Ok So Yell at me if you see me itching.....

Back to work from my few days of paid leave, I took some vacay days.... My last day I was sick as a dog, well I was sicker than the dog... who had to be my bodyguard. Poor thing would follow me into the bathroom and when I started to throw up would stand with his body across mine - the big dog hug.... AS to put himself between me and any harm that could be breaking down the bathroom door..LOL. The kids were gone and it was going to be my relax day... So I threw up, slept here and there, and watched Criminal Minds for hours... LOL I really didn't feel like finding the remote I know it was close, just didn't have the energy.

Miss Animal Rights brings the nicotine patch box in and  reads to me "signs of nicotine poisoning.... " "Check check and do you really want to know?......" Of course her eyes got huge and I had to stop her from dialing 911... I took the patch off.... So I have been smoke free for 5 days I can do it right??? She was like Heckies yea...

I have a rash from 2 of the patch sites.... the worst is the last one.... but I also did some yard work I think I got stung by a bee... so I am a itching mess... I told them at work to yell at me if they see me start to itch. You know I found some anti-itch medicine in our first aide kits. Sunscreen too.. Doesn't work.... Plus my body really doesn't like hydro-cortisone... it makes things worse.

So I came home and thought I try some home remedies.  The bee string is on my ankle and I put a baking soda mix on it because the black middle was looking like a stringer.  Ouch. Now it is still inching.  I got yelled at by Miss Animal Rights, I was crossing my legs and inching without really noticing...

So baking soda paste didn't do anything. Not even sting....My ex put alcohol on his... try it and it still itches . so what is next...

I could take a bath in oatmeal later.  Or a  peppermint tea bath.
Add vinegar to the bath tub too. Some people say only apple cider, other say White....  
I could place a slice of lemon on the bites... but a couple are open... ouch..
Vick vapor rub...  See reason above...
Aloe Vera  juice I think that is better for the dry skin rashes....
Rub on Flax seed oil....
Plaster on honey with cinnamon

Oh I got some honey at the Farmers Market this week-end.....

off to mix some honey and lather it on this bite... ARggg....
owww maybe eat a little too... not with a ton of cinnamon but some toast....


 

What Cooking?

So you want to lower your utilities bills by finding the lowest possible energy using appliances. But the fact is we use 50 percent of our energy for cooking. This includes the hot water heater for cooking and cleaning. So where can you cut back? A table of energy use of kitchen cooking can be found on
Micheal Bluejay site.
   Well the microwave is the cheapest most efficient way of cooking. With it fast cooking times. Now many people don't believe that a microwave is safe. I mean the nickname we call striking in a microwave is nuked? The truth is microwaves are targeting the water and fat molecules. It heats them up not nuking the food with radio active waste. You can warm up food in the microwave.  Only cook somethings nicely.  Where somethings are just better cooked the old fashion way.

The a crock-pot that works on the almost the same amount of energy that a microwave works on for 6.75 hours longer!  Have your crock-pot plugged in and cooking while you are working could cost only around a dime (maybe a little more)!! Not bad for a time saver. Plus during the heat wave- you don't need to heat up the house while cooking... This type of cooking does work best for stews and soups.

Crank on the toaster oven for that quick pizza snack! You don't have to wait for a pre-heating time and it is not too bad on the pocket book with 4 cents for a hour for cooking. Pizza snacks take what a  half a hour at the most... cha-ching...

However if you are cooking a big meal and cook many things at once the oven can be energy saving. If you count the times and what you have cook all together. For around 7 cents for a hour the stove top cooks your food but if you have all 4 burners going that can add up where in the oven it is twice that. However if the oven is full and I have more than 2 items, I am saving energy.  I like to try to cook things together.  I have been know to say since we have the oven on lets cook this too. Or pick the vegetable that can be baked........

