a great day!

What happened to the good life I had just twenty-four hours ago???  Where did it go???  If you’re having a good day/week/year, whatever, just keep it to yourself, don’t tell anyone, you’ll jinx it!!!!!

Cuppycake’s first scrapbook page…

Girlfriends are a wonderful thing…

I’ve gotten so many emails and phone calls about this new granddaughter.  She has touched so many  lives, people that her parents have no knowledge of.  I’m constantly amazed when the phone rings, this morning it was Cindy, earlier it was an email from Sandy.

It’s been a steady stream since I announced her birth on the blog.  Life is indeed wonderful for me this fall.  I wish I could bottle these feelings and keep them always.

Peggy said to me last weekend that life is full of hills and valleys and that the valleys make you appreciate the hills.  Well, I’m definitely on a hill right now, ladies, actually I’m on top of a mountain. 

Love you, all…

~ jan

Whatever was I thinking??????

I’ve decided that my makeup has gone to hell.  It’s just wrong.  My base is too dark, nothing is staying on my face,  my base just fades away in a few hours, my eye makeup is not staying in place, either, my eyeliner is sliding down to my cheeks.  Drastic measures were called for.

Even though I haven’t used liquid eyeliner since my early 20’s, I decided to switch from the MAC Powdered one and give liquid a go again.  I talked with Nish, she has used it forever, it doesn’t slide down her cheeks, it sounded like a good idea.  But………

Silly me, hubby ran into the grocery store for me on our way to WallyWorld, oh yeah, I go to all the classy places, Target, WalMart, umhmmmm, you betcha…Anyway I was sitting in the car with my liquid eyeliner purchase from Tar-Jay, and I decided to give it a spin. 

What, was I crazy????  First of all I had no 7x magnifying mirror, only the pop-down one on my visor, but I’m never one to be deterred by the small things.  So I rip into the container, pull it out, unscrew the cap and swipe the liner under my eye, it goes across in this jagged line and then this huge glob of dark brown liner plops off the wand right under my eye.  OMG, I can’t have that, I have to go to WallyWorld after all, so I grab a napkin, spit on it, yuck, and try to wipe it off.  All it does was smear, now I have this big swipe of dark brown going across to my hairline and it’s drying fast, and underneath my eye looks like somebody socked me.

I’m desperate now, my face looks like something from the Rocky Horror Show, and I have nothing to get this stuff off with.  I know I need to get it off fast, LC will be back any minute, take a look at me and really think I’ve lost it.  The only thing I have in the car is hand sanitizer, which I have been slathering on constantly the past few weeks, so I take a big squirt of it, and put it under my eye.  Well, that stuff is alcohol based, and of course a little bit of it gets into my eye, so now I’m tearing up as well as stinging, and it still isn’t coming off.  I just keep rubbing, spot some hand lotion in the back seat, put that on, also, it seemed to help get it off, kinda.  But now I have this red, irritated eye to deal with, one eye has makeup, one has none, except for a dark shadow residue of eyeliner underneath my eye,  and I still have to go to WallyWorld.  Oh, wtf, lots of people in WalMart look as strange as I do, I just put on my sunglasses, even though it was cloudy, kept my head down, so hubby didn’t get a look at me, and walked right in.  Thankfully, I didn’t run into anybody I knew,  I got what I needed and hotfooted it outta there, fast.  I came home, tried using it again, this time with the 7x mirror, and now I remember why I quit using liquid eyeliner in the first place.  OMG, it’s really hard to get a good line!!!!  Maybe I bought the wrong kind!!!  I think I need to go to plan B.  But I don’t have a plan B. Maybe I need to watch some YouTube videos about applying liquid liner.

And even if I do master it, I still have to  deal with my makeup base not working.  I need something new.  Anybody have any ideas for me?  I’m getting desperate, here….  The only thing I’m sure of is that I will never, ever try any kind of new makeup product in the car, ever, ever again… I pinkie swear, I won’t!!!

I have to tell you about Peggy Jane…

Women are full of baby stories, everybody has a good one, and of course that’s all we’re talking about these days, but this one is a goodie.  It’s actually not funny, but if you knew Peg, my buddy with Kentucky roots and a drawl to match, you would have laughed as hard as we did.

We went to dinner Saturday night, we’re sitting in Kipplee’s eating a veggie pizza and she is telling me about the birth of her first daughter.

Peg is in her 70’s now, and she had Jane Ann when she was nineteen, and having a baby in those days in a hospital in rural Kentucky was nothing like most of us have ever experienced, thank goodness.

She was in labor for twenty-five hours, she should have had a c-section, but they didn’t do them in those days, and they wouldn’t let her husband come in her room and be with her, they wouldn’t let her Mama come in, she said the nurses were downright nasty to her, and they gave her nothing for pain.  She was all alone, scared to death and in unbearable agony.

So she said to me, “Girl, it was so bad, I couldn’t stand it, so I thought, well, I’ll just have to jump out the window!”  She was seriously going to jump, but she couldn’t get the window open.  Poor Peg, can you imagine?  As I write this, it’s not coming across as funny, but if you could hear her tell it, you would see what I mean. The woman is like a breath of fresh air, she’s just the best .  I should have videoed her, darn one of these days I will so you can all see what I mean!!!!

Abby update…

I’m happy to report that Ryan is sleeping thru the night, already.

