1-1-10

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

--------------------------

We stayed up to watch the ball drop at midnight then headed off to bed.

THEN wanna know how my morning started off!! Not good!
Banging my head on wall.

Ok if anyone knows my step-dad you know he's a little out there.
He doesn't know how to word things and takes everything a little too serious.
He doesn't get jokes and is a little slow.

He must have called from work, which is an auto parts store.
He knew we were wanting to sell our Expedition in the near future
and must have found a guy at work or a customer that was somewhat interested in it.
So my step-dad calls this morning and Tony answers. He asked how much we wanted
for it then the other guy wanted to know what was wrong with it.

Ok...now here is what I would have said....
We recently purchased another vehicle and the reason for selling this one
is that we wanted a vehicle that was more simpler than an Expedition which
is too fancy for us. We aren't familiar with the Tritan V8 motors and
wanted a simpler motor such as a 350 that we could do maintenance on ourselves.

Sounds plain and simple doesn't it when selling a vehicle. And I am telling
the truth!!!

When my step-dad asked what was wrong with the Expedition, Tony made the comment
that it was a money pit. AND DO YOU KNOW MY STEP-DAD TURNED AROUND AND TOLD
THE GUY INTERESTED IN IT THOSE EXACT WORDS!!! If you want to sell your vehicle
those are not the words to use!! Needless to say he hasn't called back saying the
guy wanted to come look at the truck. I WONDER WHY!!!! He should have just given the guy our number and let us do the talking. We could have stressed the good points of all the parts we replaced on the truck and made that one selling point.

Do you feel my pain as my head is banging against the wall??????!!!!!!

Anyone want to buy a money pit??? Hurry while you can!! I got people lined up!!
Perfect ride for the recession!!

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

We have invested approximately $1,000 in it since owning so that is the reason for Tony's comment. Hey someone out there could be getting a good deal in all reality
since we would be taking that much of a loss for repairs. We've already spent the money to repair it and are asking only what we paid for the truck to begin with.
And the truck sets on chrome 20's. That's rims for those that don't know about what I call hoopty mobiles. Those things are worth $1,000 plus alone! I'm sure my step-dad didn't mention those.



----------------------------------

Had to make another run to Kroger today.
They have their Christmas things marked down to 75% off.
I even saw a few items more than that such as ceramic
serving plates that was $15 marked down to $3.
Wrapping paper, wrapping tissue and gift boxes were .50 cents.
This was at Karl Rd. so it may vary from each store.

Remember that place I said yesterday was a madhouse?
Well it still is! I swear we stood in line behind this lady that was checking out for what seemed like 30 minutes. I was able to catch up on all the star gossip and find out who's gay, who's gaining or losing weight and who's cheating who by reading them all from the magazine rack!!

Anyway she was Latino, had problems with speaking English and understanding what the cashier was telling her, was using food stamps and what appeared to be WIC. She didn't buy the correct bread and other stuff so the bagger and her younger daughter made about 3 trips around the store to find what they needed while we waited and waited in line!! AHHHH!!!

The Kroger at Karl is the only Kroger I know that sells PIG HEADS at times. You heard me correct, a freakin pig head!! I saw one, one other time and it was so gross to look at. Today they had 3 in the refrigerated case in the middle isle. Then the butcher brought out his rolling rack and had about 3 more getting ready to put them out. I know there are a lot of foreigners in Columbus that probably would swoop that up. But please tell me what you do with one such as cooking or eating it.
I'm not cooking anything that appears to be looking at me while basting it!!
I could see Tony's look on his face when he asks, what's for supper? And I say swine flu stew with a big ole pig head in the pot.

-------------------------------

I got my boneless pork ribs with a can of kraut and a can of turkey graving
brewing in the crock on high. I'll let it cook for about 6 hours. Enough time to break down the meat fibers so it will be falling apart to the point you won't need a knife to cut it. Here in a bit I'll get a pot of potatoes boiling on the stove.
I threw in some extra meat to have leftovers for lunches for the next couple of days.
And I also have an extra can of gravy I left out of the crock. Kids don't like kraut so I will use that extra can for their gravy.

Watch these newer crock pots!
Most older recipes for crocks will say 2-4 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high. I have noticed my crock pots are cooking much quicker than those times.
I love my crocks and have had 3 at one time. I've had 2 different meals cooking at once in 2 of them. Planning ahead for meals and sometimes freezing precooked meals makes life sooo much easier. Plus having multiple crock pots going around the holidays to keep things warm is so nice for those dinner events.
-------------------

Was cleaning and tidying up cupboards and kitchen drawers when I found my all time
favorite icing recipe. It is quick drying, dries hard and be tinted with food coloring. I separate icing into small bowls and add different colorings to each one.
If I want to get detailed with cookies, I'll use a new small paint brush and brush on the icing.


WILTON'S QUICK POUR COOKIE ICING

5 cups sifted confectioner's/powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
food coloring

Place sugar and milk in bowl. Stir until mixed thoroughly.
Add corn syrup and mix well. Add drops of food coloring, stir.

Let dry completely 1 hour. Excess icing can be reheated in
microwave for a couple seconds.
-----------------------------

It's 6:00pm and I got dumplings in the crock and potatoes boiling.
Supper is smelling sooo good.
-------------------------------

I erased everything I wrote earlier as I guess it wouldn't pertain to what
my blog is about, how we go about our daily lives of being frugal.
What I wrote earlier should be left personal with family and friends.
So if you wonder where it went, my dog ate it.

---------------------------------

So here I am getting back on track with frugality....

Today we realized we were out of dishwasher soap. Had tons of dishes to
do with a full house. I grabbed a box of washing soda and added a couple
tablespoons of that to the tray in the dishwasher. It seemed to work until I go to the store to get some more. So if you are in a bind give this a try if you have any. And oh, if you are out of rinse aid, use vinegar instead.

I think I will head to bed. My body has been aching lately. I hope I'm not getting sick as it's only my back, hips, neck, and where your legs attach to your hips in your crotch area. Don't know what is up with all that but I keep moving trying to not let it bother me. Advil and the electric blanket helps! But ya gotta watch putting heat on some aches as it may only intensify your injuries. Read whether you should use ice or heat it may make a difference. For years I have collected a bunch of Home Remedy books from yard sales and thrift stores. They come in handy when you can't get to the doctor or don't have the money for one. They even have ones for pets. You can also search home remedies online.
Here are few you can explore:

http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/

http://www.grannymed.com/

http://www.natural-homeremedies.com/

http://kitchen.robbiehaf.com/PetHomeRemedies.html

12-31-09

I hear, but have not been myself to see, that Target is offering 75% off Christmas items.
----------------------------

I saw on Big Lots website more clearance items from Christmas at 30% off.

"30% Off Our Already Low Prices On Christmas Gift Sets*

Includes:

* Food, Bath, Fragrance & Cosmetic
* Popcorn Tins

* Limited to Christmas themed merchandise only. Selection varies by store.

More great clearance items include...

* iRobot® Roomba®
* Select Frame Sets
* Select Camcorders
* Select Toys
* Select Apparel Items
* Select Books
* Select Video Game Titles

Check with your local store for assortment and availability while they last!"

Also at Big Lots be sure to sign up for their Buzz Club member card.
I know yet another little plastic card to carry around, don't ya just hate those things!

Here is how the Buzz Club works"

Just have the cashier scan your Buzz Club™ Rewards card every time you shop. Make 10 Qualifying Purchases of $20 or more within a 12-month period and earn a 20% discount on a future purchase. Discounts are good for 60 days from the date you earn them.
---------------------------

I've been doing the Pinecone Research surveys online and getting my $3 checks for each one. I think I made about $15 this past month by doing them. Not much but puts some gas in the car!

This morning AC Neilson sent me a $5.00 survey. That was the first time they sent
me a paid survey like that.

Do your research to find the legit surveys.
-------------------------------

Think I'll head back to bed for a few before kids get up. Then have to go
get a temp tag for the truck. It snowed overnight and covered the roads so
thankfully I won't have to go very far to do it.