3 Little birds

There where a momma bird and her 2 babies that have been staying in the nest over the light on the neighbors porch. I noticed yesterday the babies heads higher than I ever saw them. I thought I should get my camera and take my pictures, I might get lucky and see the momma kicking the babies out of the nest. The babies learning to fly.. Well I went to work and worked till 9PM this morning I see no birds... Oh well I started my mini vacay a day to late......

But I have to post this for the running machine, he loves this song he see on Nick Jr all the time. He loves the moose!!



I sing this all the time, when I get to send time with the running machine. He gets all exited to hear me sing... I love it, his big eyes looking at me like I am a rock star.......
This is my message to you...

Water water....

AH that special water is harder to get rid of... But I am researching recipes on line... But I find some interesting sites including this Web MD page that states that the company is being sued for ahem false claims for being "healthy."

BUT They say it has vitamins that help you stay healthy. I tell them about this page and the fact that Web MD says "it is just soda without the bubbles...."

So really would you save calories or sugar if you made tea? I had to look... I found a conversion calculator that would tell you how many teaspoons,  tablespoons or cups from how may grams on the label in that water we will call X water.. X water has 2.5 servings per bottle. Now the nutrition label says that it contains 13 grams of sugar.  The conversion calculator calculated that equals 6.849 teaspoons of sugar for 20 ounces of X water. And how much sugar do you put in a cup of tea? Almost 7 teaspoons? Wow.....

125 calories for X water


Green tea=0 Sugar= 15 per teaspoon (2 teaspoon= 30)


Or better yet here is the calories for sugar:

Sugar (Serving size)	Calories
Table Sugar, 1 level teaspoon (4g)	15
Table Sugar, 1 heaped teaspoon (6g)	25
Table Sugar, 1 cup	770
Table Sugar, average (1 cube)	25
Icing Sugar, 1 average tablespoon (12g)	48

hummmm...

Oh yea better for you cause it has vitamins, take a vitamin with a meal it adsorbs better.....
X water - does deserve the extra X's now does it??? 

Add lemon juice there some vitamin C
Add fruit juice and more vitamins...
Ok might add more calories too
Let see with adding a 1/2 cup of pineapple juice it is adding 60 more calories but 10 more grams of sugar: but that is natural sugar not processed sugar which is easier for your body to digest.

BUT 30 + 60= 90 for fruit green tea.
X water remember has 125.....

Head out on the Highway....

What ever happened to electric cars? So it is the latest thing that  bio-fuel is really not going anywhere due to cost of growing and manufacturing.  So we have  NmG, Zap and few others that are popular. These EV are small around town cars. They look like covered motorcycles. Not good for families. Great commuter  car but not practical for a family. Who can afford to have a extra car? These cars cost more than a regular car they are for the ubber rich green.  Many companies have been talking for years  that they are going to manufacturer a EV  (electric vehicle) but where are they???

Then the main car makers have talked about EV also. Chevy is going to be making the Volt that  was suppose to be out this year now it is next year.  Nissan is talking about Leaf (oh so green sounding). When it that suppose to come out I can't find any date set for release.  Smart cars where going to market a EV also.  Dodge had a EV in the 2009 car show called Circuit. Before that there was one called Demon, but many auto blogs and sites believe that Demon's name was changed to Circuit because they thought that the name wouldn't help sell the car just freak people out.  I have to say Circuit looks like a Demon but with a more sport car polish!!  Nice but again no date and not sure with the fall out of the company what is done with the car.... Sigh...


I love the Electrica  a Korean electric car
But I can't find any more info on these cars. They where suppose to be in production in the UK and coming over to the US in 2009.

Or I see the Fisker car that is planning on producing the Karma at a former General Motors Corp. plant in Wilmington, Del. Kinda looks like Testa Roadster.  

SO I wait for a EV. I also wait to see what is going to happen with Washington and the green action that Obama promised.  Guess we need to get these companies off their buts and build us some save and energy efficient cars....... 

