Still thrilled with micro-irrigation…

It’s September, never a good month in my garden.  By September, I’m tired of watering, doing it sporadically, the plants are fading away, the ferns are dying.  But not this year, oh no, it’s a jungle out there.  Just look at the size of these plants!  And I haven’t watered one single time since mid July when John installed the micro irrigation system.  Isn’t it awesome?  Check out the size of that impatien next to the the chiminea,  it’s huge!

Some of you may think, egads, that’s overkill.  Of course it’s overkill, it’s me, ladies, I’m always over the top.  But I lo-ove it.  I think it’s wonderful! 

We’ve had such a hot dry summer here, it just astonishes me how well this works.  Hubby installed it in the front, also, so I don’t have to water the plants in my little courtyard.  I’m 100% maintenance free.

Think about it for your gardens next summer.  I can give you all the info.  It’s very inexpensive, it’s all commercial products, not consumer, prices are much better.  It’s an amazing sight to behold… 

~ jan

 

Fish stew, first attempt….

Okay, after several emails back and forth with Carlene this morning, I decided to give fish stew a try.  She was skeptical because flounder is thin, she thought it might disintegrate in the soup.  She lives in Maryland, has great access to all kind of fish and seafood, unfortuanately, in Heavensville it doesn’t happen.  I have to use frozen.

So here’s what I did, here’s how it turned out, and here is my take on it…

• 1 can diced italian tomatoes (a few herbs can’t hurt)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 yukon gold potatoes, diced, with peeling left on
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 onion chopped
• handful of chopped cabbage (I didn’t have bok choy)
• 1 cup frozen lima beans
• handful of frozen peas.
• salt and pepper to taste

I simmered the veggies in the stock, then added two whole pieces of frozen flounder, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, then I took the fish out, gently, and let the rest of the soup simmer until done. 

Carlene likes her soup without cornstarch, we like the broth a bit thicker, so I added a tablespoon or so of cornstarch mixed into 1/2 cup water at the end.  Then I flaked the fish into chunks and carefully put it back in so it didn’t fall completely apart.

And????

It was good, it could have been better I think with a splash of white wine or sherry as Carlene suggested, but nothing was open, and I didn’t want to open a bottle for this.

It does taste like fish, but it’s not overpowering.  I added a few chow mein noodles (no croutons in the pantry) for some crunch.  And yes, that’s a dip bowl I put it in – it’s my favorite bowl for soup….

I would do this again for sure, but I don’t think I would want it more than a couple of times before tiring of it.  However, if I would have had bok choy, I would have worked in 3 of the five cancer starving ingredients, cooked tomatoes, bok choy and flounder.

Starving Cancer: Anti-Angiogenesis–Dr. Oz.

New research shows that 40% of women in their 40s have microscopic breast cancer. Even more shocking, almost 100% of people in their 70s will have microscopic cancer in their thyroid glands.

I was in the kitchen last week, turned on the television, Dr. Oz was on, and was very interested in what the segment was about, starving cancer by eating five foods regularly.  It’s pretty simple, ladies, we can do this and it could save our lives.

I was talking to Ryan about this earlier this week, he suggested making a fish stew, eating a cup of it a few times a week, using all the ingredients in this list, except for the strawberries.  I’m going to talk to my foodie guru buddy, Carlene, see if she can come up with a recipe for us… 

Here’s the video

And here’s the list of foods 

• Bok Choy
• Cooked Tomatoes
• Flounder
• Strawberries
• Artichokes

Exciting news at our house this weekend….

John and Deanna are engaged!!!!!  He proposed in Europe last week, and we are all absolutely thrilled about it!!!

Deanna is absolutely, positively adorable.  She’s spunky and cute, kind and gentle, funny and sweet, a true southern lady, and we’re all so lucky to have her in our lives. 

John is so happy, I’ve ever seen him as contented with his life as he is now.  All of our friends and family are so excited for them, oh what a wonderful gift this is. 

They came home to tell us this weekend, we’ve just had the best time!  Life is good for our family, we are so blessed.  ~ jan

Guess where I’ve been this week???

