Fire in the Hole

free download:Video Game / Prime World Wallpaper - submitted by torinoGT - ID 326501

This is the time of year I watch my roses bloom bigger than my FACE, I smell my gigantic honeysuckle every time I step out my back door, and I get to plant all my seasonal veggies from seed.  

So a few weeks ago I went out to the garden to till and get those seeds planted.  I noticed a TON of fire ants along the entire line of the above ground garden Adrian built for me last year.  They were in between the soil and the wood that surrounds the garden itself...and they were just about as 'happy' to see me as I was to see them.  As I was crouched down trying to assess the damage, I felt a far-too familiar burn on the top of my foot.  I looked down and saw three ants curled up and chowing down.  OUCH!!  So then I end up standing there (five feet away) for ten minutes scratching the spots that were stinging, rubbing the top of my foot on the back of the opposite leg, smacking the whelps, and cursing the ants straight to the fiery pits from whence they came.

Of course, I wanted to run straight to the garage and grab the chemical-ridden ant killer that Adrian purchased last Spring.  As I stood there scratching, I started to day dream about coming out of the garage in the style of the movie 300 - in slow motion, of course - wielding and waving the open bag of fire ant killer over my head, it spilling all over the place, and every ant coughing, gasping for their last breath, falling on their backs and dramatically dying.  I then drop the empty bag to the ground - still in slow motion because that's awesome - put my hands on my (much smaller) hips (it's MY day dream, I can have little hips if I want!), and let out a scream of honor and satisfaction, knowing I had saved my garden - and the world, obviously - from the diabolical evil of the Fire Ant Kingdom.

Back home on earth, I came to and realized I had to do something ELSE.  I pride myself on a total organic garden; that includes soil, seeds...everything.  I peruse every soil I buy, checking for metals, chemicals, or anything that doesn't match the organic label.  (Yes, believe it or not, America, the FDA allows the label even if it's not completely and entirely organic...GASP!)  The last thing I wanted to do was sprinkle chemical ant killer on the plants and seeds, and then feed them to my family or ingest them myself!  So what the heck was I supposed to do??

(You guessed it.  I put it in the "Googla") I Googled for a while, really wanting to compare notes, websites, and suggestions.  "Kill the ants in my garden naturally."   I decided to try a few of them out.  So I put another ant mound I found out back to the test.  On it, I put sugar.  (I used organic, of course, for testing-purposes).  This was supposed to kill them AND make your fruits and vegetables sweeter as they grew.  Sounded like a fine side effect to me.  They ATTACKED the sugar.  Oh, yes, My Pretties...eat, EAT!!  This was to take three days.  I patiently checked every day, fully expecting the mound to be inactive.  It was three times bigger by the third day.  Apparently, organic sugar is like steroids for those little boogers.  

Next - grits.  This was supposed to be carried by the ants down below (to the evil lair that holds the wicked queen) and then literally blow them up because the grits cannot be digested.  Sounds like another day dream waiting to happen.  So I searched for organic grits.  If I purchased regular and any of the grits were left on the soil, then it would be processed yuk growing into my cherished organics.  Finally, I found some.  Way too expensive to purchase just to sprinkle on ants.  So even though I wanted to hang out and watch them blow up, I couldn't justify the pricey purchase.

Third time's a charm!  COFFEE GROUNDS.  This is the easiest, best, and least expensive way to get rid of those vile creatures - especially if you already drink coffee!  I buy the store-brand organic coffee for us to drink so as soon as was done making coffee (we don't have a fancy-schmancy kuerig coffee maker), I let the grounds cool and took them out to the garden.  I sprinkled them around the entire perimeter of the garden and then throughout with whatever was left.  It didn't even take a lot.  Not only did it kill the fire ants (death by caffeine, perhaps?) it acted as a natural growth agent for the veggies!  (New compost item!!)  

When you have something biting you over and over again - slowly destroying the things that nurture you, and you're tired of the pain and heartache, you must ask yourself what its worth to you.  If quick fixes are only addressing the symptoms, it could be poison.  Stay at it - naturally, organically.  In the end, you'll overcome...and the best part is, you will see the growth in you because of it.

Spring Break

Angie from Sawara, Chiba-ken, Japan - CC BY 2.0 File:Mattress Springs.jpg Uploaded by FlickrLickr Created: April 27, 2005

Spring is a time most people consider to be the 'clean-up-clean-out-clean-all' time of year, and I completely agree.  I love any opportunity to organize and clean, and Spring is a perfect one!