Upcycled Belly Bands

Miss Animal rights has a friend that is pregnant with her second child. When another friend was pregnant she was talking about seeing if she could talk her hubby into letting her spend $30 on a belly band.  I asked what is a belly band and where were they twenty years ago? So I see this piece of material that covers the belly so women can wear their jeans longer or their favorite shirt without showing off the baby bump. Smiley just folded her super low rise jeans down and wore Soldier's shirts.  I wore the daddy's jeans for months. 

Wow $30 for a piece of material? Is there gold strands?  Is it helping to feed starving women and children somewhere? They look at me and told me it was special material that is super stretchy.  I thought;  yea so is exercise wear.  Lycra and even t-shirts. hummmm

Then it hit me that I could find something on line that would tell me how to make a belly band. First I googled belly band and got both maternity and doggy belly bands. Need to check out the How to sites .. then I find the   EHow how to do instructions.

You get a t-shirt that has some stretch or Lycra content. Cut off right under the arms. Measure right above your baby bump. You may have to sew a little more on the seams to help keep it up.  But the instructions have you fold it into a double thickness.... I am not sure I will do that for Miss Animal Rights friend it's been so hot here lately and she is having morning sickness even after 3 months..... SO you can fold over and sew together. And you have a belly band.... If you use t-shirt material with lycra you might not even have to sew the top  cause that type of material doesn't fray.  That is if it isn't to big for the top of the baby bump.

You know you could use that old camisole top with the built in bra shelf; one that the elastic gave out and have a stretchy belly band with little sewing....  Specially the really sweet ones with lace on the bottom.   

I even saw on TV a show that had the fashion wants for a busty band. It is wore under low cut tops for the office.  I thought a tube top or a smaller belly band type sewing project!!  Not going to spend $30 a a tube top for the office!!!!  That's what I wear camisole tops for.
That and I can take my shirt off in the hot car and still have a "top" that doesn't get me arrested for indecent exposure.  But I do get looks when I am taking it off,  I have disappointed many men in the parking lot....... nope not a peak show guys....

OMG!!!

There is BOTTLED WATER in my house.......... yes it is a travesty. Just when I thought that I was getting threw to the kids.... they bring bottled water in my house. Oh to them it's  not bottled water. They tell me it's Special Water. Yes it the magic water that has super good things for you with cool sayings and silly things written on the side of the label. OMG there is even  Twilight special bottles.

Gee they didn't like it when I told them I crush up a vitamin C and drop in a glass for them. Guess that only works for the vitamin packed water not the energy water I was told..... I always can write some stuff on the side of the glass for them.  Like NO MORE bottle water ever....  I could even print a Team hottie pix off the internet....

Tech and Miss Animal Rights tell me that they drink less pop when they have the special  water..


I point out that that special water fancy plastic bottles are filling the land fills... which I was told we recycle it is ok right? Hummm no.... not all plastic get recycled plus many plastic can only be recycled once, Plus the fact that it is damaging the air when they recycle the plastic. I get this blank stare. I quip that is why they send the stuff over seas to make other countries die from the process.  I get a eye roll and a fast walk away.... I know they think I am manic about this....  Ok they know I am manic about this.

I start to make herb planters out of the empty bottles. They think this is a good thing... OMG!   

So I get a bright idea (and I am not reviewing this company!) I make some iced tea with favored green tea.  Green tea has antioxidants.  Plus it gives you some energy;  I mean it has some caffeine in it. You use less sugar then you would get with a can of pop. And no salt like that special water has in it. Oh I think that help Miss Animal Rights come over to the green side, you know what happens to us ladies when we get too much salt.  Specially at the wrong time of the month.

Mind you that just drinking tea is not going to instantly make you ultra healthy. You get out what you put into your body. If you shove a bunch of processed foods with high fructose corn syrup, sodium, bleached foods, and or preservatives you are not going to cure anything.    You can't eat fast food junk everyday and drink green tea and wonder why you don't lose weight.  I am not perfect but we try to cut our junk food down eating more fresh made foods from scratch. 