Oh, I could just gush all day about how precious she is.  She’s on the move, girlfriends, grips those little toes against the rug and balances, she’ll be walking soon, she stands alone for quite a while now.

She has a vocabulary, too!!!  Da-da, Ma-ma, ball and bye-bye.   She’s a happy baby, she has a mother that sings to her and plays with her and laughs a lot, so she mimics that.  She always gets quiet when you sing to her, and she pats her little hands on her thighs when music is playing.  She has rhythm!  She DOES!!!! She’s never still, always playing with her toys, methodically clicking certain buttons to make the sounds she wants to hear.  We just sit and watch her for hours.  She’s not a lap sitter, oh no, she’s a big girl, now, wants down to play all the time.

A lot of you have been where I’m at, you know what I’m feeling, the pure joy of every single thing she does.  She crawls all over the house, follows Lindsay like a little puppy, when she see’s Ryan, she squeals “DA-DA,” and crawls to him as fast as she can and puts out those little arms for him to pick her up. 

These pictures enlarge, if you click on them, you can see close ups.

It’s a wonderful thing, this grammie stuff.  I’m enjoying every second of it…  ~ jan

Just another day in the life…

So, I’m in the kitchen, whipping up a batch of Hungry Girl’s Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes, yeah, they’re really good, but anyway, they are lumpy, so I grab my whisk and smooth them out, and I’m thinking that I remember the day we didn’t have whisks. Yikes, I do!!!

In fact, a lot of my kitchen favorites are fairly recent.  Sometimes I forget just how old I really am.  And it just frosts my cake that I won’t be around to see what life in the kitchen will be like 30-50 years from now. 

Just wanted to give you all a reality check this morning.  Sure thing, umhmmm, thanks Jan, right…

A cartoon we all can relate to…

It’s a fall breeze….

The windows are open again, the front door, too. It’s 70 degrees this morning in Heavensville, and life is good.  Family is great, John and Deanna are having a wonderful vacation, Ry’s little family is doing well.

The only way it could be better is if I had a screen door to bang.  Seriously, one of my favorite sounds, preferably with little children running in and out… again

It’s a good day….

It’s cool enough this morning to have the front door open.  The fresh air coming in through the screen smells wonderful.  The dogs are bathed, laundry is spinning in the dryer, hubby just installed micro irrigation for the plants in front of the house.  It’s a productive morning.

John and Deanna are in Tuscany today.  I can’t wait to hear all about it.  I made white beans and tuna with olive oil and sage for lunch.  Trying to have a little taste of Tuscany in Heavensville…

I’ve got somebody I want you to meet….

My friend, Nisha, is a new grandmother to baby Gabby.  Nish and I have been friends forever, and I’ve known Gabby’s mother, Mandi, since she was a toddler.  Isn’t she a precious little baby?  Oh, it’s so much fun when your girlfriends are new grammies, too! 

Nisha is so proud of this grandchild, and she’s having so much fun on an extended visit, getting acquainted with her.

She’s almost two weeks old now, and I can’t wait to meet her!  Oh, she’s just too cute for words!!!!!!!!  She’s gonna be a beauty, just like her pretty little mama!!!

~ jan  

More of those simple things…

I’ve changed so much with the passing years.  Things that once gave me great pleasure no longer hold any interest.  I’m happiest when I’m home, puttering around the kitchen, walking thru my flowers, playing with my dogs, remembering the good times…

My memories of mother come often now, and they’re happy memories. Thoughts of her and the things she did brings a smile to my face daily.  I find myself doing things that she used to do, like cutting fresh roses from the garden for my kitchen, washing my lettuce in her favorite stainless steel bowl that I talk about so often, even sticking the knife in the lettuce the way she used to.  A basket of napkins sit on the counter, just simple things like this give me so much pleasure. 

Our family is on the move this month.  Ryan, Lindsay and bebe Abby are returning from her birthday week with her family in Washington State today.  John and Deanna are leaving in the morning for their vacation in Europe.  They’re going to Switzerland, driving thru Italy, and they’re going to Tuscany, and Verona, too.  Oh, how I look forward to the pictures and hearing about the italian countryside, the villages, and the people.