--------------------------

I can't seem to get motivated. Don't know if it's the cold weather or what.
Sitting here trying to figure out what to fill out on the title before
getting a temporary tag. You'd think with as many vehicles we've had over
the years I would know how to do this. What worries me is if you fill out
any blank spaces wrong it voids the title out completely. You can't scratch
nothing out and correct it. I hope I'm doing this right.
Well time to get ready and head out. It's 11:41am. Time to also get a lookie
at the Burban in the daylight for the first time. Hope it doesn't scare me, lol.

-----------------------

It's 2:33pm and we just got home. Mom went with us.
It's the last day of the month and a holiday tomorrow. Not a very
good day to go places! Stopped by the BMV on Morse Rd. and kept on rolling
through that parking lot as that place was packed!! Decided
to head over to the one on Henderson Rd. It was busy but nothing like
Morse Rd.
Mom brought along her Entertainment coupon book so we could go out to lunch. We decided upon Donatos pizza since it was right by the BMV. I've been keeping watch as to how many coupons it takes to use from that book before it pays for itself.
It cost $20. So far here are the coupons we used and what we saved:

TACO BELL
$3.50 saved with these items free (buy 1 get 1 coupon)
2 Chalupas, 1 regular taco and a large drink

SUBWAY
$3.50 saved with buy one 6" sub get one free

Donatos Pizza
$2.00 off any large pizza

So far by using 3 coupons $9 has been saved.

------------------------------

Had to stop by Kroger today, ahhh. Didn't realize tomorrow was New Years
day as it snuck up so fast. I plan on making pork and kraut tomorrow but
realized I was out of potatoes.
First of the month at Kroger is a terrible time to go! It's so packed
full of people who are cashing welfare checks or getting food with stamps.
I assume that as the lines were long with overflowing carts and the service
counter line was long also unlike the rest of the month.

I will admit I have been on food stamps many many years ago so know what it's like.
But please tell me why the first of the month is such a busy time for stores???
I realize people get food stamps at the first of the month. Do people not
plan out their grocery lists well enough to last all month or more that there is a sudden urgency to have to go to the store when the stamps are issued again. Do you get what I am saying?
------------------------------

OTHER COUPONS AND DEALS FROM STORES

In Speedway I found coupons for
Buy 1 Get 1 Free (up to $1.49) Trident Layers

Kroger had a flier saying you get $5 off when your purchase $25 or more
in participation Proctor and Gamble items all in one transaction. Check yellow tags!
Good til 1-10-10.

-Tide - Bounce - Downy - Charmin - Bounty - Puffs - Dawn - Febreze - Swiffer -Iams - Pringles - Pampers - Luvs -Duracell - Pur - Braun - Crest - Oral B - Scope - Glide Floss - Align - Vicks - Metamucil - Prilosec - Pepto - Clearblue - Pantene -
Head & Shoulders - Herbal Essence - Aussie - Gillette - Nice 'N Easy - Perfect 10 -
Root Touch Up - Natural Instincts - Secret - Old Spice - Tag - Olay -
Cover Girl - Always - Tampax - Zest - Ivory - Safeguard - Venus
------------------------------

I finally got a few pictures taken this morning of the Suburban
before hurrying off to do things.
We paid $3,450 BELOW Kelly Blue Book value so got a heck of a deal!
I just realized today that 3 of our vehicles are 1999, lol.
It needs a good cleaning on the inside. The guy
even gave us a new can of cleaner for it, lol.
Told you it looked like a 4x4 limo.







-------------------------------

Oh my goodness! If you can find your own backyard mechanic to work on vehicles I would highly suggest it. Or get ya a repair manual and learn the basic things yourself. Tony said his work took in a company truck to Goodyear to get front brakes repaired along with a brake line. Cost $2,200!!! It's not my truck but it's the thought. Where do these companies get off charging you these outrageous prices!!!
We took our truck there to get 4 coil packs put on. The charged us $90 a coil pack times 4 is $360!! And that didn't include labor! I found new coil packs on Ebay from Canada for $80-$90 with shipping for all 8 coil packs. Who's screwing who in this world!
If you can find a mechanic that will allow you to buy the parts and put them on then all the better. Not too many of those though. But look how much you could save!!
ALOT!

12-30-09

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A COLD POP FIRST THING IN THE MORNING!
AHHH! THAT REALLY HITS THE SPOT!


No she's not really drinking my pop. I was snacking on a piece of my quick bread this
morning with powdered sugar on top. I put a little piece on the straw to make it
look like she was drinking out of my cup, LOL! See the powdered sugar on the table?
Kitty has a sweet tooth and was lured by the sugar. Had to do this a couple times to get the right shot. She tried to bite the straw to get at the small piece of bread.
-------------------------

I made up my sausage last night for jerky and it's marinating in the fridge.
I used 2 pounds of it.

It's 1:39pm and I just got the sausage pressed out onto the dehydrator. It smells
good! My jerky press has 3 different attachments, flat, and 2 round ones, so I used all three to experiment with them.




Today's supper will be ham and bean soup.
And here it is ready to go at 4:16pm:


Found this recipe off Bigoven.com and might give it a try or use what I have on hand for it. I'm gonna throw it altogether in the crock pot instead of using the stove top. Precook potatoes ahead of time as I haven't had much luck with getting raw potatoes to cook through in a crock.

Oh everyone, especially Tony, loved last nights leftover supper.
Sometimes I get more comments on things I make with leftovers
than the suppers I make normally, lol. Some things seem better
the second time around.

Best Ham and Bean Soup

When I was a cook in a restaurant years ago, this was our best-selling soup. One taste and your family will agree it's a winner! --- Mary Detweiler, West Farmington, Ohio

Ingredients

* 3/4 pound fully cooked ham cubed
* 1 medium onion chopped
* 2 cloves garlic minced
* 2 Tablespoons Butter
* 2 cans (16 ounces) great northern beans, rinsed and; drained
(I have a large jar of a mixture of 7 beans)
* 3 cups chicken broth
* 2 cups water
* 1 cup peeled diced potatoes
* 3/4 cup diced carrots
(I have a can of slice carrots to use)
* 3/4 cup diced celery
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1/2 cup frozen peas
(I'll probably leave these out)
* 2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley


Preparation

In a 3 quart saucepan, saute ham, onion and garlic in butter until onion is tender.

Add the next seven ingredients; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add peas and cook for 5 minutes. Add parsley and serve.

------------------------------

***FREE TACO***


For anyone interested in a Free Fresco Taco Bell
you can go here and print a coupon.
http://static.tacobell.com/drivethrudiet/coupon.html

-----------------------

My friend Kendra and her husband Dewaine stopped in today.
I gave them their Christmas gifts. She and hubby are into
Tigger, Eeyore and Teddy Bears so I have been collecting
them throughout the year. I also found her a pasta roller
that's she been wanting ;0)






They also brought me a baseball fan. We both saw it come across
Freecycle today and she lived closer to where it was and
got it for me. She is sooo nice! Jonathan was all smiles
when he saw it! CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS WAS FREE! I LOVE FREEBIES
OFF OF FREECYCLE!
I priced this thing online between $128
and $144.00!!!!!!!!!



-----------------------------------

Everyone has been favoring my homemade Snuggie robe that has no sleeves. I'm
guilty of wearing it a few times when Jonathan doesn't. Now today I see Damien wearing it while lounging on the couch trying to be cute. I fanned the front of
it out to show everyone how much fabric is on the front. It's just like having a blanket on. The backside is the same way. Still thinking of a name for it.
What about a RONCHO. Sound funny but it combines the word Robe and Poncho.



Wouldn't you know it late last night while stopping in the gas station for gas
we see two girls leaving the store wearing Snuggies. That's a little much. But
now that I think of it those would be great to store in your car for emergencies in
case you broke down in the Winter time.

Woops Jonathan busted me wearing his robe poncho, lol.