I found some green teas from Lipton  that say right on the box Super Fruit. With over 100 mg of protective antioxidants. With special super fruits like mangosteen, goji and acai.

Mangosteen is called the Queen of fruits. It is said to cure diarrhea, eczema, thrush, urinary infections and menstrual problems. PLUS  preventing heart disease, improving immune response, treating acne, and even fighting cancer.  All that from a little fruit from Asia.  It about as big as tangerine.   Gee that is Super water or maybe Queen water...

Goji is also known as wolfberry. Another Asian berry plus it also grows in southeastern Europe.  It's also known in the health food circle as a powerful  antioxidant that studies have shown (but not without controversy) to help eyesight, improve sexual function and fertility, improve circulation, strengthen the legs, boost immune function, decrease the risk of developing age-related muscular degeneration, helps prevent glaucoma  and promote longevity. Wow call that Sexy water!! 

Acai is a south American grown berry. It looks like a blueberry. But you may have heard of this berry it is the latest craze for weight loss.  It is said to also increased energy, help with digestion, sleep and mental health. There I found Tech's  energy drink!

Plus the common everyday fruits of peach, raspberry and blueberry are nothing to forget. They help fight free radicals. High in vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants: the local super fruits.  Said to help fight cancer and heart conditions.  The deep colored fruits are colorful because natural made them that way, so they could survive.  Not to shabby for some  little local fruits....

 Favored iced green teas... the new special water..........

DO I smell?

Ah my adventures with deodorants and antiperspirants.

The way  antiperspirant work is by blocking up the pores in the underarm area.  Deodorant kills the odor causing bacteria. Ok maybe it's not proven but it is thought that many of the chemicals in these product can cause cancer. Specially breast cancer. Seeing how there are glands close to your pits. PS some of the ingredients are know to cause problems with hormones. Not a good thing so close to a hormone driven gland!!   

I am trying to find a eco-friendly deodorant and or antiperspirant.  Non-toxic formulas.  This winter I used baking soda with lavender EO essential oil.


Here is some other EOs that have antibacterial qualities:

lavender
lemongrass
Eucalyptus
cinnamon bark
tea tree

But this summer it isn't doing it job. so I try to find something that will help my sweaty pits.
First I try a liquid crystal..I left my pits feeling sticky ... then after I shaved after using it for 3 days I had a rash on my pits that burned like they where on fire.....Was it the deodorant, the shaver or a combination of both??   what can I use now? I looked on line and found suggestions for natural (eco-friendly) deodorants.  Baking soda on a rash... no I don't think so. Witch hazel? Lemon juice? Ouch!! Green tea? Maybe I will try it but then I had to make the tea wait til it cooled and wait for it to dry on my underarms. Yea I went a couple days without deodorant.

Then I read that the liquid crystal is a product that you must use lightly or it can cause irritation. Now you tell me. Maybe I will give it another try but I am kinda scared....  I got another deodorant from the store and it smells ok but it leaves my pits feeling sticky again...  So I add a light coating of the baking soda after I apply the deodorant.  A friend told me "not baking soda try corn starch like we use that for babies bottoms and to help with diaper rash, maybe that will help you and your pits...."  hummm

Music and Trees!

Linkin Park a group that is one of my favorite groups.... their sound is so different it is hard to categorize  it. They are called alternative rock, alternative hard rock and more.

So when I saw that Linkin Park is part of Green Music Group I was impressed!

Every two weeks, a Green Music Group Artist or group has a challenge for us  to make an eco-friendly change in our lives. Linkin Park challenges is to plant a tree. Just plant a tree.
Take a picture. Go to the Green Music Group site and sign up to post your picture; of you planting a tree.  But wait! Before you blow this off, they are picking one lucky winner from all their challenges to win a 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid LX!