Seriously, he’s a great Daddy.  He was so ready for this baby, he’s doing diaper duty and changing baby clothes.  I hear excitement in his voice every time I talk to him…. 

Trying to settle down...

I've been absolutely giddy for days now, trying to settle in today, get back to "normal" except that word has taken on a whole new meaning.

It's so hard not to bore all of you with constant bebe talk. I'll try to keep it to a dull roar, gang...

This has just been so totally overwhelming, that it's hard to find my rhythm... Duh, Jan what rhythm???

Her name is...

Abigail Leigh, such a pretty name for a precious little girl....

"Ten little fingers,
Ten little toes,
And she has her Mommie's
Cute little button nose"

Mom, Daddy and bebe came home this morning. The sun is shining on us all today, it's a beautiful thing...

Cuppycake has arrived….

She was born at 10am EST.  7 lbs. 6 ounces, 19.5 inches.  Mother and baby are doing great, Daddy, too!

We got the call at 2:30 am, left immediately, as did John and Deanna.  We arrived before she was born and I got to spend some time with Lindsay.

Yes, I’m crying.  I’ve cried all morning.  Geez, and I thought I wasn’t hormonal anymore!

We haven’t seen her yet, Ry is sending us pictures from the delivery room.

Just wanted you to all see this precious little girl… 

Later….

WE GOT THE CALL!!!!!

Lindsay is in labor, in the hospital. Leaving now,  I’ll be in touch!!!!!

BOO!

Ya, I know the picture is dark, it’s nighttime in Heavensville.  I took the dogs out to potty, this is the first night the pumpkins were lit.  Mags was brave, she woofed at them and went inside.  If you look closely at the left side of the picture, you can barely see her little face peering out the door.

Mollie however was terrified of them.  They scared the beejus out of the poor little dog.  She ran for the garage, and I had to pick her up and carry her past them.

Dogs are so funny.  My life would be so lost without them…

Rapid Lash, does it really work?

I saw this YouTube video of Kathy Lee Gifford talking about Rapid Lash.  Then I started reading reviews, sure enough, people actually say this stuff works.  Have any of you tried it?  If anybody knows about this product, please comment… I wonder if it’s safe?

Here’s the website

Amazon Reviews -

And finally, the video, and yes, I know she’s annoying as hell, just get over it and watch this..

Jaclyn Smith’s Blog…

Who doesn’t love her, she’s such a class act.  I enjoyed the video with her husband, the older she gets, the more pronounced her Texas accent is. Her  blog site just debuted, I thought you all might enjoy it.

Here’s the click…

What were we doing in a cornfield?

 

Trisher and Hooterville went with me to Mule Day last Saturday. 

It was a brisk fall day and we had a great time, watched the parade, spent time with Ang, saw her girls, and yep, we ended up in a corn field. 

It’s a long story, and no, there was no alcohol involved, seriously. 

We may be old, but we’re still a good time!!!

Today is Mother’s birthday…

She would have been ninety-one today.  She’s on my mind so often these days, as we await the arrival of this precious grandchild.  She would have been so excited, she loved little children so much.

I’m cleaning closets, trying to keep my mind occupied, jumping every time the phone rings, it’s an exciting time in Heavensville this week, ladies…

Happy 50th Birthday Barbie!

Once a country girl, always a country girl…

We were on our picnic Thursday, everybody had to pee, so they traipsed down the path and around the bend, in search of the nasty outhouse.  Everybody but me, no way I was going to trek thru the forest to get to that icky bathroom.

I’m a country girl after all, I was raised with an outhouse, remember.  So while they were all hiking to the nearest facilities, yours truly just peed in the woods.  There is nothing like a fall breeze on your nether regions, ladies, when you’re outside and nature calls.  Jean is the only one that gets it, she, too enjoys the breeze on her butt, and has a colorful history of relieving herself in the cemetery.

Trish is so anal, no pun intended, that she brought along her own roll of toilet paper in case the “facilities” didn’t have any.  Geezy Pete, do these women not know how to rough it?

As they were coming back, V asked me if I didn’t need to “go” and when I told her I “did,” and pointed over there, under the tree, you should have seen the look on her face.  She had this shocked, rather horrified expression, it was so cute…  I just sat there and cracked up.

Not my first rodeo in the woods, nor my last, I’m sure. Nope, not by a long shot.  When in Rome….

Jack Lanne, advice on how to be happy….

I think that he is right on target with what he says.  Did you know that he is now ninety-five years young, and still going strong…  He’s obviously doing something right!

 

Yesterday was our annual old lady picnic…

 

It wasn’t a particularly good weather forecast for a picnic.  Showers were forecasted later in the afternoon, it was overcast and cool, but we trudged ahead, our group of old(er) women who picnic annually by the riverbank.

We unloaded supplies, Trish built our fire, Jean grilled the burgers, V and I sat and chatted, and you know what?  We discovered that we didn’t have to have sunshine and 70+ weather.  It was wonderful, sitting by the fire, the weather brisk and refreshing listening to the leaves rustle in the wind, the river rushing by, our cowboy coffee bubbling on the fire.

We ate, enjoyed nature, ate more… It was a picture perfect day, after all…

A good reason for your java jolt….

Beyond boosting alertness for up to 90 minutes, that morning cup is the number-one source of antioxidants in the American diet, and can help decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by as much as 60 percent.

Brothers and Sisters season premiere tonight…

My very favorite show is back!  Life is good…

Pumpkin Spice Latte (Just Like Starbucks!)