I do the typical Spring cleaning, of course, where windows, cupboards, and closets get completely overhauled, but I also like to get down to the nitty-gritty as well.  One of the things I noticed during our OCD Festival, as we like to call it, was our couch and chair in the living room......the usual vacuuming under and beating the dust from the cushions wasn't giving the fresh appearance it was supposed to.  I realized it was because the cushions were 'sinking' some from wear, tear, and age......and some of the springs were broken.  Well, we certainly are in no position to buy an entire new room of furniture so we had to figure something out.

First thought: slip covers.  The more I thought about it, though, the more I didn't like the idea.  It would freshen up the look of course, but the cushions would still be a little saggy and I also happen to like the design of our living room furniture and didn't want to cover it up.

I stood in my living room, sizing up the couch and chair, one hand on my hip, the other scratching my chin in deep thought for quite some time.  It was driving me crazy trying to figure out how to give this furniture a lift......A-HA!  That was it!  Give the cushions a LIFT!

I marched into the garage (Adrian was in there working on all the other Spring cleaning projects I had given him, poor thing!) and asked if we had any plywood.  The look on his face was priceless.  Adrian prides himself on being a member of the Handyman Club (He insists there is a secret handshake) and said, "Of COURSE, Woman!  Why?"  (Picture this as he says it: sleeves-cut-off-t-shirt, khaki carpenter shorts, tool belt on, sweat beads over the brow, hands on the hips and stance in the way of Superman......there MAY have even been a slight breeze blowing through his cape)

So I inform him of my idea.  I asked how long it would take to cut the plywood to fit both the couch and the chair and place it under the cushions.  "Pshhh!"  was his reply.  Well, within fifteen minutes, 'Handy-Man' had measured, cut, and fitted the plywood to fit under the cushions!  I wrapped them in old neutral-colored sheets I had in my blanket box, replaced the cushions, fluffed the throw pillows and it looked AWESOME!  

I suppose a little sagging and drooping is to be expected as we age and each Spring comes and goes.  That doesn't mean we're ready to be disposed of or replaced!  When you're feeling a little down and broken, or like you need to be refreshed, take the time to appreciate your design and do something to give yourself a little lift......it could make the difference in where you sit in life.

Good, Clean Fun

© Alexroz | Dreamstime.com - Bathtub Photo

I bathe.  I know, I know...you're all thinking, "Thank goodness!"  But what I mean is, I'm not the shower-girl, I'm the girl who likes to submerge in the hottest bubble-filled, aroma-therapeutic, quiet-in-the-bathroom, classical music playing softly, glass of red on the edge - bathtub.  Now, in the real every-day world, I don't get to do the aforementioned type of bath, but I still prefer bath over shower for the daily hygiene routine.

We have a great tub.  It's a large garden tub with a big iceberg window that lets in sunlight (which is super-helpful when it comes to seeing it is time to clean it).  We have a stained-glass window in front of it that makes for an even more soothing mood.  All good stuff.

Soooo...why am I talking about my bathtub and bathing practices today? Well, I've noticed lately that when it's time to let the water out so I can wash my hair (I'm a germ-a-phobe so there is no WAY I'm washing my hair in the water I just bathed in) it drains slower and slowwer, and slowwwer every time.  Man, I've got stuff to do and do not have time to watch water drain!!  I make a mental note to add this to Adrian's list of honey-do's, but my mental note never makes it to the list, as I get distracted easily by the other to-do thoughts running through my head.

Yesterday...I am rinsing the tub and getting it ready for mamma (that's me) so's I can take my epsom-salts-fix-muh-bones-if-you-please bath and I notice the water isn't going down at all though the stopper is not in.  I am taking it pretty personally because I want to take advantage of the rare quiet time that existed in my house at that moment.  Do I take the plunger (that's been in my TOILET) to it?  Only if I want to ruin bath time for the rest of my life.  Do I take a wire hanger and try to scoop out the clog?  Well, A) that would make me throw up and 2) my hangers are plastic, thank God.  Ahhhhh, Drano, perhaps?  I scour the house, looking for the chemical nectar that is going to give me my (now-cut-in-half) bath time.  But alas, I made the vow to try to stop using chemicals in my home whenever possible.  It's amazing how your belief system flies out the window when all you want to do is take a freaking bath, because I found myself praying for God to allow me to find some forgotten-about Drano way in the back of the cabinet under the sink.  I suppose there were other, more important prayers going on in the world because there was no Drano to be found.

I went to the Googla...(Translation: I Googled it) and typed in: (I know.  You think I'm going to tell you I typed in "How to pray properly so that the Lord answers your prayer to find some stinkin' Drano in the house so a person can take a bath...but I didn't) "how to unclog a drain without Drano".  Apparently I'm not the only one who suffers the clogged bathtub plight because there were many great links and conversation threads regarding the subject.