Wouldn't that be great a hybrid car! Plus doing something good for the environment

Eco-friendly Mom Sayings

My daughters love to tease me . they say I say the craziest things. Who me??? Well I guess if you had a listening devise in my house you might die laughing.... they do!

They told their friends one afternoon sitting in my living room some of these crazy things


The number one thing, the thing I say the most and really don't get why this is funny....is:

"Don't throw that away!!"

I sat there asking why is that funny. Guess most parents want their kids to throw things away. Oh.... But then I usually follow with saying recycle that, compost that or we can reuse that.
It was shocking that I was asked by the girls' friends what is compost? How do you compost that?  They think that is throwing it away just throwing away outside....

So Smiley said Oh no the best funniest thing is when she comes up the  stairs  screaming

"I can't find my balls"  or  "Where are my balls?"

Insert loud laughter here.....

 

 smart a** male friend - asked are they are  blue......Yes Smooth talker.  a couple are and the others are white and blue.. but I am use to him, I have know him for almost 10 years...)  

yes I really say that..... I am doing laundry and when I go to put my towels in the dryer I don't see my dryer balls.  So I yell up the stairs "I can't find my balls"  or  "Where are my balls?" or "Can I have my balls back?"   Because they like to hide in sweatshirts or blankets sometimes and the girls will bring them up in their baskets and then place them on the dresser, table or where ever.  So I have to go looking for my balls.... Of course the dog is going crazy looking for his ball, he wants to play.  Oh yea he likes to help me pick them up after they fall out of the dryer.  Then I am heard saying "that's my ball dog, you have your own."  Of course my young adults are rolling on the floor, saying he doesn't have any we got him fixed..... I have to snicker at that one..

So they got me some laundry balls.  Yea the girls told me they know how I like balls so they got me some more, this time for the washer. They are smaller than the dryer balls.  Great more balls for me to look for.......... I might have to scream "have you seen my little  balls??" upstairs........oh I can just hear it now......

AHHHHHH Plastic water bottles  in my house!!!! Oh you have sold my soul to the devil.  Ok I stole that from Living with Ed commercial on Planet Green. . 

That's ok. Time for  things heard said by eco-friendly daughters. Or how you know they are starting to get it.....

"Oh!  better check that for high fructose corn syrup, mom will have a fit. Or Mom won't get it - it has high fructose corn syrup, artificial color,  or fake sugar in it."

"MOM I don't like this yogurt want me to save it for your face and/or hair?"

"MOM can I use out dated lemon juice to clean that?" I tell them if it doesn't smell or tease them as long as they don't drink it...

"my junk mail is on the computer desk to be used as scrap paper."

touché

Citrus Cleaners

De-greaser Spray


7-8 citrus Peels
2 cups of water


Slice peels into strips and boil in the water for 1-2 minutes or longer. Let cool. Bottle. Works great in the kitchen.


Citrus Vinegar Cleaner


Citrus peels
Jar
White vinegar


Place your peels into a jar. Cover with white vinegar. Shake occasionally. Strain and use straight for greasy messes. Use diluted for windows, laundry whitener, floors and surfaces.


Enzyme cleaner


1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup citrus peels


Found this at Just Life

Mix sugar and water together in a tight fitting bottle.
Use a air tight plastic container. One that can expand;
Add citrus peels.
Place in a well ventilated area out of direct sunlight. Open once a day for the first month to release the gasses. Push the peels down too. Let sit for 3 months.

The enzyme will turn a dark brown. If it turns black some sugar to start the fermenting process. About the same amount you use to start the enzyme. Plus there maybe a white, black or brown layer on top. That is just the yeast. If the container isn't air tight you might even see flies or maggots. The enzymes will dissolve them.

After the 3 month fermenting strain through cheese cloth.