-----------------------------

Tonight we ended up purchasing a 1999 Chevy Suburban 4x4.
This sucker is BIG! I think you could put a full size couch in the back of
it with no problem and close the doors! We took it through a car wash as it was dirty with salt. Can't wait til tomorrow when I can see the truck for the first time
in daylight. I usually don't recommend buy a vehicle in the dark but we had no other time option since it gets dark around 5pm. We did our best to take the truck
to a lit parking lot to look it over and also carried flashlights to look under the hood.
No pics yet as it is dark. This pic below is not ours but looks just like it.


Typically you don't get these extra items when purchasing a vehicle from
a private seller so these things were a bonus when we got this truck...

2 extra tires, this does not include the full size spare tire. So I guess
a total of 3 extra 16" tires.

Then comes all the warranties with the new parts he put on.
He said to call him or write him via email if something goes wrong
with these parts. He appeared to be the manager of a repair shop in
Hilliard. Won't say which shop but it is well known around the US.

1 year for water pump
90 day for flywheel
2 year full replacement on battery
lifetime brake pad warranty. He said if they go bad we can bring them
to where he works to get for free.
1 year distributor
lifetime spark plugs
not sure on the ball joints but they were just replaced and have some
kind of warranty with them from Napa.
I'm thinking there was one on rotors also because he said he replaced them
with new.
------------------------------

At bedtime I made Tony a cup of ham and bean soup. I jazzed it up with
some sharp shredded cheddar on top, added a little salt and pepper.
Well I thought it was pepper at the time. I have a McCormick
pepper grinder and the grinder I grabbed was cinnamon. I was grinding
away into his mug and was thinking, wow this pepper is a lot easier
to grind tonight. That's when it dawned on me I put a bunch
of ground cinnamon in his mug, LOL, WHOOPS. You can see the cinnamon
specks on the sides of the mug and in it. LOL!

---------------------

I am not a coffee drinker. I love my pop! Don't know what possessed me tonight
to get a toffee cappuccino at Speedway, it just sounded good. In my lifetime I've probably had 3-4 cappucinos, the first one ever drank was in New York about 12 years ago. It gave me a caffeine buzz. I recommend the toffee flavor. It was mild coffee flavored so it was just right for me. Now I sit here at 11:07pm just finishing my cappuccino, WHEEE!
Don't recommend drinking one just before bedtime, LOL. Hey maybe there will be some
more good movies on for me to watch.
Do you ever notice that in the middle of the night it seems they play the good movies, While You Are Asleep! Why is that??? Then during the day you can't find anything to watch on 100 channels to chose from! You get up in the morning and
can either choose from infomercials or news to watch. Those 'as seen on tv' ones are a joke! They never do what they claim.
Like magnetic arm wraps, lol. Who's gonna climb a ladder with a pipe wrench and hammer magnetized to their arm? I sure as heck ain't standing under them when they give way due to gravity! I told Tony I could imagine him walking through his maintenance shop with one on his arm and nut, bolts, razor blades,nails and screws all start darting towards him off the shelves like a full blown attack, LMAO.
Or what about these commercials to loose weight. Duh, if someone can't figure out the before and after photos then the jokes on them. Look at their shoulders in the before. They are droopy. Then the after photo they are sucking in their belly standing tall. Give me a break! Oh but I lost 10 pounds in one week. Yeah right. What'dyall do take a big ole crap, or should I say a $5.00 foot long as Jonathan puts it. The kids say the darndest things!
Let's see while I am on a roll what other as seen on tv things there are...
Oh yeah the ear audio amplifier that looks like a blue tooth. You can hear birds far away remember the lady strolling through the park and the guy eavesdropping on 3 women who think he's hot. So corny but great for the next stalker out there. Then they show it at a sporting event. Wonder how loud that thing sounds when the guy next to you is yelling or screaming when the team makes a score????
Here's another one that is a bunch of bull if you ask me. Buffalo bull that is.
They advertise a pure 24 karat buffalo gold piece. No such thing! If you fell for that you need to do your research! Think about it, you have 10kt, 14kt and 18kt gold jewelry. Never 24kt. Why??? Pure 24 karat pure gold is too soft to use it by itself!! Then notice in their advertisement it says CLAD. What is clad you say. When metal such as gold is bonded to another metal similar to gold plating. Soooo it's not pure 24K gold!! Be careful how they word things before buying anything!!
And pause the dvr and read those little itty bitty letters on the bottom of the screen for 2 seconds!! That's where they get ya!

I could go on and on about all the infomercial scams on tv but it's late
and I'm heading to bed to watch tv. If you really want to try something off of
tv wait for it to hit yard sales or thrift stores for a much cheaper price and you won't loose out on the original money someone spent on it to find out it didn't work!

Can ya tell the caffeine buzz is kicking in, lol, BLAH BLAH BLAH...BLAH...BLAH.
At least when my buzz crashes I'll be in bed ready for it.

Nighty Night.

12-29-00

Well I am attempting to get the rest of the living room/dining room picked up. I've let the kids play there since Friday with their new toys and now it's time to go and have my living room back. I'm feeling claustrophobic! Need air, need space, need room to roam! I am a one man (woman) band doing this. If I myself don't do this who knows where things will end up!

I think my New Year's resolution this year will be to declutter and weed crap out of this house! The less things you have the less likely your house will look messy!
I feel as though I fight a losing battle around here with keeping things clean, organized and picked up. We opted for a smaller house with smaller utility bills so there is no room to have any extras of things that don't get used. It will be a lot of work for one person I will tell you that. Hubby works all day and if I get kids to help weed out toys then nothing will ever leave. So it's solely up to me.
To make things go faster and better for me I find that taking things to a drop box is a plus. Trying to sell things, waiting for Kidney Foundation to pick them up once a month or putting them on Freecycle just puts me behind when I could be going full speed. Plus by taking them to the drop box helps me to declutter knowing the good items won't get thrown away and will be put to good use by someone else.

You could take your unwanted items to Salvation Army or other thrift stores and get a receipt for them. Keep track of every donated item and the market value in a notebook possibly with pictures. You can use these items as a tax deduction.
Here is a guide to donating items and what you need to do...
http://taxes.about.com/od/deductionscredits/a/CharityDonation.htm

Salvation Army has a donation value guide to help you figure out what your items are worth.

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf/vw-dynamic-
index/D477340FFA28755C8525743D0049D1EF?Opendocument

Here is one for Goodwill in PDF format...

http://docs.goodwill.org/alfresco/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/36cf5260-0bd6-4eea-acfb-8a80e3e014b0/Donation_Valuation_Guide.pdf
----------------------------------------

It's 2:46pm and the living room/dining room is almost done other than vacuuming.
I can breath easier now, at least with this part of the house anyway.

Now sitting here deciding what to have for supper.
I have leftovers that need used up in the fridge:
ham
black olives
shredded cheese
mushrooms
spinach dip
cream cheese
peaches
eggs
tomatoes
sweet orange marmalade preserves
crushed pineapple

This is where you have to get creative, lol!
What would you make with all this.
(no peeking below before you answer)

Whip together omlettes with leftover spinach dip instead of milk.
Add in cheese, ham, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes and
maybe a little bit of my bell peppers and onions that I have in the freezer.
I have the milk, veggies and meat covered in this main dish.

------------

If you have a big family that wants different things in their omelettes
here is an easy way to make them.
Set all toppings out on the counter.
Give everyone a zip loc sandwich bag and crack open 2 eggs in each one.
Have them go around and pick and choose about a Tablespoon of each of their favorite toppings and insert them in the baggie.
Zip up baggies and then have them squish it altogether.

Bring a medium-sized pan of water to a heavy boil.

Drop Ziploc baggie into the boiling water. Boil for 5 minunte.

Carefully, remove baggie from the water. Open the bag and roll the omelette onto a plate.

-------
Back to my supper for tonight,
Now for the bread, fruit and more milk to get all the food groups in...

I found a banana quick bread made with bisquick BUT I will change it
to use what I have on hand. I could make this and serve on the side of
the omelette and wallah, leftovers used up! Oh yeah my big
box of Bisquick cost me .60 cents. So I needed to find something
to put that to use also instead of it sitting in the pantry.