There was one method in particular that kept coming up that was fast and easy. It costs only pennies to do and I was able to use items I already had in my pantry! I will share this method with you, but before I do, I think it's important to tell you that the method worked, I got to take my bath, and I got some good material to use in my post in the process!  I think I'm going to invest in a rubber duckie...

CHEMICAL-FREE WAY TO UNCLOG A DRAIN:

1/2 cup baking soda

1 cup vinegar

1 gallon boiling water

Carefully pour all the baking soda down the drain. Pour in 1/2 of the vinegar, covering the hole with a towel or stopper so the fizz is forced down, not up. Add the second half of the vinegar, following the same procedure. Allow to sit for 15 minutes or so, and then flush with an entire gallon of boiling water.

For particularly troublesome stoppage, multiple applications may be in order, but it WILL WORK so hang in there.

Follow up with a smile.

What's It Gonna Cost Me?

My husband and I date - not other people, of course, but we date each other.  Last night was a good date.  Times are definitely tough right now and belts are tighter than they've ever been; somehow, we managed to have a great date night...free of charge!!

It started when he picked me up at my house.  Okay, we live at the same house, but a lady likes it when a gentleman comes a-callin'.  (Besides, it makes for a good story!)

Adrian has always opened doors for me.  I'm a bit of a male-chauvenist, so it's never bothered me.  I actually love it.  He has opened my car door whether we are leaving home, a garage sale, or the opera...he does not discriminate and I love that.  It's the little things that mean a lot.  But it's especially nice on date night.

Anyway, back to the story.  So he picked me up (or walked me out to the car).

We headed to our first destination, which was a (sooooooooo long-overdue) mani / pedi for me, while Adrian sat in a massage chair next to me with the power on full blast.  Sipping wine and listening to soft music while getting my foot rubbins and arm and neck massage on was amazing...but what felt better is that it was all fer-ee!! (WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!?)  You heard me right!    Cameron gave me a gift card for Christmas to my favorite place (which I haven't seen in awhile) and we decided to start our date there because we knew they offered a free glass of wine with your pedicure.  So massage, manicure, pedicure, (tip, of course, was covered by the certificate) before-dinner cocktail, soft lighting and music = all free.  So far, so good.

Next, we decided to go to one of those places you can get dinner and a movie all in one place - not always the cheapest route to take these days, but apparently nothing's too good for us.  Guess how much I'm gonna tell you it was?  Come on, you see a pattern here, don't ya?  Well, in case you're on the edge of your seat with anticipation and wonder - it was free!  HOW THE HECK WAS DINNER AND A MOVIE FREE, YOU ASK?  Chelsea and Sam gave us a $25 gift card for Christmas (yea, we made out like bandits from our kids) and that covered the dinner part.  I received an email from this establishment for one free ticket.  (The name of the place is not relevant, because I subscribe to tons of places for reasons just like this one and you can, too).   I then searched through my Entertainment coupon book, found one for a free movie ticket to the same place, (did a yippee-doo-dah dance) and voila!  Dinner and a movie = all free.  WORD.

Now keep in mind that all the affection we showed each other throughout the night, holding hands (yes, we still do that), the laughs we shared, the time together = all free.  Exhausted from being pampered all evening, we headed home.  

I am grateful for the Christmas gifts, but even without them, we know how to paint the town red free of charge all the time, and we do it.  Date night is necessary.  PERIOD.  It doesn't matter what the dynamic or make up of your family is: small kids, grown kids, no kids.  Date night is essential to keeping your marriage healthy.  And we're proof that you don't even have to spend a lot to do it.

I won't tell you how we ended the date, but I WILL tell you that didn't cost us a thing, either. ;-)

Goodwill Toward Men

I've always been aware that I will be an eccentric old lady.  Even when I was young (er) I knew that.  I'll be the one who has dyed her hair way too black, and it will go way past my hairline on my forehead.  My red lipstick will look stained and overdone and go far too much outside the lip line.  My eyebrows will be black as coal, and drawn on to make me look like I'm surprised all the time.  I will wear gold lamé track suits and canvas sneakers with flowers all over them.  And I will smell good...like any respectable eccentric old lady should.  These things are expected of me, and I will own it.

I'm already well on my way.  I dress a little outside the box most days, but at 41 I know exactly who I am without question and my sense of style or fashion (I use those words loosely!)goes along with that.  But at 41 I also know the value of a dollar, and I've found a way to beat the system: Goodwill.

Some of you may frown upon the thought of second-hand, or shudder when it comes to wearing what someone else has worn.  Understood.  And I warn you to stop reading here if that is you.  I wouldn't want your skin to crawl at the thought of the red linen Versace shirt I bought Cameron with the $80 tag still on it for $3.99.  Or the $200 couture suit that Adrian still says is the best one he owns for $13.  Or even the $26 Prada knock-off purse I bought for myself for exactly $ .99 (that's ninety nine CENTS, Ladies and Gents).