I am going to try this for those animal accidents, seeing how the product from the pet store also says "natural enzymes"
Plus it is a natural pesticide and insecticide! I have to try that for the garden and inside the home.....

Wild Gray Woman

I hate having my picture taken. i really do. It always looks so horrible that it realy doesn't look like me.  I know it sounds crazy.  but I do hate my picture taken!

Worst then that I am thinking of doing something radical. I want to stop dying my hair. Yes I want to stop using toxic hair dye knowing that most hair dyes are made with petroleum byproducts and cause damage to the environment .  Being a environmentalist, I should have  know better.  I found out this info and now I must do something about it.  Or not do something because of it.

Not to mention all the chemicals and irritates that the hair dye has. I laugh when people tell me that they have to dye their hair because that is the only way they can deep condition their hair. Because the truth is it weakens your hair. You are striping the outer part of your hair to let color sink it.  You can get the same thing with a deep conditioner or leaving it on your hair for a half an hour....  Then I found out that smell that we get is a chemical reaction of sulfur from our damaged hair.  hummm I am having a heck of a time with the frizzy ends....

Plus all the chemicals!
Hair stylist have a higher chance of getting bladder cancer or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. So do women that routinely dye their hair. Not something I want to  do just to up my chances at finding out.........

You know ignorance  is bliss   Doing the right thing isn't always easy......
But I know I will have a growing out period that might not be easy...... I won't look like me. I might start to look (gasp) old....

But will it really be that hard to do? I mean the time we have to take to put that smelly stuff all over our heads and wait 20-30 minutes, Oh if you are really late at the coloring, you have to dye your roots first.  You have to just do the roots then after 10 or so minutes dye the rest of our hair to even it out...... Or just do the roots with the new product to try to keep your roots from giving away you have got some gray up there.

What do you think? Gray hair equal old lady? Or freedom from chemicals? 
Would you stop dying your hair?  Do you even dye your hair?

The girls are betting how long it is till I go and buy a box of some  hair dye.  I told them ha ha it would have to be a natural hair dye like from the health food store.  No more petroleum byproduct. Miss Animal Rights found a gray hair and tells me it my fault, I told it was pay back for my gray hair are her fault.... teasingly. Smiley on the other hand is freaking out, she dyes her hair more than I did. She was upset to hear that it was a petroleum byproduct. And with the Gulf Oil Spill  you know that prices will go upon gas and petroleum products . She is upset the price of dye may go up....

But most of the time when I dye my hair it turns red. Yep a reddish tint. I get deep brown or sunshine blond, my hair turns shades or tints of a auburn reddish color.  I might be able to get away with henna.......... But my favorite thing is cold coffee, it suppose to help natural pigments........ I use a vinegar rinse  with sage and rosemary that is suppose to help gray hair........
I can't wait to hear what my beautician friends are going to say! LOL specially one- he likes to tell me Looks it's time to color again. Yea he likes to tease me that I don't kill (dye) my hair I color it....  

On with the experiment.. 

Garden warnings in the area.

I am reading the area paper on line and guess what I see.... Garden warnings for the area for downy mildew and late blight. What? So I start to research it online. Sure enough I think one of my containers has late blight. Late blight is what  caused the Irish potato famine in the 1850's.... The crop disease that brought my great great (great?) grandmother to this country!!!

Ok I tell myself calm down find out what to do to fix it. One of the first pages I find talks about destroy the infected plants  to save my crop.... Ok I might have to do that for one container but all my plants??? Not a happy camper.  But I not sure if the yellow and brown spots on my leaves are downy mildew or late blight.  I look some more.....  The picture show a brown spot on the stem.... I go outside and look not sure don't see any.

I find many sites that advise me to buy a copper fungicide. I not too sure I want to do that I am trying to grow food to keep the pesticides off my families dining table.  I find a site that offers some organic remedies.  Yea! My plants don't look like that but I will do a couple of the organic pesticide ideas seeing how they are easy enough to do.