So here is my version of a PINEAPPLE PEACHES AND CREAM QUICK BREAD.
See how easy it is to change recipes into something different!

Ingredients:

* 1 cup granulated sugar (I used 3/4 cup)
* 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
* 2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup mashed)
(I used 1 cup peaches and 1/2 cup pineapple. I beat the peaches up with the blender so it was half pureed and half chunky)
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups biscuit mix
(I also added 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg)

Preparation:
In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas, the eggs, and vanilla. Stir in biscuit mix just until ingredients are moistened. Pour into a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. (I also floured my loaf pans on top of greasing them) Bake banana bread at 350° for 1 hour, or until wooden pick comes out clean when inserted in center. Cover with foil the last 15 minutes of baking if too brown. (didn't cover with foil) Cool banana bread before slicing.

I added a sprinkling of powdered sugar on top before serving.

It's in the oven now.
And if it's as good as licking the beaters, I can't wait. Yummy!



----------------------------------

I am also considering making some beef (sausage) jerky.
Found sausage on sale so opted to use that instead.
Might make and put in fridge overnight.
Still need to dig my dehydrator out of the basement and clean it up.
Got that free off freecycle years ago.

GROUND BEEF JERKY

1 1/2 to 2 lbs. extra lean ground beef
1/3 c. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar

Mix all ingredients together in a good sized mixing bowl. Use your hands to make sure the seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the meat. Refrigerate the mixture for at least a couple of hours or up to 24 hours for a stronger flavor. Roll the meat out in strips or patties and dry in 150 degree oven with the door ajar for 4 to 8 hours.

Drying time will vary depending on humidity and the fat content of the meat. Once removed from the oven jerky is cooled and stored in an open container to allow drying to continue. Seal the container to prevent further drying. Store in refrigerator or freezer.



----------------------

Here are some good coupons to print out:

Special K Buy 1 Get 1 Free cereal
http://www.specialk.com/

Coupons.com
be sure to print these now as it's almost the beginning of
a new month so coupons will get rotated or have a different
expiration date.

I myself could use the cereal coupons, bisquick coupons
and cookie (mixes or premade) coupons.

----------------------------

Well this evening me and Tony went to look at a 1999 Suburban
he saw on Craigslist last night. It was in Hilliard.

I'm tired of the 1999 Expedition. You can't work on it yourself
and gets quite costly taking it to a shop like GoodYear.
You can't even change your own spark plugs in this thing.
To take to a shop and have 8 spark plugs replaced costs around $300!!

I want something we can work on!!! We've been looking at Chevy's with
a 350 motor. Now even I can work on those, lol.

We liked the truck, the price was good, it ran good, it's 4x4 and has a 3 row seat.
The owner is a mechanic at a well know shop so he has put a lot of new parts into
this truck already which is a plus for me knowing I won't have to have these
things repaired:
new brakes, water pump, head work, distributor,plus, wires, cap, rotor, rear main seal, flywheel, starter, battery, balljoints, pitman arm.
PLUS he said the front 2 tires will need replaced and will be giving us
a set of tires also!!
Talking about tires, I did see another thing I liked very
well and that was the spare tire road on board inside the rear of the truck. Unlike the Expedition which has it's spare mounted underneath the truck.
Oh yeah and I asked the guy if the Suburban's key had a chip. NO! Woo Hoo.
The Expedition's key is a chip key and is like $200 or so to get 2 made because of it!! And that was cheap one after making a few phone calls. We averaged a price quote of around $300 for everyone else!
A chip key has to be programmed to the truck if you need a replacement key.
So don't lose those keys if you have one!!
The bad which is only cosmetic and something I can overlook and possibly
fix with junk yard parts is that the truck hit a deer. That shouldn't be
a problem considering this body style ran from 92 to 99. It has a dented fender on the passenger side and a little crumple on the hood where it does not close even on the one side. So if we wanted to get a new fender or hood I'm sure we could.
Oh well. The truck is basically getting purchased as a car hauler so I'm not worried about it as long as it runs good. I just don't want to put anymore money into the Expedition and haven't been too happy with it. Probably put $1000 in it and haven't had it a year.
Oh the truck has had a stereo put in it. We were test driving it in the dark when something in the truck caught my and the kids eye. The front of the radio was changing colors from green to blue to red to orange. That was different, lol.
As long as a vehicle runs good I overlook the radio or if it has one. It's a bonus if it does! One can always be put in for cheap. That's least important to me. But anyway this one does have a radio/cd/mp3/Ipod stereo in it. But hey if the radio is missing in a vehicle you're looking at point it out to the owner for a price drop.

Looks aren't everything when used vehicle shopping. It seems like the prettier they are the more expensive they are to fix. Research and find something where the motor doesn't look like it's been compressed into a shoe box. Some vehicles have even gone as far as putting the batteries inside fender wells where they can't be seen.
If you can't see where the spark plugs are located and have easy access to them then it's probably not worth it unless your loaded with money. But if you are the do-it-yourselfer finding ways to save money, go for the simpler motors like the Chevy 350 V8 Vortex and not the Ford Tritan V8!! Tritans have the power just like a 350 but forget working on it yourself unless you have your own shop.
Gosh I'm talking like I know about cars/trucks, LMAO. I know a few, lol.
I'm a Tomboy at heart and could be found underneath a car any day getting dirty.



Supposed to go give the Suburban another look over tomorrow evening and if everything
goes well we'll be bringing it home.
Here is a picture of what it looks like. Just a pic I found online not of the
exact truck as I didn't have my camera with me. This thing is bigger than
the Expedition!!
Looks like a 4x4 Limo. I told Tony I want to put TAPS in yellow letters on the back window, lol. Ok for those of you who don't know what TAPS is, it is show of Sy FY called Ghost Hunters. They run around in black trucks that look similar.

12-29-00

Well I am attempting to get the rest of the living room/dining room picked up. I've let the kids play there since Friday with their new toys and now it's time to go and have my living room back. I'm feeling claustrophobic! Need air, need space, need room to roam! I am a one man (woman) band doing this. If I myself don't do this who knows where things will end up!

I think my New Year's resolution this year will be to declutter and weed crap out of this house! The less things you have the less likely your house will look messy!
I feel as though I fight a losing battle around here with keeping things clean, organized and picked up. We opted for a smaller house with smaller utility bills so there is no room to have any extras of things that don't get used. It will be a lot of work for one person I will tell you that. Hubby works all day and if I get kids to help weed out toys then nothing will ever leave. So it's solely up to me.
To make things go faster and better for me I find that taking things to a drop box is a plus. Trying to sell things, waiting for Kidney Foundation to pick them up once a month or putting them on Freecycle just puts me behind when I could be going full speed. Plus by taking them to the drop box helps me to declutter knowing the good items won't get thrown away and will be put to good use by someone else.

You could take your unwanted items to Salvation Army or other thrift stores and get a receipt for them. Keep track of every donated item and the market value in a notebook possibly with pictures. You can use these items as a tax deduction.
Here is a guide to donating items and what you need to do...
http://taxes.about.com/od/deductionscredits/a/CharityDonation.htm

Salvation Army has a donation value guide to help you figure out what your items are worth.

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf/vw-dynamic-
index/D477340FFA28755C8525743D0049D1EF?Opendocument

Here is one for Goodwill in PDF format...

http://docs.goodwill.org/alfresco/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/36cf5260-0bd6-4eea-acfb-8a80e3e014b0/Donation_Valuation_Guide.pdf
----------------------------------------

It's 2:46pm and the living room/dining room is almost done other than vacuuming.
I can breath easier now, at least with this part of the house anyway.

Now sitting here deciding what to have for supper.
I have leftovers that need used up in the fridge:
ham
black olives
shredded cheese
mushrooms
spinach dip
cream cheese
peaches
eggs
tomatoes
sweet orange marmalade preserves
crushed pineapple

This is where you have to get creative, lol!
What would you make with all this.
(no peeking below before you answer)

Whip together omlettes with leftover spinach dip instead of milk.
Add in cheese, ham, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes and
maybe a little bit of my bell peppers and onions that I have in the freezer.
I have the milk, veggies and meat covered in this main dish.