I’m missing Abby already and I just saw her two weeks ago.  She talks on the phone to me now, she yells “Hi,” “Hi,” “Hi.” I think there will be a trip to Lexington in our near future. 

But for today, I’m content to be home with the dogs and my music, just kicking back with a good book this afternoon.

Safe journey, dear family, life is good…

I’ve come to the realization….

I don’t like to smell like fruit.  So many of the body washes smelly “fruity.”  I’ve tried several, butthey’re just not right.  I like to smell like soap.  Is it my age?  Does this come from growing up using Safeguard and Dial? 

I’m not going to buy anything “fruity” again, even though the Dove Peachy one is pretty delicious smelling.

I just bought a new bottle of Dial Fresh Body Wash, and dahlings, I do smell ‘mahvelous’ today, I really do.  Much better than smelling like a pomegranate…

I’m old now, set in my ways, just can’t go with the trends on this one.  Nope, not even gonna try…

But the good news is that the old standby’s, Zest, Dial, even Caress have slashed their prices deeply, trying to compete with the new kids on the block.  Works for me…

So this is what I've been up to....

Every once in a while I get on an organizing kick.  I learned long ago that containment is the secret to organization, but then I somehow don't always apply it.  My pantry needed a redo.  We always have a lot of food in the house, and it's stacked in the pantry, and half of it you don't see because it's hidden in the back, and when you try to get items from the back, everything falls over or falls off the shelf.

So, I decided that it would be great if everything was in baskets, the way they do it in the Williams-Sonoma or Pottery Barn  catalogs.  Beautiful, brown baskets, all stacked in rows with all my staples in them.  But there are two problems with that, first of all, it could be really spendy.  Baskets aren't cheap, they would easily cost me $20-35 dollars each and that would be a major expense.  And second, they wouldn't be at all transparent, it would be hard to see inside them.

So Sunday I was on a mission, I went to Wally World, checked out their storage section, and found these plastic baskets.  The small ones cost me $1.50, the large size was $2.50, and I bought one jumbo one for $3.50.  And as a result, I bought a total of fourteen baskets, and reorganized my entire pantry for $30, yes, all of it for $30!  What a deal!!! The big basket on the bottom of the pantry I've had for several years, and you can't see the top shelf in the picture, but it's all organized, too, and I think it looks great!!! So here are the pictures, before and after, and yes, that's Hamburger Helper you see in there.  *blush*  Well, after all, it does make a great meal!!! And yikes, I didn't realize it looked that bad before, I really didn't.

What does your pantry look like?  Maybe you would like to redo yours, too.  These baskets work great, you can pull out, for instance, all your pastas, take a look at what you need and put them back, nothing falls over, nothing spills out.  Works for me...

 ~ jan

I thought of mother this morning...

I fixed my favorite summer breakfast, a strip of bacon, poached egg on an english muffin, slices of green pepper, a fresh tomato from John and Deanna's garden, and an onion.  Mother always had an onion with every meal.  I ate it and thought of her, she would have enjoyed it so much.

I've been out of touch lately.  We spent several days in Nashville with the family, celebrating LC's sixty-fifth birthday.  It was such a good time, families are just the BEST!

Bebe Abby is simply adorable.  She's ten months old now, babbling nonstop, pulling up to everything, and crawling everywhere.  She's so funny, she crawls to the edges of rugs, and as soon as she hits hardwood she stops.  Smart little granddaughter.

And speaking of granddaughters, my friend, Nisha, is a new grammie.  Gabrielle Renee was born Monday morning, weighing in at 5 lbs. 5 ounces, the cutest little baby, ever, well, except for Abby, of course, with a head full of black hair.  I'm so happy for Mandi and Eric, they had a tough pregnancy, but all is well now and that baby is just precious!  I can't wait to get my hands on her...

Is dementia setting in?

I have a morning routine, same breakfast every morning, coffee, a poached egg on an english muffin and a piece of fruit.  I make my coffee, get out my coffee cup, put in the Splenda and fat free half and half, slice the english muffin, pop it in the toaster.