Doesn’t this look amazing???  I just posted the recipe on Jan CAN Cook…

Buttered Rum update…

I just put this recipe on Jan CAN Cook, and tagged it for the Drinks section, that way we won’t lose track of it.  She also sent me a recipe for a Broken Leg, made with hot apple cider and ginger brandy, it’s in Jan CAN Cook as well…

I wish I had a sound recorder right now….

I had chicken and rice soup for lunch, and didn’t eat it all, so tonight when I was making the M&M’s dinner, I spooned that soup on top of their dog food.

OMG, you’ve never heard such slurping going on in your life!  I’m sitting here, just cracking up, no doubt I’m going to have to wash faces in a bit, but they sure are enjoying their food….

Everybody needs a special place, this is mine…

You might want to save this, girlfriends..

My buddy, Carlene, is an awesome cook.  She sent me her recipe for a hot toddy.  If you’re a bit under the weather, this might just fix you right up.  But why wait until you don’t feel good, this would be great anytime – this is one for your recipe files…

~ jan

Here’s what she said in her email this afternoon -

I want to remind you, in case you need it for colds/flu/ H1N1, etc., or just a generally bad (or GOOD) day in Winter, of my Hot Toddy.   It is soooo restorative..... 

Hot Buttered Rum

1-2 tsp. brown sugar
1 Tbs.  good vanilla ice cream
1-2 jiggers of rum
1 tsp. butter
1 cinnamon stick

Mix brown sugar and ice cream in the glass mug, add the rum, fill with hot water...add the cinnamon stick and the pat of butter.

I swear, this works just as well as Mentholatum or Vicks Salve....it's a great inhaler, even if you don't care to drink it.. 

Sometimes, dogs can be just like little kids….

I was chatting with Hooterville on IM while ago, commenting on how idyllic it was at my house.  Jazz was playing, the dogs each had a chewie, Molly was lying beside me on her pillow gnawing on hers, Maggie was stretched out in the living room chewing on hers.  It was so peaceful, almost blissful, actually. 

Well, that went to hell in a handbag.  Maggie buried her chewie somewhere, probably in our bed, she does that often, always on LC’s side, too, and then she wanted Mollies chewie.  Well, no way, Mollie was giving hers up, she just turned her butt toward Mags and kept on chewing.  So Maggie started whining.

She cried and she cried, I ignored her, trying to return to my state of bliss, but oh no,that wasnt going to happen,  then she started barking, loudly.  I wasn’t going to punish Mollie because Mags was being a little bully.  I tried sitting her in my lap, that didn’t work, she was still barking, I looked for her chewie, she really hid it well this time, I couldn’t find it, and I wasn’t going to give her another one.

There was no reasoning with her, Mollie, meanwhile was still chewing.  I would have put her in the timeout corner if I could, I swear I would.

I finally gave her a piece of cheese, that seemed to soothe the little savage beast, for awhile anyway.  Maybe hubby will have better luck with her than I did, she’s now sitting on his lap, pouting no doubt.  And Mollie, she’s still chewing, she’s gonna get lockjaw if she keeps this up.  Slow and steady, that’s our Mollie girl, not a lot phases her.

Meanwhile, the little wild child was being really naughty.

Yep, just like a couple of kids…

Your daily dose of cuteness…

 

You haven’t seen a picture of my Maggie for awhile.  Is this cute or what???

A must see, Suryia the Oranguta and Roscoe the Dog, Best Buds…

Are you bored, do you need a good book to read???

I’ve known about this for sometime, now.  It’s the mother of all free e-book sources.  You name it, they’ve got it, and you can download it all, for free.  I don’t know how they do it, I’m just telling you about it, so don’t get your panties in a wad thinking this is illegal.  It’s been around forever, and is really popular.  There is a ton of stuff on here, for instance, go here and you can download 84 Nora Roberts novels.  No, that’s not a typo, there are 84 of her novels on here.  It may take you a bit to get the hang of downloading all these rapidshare files, but it works, trust me….  Tons of Stephen King, all of Agatha Christie, The Twilight Series, Nicholas Sparks, Linda Howard (35 novels), Harry Potter, Elizabeth Lowell (35 novels), John Grisham (16 novels)  to name a few, they are all on here, and they’re all free.

Here’s the link to Freebookspot, all the different areas are in the right sidebar, lots and lots of tutorials, but head down to the fiction area, and start looking.  You won’t believe what’s available. Don’t click on the Fiction ebook at the top of the page, that’s an ad, it’s in the right sidebar.  Here’s the quick click.

Jean sent me a link today for a new wireless ereader.  They are really becoming popular now,  and this one looks pretty good.  I still love my Sony reader, but I’m just chomping at the bit for Apple to debut their new Mac Tablet.  It’s a mini computer and a bookreader, and it has color!  All of the readers so far are greytones, and you have to be careful which ones you buy, you want to make sure they’re .pdf compatible and work with your local library downloads.  It’s not a bad idea to check with your library to see which ones are compatible before you plunk down major money.  I never buy books for mine, I’ve downloaded a ton from the library.

I still love my Sony reader, with all of those Nora Roberts novels loaded on it, most of which I have read, by the way, but hey, a girl’s gotta dream.

You can read all about this new Irex reader, here.