------------

If you have a big family that wants different things in their omelettes
here is an easy way to make them.
Set all toppings out on the counter.
Give everyone a zip loc sandwich bag and crack open 2 eggs in each one.
Have them go around and pick and choose about a Tablespoon of each of their favorite toppings and insert them in the baggie.
Zip up baggies and then have them squish it altogether.

Bring a medium-sized pan of water to a heavy boil.

Drop Ziploc baggie into the boiling water. Boil for 5 minunte.

Carefully, remove baggie from the water. Open the bag and roll the omelette onto a plate.

-------
Back to my supper for tonight,
Now for the bread, fruit and more milk to get all the food groups in...

I found a banana quick bread made with bisquick BUT I will change it
to use what I have on hand. I could make this and serve on the side of
the omelette and wallah, leftovers used up! Oh yeah my big
box of Bisquick cost me .60 cents. So I needed to find something
to put that to use also instead of it sitting in the pantry.

So here is my version of a PINEAPPLE PEACHES AND CREAM QUICK BREAD.
See how easy it is to change recipes into something different!

Ingredients:

* 1 cup granulated sugar (I used 3/4 cup)
* 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
* 2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup mashed)
(I used 1 cup peaches and 1/2 cup pineapple. I beat the peaches up with the blender so it was half pureed and half chunky)
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 cups biscuit mix
(I also added 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg)

Preparation:
In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in mashed bananas, the eggs, and vanilla. Stir in biscuit mix just until ingredients are moistened. Pour into a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. (I also floured my loaf pans on top of greasing them) Bake banana bread at 350° for 1 hour, or until wooden pick comes out clean when inserted in center. Cover with foil the last 15 minutes of baking if too brown. (didn't cover with foil) Cool banana bread before slicing.

MY ADDITION:

Make a streusel using
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup marmalade preserves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

crumble on top of bread mix before baking.

Don't know if this will work but will see :0)
It's in the oven now.
And if it's as good as licking the beaters, I can't wait. Yummy!


----------------------------------

I am also considering making some beef (sausage) jerky.
Found sausage on sale so opted to use that instead.
Might make and put in fridge overnight.
Still need to dig my dehydrator out of the basement and clean it up.
Got that free off freecycle years ago.

GROUND BEEF JERKY

1 1/2 to 2 lbs. extra lean ground beef
1/3 c. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar

Mix all ingredients together in a good sized mixing bowl. Use your hands to make sure the seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the meat. Refrigerate the mixture for at least a couple of hours or up to 24 hours for a stronger flavor. Roll the meat out in strips or patties and dry in 150 degree oven with the door ajar for 4 to 8 hours.

Drying time will vary depending on humidity and the fat content of the meat. Once removed from the oven jerky is cooled and stored in an open container to allow drying to continue. Seal the container to prevent further drying. Store in refrigerator or freezer.



----------------------

Here are some good coupons to print out:

Special K Buy 1 Get 1 Free cereal
http://www.specialk.com/

Coupons.com
be sure to print these now as it's almost the beginning of
a new month so coupons will get rotated or have a different
expiration date.

I myself could use the cereal coupons, bisquick coupons
and cookie (mixes or premade) coupons.

12-28-09 HEALTHY SNACKS

For this coming new year I would like to incorporate more healthy snacks into our diet.
I have been searching around for ways to make cheap, affordable snacks that I think the kids would eat.
Here is a list of recipes I have so far:

EAST FRUIT ROLL UPS

-1 jar any flavor applesauce (used as the base of the fruit roll)

-powdered flavored gelatin (sugar free would be healthier for you)

-You can get creative and sprinkle coconut or nuts on top of applesauce

Spray a fruit roll sheet (lightly) with any type of cooking spray. Place several tablespoons of applesauce on a fruit roll sheet, to make small roll-ups. Spread to 1/4 thickness, so they’re about 4" in diameter. You can fit 6-8 on a fruit roll sheet, depending on how large you make them. Place in tray of dehydrator. Dehydrate at 140° for approximately 5-7 hours or until top of fruit roll is tacky. Remove, roll-up and place in a zip-lock bag.

NOTE: Entire fruit roll sheet may be covered with applesauce mixture and then dehydrated. Cut into individual serving sizes.

Making canned fruit purée

Canned fruit, including baby food without tapioca, is suitable for fruit leather. Drain whole fruit and purée in a blender, using the appropriate speed, or grind in a food mill, using the finest blade.
---------------------------------------------

AIR POPPED POPCORN
----------------

SUGAR-FREE JELL-O
----------------

SUGAR-FREE POPSICLES
----------------

PARFAIT: low fat yogurt layered with 1/4 cup whole grain cereal and 1/2 cup fruit.
----------------

1/2 cup sugar-free white chocolate pudding (w/skim milk) and 3/4 cup mixed berries (blueberries, rasberries, blackberries or strawberries). It's really filling and less than 150 calories for the whole thing! I make the pudding by shaking the pudding mix and milk in a quart jar for ~1 minute and then pour it into 4 bowl-sized covered pyrex dishes. Then I just take one out, put fruit on it and voila! I buy the frozen berry mix at TJ's and either add half-frozen berries or use fresh if I have on hand. Fresh peaches and blackberries are also an amazing combination.
---------------

TURKEY OR DEER JERKY

---------------

FROZEN YOGURT POPS

---------------

APPLES AND CREAM CHEESE DIP

* 5 medium apples; cored and sliced
* ½ cup orange juice
* 1 8-oz. package of cream cheese; at room temperature
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Preparation:
Directly after coring apples, place them in a large bowl and pour orange juice on them. Stir so that the apples are coated. This will keep them from getting brown.

Using a mixer in a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla. Place into four individual dipping bowls.
-----------------------------

mix jello and any flavor yogurt to make this easy snack for kids.
Prep Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:

* 2 small boxes of Jello
* 8 ounce yogurt in complimentary flavor

Preparation:
Add 2 cups boiling water to Jello, stir until dissolved. Add in yogurt.

Refrigerate like any other Jello.

To make it into Jigglers add in 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatine to Jello and boiling water and pour into pan.
-----------------------

APPLE SLICES WITH PEANUT BUTTER

# 2 apples
# 3-4 Tbsp. peanut butter
* 2 Tbsp. granola

Preparation:

1. Wash and core apples. Slice crosswise into 1/4-inch slices.

2. Spread peanut butter over apple slices.

3. Sprinkle granola over top.
------------------------

NUTTELLA WAFFLE SANDWICHES

* 4 frozen whole grain waffles
* 1/4 cup Nutella
* 1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries (optional)

Preparation:

1. Toast waffles according to package directions.

2. Spread Nutella on one side of each waffle.

3. Top two of the waffles with sliced strawberries. Place remaining waffles, Nutella side down, on top of the strawberries. Cut in half and serve.
----------------------------

SALSA WITH WHEAT CRACKERS OR TORTILLA CHIPS

EASY MILD SALSA

* 1 1/2 c Tomatoes; chopped; peeling -optional
* 1/2 c Onion red; minced
* 1/2 c Bell pepper red; minced
* 1/2 c Bell pepper green; minced
* 3 tb Cilantro; minced (optional)
* 3 tb Olive oil

2.5 to 3 cups

----------------------------

MAKE YOUR OWN BREAD- BREAD MACHINE

OATMEAL BREAD


Ingredients

* 1/2 cup lukewarm apple juice (or applesauce)
* 3/4 cup lukewarm milk
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon margarine
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
* 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

1. Place ingredients into the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select White Bread or Basic cycle, and Start.

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD


Ingredients

* 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 1 tablespoon powdered egg substitute (optional)
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons sugar (can use Splenda substitute)
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup bread flour
* 1 cup whole wheat flour
* 1 teaspoon rapid rise yeast

Directions

1. Dissolve egg substitute in warm water. Place all ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Whole Wheat cycle and Regular bake time; press Start.
2. After 5 minutes, check how the dough is kneading, it may need either 1 tablespoon of flour or 1 tablespoon of water, depending on the consistency. Once the bread is done, allow it time to cool on a wire rack before cutting.