I fill a mug 1/3 full of hot water, add just a tiny splash of vinegar and a pinch of salt, crack my egg in the mug, nuke it for 1 minute 15 seconds, drain it with a mesh sieve, and put it on my english muffin.  I do this every, single morning.

So I go through the routine this morning like the trained monkey I am, have everything ready, put in the toast, start the microwave, but wait, where’s my coffee?  I can’t find it anywhere, meanwhile the microwave is beeping, the english muffin has popped up, and I’m getting frazzled.  This isn’t right!  Where IS that coffee!  I open the microwave, jeez louise, I had poached my egg in my fat free half and half and Splenda in my coffee cup!

I’m losing it, I really am…  And no, I didn’t taste it!  Threw it out, and started all over.  Then I burnt my muffin!  It was just one of those mornings…

Now THIS is funny!

I just read this on a wiki site and burst out laughing.  Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be one of these women!

Trinny and Susannah recommend that flat chested women substitute a bandeau made from flesh-colored tights tied around your chest like a bandeau rather than wearing an uncomfortable and unnecessary bra. This way, you can wear a skimpy top or dress without feeling exposed.

Your daily dose of cuteness….

Hillary’s rehearsal dinner caftan….

Is it just me, or is this the most gawdawful getup you ever saw in your life for the most talked about rehearsal dinner of the year.  Is this her idea of country chic?

Law-dee, I just had to do a poll, scroll down to the right sidebar and give me your opinion. 

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m thinking hil took a spill with this caftan look.  It will be memorable though, you can take that to the bank.  Somehow I keep thinking Aretha Franklin.  Oh, bad girl, Jan, bad girl… Well it’s the truth!

Girls just wanna have fu-un…

Crystal Light Natural Immunity Cherry Pomegranate

I’ve been telling everyone how good this Cherry Pomegranate drink is from Crystal Light.  I make it with half the water, so the flavor is really intense, however, the color is really intense, also.

I was out with LC on Milly last night, we were talking to the neighbors, I look at him and do a double take, holy crap, he has a Kool-Aid smile!!! Geezy Pete, I never thought about that!  I asked him if I had one, too, and of course I did!

Law-dee, two old people on golf carts with smiley stains on their mouths.  Our neighbors must have thought we were nuts!  Why didn’t somebody say something?

Cause they were too busy laughing to themselves, that’s why!!!!! 

So this morning I’m drinking it through a straw.  Smart idea huh, well, not really!  I only have one straw, yes, one straw, I’ve had it for a whole year now. It’s a jumbo straw, I had a smoothie at Panera last summer and that’s where it came from.  And no, I’m not a hoarder, I never save anything, but this thing is great for smoothies.

Oh, this sound so stupid, saving a straw for a year!  But I don’t know where to find really big straws.  Note to self:  try to find a package of them this weekend. 

So anyway, I took a big drink with that huge straw and that damn stuff is so strong that I got really choked!  So now here I sit, trying to recover from that little episode.

Oh joy, just another day in paradise…

More about being a Grammie….

I’ve missed Abby so much this week.  She is so much fun, and such a good little kid.  Having her last weekend not only gave me a chance to have time with her by myself, but to appreciate what a good job her parents are doing.

I try not to bore all of you too much by being a gushy grammie, but oh, I could just go on and on.  Nine months is such a cute age, she puffs out her little chest and crows like a rooster.  She squeals and babbles and drools and lowers her head for you to kiss it.  She gets up on all fours and tries to do the bear walk on her tippie toes.  She chews on her feet, and reaches for you and inhales her food faster than you can spoon it in her mouth.  She crawls across the floor, and sometimes she gets on all fours, and hops like a little frog.

The dogs hover, but don’t touch, but those days may be numbered.  She’s after them, she just can’t get to them yet.  She walked herself the length of the couch trying to get to Maggie. Mags was egging her on, with her little tail wagging, she wanted to play with her, and ended up pouted on the couch all weekend because I wouldn’t let her.  Mollie tried her best to sniff her and sit on the quilt with her, but I wouldn’t let her do that, either.  It’s only because Abby was allergic to them when she was an infant, but now the allergies seems to have passed, she didn’t have any reaction to them at all.  But she did to study them intently, no doubt trying to figure out how to get her hands on them.