Compost tea

I have a bucket of water that I will let sit for a day. I have city water and yes I can filter it but still like to let it sit for a day to get rid of chloride.
Early in the morning I will get some compost and place it in a cloth bag. A cotton sock or you can use a  pillow case if you want to make a lot of the compost tea.
Let it steep for 24 hours. Spray after straining (if needed) Again early in the morning.

or make a spray out of household items:

1 gallon of Water
1 tablespoon baking soda
2 drops dishwashing liquid
1 tablespoon oil. You can use vegetable oil.

So tomorrow morning I  be checking my plants for brown area on the stems. Picking off the leaves that have brown leaves on them. Placing them in a dark colored bag and tying closed so it doesn't infect all my plants.....  let that sit out away from my other plants in the bright sun. They might end up in the drive way... so the dog doesn't scent the bag to mark his territory... I could just see it!!!


A ounce  of prevention is worth a pound of  cure!!

Plus I have compost to make compost tea and you never know what the wet spring and the hot humid summer will bring...........

So I am guessing  too that the EWG Shopper's Guide to Pesticides or known as the Dirty Dozen will include tomatoes, potatoes, squashes,and cucumbers after this....

Leftover Beer?

So did everyone enjoy the fireworks? Well we found that the canine was ok as long as he was busy. He didn't hear the fireworks when the ball is being thrown. Miss Animal rights and I got a workout. PLUS he made friends with my dad. (the dog hasn't been to sure about my dad, but he loved having his ball thrown by a fresh arm!! A male arm that could throw hard and further!)

Well the only thing missing was the left over beer.  I thought about the this morning.

 I am use to finding beer cans and bottles half empty all around the porch and house. Strange thing is I have been here for about 5 years but  I use to live close to downtown. A place where  friends and neighbors would have a few beers before walking to the park to watch the fireworks. Cause parking was easier and we were closer to the interstate.  I would use the beer I found to good use.

I would use the stale beer to trap the bugs in the garden. Most of the time it was a few tomato plants and strawberry patch.  Just pour a little beer into a pie pan and watch the slug and bug party begin.  I used to tease the guys the bugs where as bad as them. They drink too much and drown!

Later that night I would use the beer found inside to rinse my hair.  Beer has vitamin B and natural sugars that  add body and shine. You could use as a setting lotion.  A ex-boyfriend use to tease me I had the right "perfume"  after I would rinse my hair in beer.  It doesn't smell like beer afterward cause you rinse the beer out with cooler water. But the bathroom does smell like beer when you are using it....

So I am excited to hear from a friend that beer can also take out stains in your carpet. OK. Cool I have a stain that I have tried to get out for a while now.  But no stale beer... so I guess I will have to wait, til Jan. 2? LOL You use the stale beer like you do spot remover that you buy at the store. You dampen a clean cloth with beer and pat the stain up with a dry clean cloth. 

I knew I should have made beer can chicken... I might have some beer left over... Well the drinkers where hung over I don't think they would have opened any in the first place......

Boom!!! Boom!!

Through a Dog's Ear is a website that has down-loadable music for your canine friends this holiday. The forth of July can be the longest month here at my house. Seems that my neighbors believe that fire works should and are set off at all times if the day. Plus for many of us in the neighborhood it is maddening that we get to hear them well into the night.  With people having tomorrow off too; I know tonight will be a very long night.  It does distress my poor animals to hear load noises.  Plus the screaming after the loud boom gets them too.  The other night I had a dog on my one leg, a cat on the other plus a cat rubbing on my head from behind my neck.   Yea it been fun on 90 degree days to have my fur babies on me shaking and whining.

Yes they are illegal in my area, but the cops do drive down the street once in a while looking for the illegal displays.

Through a Dog's Ear has music like Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and more.  They suggest that you play the music low. Don't try to overpower the fireworks. That will just over excite your animals.  We have been using a loud box fan for the cover up of the fireworks when we leave the house. Like I said they set them off all hours of the day and night.