-------------------------------
Use these recipes below as ways to sneak in fruits and vegetable and other healthy things into a kids diet when they refuse to eat them alone. If you don't
have a blender to puree fruits and vegetables try using baby food.



BANANA BANANA BREAD

***Try replacing the all purpose flour with wheat flour for a healthier bread :0)
Splenda makes a brown sugar blend which is half the calories of regular
brown sugar. According to their website you would use 1/2 the amount
of Splenda brown sugar than what the recipe calls for.
This recipe below calls for 3/4 cup. You would only need to use about 1/3 cup
plus about a Tablespoon of the Splenda brown sugar.


Ingredients

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup butter
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.



--------------------------------

-SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Whether making your own or using store bought sauce
puree some spinach, carrots, peas or broccoli and add to the sauce.

-When making mashed potatoes puree some cauliflower and add to it.

-Puree vegetables and add them to meats when making things
like meatloaf, hamburgers or meatballs.

-Add carrots or zucchini to breads, cakes, cookies and muffins.

-POPSICLES AND MILKSHAKES

Mix healthy yogurt and pureed fruits to make a frozen snack or drink.

-Dice up vegetables into really small pieces when adding to casseroles, soups
or other dishes.

-Use a juicer to make your own drinks. Make your own V-8 Smoothies with
fruits, vegetables or a combination of both.

12-28-09

WAYS OF SAVING MONEY ON CELL PHONE BILLS

Me and hubby used to have one pay as you go cell phone.
Phone cards would run $10 to $20 for around 40 to 60 minutes.
So we were averaging that much a month to have one cell phone.
Hubby would carry it and call me throughout the day on the home phone.
Phone calls were short like 1-2 minutes and he would keep watch as to how
many minutes were used every time he called. Another pain
was the phone minutes would be rounded up to the next minute
so if you talk for 2 minutes 1 second, that one second was rounded
up as another minute.

We are now combined altogether on my mother's Sprint plan.

She and my step-dad have
700 shared minutes
Free weekends to call anyone
and free evenings after 7pm to call anyone.
They could call anyone with a Sprint phone for free at anytime.

They received a free phone from Sprint and passed it along to my
husband.
Then I was able to get a FREE Sprint cell phone off FREECYCLE.ORG
It included the cell phone, booklet, 2 batteries,
wall charger and house charger.
It records short videos and takes pictures, not that I have any need for that.
It was an older phone. I don't need anything fancy!
I just want to be able to call out and receive calls, that's it!


To add 2 more lines to their phone plan is $20 a month. ($10 per phone)
That was what we were paying for one pay as you go phone with about 1 hour talk time.
Only now we have 2 phones
and can call one another for as long as we want without using any minutes.

So if you have family that is willing to add you to their cell phone plan
I would suggest doing it. You don't have to live at the same address to do so.
It is a lot cheaper than a Pay As You Go Phone!!!


--------------------------------------------------------
It's 3pm Monday and I just now retrieved the Sunday paper off the porch, lol.
I had a chair in front of the front door to make room in the living room for Christmas.
Well I got about a quarter of the living room cleaned and vacuumed.
Got the Christmas tree taken apart and ready to go in the basement til
next year. And got a load of dishes going in the dishwasher. And
that's about as far as I've gotten today with things.
--------------------------------------------------------

Tonight's Supper
Still using up ham leftovers!

Baked Potatoes with Topping

1 -8 ounce cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup finely chopped onions
about 2 cups cubed ham
2 Tablespoons milk
grated Italian seasoning
broccoli (didn't have any but it sounded good)

Combine all of the above in a medium pot over medium heat til cream
cheese is melted.

Microwave potatoes.

Split open and mash. Add butter. Spoon topping over potatoes.
Sprinkle shredded cheese over topping.
I used a McCormick Italian Seasoning grinder and sprinkled seasoning on top.



---------------------------------------------------------

We have decided against going to look at the 2004 Intrepid.
Tony called Good Year to see how much to replace a
timing tensioner and they said $1,200!
He told Goodyear about the kind of car he was interested in
buying hoping to get some feedback from them as
to whether or not it was worth getting.
Their exact words was ,"Oh my God!" so that didn't sound good at all, lol.
Then they proceeded to tell him that the 2. whatever motor that is in it
is BAD BAD BAD. Exactly as they put it.

--------------------------------------------------------
Ok I'm back to talking about cars, grrr.

My advice...and I have learned this over the years, don't believe anything
a used car salesman tells you! 99% of the time they are working off commission.
They are not making money unless they sell cars and will tell you pretty much
what you want to hear to get one sold. Now they can't give you false information
but they can leave out details.

I called a car lot today about a car we looked at when they were closed
yesterday. It was on their cash lot meaning they have a lot where they finance cars and a lot where they just sell cash deals that are cheaper.
My first question was "what is wrong with it." The car salesman fed me a line that
he was only a salesman and not a mechanic. Bull crap. He knew there was something wrong with it and it was up to me to figure out what, and I knew where this was going. So if you are looking for a nice salesman that would prevent a woman from taking 3 kids out in the freezing cold temps and snow, good luck finding one, as they don't care what your situation may be.
I went up there anyway as this vehicle was an Explorer, something we already own for 6 years, have actually owned 2 at once, and know what is expected to go wrong with them.
I being female have learned a lot over the years, thanks to my husband, about buying used cars either from a private owner or car lot. I was on my own today to look over this vehicle as hubby was at work. It was freezing cold out! Do you think the salesman got up out of his comfy chair and walked out of his warm and cozy office to go out to the Explorer with me? Heck no! He handed me keys and said come back in if you want to test drive it.
This salesman knew the problems with this Explorer I can tell you that!
And yes I figured them out on my own, woo hoo, made me feel good, lol.
Needed a muffler but for these type of vehicles the muffler is one piece up to the engine. So not a cheap fix. Next, it would idle fine then start stuttering possibly meaning a sensor somewhere might be going, maybe an oxygen sensor, which these vehicles have about 5 so guessing which one is like playing eenie meenie. The anti freeze tank was dry meaning it was leaking somewhere. And lastly, the power steering tank was empty meaning it was also leaking.
The keys were returned and no test drive was even thought about.

Sometimes you can find cars that need some repairs that are not major to fix and won't hurt the pocket book too bad. That's when you start pointing out flaws to the owner or dealer so you can start working that price down. It gives you leverage and the ball is in your field to start wheeling and dealing.

When buying a car off the lot don't go by the price on the windshield. That's usually the financing price. Ask what their cash, out the door price is. It should be lower than the price seen. If you only have $1500 to work with and the price is let's say $1800 try this...Say all I have is $1500 can you give it to me at that price out the door. Meaning this will include your tax, title and tags which could run you $100 to $150 so there is a savings. First you would have knocked $500 off the price then another $150 off for those triple "T" items (tax, title and tag)
If they say no, then start to walk away and say I can't do that. Sometimes if they want your business and are desperate then they will work with you. It works for us most of the time.

I use KBB.com Kelley Blue Book. This is where you can find out the value of the car you might be looking at and see if it is over priced. You can also read reviews from other people about that vehicle.

My other tip is that when researching a vehicle find out if it was the first or second year that this car came out. Let's say you were looking at an Explorer. It was a 91 or 92. Don't buy it! 1991 was the first year they started making them.
It was a totally new vehicle to Ford and kind of like an experiment. It takes a couple years for them to fix any flaws/bugs it might have. Buy a vehicle that's a couple years from the first time it came on the market. I'd be feel better with a 93 or later Explorer but not a 91 or 92. Hope you understand what I am trying to say here.

---------------------------

I'm not one who has time to sit down and watch movies. Last night amazingly
I was flipping through channels and ended up watching 2 of them. It was one
of those night where I couldn't sleep.