For those of you who don't mind saving money, then read on because there is a method to the madness.  Some Goodwills are VERY proud of their stuff; by this, I mean that the pricing is left to each Goodwill's discretion.  I found a really cute wooden salad bowl I was going to get that I THOUGHT was $1.99.  It turned out to be $11.99 when I got to the register.  When I inquired what made this bowl so special, they couldn't tell me and I abandoned the purchase.  I found a cuter wooden bowl at Target (pronounced "Tar-jzay") for half that.  So definitely be cautious - just because it's Goodwill doesn't mean it's automatically a good deal.

And ya gotta be willing to DIG.  You can't just peruse...you must find your arm strength to be able to move the hangers as you look because they pack those clothes in there like cattle and you may miss the perfect bargain find if you ridicule the practicality of digging.

Look, I already know that Goodwill is mostly the place that people go when they're looking for a Halloween  costume cheap, or to just drop off the stuff they wouldn't be caught dead in when they want to feel charitable.  But don't count it out for help with your everyday wardrobe.  It makes up about 98% of what we wear and saves us money that we can use for lots of other things.

Be careful to wash  or dry clean the clothes and to get those dreaded plastic tags off before heading out of the house.  I've been caught with one sticking out of the shoulder of a dress and though I'm not ashamed of where I shop, it was not one of my finer moments.

I don't have to dye my hair yet, but I will do so proudly when the time comes.  My lipstick has always been and will always be far too red and outside the lip line, and I draw on my eyebrows with careful precision (for now).  I don't own a gold lamé track suit, but am on the lookout for one all the time...and I always smell good, like any respectable ANY-aged person should!  And I am a proud thrift store shopper who wishes you all peace on earth and Goodwill toward men (women, and children).

I Heart Leftovers

Some people think leftovers are the thing to avoid.  They just can't do leftovers.  I've never been that person, but I do get it.  I grew up with meager means, to say the least so my personal panic button is thinking about wasting food.  With the boat we're in now, in order to make sure it doesn't sink, I have to find a way to make leftovers appealing and not like leftovers at all.
So there are the chicken teriyaki skewers I made the other night.  They were DELICIOUS and easy and super inexpensive.  I just took chicken tenderloins and marinated them in soy sauce, hoisin, and a little bit of sesame oil.  (Now these are all things I have on hand minus the chicken pieces so that was all I had to buy.  To me, if you've got a little Asian salad dressing in the fridge, just use that!)  I then soaked my skewers while the chicken marinated.  So I sprinkle a little Kosher salt and some pepper on both sides and pop them in a 350 degree oven for around 20 -25 minutes.  A simple salad on the side and you've got an inexpensive, healthy meal!  
Now...on to the leftover part.  I've got enough chicken skewers left to send with Adrian (AND Cameron) for lunch and then some.  So he's had them for supper.  He's had them for lunch.  LAST thing he wants is to have them for supper again!
What to do??  
I took some flour (unbleached organic for us for health purposes, but any kind of all-purpose will do), yeast, olive oil, honey, warm water and a little salt (all lying around the house dying to be used!)  I made pizza crust from scratch (SO easy, recipe to follow), and poured some barbecue sauce we had in the cabinet (organic, thanks for the gift, Karen Merritt!) over it, and sprinkled the leftover chicken on top.  I sprinkled a little shredded cheddar we had lying around on top and popped it in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.  VOILA!  Barbecued chicken pizza!  (Adrian and Cameron both took the pizza for lunch the next day!)
Let's talk this through: Two packages of the chicken came to about $8 and I used pantry items and staples for the rest.  I made dinner and lunch and dinner and lunch again, two different ways.  I fed three people.  So four meals and three people comes to roughly (and for all my math OCDs out there, I do mean ROUGHLY) a dollar per meal per person!  
Every morning I get to wake up, I remember I'm leftover from the day before.  I try to remember that when it comes to my food and fuel, and the respect it deserves for the role it plays in mine and my family's life.
(Getting past the serious stuff and moral of the story...here's the quick and easy pizza crust recipe!)
2 cups flour
1 pkg (or 1 tbsp dry active yeast)
3/4(ish) tsp salt
1 cup WARM water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
Pour flour into a large mixing bowl.  Add yeast and salt.  mix well.  Add water, oil, and honey and mix well.  Cover and place in a warm spot for 10 - 15 minutes to rise.
Punch down and press into a greased 14-inch pizza pan (or 10-inch for thicker crust)  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.
YUM.