If this interests you, you will need to download Adobe Digital to read these books on your computer.  It’s a freebie download.  Yeah, I know you want to the link to that, also.  Here it is…

~ jan

I’ve got a goodie for you this morning…

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you all know that my techkie buddy, Hooterville, knows all the good stuff.  Well, she’s done it again.  I was complaining a few days ago about not having a good online tv grid to check upcoming television shows.  I have been using Yahoo’s tv grid, and the one from TV Guide, and they’re both pretty lame.

So she tells me that I need to be using TitanTV.  She told me how great it is, how you can create an account, save all your preferences, then log in from any computer to view your lineup.  It’s really customizable,  here’s a link to a quick overview.   One feature I really like are the drop down menu’s.  For instance, you can change and view choose the day and time you want to view a grid from a drop down, instead of having to right arrow and scroll, which takes forever.  I also like how you can set up different folders with saved stations in them, so you can quickly view a lineup instead of having to go thru the whole enchilada.  It will also send alerts to your mobile phone, reminding you of upcoming shows.

Here’s a screen shot of my default screen.  Hop on over to TitanTV, register, and give it a try.  It’s really amazing… Pinkie swear.

~ jan

The Good Wife, it was actually good!

I have such a hard time with television programs.  Nothing appeals to me, and every fall I’m on a mission, trying to find something that is interesting.

I had read positive reviews about “The Good Wife” on CBS, watched it last night, and really liked it.  OMG, I really liked it!!!!!

Juliana Margulies is excellent, and her law firm’s in-house investigator, played by Archie Panjabi, yep, Archie is a girl, is quirky, edgy, just perfect for the role.

So, it looks like I have a solid Tuesday night lineup for this fall.  Dancing With The Stars and The Good Wife.  How about that!!!!

Something you may not want to try….

In a misguided attempt to rid myself of the mother of all sinus headaches, I not only swallowed a Sudafed and two Excedrin, simultaneously, but also consumed multiple cups of coffee, three glasses of iced tea,  a caffeinated Diet Coke and a Monster Energy Drink.

I can now say that I have not been this edgy since beginnning my last menstrual cycle which was more years ago than any of us care to remember.

Lord have mercy, whatever was I thinking?  I’m about to jump out of my ever lovin’ skin….

Don’t know what to cook, tonight?

This is a great site, you just put in what you have in your kitchen and it generates recipes.

Setting this up works best if you have two people, one typing the ingredients in your kitchen that you want to add, the other telling you what you have in your pantry and fridge.  It’s much faster if you do it this way.

The first thing you need to do is create an account at SuperCook, so that they remember your choices, then you simply add the ingredients, and then when you want to make a dish, you just click on the ingredients you want to use and recipes are generated on the right side of the page, as shown in the screen shot of what I have  in my kitchen.  You then can save these to recipe boxes, it’s like a cookook.

From just my three ingredients, red beans, chili power and red peppers, this program generated 126 recipes!  Pretty neat, huh???

You’ll love this, pinky swear, click here to give it a try…

~ jan

What was your favorite school cafeteria food?

 

Oh, this was an easy answer.  It was hands down, sloppy joes.  The ones I had in elementary school sparked a love of this gooey sandwich that I still enjoy to this day.  I have fond memories of sloppy joes, not only in school cafeterias, but at country auctions, and church socials, as well.

It’s a tradition in our household to fix sloppy  joes and potato chips on halloween.  We’ve done it since John and Ryan were little boys, and now they do it in their homes.  I have a killer recipe, too, from my neighbor Susan, in Denver.  It’s one that I’ve published before, and will again at halloween, this year.

Unfortunately, other than sloppy joes, my other memories of cafeteria lunches were not good.  I remember things like cornbread and beans, with cornbread so dry you choked on it, and cheese sandwiches, with hugely thick slabs of cheese between white gummy bread, no doubt a government commodity, that just tasted horrid.  We also had inferior peanut butter that they slathered on the bread, no jelly, no honey, just dry bread and lots of peanut butter.  Blecht!  One year there was a surplus of the stuff, the cooks put peanut butter in meat loaf to bind it, we had cookies and cake, you name it, they made it with peanut butter.

They would also serve us instant potatoes and a sausage patty.  Oh, that was not good, either.  The taste was vile.  When high school came along, I quickly abandoned the mandatory school cafeteria for lunches at the local diner, Alice’s Cafe.  I happily ate a hamburger, french fries and a coke, for a total of fifty-five cents, every single day for four years.

But oh, those sloppy joes, maybe I’ll make them this week…

Do you want to hear Jennifer Aniston sing?

She is such a cutey patootie.  I saw her new movie, Love Happens, this weekend, and really liked it.  She was adorable, her name was Eloise, and she had a flower shop and drove this cute old Falcon hippie van. It’s worth seeing the movie just to see the fleurs.  There were lots and lots of huge cabbage roses, the prettiest I’ve ever seen.

Here’s the Ellen clip.  Egads, she needs to do something about her hair, though, it was in her face constantly, and drove me crazy watching her constantly flipping it back…

Thirty-four years ago this morning….

I had just given birth to Ryan.  And now he’s about to become a father.  I feel like life is coming full circle…

It’s a good day, the anniversary day of your children’s births.  My world is peaceful this morning…

Guiding Light, it’s all over, now…

Oh, this was a great soap in it’s day, I was such a fan in the 80's, tuned in regularly, and then lost track of it.

I watched the final episode today, the acting was not good, the actors, aging and tired,  it was time for it to go.  It made me sad to watch it, though, there wasn’t a lot of dignity in it’s adieu.