The first movie was Deep Cover.
I'm not one who likes what appears to be a guy movie but for some reason I was hooked into watching this one.
Here is more info about who stars in it and what it is about:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Cover

The next movie was Family Sins with Kirstie Alley.
This movie was based upon a true story as I just read that it was
but did not know it at the time of watching it.
I don't know if the movie lured me into watching as much
as what was taking place in the movie. I didn't see the whole movie,
only about half of it. I couldn't understand how a mother/foster mother
could be so cruel to her family. The movie goes on to show you how she
treated the kids and what she put them through. Terrible! It was hard to
watch Kirstie Alley play the part that she did as I am used to her being
the fun loving type in other movies.
About like Leonardo DiCaprio as the handsome
lady killer in Titanic then see him in another movie like Total Eclipse
kissing another man.
It throws off your perspective of each actor or actress.
Read more about it here:
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117923352.html?categoryid=32&cs=1
---------------------

Here's one idea for a new year's resolution...
from now til next December, save all your comic strip sections
of the newspaper. Use them as a unique wrapping paper for all
those Christmas gifts. Recycle your old newspaper and give it a new use.
Lots cheaper than buying wrapping!
Plus it gives your kids something to read when they decide
to get up at 2-3 in the morning and wait for mom and dad to wake up!

12-27-09

GONE MISSING, REWARD IF FOUND:

The floor to my house.
It was last seen Christmas eve.
It completely disappeared Christmas morning and has yet to return.
I think it was kidnapped by boxes and toys, pieces and parts.
If you see these criminals take caution as they may be dangerous to your feet!
I want my floor back!! I miss it dearly!

We had a close relationship. It would let me walk all over it, lounge on it and every now and then I would brush it's hair with the vac's beater bar and give it a steam bath. If it had an accident I was there with a towel drying up it's wet teary spot.

The dog and cat are at a loss without their floor. They don't understand where it went. They are having trouble sleeping at night without their floor.

We dearly miss our floor and would appreciate any info as to it's whereabouts.
I think there is an accomplice by the name of Santa who may have had some involvement.

--------------------------------------------

CATZILLA ROOOAAAARRR!!




-------------------------------------

Been gone most of the day. We had to get out the house for a few, been cooped up. Just returned home not long ago and threw together a quick supper.


Hawaiian Pizza

2 cans 10 count biscuits
1 can tomato soup
2 packets of Splenda
leftover ham
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 package sliced almonds
ground cinnamon
2 cups shredded cheese

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Press biscuits into the bottom of a rectangular cookie sheet.
Open can of tomato soup and empty packets of splenda directly in can and stir.
Spread tomato soup over top the biscuits.
Sprinkle about 1/4 of the cheese on top then add ham, pineapple & almonds.
Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
I used a small amount of freshly grated cinnamon on top.
Bake until cheese has melted and biscuit crust around edge is a golden brown.

Serves 5 @ 4 pieces each
--------------------------------------------

We're still checking out cars off Craigslist.
I recommend Craigslist when looking for a used car.
We've bought many vehicles
off there. And have sold a few on there as well.

Today we went to Mount Vernon to check out a 4 door Chevy pickup with a long bed.
It was a solid truck and would have been perfect for pulling the car
and hauling the family and supplies EXCEPT...
no air conditioning!! That sucked! If you have ever been out to the race track
during the Summer months it gets HOT! A shade tent brings some relief but
being able to sit in an air condition vehicle is a BIG help!

We stopped by and checked out 3 other vehicles on the way back for Damien.
All this talk about buying more vehicles is about to make me scream.
Damien does nothing but talk about it 24-7!
Enough is enough and he could chill out just a little bit.

I talked of an Intrepid the other day and just figured it had been sold since
I never heard back from the person. Come to find out the person and his family
was out of town. Soo we're supposed to go check out this car tomorrow evening in
Hilliard. Oh boy gee! Who knows how it will go.

I try to tell Damien not to get his hopes up on every vehicle he sees for sale.
If it was meant to be everything will go the way it's supposed to. If not then
God didn't mean for you to have it. At least that's the way I look at things so I can move forward and not get disappointed with some of life's downfalls.
I think he needs to save up a little more money to have enough for all his expenses
that come with getting a vehicle along with a cushion of savings left over.
Talking to him is like talking to a wall at times. LA LA LA LA LA.

The delimma-
-Tony has wanted another Intrepid for the 10 years 8 months I have been with him.
He's the one who called about it, not Damien.
-Damien needs a vehicle. Has never drove a car before. Has a ride to and
from work at the moment.
-Mom, stuck in between. I was the one that found the car on Craigslist!
Mom doesn't think Damien should drive on his own in snow and ice with no experience.

A little about this car we're supposed to see tomorrow:
Copied from the ad itself,

2004 Maroon Dodge Intrepid
$1,500
114,000 miles.
Power windows, seat, and doors,
tan cloth interior,
ABS 4 wheel disc,
am/fm CD,
Alloy wheels.
The car is in great condition with a little engine noise. New water pump and timing chain, new tires.

We called and spoke to the man selling it and he said the engine noise may be from a timing chain tensioner. It runs fine but rattles. So we'll see is all I can say at the moment about it. Tony has owned an Intrepid before and loved it and has experience working on them so that is a plus.

I'm ready for quietness and don't want to hear another word this evening that
involves car talk! I'm thinking of a hot bath and a warm bed with my electric
blanket.

Just looked out the window and it's snowing and covering the ground.
We have a Winter weather advisory til 3am. With 2-4 inches of snow expected. Lows in the 20's.
Hope Tony doesn't have the on call pager this week. Will know tomorrow.

It's 11pm and I just peeked out the window. Roads are covered with snow.

Oh here's one more thought on the brain before I head to bed.
Stores can't wait to get out the next holiday items.
I thought it was bad me and mom saw Valentine's day stuff out Saturday BUT
when me and Tony went to Kroger today I pointed out to him a display of
Cadbury Bunny eggs for EASTER!!! Come on now! This is ridiculous!
Easter is APRIL 4TH!! A LITTLE OVER 4 MONTHS AWAY!!!
Hell why not put some swimsuits out now also.

12-26-09

Still looking at used vehicles. My eyes are crossing!
Never heard back from the person about the Intrepid so it was time to move
on to others.
I found this perfect truck for Damien and he frowned upon it.
http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/1507631673.html
He'd have his own wheels and his own home on board as well. I liked the idea
and was even willing to let him run electric to our house, LMAO.
Hey I don't see nothing wrong with this. For $1,800 you couldn't buy a vehicle
and a home for that!
Anyways moving on. I wrote about a couple more vehicles, one of interest for ourselves and one for Damien. Waiting to hear back from someone who hopefully speaks English!! Had a few returned phone calls today about vehicles that we couldn't understand. Tony says,
"you must have the wrong number" and hung up, lol.
Damien:
http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/1524701783.html
and I found this one that we may just go out and have a lookie at:
http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/1521858708.html
We'd like to sell "Big Bubba" the Expedition. So will need another
vehicle to be able to haul the car trailer along with family and other supplies.
Anyone interested in buying an 99 Expedition give me shout!

-----------------------------------------

Well crap! After buying a Lexmark 2600 all in one printer today I had the fear that
it would not have refillable ink cartridges. I had another printer that was an all in one, that I got free thank goodness, that was the same way.
I was reading online that this 2600 may not be refillable.
It's due to Lexmark adding a computer chip to the ink cartridges. Even though you could refill it, the chip will not reset itself to allow you to print because it will still show it's empty.
What kind of crap is that!!! They think of all kinds of ways to make money off of you let me tell ya.
I haven't opened my printer or installed it so that's good. It's going back to the store!! I'll be patient and wait for a regular ink jet printer that I can refill.
Beware of buying a 3 in 1 printer!!! It's not for those who refill their own cartridges!

-----------------------------------------

What is wrong with this cat and dog?!! GRRRR!!
Here is my gripe for tonight about animals.

I can buy a variety of foods for them and they all turn their noses up to it.
Expensive and cheap and everything in between.
That includes wet and dry and sometimes both mixed together.
Sometimes I will wet the dry with water. That seems to help get the dog to eat.
We try not to feed them people food. If you feed the dog one hint
of people food she won't eat her dog food for about 2 days and starve herself.
This is no joke as people don't believe me when I tell them this!!
She would rather go lick toothpaste up off the bathroom floor where the kids
missed the sink. YUCK! Or better yet eat tootsie rolls out of the cat box!!
The cat box got moved real quick or I was gonna throw up after seeing that once more!!