I opened up the fridge after they left, there sat her YoBaby Yogurt and her Organic baby food.  I haven’t thrown it out yet, it makes me happy just seeing it.

So many of you are probably smiling right now, you’ve been though this already, while it took me longer than a lot of you to be a Grammie, but it’s a wonderful thing.  My friends asked if I was exhausted and ready for her to leave.  Not at all, I wasn’t that tired and I was sad to see her go.  But she’ll be back, or we’ll go there.  Hubby is retiring in the fall, so we will have more free time to visit.  I feel so lucky that they only live three hours from us.

But I won’t bore you with this, I won’t go on and on about how adorable  she is anymore.  Well, I guess I already did, didn’t I.  *blush* Can’t help it, she’s just so darned cute!

I had a senior moment…

I needed applesauce, so off I go to the grocery store last night.  I just took my time, browsed the aisles, was gone so long hubby called to see if I was okay.

“I’m fine, I told him, just shopping, be home in a bit.”

So I checked out, came home with $30 worth of impulse buys, put it away, sit down to talk to him and realize I forgot the applesauce!

I FORGOT THE APPLESAUCE!!!  That was the only reason I went in the first place!

It’s just hopeless, I can’t remember anything these days.  So I have to go back today and pick up a jar.  Or  I just peel the shriveling apples in the crisper drawer that I forgot I had and make my own.

Now that’s a thought…

3 Funny Moments from Ma & Pa Kettle Go To Town

God love ‘em, they were just the BEST!

The Changing Face of Beauty

There’s a whole lot of patty-caking going on at my house this weekend…

Abby’s first sleepover with Grammie and Grandpa was an absolute blast!  She got to visit with so many people, Veronica and Rich came to visit, so did Trish, Adie and Hayden.  She got to see Marti and Sandy and Janet.  Her schedule went right out the window, she was up late and slept in this morning.  Worked for us ;o)

Guess who’s coming for her very first sleepover with Grammie?

Abby Leigh!  Ryan and Lindsay are going out of town to a wedding tomorrow night, and bebe granddaughter is staying with me, well LC, too of course, but he’s working!  Oh, what a fun weekend I have ahead of me!!!!

Call to see if she’s napping girlfriends, if she’s not, stop over!!!

Remember this? Seals and Croft, Summer Breeze

Maidenform Women’s Control It! Built up Camisole

I’ve blogged many times about various types of body shapers, all the way from Spanx to Shapee’s, I’ve tried them all over the years, and so has Nisha.

Well, she never found one she liked until now.  She called me this week just raving about this Maidenform Women’s Control It, her girlfriends are wearing these every day and loving them.  She says when it’s on, it’s really comfortable, and they’re on sale this week at Kohl’s.  Buy one, get one half price.

So of course I hotfoot it down to Kohl’s, because if she likes this thing it has to be good.  I dragged hubby along with me, he’s somewhere in the store, I grab the style in this picture, there is also a spaghetti strapped one, a full cami, and one that goes underneath your bra, and I’m off to the dressing room.  Nisha warned me that it’s really skinny, but that it stretches when you put it on.  Umhmmmm, sure it does.

I was pretty skeptical as this thing was no bigger than a leg warmer (oh, that’s a blast from the past) but I take off my shirt and begin the laborious process of putting it on.  I twist and I turn and I struggle and I finally get it on, willing the damn thing to stretch before I have to take it off, all the while little warning bells are going off in my head, which I’m choosing to ignore.  I put on my shirt, yeah, the fat looks smoother, the girls are smashed, too, which is fine by me, and I stay in the dressing room for a minute, thinking it will magically stretch before I start pulling it over my head, but no such luck! I’m trying to get out of it, and it’s like Houdini trying to escape from chains, I finally manage to get it above my boobs and get my arms out of it, but I’m stuck.  I’m hopelessly, totally stuck!  This thing is not going to go over my head.

