I finally got a new car!

I did it. Well I kinda had too... I have been driving my old car for over 10 years. I had been saving money for a down deposit having no car payments... so when the old girl was having problems where the body shop had no idea what was happening... I knew she was tired and falling apart.

 I can't afford a hybrid. So I got a new Kia Soul. A nice little compact SUV or is it a crossover? LOL But it gets 30 MPG combined. And yes it has a MPG meter on the dashboard. I am getting between 28-30 MPG. Doing the happy dance. I am still get use to the driving but felt safe during the snow storm I had to drive threw the other night on my way home.

The Art of slowing down

So yes my life has began to slow down. I am a single woman on her own, without children living in her home. Her free time is her time.. well most of the time... LOL. I found a little site that appealed to me back in the day of craziness of too many people living here, together, getting on each other nerves. Zenhabits.
A Minimalist blog that has no bells and whistles just the straight logic wrings of a minimalist. I have been reading and rereading the free book Focus which if you click on the link is a free download and a copyright free publication that can be shared on blogs, with friends or whatever.  A great read I suggest you check it out.

Trying to remember the four agreements.... A friend sent it to me and I thought gee I sent that to you in 2008... but then maybe I need to reread it... (PS I have reworded to simplify the meanings. because I find  that much of the meaning  be lost if I kept the whole thing in tact..... but that my attitude)

Be Impeccable with your Word
Say only what you mean. Mean what you say. Speak with integrity. Avoid using words that speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.


Don't Take Anything Personally  
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

Don't Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.


Always Do  Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

Based on the " The Four Agreements"
By don Miguel Ruiz
Well I always have had number 2 down, I mean I always know that sometimes people's mood are what going on not always your fault type of thinking.... but to remember that when I am having a everyone getting on my nerves day that sometimes I should remember number 3........... or the fact that my thinking is the problem...

Or trying to live by the Simple Truths from the Cherokee:

We are our own best experts.

We are our own worst enemies.

The worst thing about having so many choices is having to choose.

Imagination is the one true measure of freedom.

Wisdom is having more questions than answers.

Search long and hard enough for something and you’ll surely find it.

Sometimes we try so hard to be what we’re not that we may forget who we are.

Cupcakes for co-workers

I am going to make some cupcake ornaments for some of my co-workers. See how we work in the bakery area... but I have seen directions for them basically just gluing the ornament to a cup cake liner and sprinkling some glitter on top.

But I think I am going to make some puffy paint to squeeze on top like we do when we ice the cupcakes....
Puffy paint:
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup of salt
1/4 cup water
paint or food coloring

Mix flour, salt and water together then add any colored paint or food coloring.


Use a thick paint brush to paint with it.


You can also pour your mixture into squeeze bottles or re-use old squeeze sauce bottles.


Use the paint as normal, but when it dries it will harden to a puffed up dimensional paint.

will this stay on a ornament? Guess I will find out.. depends on the type I guess...

Hummm also could use the sprinkles and then use my clear sealant. Will post pictures I promise!

           

Gluten Free?

I understand those who have Celiac Disease But it seems there is reports and sites that are telling us that the wheat is causing things like depression, diabetes, ADD/ADHD, and more. But it seems like the condition of the year .I am not saying if you have been diagnose with it; your condition is not real.  I am saying that it seems that it is been said that most of us have it and don't know we do type of warnings..Like good god this stuff is dangerous.  So I have been asked so many times at work if we have gluten free cake.....

 It make me wonder if people keep looking for the easy fix on weight loss.. Ok yea they do.  But moderation is the better choice... you know cake once in a while is ok.  I mean if you tell a child that they can't have something (or do something) they will be draw to it.  I was the type that didn't remove the "bad foods" I just said it was a treat.  My famous saying was "you have to eat the good food to get the treat"....

 Then I think of the real diet... that how and where did we decide that wheat flour is a basic? Let alone yeast? That most of our meal needs to be bread products.. That our bodies need this powder...Oh yea I think way to much... So  I decided to see if that maybe there could be a difference if I cut down on my wheat products.  Yea that isn't as easy as it sounds.  My inner child wants peanut butter and jelly sandwich.. every morning....

Look what I Found

Signs of Spring in my front flower garden............

Nice to see after a hard winter...
But then I see I do have some work to do with the flower garden...... sigh.... But I can't wait till the weather is warm and I can dig in the dirt!!

Turn Down for Weight Loss??

Cold house can help in weight loss yahoo report... Basically they believe if we turn our thermostats down to lower 60's, we will lose more weight.  That we stay  inside and just vegging out on our couches.  But if we turn down the thermostat we will not get the rush of OMG it is cold outside, not wanting to go out into the cold... that we will get use to being warm.....


hummm so why did I find this map showing the states of the north and the south about the same.... Colorado being the healthiest state and Mississippi being the most obese.  humm really looking at the map seems the "middle" of the country is the part that needs to work on their diets  The middle like the middle of our bodies where the belly fat is most dangerous place to have fat, for it can cause problems for all your organs!! 