Except for Josh.  Oh my, that man has aged like a fine wine.  Just looking at him was a treat.   Oh my, goodness, will somebody bring Scarlett a fan, I do believe I’m a bit flushed…

Here’s a clip of the “Farewell.”  I thought some of you might enjoy seeing the familiar faces.

Mary Travers died today

Peter Paul and Mary, they were hugely popular in the sixties…  She passed away today from leukemia at the age of seventy two.

From MORE Magazine, What is wrong with Acting Old… if you are!

By: Anne Armand

There is nothing more ridiculous than an older person trying to look young or 'cool'. An old guy in a backwards aseball cap is funny. Why can't we just look like a nice version of ourselves. I have written a story called CHANGING, which I am waiting for MORE to publish. Basically, it is about aging. Please look at my picture. I am going to be 70 in November. So What? The old face matches my old body. They are a set. Does that mean I don't wear becoming clothes which are both age and figure appropriate? I am beginning to get annoyed with the emphasis on youth in a magazine that is supposed to be for women over 40. Perhaps they meant 41. Several of the women with whom I have exchange messages have been commenting on this for a while. In my story, I also mention that my brother-in-law was a cosmetic surgeon. I turned down his offer of a make-over. It's like a dead end street. You can't make me look totally young. Just bits and pieces that wouldn't match. You'd have to start with my toes and work up. I am what I am, and if I talk about the past, it is because I was there. If I talk about wisdom, it is because I have some. If I talk about my grandchildren, it is because I am an N'annie. Truthfully, I do the best with what I've got. My clothing is not LOFT it is TALBOTS. I follow the old rule: If you've worn a mini-skirt at an earlier age, you probably shouldn't wear one again. Old is Okay. If you take good care of yourself, you are going to get there too. Go gracefully, and don't worry about what people think. There is far more to a life well lived, than how you look. We place too much emphasis on appearance. So for those of you who have years to go to catch me, I will be on the golf course or on my computer. I sit by windows with lace curtains as I look out at the world. It is muted and soft. I like it that way! I have nothing MORE to prove, but oh, so many things to do.

Read her entire story, Changing, by clicking here.

This is pretty amazing…

I was watching Shep Smith on FOX News this afternoon and he said that one out of every twenty-two adults is now on Facebook, and the majority of them are over thirty-five.

I believe it, Facebook is kind of like going to a reunion without having to  lose any weight.   It’s the most fun I’ve had online in years.  If I’m not listed as your friend, I would love for you to add me.  Hey, it’s worth it just to see the M&M’s photo album!   Just email me by clicking here, and we’ll set it up.

~ jan

Yikes, can anti-perspirant really cause breast cancer!!!!

I just got the following email from my friend, Peg.  I don’t know if this is true or one of those false rumors that goes around, but it is certainly something to think about…

Why breast cancer is usually found near the armpit?

Some time ago, I attended a Breast Cancer Awareness seminar and I asked why the most common area for Breast Cancer was near the armpit.  My question could not be answered at that time. This e-mail was just sent to me, and I find it interesting that my question has been answered. I challenge you all to rethink your every day use of a product that could ultimately lead to a  terminal illness.  As of today, I will change my use. I showed it to another friend going through chemotherapy & she said she learned this fact in a support group

The leading cause of breast cancer is the use of anti-perspirant.
*What ???*

*Yes,*  *ANTI-PERSPIRANT*

Most of the products out there are an anti-perspirant /deodorant combination, so go home and check . Deodorant is fine, anti-perspirant is not!

Here's why :- The human body has a few areas that it uses to purge toxins ; behind the knees, behind the ears, groin area, and armpits. The toxins are purged in the form of perspiration.

Anti-perspirant, as the name clearly indicates, prevents you from perspiring, thereby inhibiting the body from purging toxins from below the armpits.

These toxins do not just magically disappear. Instead, the body deposits them in the lymph nodes below the arms since it cannot sweat them out..
Nearly all breast cancer tumors occur in the upper outside quadrant of the breast area.

This is precisely where the lymph nodes are located.. Additionally, men are less likely (but not completely exempt) to develop breast cancer prompted by  anti- perspirant usage because most of the anti-perspirant product is caught in their hair and is not directly applied
to the skin.

Women who apply anti-perspirant right after shaving increase the risk further because shaving causes almost imperceptible nicks in the skin which give the chemicals entrance into the body from the armpit area.

PLEASE pass this along to anyone you care about.
Breast cancer is becoming frighteningly common.
This awareness may save lives.

Old Girls Lawn Party….

Hooterville told me about this earlier today. I needed a laugh, this did the trick. Nothing like silly old women. Enjoy!

Gas, it happens to even the strongest of us…

My friends all complain about beans.  Apparently, nobody can eat beans without consequences, except for yours truly.  I’m always telling people that I eat fiber daily, beans almost every single day, so I have no problems.  Never, none, nada…  Oh yeah, I’m really smug about it too, they are all complaining about the gas, and I’m telling them I’m used to it, no problem.

Well, apparently I don’t know what I’m talking about.   I made 15 bean soup, yes, fifteen beans in that damned soup.  And ladies, it hasn’t set well with the old fiber queen.  So I owe all of you an apology for not understanding your pain….