So I call hubby on the cell, tell him he has to come to the dressing room, thank goodness it was early, nobody was around, cause’ he had to take the thing off of me, and to hurry because I’m getting claustrophobic.

He didn’t even comment, bless his heart, he’s lived with me enough years to know I get myself in worse situations than this, he just yanked it over my head and left.

And did I put it back on the rack?????  Of course not, I bought it!  It’s gonna stretch, I just know it!!!!  Lord have mercy, what am I thinking???

If you’re interested, here’s the Amazon link, but the sale at Kohl’s is through the weekend.  And it’s not with the bras, it’s on a side wall with the foundation garments.  They have some Maidenform cami’s that are $18, that’s not what you’re looking for, this one was $34.00.

Is there anything better than a late breakfast on a summer morning. A mug of coffee, bacon, eggs over easy, fresh tomato, green onions, green pepper slices and toast with blackberry jam. Life is good....

ComfortIs Review…

I talked a few months ago about my fur kids and our battles with the dreaded fleas.  Maggie is allergic to Advantix, so we used Frontline Plus, it would work for two weeks, and the fleas would return.  We bombed the house, washed the bedding, put that FrontLine on faithfully, and yet the fleas persisted.

So, at the advise of Angi, for whom I shall always be grateful, I tried ComfortIs.  It’s a fairly new flea med, prescription only, under $15 a month, and it’s a pill.  No more putting that liquid on their backs and not being able to bathe them for days, you just give them this beef flavored pill and the fleas die within 30 minutes and don’t come back!

Well, is it working???  YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!!!!  It really works!!!!!  For the first time in ages, we haven’t seen those pesky little devils on the girls.  I’m sold, it’s a great product, you do have to administer it on a full stomach or they can upchuck.  That happened to Mags once, about two hours after she had taken it, but we were safe, it’s effective after an hour, and she only threw up the one time, probably because her tummy wasn’t as full as it should have been.  So now I feed them immediately after a meal.

It doesn’t have heartworm protection, that’s the only disadvantage, but this is by far the best produce I’ve found.  So if you’re having problems with your canine buddies this summer, you might want to try this.  It’s a good thing…

~ jan

Carrie Underwood’s Dog Ace

This is so cute, and you get a peek at her house, too.

And let’s not forget SKORTS!!!!

Okay, I’m on a roll here, just wallowing in nostalgia this Saturday afternoon.  Did you have a skort?  I did, mine was madras plaid and I though it was wonderful.  It had tiny pleats at the waistband and bloomers underneath.  It was hot girlfriends, smokin hot!!!!

 

Playtex Swim Caps

While I’m tripping down memory lane, I might as well add this.  Remember Playtex Swim Caps and how they smelled horrible, that awful rubbery smell, and how they pulled our hair when we put them on.

Mine was pale lemon yellow, I’ll never forget it.   I bet you remember yours, too…

Summer Blonde….

I’ve got a little blast from the past this morning, a Summer Blonde commercial.

I bet I’m getting a lot of smiles.  If you’re from my generation, you will remember this, and yes, of course I had to try it, didn’t you?  ~ Jan

Am I the only one of my readers watching Hot in Cleveland????

If you’re not watching this, you’re missing out ladies. It’s on at 9 pm Wednesdays on TVLand.  Full Episodes are available online.  This week was “The Sex That Got Away.”

It was sooooo funny.  Yeah, it’s bawdy, but the fact that they are “older” women makes it all really hilarious. Not all of the episodes are this explicit, so if you don’t like this one don’t give up on it.

Here’s a link if you want to watch it, and if anybody else is liking this show, let me know.

~ Jan

Here’s the link to the episodes>>>

A Senior Wedding….

Oh this is classic.  Thanks to Carlene for sending it to me…

Jacob, age 92, and Rebecca, age 89, living in Miami, are all excited about their decision to get married.  They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding, and on the way they pass a drugstore.
Jacob suggests they go in.