It isn't just diet that causes obesity.  Then again we know that; don't we. That diet and exercise is what we need.  Yet the school system still feeds out kids junk and cuts down on gym classes and recess...
We keep the thermostat about 67 degrees because if I turn it down any more the girls would just hind under blankets and complain about it being freezing in here... At 67 it is cool enough to have a sweatshirt on and make you move a little to keep warm.... Now for their friends.... they like to show up in t-shirts and bitch how cold it is in my house... Well, they really have to learn that I conserve energy and they need to wear something heavier than a t-shirt here.... Or look in the living room closet there are large and ex=large sweatshirt for them to use while here... Oh yea we got them just for you... PS Tech wears t-shirt and it doesn't really bother him.... it like the man doesn't feel cold or warmth... he doesn't complain about the air not being up on high in the summer time either.......

You see I also goggled poverty in the USA... Guess what state is the number 1? It is Mississippi... the state with the large percent of obese people......It the prepackage foods that are higher in saturated fat, sodium and sugar... the cheap stuff in cardboard boxes, the fast food lane with the dollar menus... the fact that many of these states are the climate for fresh foods mostly all year long, but they have the highest poverty........ BUT I think from shows like Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution it shows that many Americans don't have the knowledge of how to cook tasty foods for themselves with time limits and

I did get off on the tangent..Did I? ... but I think that what you eat and how much you exercise not how cold you are......

The Other side of the story...

With the green sites warning us of the cosmetic ingredients.  I founds was researching a ingredient when I found this site. Personal Care Truth or Scare. Where I found the article The 12 Most Maligned Cosmetics I like this site because they give you links to sites to back up their claims. Were you can make up your own mind!

I found that the one site that is a database of all cosmetics would disregard  a cosmetic that
listed something that was concerned a harmful ingredient but used a natural substitute.  If studies show ingredient xxxxxx cause a health concern and a product uses  this ingredient   xxxxxx derived from coconut oil ;  the ingredient  was deemed  harmful. I can understand that maybe this is a computer program that does a search of the words. But it seems that they miss the mark to many times and I have yet to see studies to prove the claims.

  So I have been using the site called  Goodguilde.  I find a product and if the ingredient that has a red dot beside it says when I roll over this ingredient, the  warnings are  This ingredient has been restricted for use in cosmetics in fill in country name.. or This ingredient has been banned for use in cosmetics in  fill in country name.  Ok so I use this manly because yea it still bothers me that in Europe and other countries  the companies must prove that the ingredients are safe so they have 1400 ingredients that are banned.. Here in the states 140 ingredients are banned  and they need to prove that the ingredients cause cancer.  Gee business is number one in this country.

Plus it is easy to not search the companies that you never have seen their product and only search the companies you know..... makes it easier for you to modify

Discovery and Oil Rigs...

Sorry but my hours have picked up can you tell??? So to draw me out of hiding the news goes crazy... I see. First we have the Gulf Oil Rig explode then we have some guy making news by taking  people hostage  to make them show more green shows.... Sigh..... Violence isn't the answer. Not to mention the whole 9/11 mosque and the attack of the cabby.

Wow another explosion in the Gulf. The platform, known as Vermilion Oil Platform 380A  exploded and luckily the 13 people there was picked up from the water with only one person hurt. They didn't release how bad this person was or any names. But it is burning.... one more thing for the people of Louisiana.  With most of the news show showing Louisiana after Katrina.... Oh yea really what does the American people think that the president could do that would make the gulf oil spill better??? Gessh I think I need to stay off line for awhile... I keep reading how he should have done more... he went to Louisiana faster then the last president-and told BP humm no you need to pay for this your own damn self......... Cutting corners cost you BIG time didn't BP. We need to get BP to do more not the president...

So some guy: who thinks that the Discovery channel  should take off shows like Kate plus 8 and put on a show about gorilla that talks to a 12 year old girl (kinda cool..),  James J. Lee took three office workers hostage having bombs that he treated to drop. The station did know about his guy. He has a website entitled My Demands. A very interesting read but more like a look into madness.  He tells the station that the Kate plus 8 and 19 and counting shows are  encouraging the birth of more  parasitic human infants. AND the station needs to add more show that would encourage human sterilization and infertility. Right!  So just tell people to deny the most basic human desire and biological urge to help the environment.That their show "Planet Green" was more about making money not real solutions.. humm welcome to the US. Someone had to help pay for the show and well it does get kinda irritating that it does seems like one big commercial that many shows turn into. Well  rest in peace James J. Lee. I hope you found your peace.