I’m miserable, I’m bloated, I’m uncomfortable, this takes me back to the time a few years ago that I was starving on some stupid diet,  and I ate a lot of sweet potatoes, cabbage and beans all in the same meal.  I thought I was going to die!  I called Ryan, who, after picking himself up off the floor,  howling with laughter, told me to go the the drugstore for Gas-X.  So I hotfooted it right down to CVS, omg, the consequences of the Gas-X were even worse than the misery I was feeling from eating all that fiber.

I know not to try that trick again, so I’ll just tough it out.  I’m thinking I need to just stick with one bean at a time from now on, ya think???

Anything bad that happens to a dog just devastates me….

Jessica Simpson’s Maltipoo, Daisy, was snatched by a coyote last night, and she saw it happen.

I just can’t imagine, it makes me nauseous just thinking about it.  It’s hawk season now in Heavensville, for the past few days there have been three of them circling overhead.  I dread even taking the girls out to potty.  Even when you’re watching things can happen, as it did with her poor Daisy.

And speaking of dogs, Molly started wheezing last night, this morning it was worse, it was almost like she was gurgling when she breathed, and of course, I was in a panic.  Even hubby was worried, something wasn’t right.  So off to the vet she went, I had to leave her so they could work her in, Laura called me about noon, her throat is swollen, her lungs are clear, her heart is good, there is no obstruction, she thinks possibly she swallowed something.  LC said he saw a wasp earlier, the only thing I can think of is that she ate it, but that’s not like her, Mags is the one that pokes her little nose into everything, not Molly.

She’s home now, napping on a pillow on my computer desk.  Dr. Laura gave her a steroid shot, and sent home antibiotics and anti-inflammatory meds.  If she isn’t better by Thursday we have to do x-rays. 

She ate lunch, isn’t getting worse, so let’s hope the little imp did swallow something and that she will be better soon.  Maybe that’s why this story hit me so hard today, because my own little fur kid isn’t feeling the best…

Sometimes it’s really hard being a Yorkie mom…

R.I.P. Patrick Swazye

My two cents worth….

I seldom watch The View, because, quite frankly,  those women just annoy the hell out of me, but I did tune in today, and of course they were all over the Taylor Swift/Kanye West fiasco.

Sherry was trying to  be politically correct, heaven help it if she ever said anything negative about a black man.  Puh-leez, this man’s actions were inexcusable, and it just frosts my cake the way she pulled the reverse race card.  She is always front row center when a person of color is being discussed, instantly on the defensive, which of course, makes it that much more obvious.

There was no excuse for the way that idiot acted, I don’t care if the man was green.  He acted like a total jackass.  End of story.  Shame on you Sherry, for not having a stronger negative reaction to this totally disgusting, inappropriate behavior.

Here’s what Kelly Clarkson had to say about it on her blog.  Congrats to her for telling it the way it is!

Dear Kayne,

What happened to you as a child?? Did you not get hugged enough?? Something must have happened to make you this way and I think we're all just curious as to what would make a grown man go on national television and make a talented artist, let alone teenager, feel like sh*t.

I mean, I've seen you do some pretty shitty things, but you just keep amazing me with your tactless, asshole ways. It's absolutely fascinating how much I don't like you. I like everyone. I even like my asshole ex that cheated on me over you which is pretty odd since I don't even personally know you. The best part of this evening is that you weren't even up for THIS award and yet you still have a problem with the outcome. Is winning a moon man that much of a life goal?? You can have mine if it will shut you up. Is it that important, really??

I was actually nominated in the same category that Taylor won and I was excited for her ... so why can't you be?? I'm not even mad at you for being an asshole ... I just pity you because you're a sad human being.

On a side note, Beyonce has always been a class act and proved again tonight that she still is. Go TEXAS!!

Taylor Swift, you outsell him ...that's why he's bitter. You know I love your work! Keep it up girl!

KC

This is one of those really special sites….

This morning my buddy, Carlene, sent me, quite possibly, the most amazing healthy food site I’ve seen yet.  It’s called, Eating Well, Living Thin, and the food looks simply to die for!

If you can’t find something here that interests you, you’re totally hopeless.  There are so many good things, I don’t know what to make first…

Check it out here, girlfriends, this one’s a keeper!

~ jan

A daily dose of cuteness…

I answered the phone a bit ago, and this little voice said, “Jan, do you want to see my dress?”  It was Larkin, my buddy Trish’s granddaughter.  Trish brought her over and I snapped her picture on the golf cart.  Isn’t she just precious???

And just think, in another month, I’m going to have one of these!!!

a fun read….

oh my, they used sixteen sticks of butter!!!!

When friends saw Julia Child’s exuberance, they decided it was time to have their own fun in the kitchen.

read entire article

Wow, I haven’t blogged for awhile…

We’ve been in Lexington this week with Ryan and Lindsay.  She’s due in just a little over four weeks now.  FOUR WEEKS!!!!

Family is doing well, Lindsay looks adorable, there was a lot of dreaming and planning going on at their house, and lots of tummy feeling.  Sweet little granddaughter migrates to underneath your hand when you rest it on Lindsay’s belly.  I don’t remember mine doing that, but it was a wonderful feeling.

Now it’s back to real life, laundry, filling bird feeders, and blogging…

I’ve had a really good couple of blogs swirling around in my head, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what they were.  No surprise, huh…

I’ve got a great blog for you…

Hooterville posted a list of the 25 Best Blogs on her site, The Little Blog, and since she always knows about the good stuff  online, I started checking them out.