Jacob addresses the man behind the counter:

"Are you the owner?"

The pharmacist answers, "Yes."

Jacob:  "We're about to get married.  Do you sell heart medication?"

Pharmacist:  "Of course we do."

Jacob:  "How about medicine for circulation?"

Pharmacist:  "All kinds."
Jacob:  "Medicine for rheumatism?"
 
Pharmacist:  "Definitely."

Jacob:  "How about suppositories?"

Pharmacist:  "You bet!"

Jacob:  "Medicine for memory problems, arthritis and Alzheimer's?"

Pharmacist:  "Yes, a large variety.  The works."

Jacob:  "What about vitamins, sleeping pills, Geritol, antidotes for Parkinson's disease?"

Pharmacist:  "Absolutely."

Jacob:  "Everything for heartburn and indigestion?"

Pharmacist:  "We sure do."

Jacob:  "You sell wheelchairs and walkers and canes?"

Pharmacist:  "All speeds and sizes."

Jacob:  "Adult diapers?"

Pharmacist:  "Sure."

Jacob:  "We'd like to use this store as our Bridal Registry."

Continuous Chest Compression CPR

Watch this, it could save a life…

Micro Irrigation for your garden…

I’ve got two things to share with you this morning.  The first one is  a mind blower, for me anyway.

My patio is a jungle of plants and hanging ferns.  It takes at least 15-20 minutes every morning to water everything.  The ferns are labor intensive, too, you don’t miss a day.  Well, John and Deanna came home for the 4th, and John brought us a micro drip irrigation system.  It took him less than two hours to install it, and now all the pots are self watering.  It’s the damndest thing I’ve ever seen.  It’s plugged into the water spigot on the patio, on a timer, takes only 4 minutes to water, and when you set it up you can adjust the water flow into each container.  It has a 1/4” tube that is anchored in each pot with this little mister attached to it, so that it waters the entire container.  I had thirty-five different plants that they used it on, and after four minutes water is dripping out the bottoms of everything.  So, those of you who are gardeners and would like an easier way, check into this.  He also hooks up the fertilizer inline, so that it fertilizes when it waters.  He and Deanna installed it last month at his house, and they’ve had amazing results, their plants are just huge now.  Expensive, no, not at all.  Our system is a lot larger than most people would need and it cost less than $100. What you will save on your water bill in a season will pay for the system.   You don’t really see it either, you have to look closely to see the lines.

And the second product, oh do I have a toothpaste for you.  Crest 3D Vivid.  It’s the best toothpaste I’ve ever used.  I told Ang about it, she bought it this week and she loves it, too!

It has silica in it, so it’s like using a loofah on your teeth.  The advertising for it says that it will remove up to 80% of surface stains on your teeth in two weeks, so it’s great for coffee and tea drinkers.

It makes your teeth so smooth, it’s like they’ve just been cleaned, and the taste is wonderful.  Pick up a tube, it’s $4 well spent.

And that’s it from my little corner of the world.  I’ve been involved in a big computer project so I haven’t been around a lot.  I hope you all had a great holiday weekend, ours was terrific!  ~ jan

Any of you who have ever loved a dog need to read this…

And if you aren’t a dog lover, you still need to read this.  It’s about my friend, Lori, and the story of her rescue dog, Plummy.  Get out the kleenex ladies, this is a tear jerker, but such an inspiring story about what love can do.  Lori is a wonderful lady, and Miss Plum is one lucky little Pug.  What a wonderful story, it will tug at your heartstrings for sure this afternoon…

~ jan

Here’s the click>>>

Hot in Cleveland

 

Okay, so maybe they won’t win an Emmy, but they’re entertaining.  I’ve watched both episodes, the last one was far better than the first, Betty White is feisty, the other girls are a bit shopworn, but aren’t we all.  It’s refreshing to see a sitcom for the older generation again.  I was laughing out loud at them, a rarity for me with any television program these days…

Abby 6.25.10

Just had to share Abby’s latest pictures.  Oh, you can see those little teeth, how cute!!!