The whole mosque wanting to be build blocks from ground zero had me saying please, there is one closer than that already built.  Are we going to make them tear it down? But that we need to get along with all religions  cause that is what this country was built on right? Can we say First Amendment? Then I see that  developer Sharif el-Gamal is the past has been in trouble with the law. Things like being with a hooker doesn't bother me but rouging up someone you rent too does. Violence isn't the answer. But then some drunk stabs a cab driver after asking if he was Muslim.
Violence isn't the answer!!!! AND I can't find now... I really wanted to find the site where I read this and really wanted to post the site... But some Muslim  leader basically said that American need to just get over it... I thought WTF? Get over it? AND that the mosque at ground zero has done so much for the al-Qaeda and that many Muslim are running to join. Because of the racial hatred in this country. I thought WTH was this their plan... but Violence isn't the answer. Yea I really am a hippy... But just like most Christians, Jews, Islamic, Mormons, Pagans, or Muslims  we have some good guys and some bad guys....They all  aren't the  al-Qaeda, . They just want to worship peacefully and like I said there is a mosque closer they just want to make a Islamic center.....


Can't we all just get along? Rodney King

Spring cleaning

I do spring cleaning by getting rid of clutter. Cleaning out closets and cupboards.  I have 3 boxes already of stuff in my mud room waiting on going to Goodwill. Stuff that has been connecting dust in my kitchen was the first to go.

I had a couple days off and just got bored with the TV and the net. Restless I guess. I was going crazy with the things  I use being too high to comfortably reach.  With my new found love of baking and cooking from scratch, my mixer being on the top shelf wasn't  working for me.  Seeing how I only stand about 5 feet tall... it was getting to be a chore to get what I needed out.  So I rearranged the cup boards finding things I forgot I had and really never used....  Into the boxes things went. Really don't need a blooming onion plastic thing. A ugly punch bowl hand me down, that I used to hold smaller stuff I never use, but did find my potato masher in there. I have been looking for that for months!! LOL

I have room at the top of my cupboards now for storage of things that I get in bulk. Carry and go things.  And those egg holder thing that I only use for Spring holidays...  Plus my storage containers are neatly stacked.. Yea if you ever saw that commercial of the plastic containers flying out and knocking down that woman I felt like my containers could do that at any minute... I have a few left from before I said I would cut down plastic (why not use them but replace them if damaged with glass when I need to). Plus they are a recycle code 5 meaning no BPA and light weight for lunch bags. So they stay. Better in my kitchen then the land fill. 

I found this beautiful stainless steel platter awhile ago and when I found it in my cupboard I noticed 2 small rust stains.. OH NO!! I really don't want to get rid of it... I put it on the table thinking I could maybe cover the platter with a tea towel  or something  when serving from the platter.  It kinda bummed me out.  It has these very delicate designs around the edge.

So when I moved to my bedroom to clean up clutter I noticed my dresser with many things just thrown on there and it hit me! I could use that beautiful  platter on my dresser.  I could use finger nail polish for the rust spots.  Maybe if I can find some... I really can't stand the smell and it is full of toxin ingredients..  But the simplest thing I did was place the candle holder and the black goodie case over the spots.  You can't see them, but you can see the designs in the platter.  Plus I love the look with my wrought iron candle holder.   I give to goodwill but I also shop there! I know I feel kinda classy with my beautiful dresser now... Plus I got to keep my platter that I really like and keep stuff out of the landfill
Not bad for being bored one afternoon!!

I tripped over it on my way in the front door.......

The dang phone-book! It was in the bag sit close to the door but with a few grocery bags I didn't see it.  I hate that!  I swear that happens every year.  The thing is always put away and forgotten.  Here I get about 3.  I get the city phone book.  I get the neighboring area phone book.  Then I get a business one.  I really don't need one let a lone three!  Once in a  while we use the city book but most of the year it sits in the little hiding place we find for them.

So yes I rejoiced when I saw the Ban The Phone Book site I had to check it out. Only around 15% of these books get recycled. It costs close to 17 million each year to print these books. It takes up to 5 million tress to produce. That would like cutting down trees to let rot.

Now I know some people use there phone books they don't have a computer connection or maybe a cell phone. But the petition is not to end phone books but to let us choice to get one.  Sign the petition  to create an opt-in delivery program.  It at the very top right hand corner you can't miss it.

Save a tree or maybe a million trees!
Added bonus to get the picture of my friend Tigger hugging a tree go to Super Coloring pages I know that the paper wouldn't be wasted;)

My Hands are bleeding

I not sure if it is the weather or that I might have gotten something harsh on my hands at work.  The gloves we use at work to handle food where wet, not thinking  I put a pair on, it wasn't easy but I did it.  Now I do have sensitivities to many cleaning products, bleach being the worse.  So when my hands looked like I had sunburned them and they started to burn and HURT...... I knew I had to do something.