I came across this site, it’s called Zen Habits, Simple Productivity.   It’s a blog that offers simple ways to be more productive,  The blog features one article a day on topics such as personal productivity, organization, living frugally, eliminating debt, and cultivating good habits. With Zen Habits, practice makes perfect, and the blog excels at offering specific strategies to improve and simplify your life (16 Ways to Get Motivated When You're In a Slump, 20 Ways to Eliminate Stress from Your Life, 30 Simple Family Pleasures.) This is the rare blog that can actually improve your everyday life.

It’s awesome!  Simple little tricks, that even moi here can do.  No big life changing effort, just the simple things, which I preach about all the time on this site. 

The entries are really enlightening, I’m instantly seeing that I obsess way too much about what I put in my mouth, yeah, I know, you all realize that, no surprise here.  But it really is a great site.  Bookmark this one, girlfriends, it’s a winner, take some time, go thru their archives, I’m sure you will find things that will help you, too.  Pinkie swear ;~)

Here’s the click…

~ jan

ebooks, should I try them or not???

I’ve talked about my love for ebooks before.  I have a Sony Book Reader, and I access library books online, download, and transfer from my computer to my reader on an almost daily basis.

But what if you don’t have a bookreader?  You can still do it, all you have to do is download software to read them on your computer – Mobibooks or Adobe Digital are both great programs, and they’re free.

So maybe you’re interested, but still a little skeptical.  I’ve got something for you to try.  Harlequin Romance Novels, yeah, those cheesy novels we all like to read, is having their 60th Anniversary, and they’ve made sixteen of their books free to download.

So here’s the Harlequin link, give it a try this weekend, you might acually like it, Mikey!!!!

If you have problems, just email me, I’ll help you out.  I think ebooks are awesome, who knows, maybe you will, too.  And don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul that you secretly read Harlequin Romance Novels, pinky swear, I won’t. 

~ jan

The oldies were the goodies....

I’ve got a great product to tell you about…

I’m a huge fan of rectangular storage containers, I started with Gladware, then I switched to Rubbermaid, but now I’ve found the best of all.

I’m a glass girl, maybe it’s my age, I grew up in the Pyrex generation after all.

There is just something about glass storage containers.  They’re substantial, they don’t stain or get a film on them like plastic containers, they just seem…. cleaner, yeah, that’s the word, they are cleaner.

Earlier this summer I saw these GlassLock Containers, Kinetic Go Green, at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls.  I liked the look of them, loved the green silicone lids, bought them in three different sizes,and I think they are just awesome, so much so that I went back and bought duplicates.  The lids snap down, so you get a great waterproof seal, and best of all, the lids are easy to snap on and off. 

Four stars on this one, girlfriends, and if you can find them at your local Marshalls or T.J. Maxx, the price is half of what you pay on Amazon.

Poor Boy Sweaters, a blast from the past…

I was tooling down the expressway the other day and I had this flashback of a poorboy sweater.

For those of you who weren’t around in the mid 60’s, Poor Boys were the “in” thing to wear.  This picture depicts it really well, right down to the haircut.  I had the same do, along with a sweater very similar to this.  I think the whole poor boy fad was fueled by Twiggy, but of course, none of us corn-fed midwestern girls ever looked like she did in our sweaters.

What made me think of them anyway?  I hadn’t thought of those sweaters in, well, forever.  I had several of them, and my favorite was heather.  That was a big color in the 60’s, too, “heather,” it was kind of a soft muted purple.  Oh, what a kick, remembering my poor boys.  Drats, I wish I had a picture!!!

Fritos, a blast from the past this morning…

This was what I ate as a child, every afternoon, a yellow bag of Fritos, just like these.

I would race from school to the drugstore where Mother worked, for a bag of  Fritos with a fountain cherry coke. 

And how much did this bag cost?  A nickel, five cents.  Yep, that’s right, five cents.  Pretty amazing, huh…

I’m still a fan, too.  I seldom eat Fritos as they are loaded with oil, but oh, do I love them.  And thankfully, Frito-Lay hasn’t messed with the recipe, they taste just like I remembered them as a little girl…

Don’t send a man to the grocery store….

Carlene sent me this video, I’m sitting here just absolutely cracking up, clutching my sides, laughing, oh this is hysterical….

Things I don’t do anymore…

I was reading a blog today, they were talking about what they don’t do anymore, it inspired me, so here’s my list…

• Use hairspray.  For the first time since I can remember, no spray.  This is a huge deal for me.
• Follow the herd.  John taught me to break away.  I take a different route instead of sitting in traffic, I go to alternate cash registers in stores, I don’t blindly follow what others do, I make my own path,  it’s very freeing.
• Do what is expected of me instead of what I want.  I’m getting old, it’s my time to do what makes me happy.
• Expect things of people.  I’ve learned to be grateful and not expect anything, then when you receive, it’s a gift.
• Take friendships for granted.  I cherish the wonderful women in my life, they are hugely important to me.  It’s a sisterhood, my girlfriends are my family.
• Chew gum, I gave it up, people my age look silly chewing gum, well they do!
• Watch stupid television shows, I rarely watch tv, nothing interests me.  I would much rather read or be on the computer, so that’s what I do.
• Take life too seriously.  I really don’t.  If it isn’t catastrophic, I just go with the flow.  Well, most of the time I do.
• Filter my thoughts, which I was reminded recently by my son that I should do.  It’s not gonna happen, I’m a mouthy old broad, my offspring will just have to roll their eyes and deal with it…
• Have phony friends, I absolutely detest people who are fake.  Best quote ever, “I Yam what I Yam, says Popeye the Sailor Man.”  That’s my mantra, I live by it, and my friends do too!!!