Farrah Fawcett, she was such a beauty in her day…

It’s been a year now since she passed away, and as I was looking at this picture, I thought what a fresh faced beauty she was. 

This was the 70’s, before Botox, before implants and liposuction.  Pictures weren’t airbrushed, this was the real meal deal.

She was the lovely poster girl with the megawatt smile, who left us way too soon…

Senior Citizen Driving

Oh, this could be me, it could.  Poor old feller got shook…

Nothing like cucumbers and onions in the summertime…

I talked to Deanna a few days ago, and she was telling me about her garden.  She and John planted their first one this year, and she has cucumbers.  She was so excited. 

My oldest son is so much like his father.  He always is figuring out a better way.  He installed a sprinkler system in his back yard, then he figured out how to constantly give it a dose of fertilizer every time he waters, and now they have put drips on all of their pots so they are totally self watered.  As a result, their garden is growing like crazy,  looks like they are going to have a bounty of fresh veggies.

I’m thinking that hubby and I need to do that next year.  It would sure change our routine, every morning we’re out with the hose.  The weather is so hot in Heavensville that we have to water really often.  It sure would be nice for it to all happen automatically.

So this morning I got up, fixed these cucumbers and onions, put great northern and pinto beans in the pressure cooker and made a pitcher of tea.  Just a country summer morning.  And how do I make the cucumbers and onions?

I slice them thinly with the mandoline, add equal parts of vinegar and water, I had a big english cucumber, it made quite a bit, so I used 2 cups of white vinegar and 2 cups of water.  I added six packs of Splenda, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper and sprinkled them with hot pepper flakes.

How am I supposed to eat healthy with this on the counter?

Hubby wanted a strawberry pie, I baked off the crust, he fixed the berries and added the glaze, Cool Whip wasn’t thawed yet, but this was just calling my name.

I love my red pie plate, it’s Rose’s Perfect Pie Plate.  It comes in a great gift box, similar to a hat box, and you can get it on Amazon.  It’s a bit spendy, but it’s wonderful, definitely worth the money.  Makes a pretty pie, flutes with no effort, too. 

Here’s the click if you’re interested>>>

Hayden and Abby, new best friends, forever…

Ryan’s first Father’s Day…

Well, if this isn’t the damndest thing….

You have to watch this video Carlene sent me the link to.  It’s in French, but that’s okay, it’s a visual.  It’s how to open a wine bottle with a man’s shoe.  How fascinating, really it is!

Here’s the link…

Cuppycake’s first Father’s Day…

I had such a good day….

Do any of you ever talk to a long ago friend that you haven’t been in touch with for years?  If you haven’t, I highly recommend it.  It’s a wonderful thing.

I had lunch today with a childhood friend, Roxie, who I’ve been in touch with on FaceBook.

She was absolutely adorable when she was young, and she still is!  Smart, savvy, sophisticated, an absolute knockout, but still the same sweet girl I knew as a child.  We had a three hour lunch, laughed until we cried, reminisced about old friends, and caught up on our lives, oh, what a good time we had.  It was so much fun, we’re going to do it again soon.

Maybe I’ve got your wheels turning this afternoon. Perhaps there is someone from your past that you’ve lost contact with.  There is no time like the present to get in touch with them.  Girlfriends are the best, aren’t they?  Just the best!!!

Garden Labels from Wooden Spoons

How clever is this?  I found it over at the kitchn site…

Your Daily Dose of Cuteness…

Abby Leigh, eight months old now…

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

If you love banana, pineapple, coconut and lime, this is the recipe for you.

Carlene told me about this last week and how good it was, I made it on Saturday and it was absolutely to-die-for!

If you only make one new dessert this summer, this is the one to try.

It’s absolutely decadent tasting, but only has four tablespoons of butter.

What a great find this is.  It’s posted on Jan CAN Cook.  If you can possibly just cover it in an airtight container and not eat it the first day, it’s much better the second, and by the third, it’s pure ambrosia.  But good luck with that, just letting it age for a day or so…

Check it out, you won’t be sorry, pinky swear. ~ jan

Your daily dose of cuteness..

My Sunday morning…