I made some

Non-Petroleum Jelly 

4 tablespoons of Almond oil
2 tablespoons of Vitamin E Oil
2 teaspoons of bees wax
2 teaspoons of Shea butter

Warm up the oils in a glass container (I used a baby food jar)  in the microwave for about a minute.
Add the bees wax and shea butter.  Stir until melted.  Some recipes will tell you to mix with hand mixer' this will make it creamer.  But I just stir with a wooden Popsicle stick till melted.  It will harden when cooling, I also stir more then.  If it is too hard you can ad more warmed oil.

Some hand creams - most hand creams - have fragrance and  really hurt them more.  I won't use petroleum products.so petroleum jelly is out.  It really is made from petroleum by-products.
But I have had this fun when I was little, my knuckles would bleed from the cold.  My grandmother would put straight vitamin E oil on my hands. yea she would take a pin and poke a hole in the vitamin and squeeze it on to my hands.  It smelled  horrible.....  So now I get it once in a while.
 
So when looking for a picture of a red hand I find a health site and it had a picture that could be a picture of my hands. The second picture.  They are talking about  Raynaud's disease.  That my hands blood vessels are more sensitive to the cold and my hands don't have to get cold to turn red.  Just a change in temperature.
Great one more sensitivity to ad to my list..........
So I am rubbing the  Non-Petroleum Jelly  on my hands whenever I can.  I will sleep with cotton gloves (the type you wear in the Spring) with a thick coating on my hands.  Truth is I am typing right now with gloves on!!! My hands really hurt..........

Has ubber green gone to far?

So as you can tell by my last post I have been surfing the net and reading many of my favorite green sites. I have been seeing to many things that are just plain shocking, leaving me to wonder has the ubber green followers gone to far?

First thing that really made me go huh? was potty whispering or know as elimination communication (EC). Basically this is a practice of talking to your baby as they are pooping or wetting their diaper. AND using the babies tell signs of "going potty" to hold your child over the toilet as to help them understand where you want them to go. That basically the baby doesn't want to mess their diaper they want to go to the potty. Hummm I agree that babies aren't stupid but then I really don't believe they are thinking that they don't want a diaper on. Are they really thinking I have to go, are they thinking I want to go or just yes thank-you parent person for removing my soiled diaper. You see this helps with limiting the number of diapers used, less landfill and less cloth diapers that have to be washed. This will save 15-20% of the approximately 27.4 billion disposable diapers used in the US.... but really? Isn't this another thing to attack the already shaky psyche of a new parent specifically the mother? What your 6 month old doesn't go diaper free part time? You DON"T potty whisper?? GASP!
Confused? The basics of potty whispering is watch and put over a toilet. So you watch your baby try to learn their signs of when they use their diaper. You can basic tell when they are using their diaper by watching, learn their natural rhythms and by instinct. hummm I know at times I thought oh nice the little one is making a stinky diaper for grandma but it ends up that they just had gas. We do this on instinct already. You hold them over the potty for them to do their business. There was a picture of a 3 month old. Ok really that young? Wow I am glad I don't have to worry about potty training anymore. I am told that girls are easier and I was very lucky the wet diaper was the biggest motivator, plus a bigger kid friend who had a cool potty that made all the grown ups go OH You're a big boy now. She just decided to use it just like he did. Yea I am braggging but it was that easy for me. I feel for the moms that don't have it as easy as I did. Plus working mommas have really hard they can't watch their babies 24/7, again the war between the working mommas and the stay at home mommas gets more attention.
raSo I think if I had a little one right now I wouldn't worry about potty whispering too much. I did have the fun of a little raw bottom from diapers that gave her a rash out and left her on a towel with a changing pad under that to help air it out, but to hold her over the potty and tell her to go on the potty at 3 months. Nope, I don't think I would have done that far!!

Then it was the colon cleansing that is recommended that had me going huh?. Shame on them. There are sites that are being sued now for using Oprah and Dr. Oz's names without their true endorsement. If you are ubber green you know that a colon cleanse should NOT be a choice because you already have eaten a balance diet. Stay away from those frozen family sized meals that you nuke to heat. Give up the sugar drinks. Ok that is my weakness.. :as she takes a drink of Pepsi:. Don't open that little envelope and mix in milk or water to make a meal that you could have done 20 some years ago from scratch. No need to remove toxins from your body you haven't placed any in your body. Or very few. Oh and : Don't nuke anything in plastic to not be exposed to BPA (Bisphenol A ) , use glass. Speaking of BPA don't use canned veggies or fruits, buy frozen or fresh. Don't wash your hair or body in anything containing Nitrosamines, Lead and Other Heavy Metals, Parabens, Phthalates, Hydroquinone, or 1,4-dioxane. Check the site Skin Deep first.

That was my rant for the day...........