I also saw that lavender essential oil applied on the spine can help relax your fur babies.  I haven't try that yet but it is tonight I KNOW will be the craziest with the fireworks....  Last year I couldn't sleep because the house across the street  had been lighting off fireworks most of the night.  I pass out around 3 AM and wake at 8AM and they are still lighting off fireworks and laughing.

So being off today is unusual but working the next day isn't. I get to try to sleep through the fireworks, the yahoos! screams and my animals freaking out..... Sad thing is we will be busier then a normal Monday because many people have the day off.  Joy, Joy.

I got a jury duty notice and have to call the fifth to see if I have jury duty.  I don't mind doing jury duty at all it is my civil duty.  Just thinking it may have been different if I did have to go in on the fifth... I can see me being cranky sitting there being asked questions.  If it is a person being tried for firework possession.... I might be crazy and try to make them work in an animal shelter during a firework display and then a loud thunderstorm..... Yea how cool is it now big man.... Sorry didn't get much sleep last night. I had a cat on my legs most of the night. I keep the windows closed to keep the loud booms outside. Plus the smell of gun powder. Yea that a mix loud booms and the smell of gun powder makes my animals freaked out. Loud booms and loud Yahoo screams.... I live by a bunch of Yahoos!!

Happy Forth of July everyone.  We are having hamburgers and brats. or is it Italian sausage? Oh well I got out voted for beer can chicken.  Boston baked beans, grilled corn on the cob, foil wrapped potatoes and watermelon. 

The forth for me is the cookout and summer type foods!

Saving Money

Driving  to work this morning I heard the disc jockeys talking about the US News and Money article  21 Things You Should Never Buy New But they didn't go into to much of the article so I had to do a search for it.

DVDs and CDs
Video Games

Places like Game Stop is a great place to save on these items  Plus get some spending money take in your old I beat that game to a resale store and they might even buy the game off of you.

Books
The library has sales on books. But you can always borrow the book!  There is a couple sites online that you can buy used books in great condition. Amazon.com I like Powell's Books All the books I ordered from them were great looking books and a couple were listed as good condition.  

Special Occasion and Holiday Clothing Jewelry
Maternity and Baby Clothes
Office Furniture
Ikea Furniture
Home Accent

Resale shops and consignment are a good place to find deals on these items

Oh yea your area Salvation Army store, Goodwill or resale shop will have these plus this items too:

Craft Supplies
Hand Tools
Games and Toys
Sports Equipment
Gardening Supplies

The hard  part  about  The Salvation Army store, Goodwill or resale shops are you can't always count on what you need being there.  But it is a good thing to remember you can get things like this.  PLUS you need to look over your stuff. Things get donated ripped, torn broken or with missing pieces.  But many solid things like furniture can be repaired, repainted, stained or  still used a little ugly looking (like a rusty hammer)

Pets  

Adopt  from reputable No Kill shelter.  Sometimes breeders are not the most loving place to be a fur baby from. Not to say that there isn't some great breeders out there just that some are know for cruel acts. (ok cruel in my book)


Consumer Electronics

Refurbished electronic goods  have been fixed and then inspected.  Make sure you have a good warranty for the work.




Houses

Cars




We know that! But the house... ok with the housing market the way it is now more and more people are updating their houses  to be green. It is the market trend. More people are upgrading to eco-friendly remodeling then selling or buying new housing.
I don't trust used car salesman, but you know your car goes down in value the minute it is drove off the lot........  



Timeshares

Oh yea the whatevers that I keeping getting snail mail for.  I don't have any to sell and don't want to buy any....... 


Recreational Items 

Recreational campers, boats and big ticket ideas are a better deal used again Something you really need to check and make sure is in great shape.  But I have my tent.Can't afford a used camper..... But I have rented cabins. Cheaper than a motel room and more fun!!