Things I still do, but want to change...

• Stop being a slave to my Blackberry.  I don’t have to check email or messages every time those silly little tunes alert me that I have updates.
• Let my hair go gray.  Oh, I shudder at even typing the words.  I really would like to, but I just can’t.  I have a buddy with beautifully graying hair, I just know mine would be an icky color..
• Procrastinate.  It’s in my genes, I’m afraid there is no hope of ever being organized.  I just don’t have an organized mind, and I’m not going to get one at this age.
• Analyze every bite that goes into my mouth, Weight Watchers Points are forever imbedded in my brain when I look at food.
• Stay away from the jewelry counters.  I’ve got enough silver jewelry now to sell for scrap metal, why do I feel the need to buy more.  Okay, so I really don’t want to stay away from the jewelry counter, but I should, seriously! Oh, btw, I got this pair of awesome earrings last week… *evil grin*
• I’m a compulsive hair twirler, I have always done it, except when my hair was short and there was nothing to twirl,  but now that my hair has grown out, I’m back to twirling.  Short of shaving my head, I don’t know how to stop.  I mostly do it when I read.  Go figure…
• Open mouth, insert foot.  ‘nuf said…

And that’s the way it is, Saturday, August 29, 2007….

All About Steve

I really enjoyed Sandra Bullock in The Proposal, her new movie, All About Steve, comes out September 4th.  Looks a little cheesy, but I’ll check it out anyway…

A card table playhouse, how cute is this….

Anything to do with a little girl is naturally going to get my attention. 

I was reading Amy’s blog this morning, she featured this felt playhouse, for sale at Etsy.  Is this the cutest thing, ever?  

Oh my goodness….

It’s Dilly’s birthday!!!!

 

 

This is Lindsay’s last birthday before baby… 

Next year she will have an almost one year old to share her cake with…

 Happy Birthday, sweet daughter-in-law, enjoy your day!!!

~XOXOXO~

Such a simple thing that triggered a long forgotten memory…

It was another picture perfect day in Heavensville and hubby and I had an impromptu picnic in the park.  This is the view from where I sat, captured with my Blackberry…  It was shady and warm, a soft breeze was blowing, there were ducks nearby, and I was enjoying the moment, when a kerthunk startled me.  I looked down at the ground and a squirrel on a limb overhead had shook a branch and a black walnut fell by my foot.

I had a total flashback to being a little girl again, a time when we regularly ate from the land as a means of survival.  Mother and I would gather black walnuts, pecans, walnuts and hickory nuts in the early fall.  She would sit in the living room in the evenings, listening to the Crosley Radio, and using a nut cracker, with her head bent, she would shell the nuts and dig the goodies out with a pick.  A quart Ball fruit jar would be sitting nearby, and she would plunk the nutmeats  into the jar to save for winter baking.

The black walnuts were the messiest, the hulls would stain your skin, and if you’ve never eaten them, it’s definitely a love/hate kind of food. 

I happen to be a fan, Mother’s  black walnut divinity was just the most wonderful thing…  It’s a strong flavor, really distinct, some people don’t care for, but I’ve always loved the taste.

Of all the nuts we gathered, by far, the hardest to shell, the smallest nut of all, and naturally the one that yielded the best flavor was the hickory nut.  Oh my, they were so hard to crack, and it was impossible to get the nut out in one piece, but like most things in life, whatever requires the most work yields the best rewards.

She would always save the hickory nuts until Thanksgiving and Christmas.  She made the most wonderful hickory nut cake, and hickory nut fudge, neither of which recipe I have, unfortunately.  I did find this recipe for hickory nut cake online, it’s a butter cake, that seems to be similar to hers, with it’s brown sugar frosting and hickory nut garnish.

Pecans were the easiest to gather and pluck from the shell.  We would go in the country to an area where there were pecan trees.  The farmer that owned the land would bump the trees with a tractor, so that the nuts would fall to the ground,  and then would usher you thru a gate to pick the pecans off the ground.  On the way out, your filled containers would be weighed and you were charged for the nuts.  Of course I don’t remember how much it cost, but I’m sure it wasn’t very much money.  It was always something we looked forward to every year, gathering pecans, and we would usually have a car full of women and kids off to the woods on a cool fall day.

What fond memories that squirrel triggered for me today.  I hadn’t thought of  this for years. Now if I could just get my hands on some hickory nuts to make that cake for Thanksgiving…

What is it about fall???

Hooterville sent me this picture a few days ago.  It’s from our fall picnic last year.  We’re all eager for a repeat, soon.

There is just something about sweatshirt weather, the smell of a crackling fire, burnt weiners and marshmallows that makes me long for fall.

I’m a huge fan of burnt marshmallows, I can forgo the chocolate and graham crackers after just a few bites, but I can eat those toasted marshmallows all afternoon.  I never have the patience to toast them golden brown, instead I catch them on fire, blow out the blaze, and suck down those carcinogens like they’re good for me…

It’s more like late September than late August this week in Heavensville.  It really gets me in the mood… 

But it won’t be long , we’ll load up the Smokey Joe, grab the dawgs and burger, and head out for a day in the woods…

I’m ready now!  Why do we have to wait for fall…