Give them dog or cat treats and they are all for that stuff. Why can't they make
the regular food taste like that so they will eat better.

I'm so flustered with this crap it's driving me crazy! All they think about is people food. I can't cook without having to shoo a cat and dog out of the kitchen.
The dog will mostly listen but the cat gets to the point she'll almost climb up my leg with claws that hurt or she climbs up on a stool and practically climbs all over me begging for people food. She is now to the point all I have to do is show her a spray bottle and she runs. But she comes back constantly and has a short term memory loss of me showing her the bottle and what could happen. I eventually open the basement door and the cat goes down there til I can get supper fixed and eaten.

The dog will eventually eat her food but still has human food and treats on it's mind 24-7! I could point to tell her "out" and she thinks I threw food somewhere and sniffs around crazily on the floor. Ahhhh!

The family sits at the table to eat and the moment someone gets up she immediately sniffs around and under that chair which is annoying as I don't like animals near the table when eating. She knows when you are eating. It could be on the couch having a snack. Get up to pee or what have you and that dog is all over your spot where you were sitting looking for crumbs!

The cat is another story. I could give it a little bit of food and a half hour later it will be darting in front of me trying to trip me. Ahhh! It is its way of telling me it wants fed. I just fed it!!

The moment I wake up in the morning I make a trip to the potty. The cat immediately follows me in there climbing up in my lap while taking a pee. Once done it starts the game of darting in front of me. One of these days I am afraid I'm gonna trip over her!

The reason for feeding the cat little bits at a time is because if I fill up the bowl it might eat just a tad out of it. Then won't eat any more if it sits for a day. I've had to throw whole bowls of food away before it would eat again! It wants fresh. So now I put out a couple tablespoons of food at a time. But even then it doesn't seem like it eats much.

Once the cat found a mouse in the basement and as gross as this sounds I let the cat have it thinking it might eat it. Heck no, she played with that thing and flung it all over the house to the point I had to discard it.

I just don't understand animals! I watch Dog Whisperer and try to learn from him.

The dog could get loose and run for miles without looking back. Doesn't
matter if you are squeaking her favorite toy, calling her or holding a steak.
Put her on the cable in the yard to go pee and she goes out long enough
to pee and makes a v-line for the house wanting back in immediately! Doesn't want
to be left alone.
She hates being out there. Leave her out there too long and she'll let out a
couple barks to let you know, hey come get me. But let her loose outdoors and she's off and running. Once back in the house she is up my rear all day. People don't understand this when I tell them. Sure a dog follows you around then does it's own thing. Not this dog she literally has to be with me everywhere! Lays at my feet, goes to the bathroom with me whether pottying or bathing. If I go outside it will literally sit by the back door with it's nose in the crack of the door. I don't know how many times I have opened the door and bumped it into her.
If I leave and go somewhere and Tony is home it goes nuts looking for me.
If I go behind closed doors in the house it will sometimes scratch at the door to be let in or lay by the door. But once again let me remind you, open the front door and it will take off running.

If it rains, grrr, she doesn't like to get her paws wet. There have been times I've had to drag her out in the rain to get her to go pee. If unattended at times she'll pee and poop on the drive way.

There are at times 4 other people in this house. You would think it would want to associate with them or be with them sometimes. Nope it's at my feet! Even as I type this.

I am losing patience with animals!


-----------------------------------------

Most stores have 50% off Christmas items today.
I know Walmart, Target, Meijer and Big Lots did.

Walmart- I found 100 sq ft. wrapping paper for $1.25 (got 4 packages for $5)

Big Lots- Paris Hilton clone perfume for .70 cents

Meijer- I didn't get any mark downs from there, only things to use up
my leftover ham. At the checkout I received a $5 OYNO catalina. COOL!

My plans so far for extra ham and what groceries I bought today.

-Ham and bean soup
$3.30 for a large jar of mixed beans
.79 cents Jiffy corn bread mix
.10 for 1 egg
TOTAL FOR MEAL THAT SERVES 5 $4.19
I'm sure there will be leftovers from this for lunches to freeze.

-Ham and cheese tortillas (had those for supper)
$2.50 for 10 tortilla shells
$1.48 shredded cheese
TOTAL FOR MEAL THAT SERVES 5 $3.98

-Ham omelettes
$1.19 dozen eggs
$1.48 shredded cheese
.25 cents frozen diced up bell peppers and onions (have in freezer)
TOTAL FOR MEAL TO SERVE 5 $2.92

-Ham pizza
$1.20 for 2 cans biscuits (press in pan for crust)
.25 cents can of tomato soup (add seasoning and a packet of Splenda to make sauce)
$1.48 shredded mozarella
TOTAL FOR MEAL TO SERVE 5 $2.93

-Ham Hash
.30 cents (1/4 bag of 10 lb bag potatoes that was $1.19)
.25 cents frozen diced up bell peppers and onions (have in freezer)
$1.48 shredded cheese
TOTAL FOR MEAL TO SERVE 5 $2.08



-------------------------------------------


I have been wanting a printer and have shopped around for something simple
wanting to spend around $25 to $30. And of course something I can refill
myself.

You can get printer ink refill kits at Big Lots for $7.99.
I have used them in the past with no problems.

For that kind of money for a refill kit I can refill my
cartridges about 5 times.

Now if I buy new cartridges they cost $50 for both black and color!!
$50 times 5 is $250.
I think I will do it myself for that kind of savings!!

Walmart had a printer for $33 but didn't have any in stock.
I ended up going back to Big Lots and getting a 3 in 1 Lexmark printer for $30.
Not my first choice as I didn't want all that but my options had run out
at the moment.

I need my printer for printing coupons and rebates.
Without them I'm not saving money.

-------------------------------

Here was a great tip for using up old perfume, maybe something
found cheap at a yard sale or something that's been sitting in the
back of the bathroom closet that you haven't used in awhile...

Take some perfume and mix it with some baby oil.
Put it in a recycled glass bottle. Can be a vase or
a baby food jar, whatever glass container you have on hand. Get creative.
Insert bamboo skewers, dried hydrangea stems, or any other material that will absorb and wick the oil.
You could add rocks, glass, or marbles to the bottom of the container
to make pretty.

After it evaporates, wet the stick so it will continue to scent the room.

----------------------------------------

Here is a touchy subject about taking someone else and their family out to dinner.
This is not my personal situation that came about but another family members.

I think if you offer to take someone's family out to dinner and have a LIMITED BUDGET, YOU should choose the place you can afford.
Not take someone out to eat, let them pick the place, then let them pick whatever off the menu. Then turn around the next week and have to short yourself groceries to make up for that extra expense of eating out.

Some people would choose expensive items off the menu due to the fact they aren't paying and getting a free meal.
Offer to take them to let's say Logan's Roadhouse on Monday or Tuesday
and suggest they get something from the 2 for $15 menu.
Some people let their kids get whatever they want even if they won't eat it all and it goes to waste. Offer to get the younger kids meals off the kids meal at a cheaper price and better portion for their smaller bellies. And most kid's meals come with drinks included.

Do I think it would be rude by doing this? No! Absolutely not! Not if I am the one paying for others meals. I don't want taken advantage of if I have a limited budget so I would set the rules and tell them the way it is up front. Either they would appreciate the free meal or they can go without. Now which one would you choose?

--------------------------------------------------

12-25-09 MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Well the day is finally over with, yeahhh! It's almost 11pm.
The house is wiped out, the dog is passed out and the cat is
hidden somewhere among the boxes as I hear rustling underneath them.
I took a 3 hour hour nap earlier from 3 to 6pm. I was whipped!

I guess mom called while I was asleep and talked to Tony about
me and her going after Christmas shopping tomorrow, lol.
I had no knowledge of these plans made til I woke up, lol.
So guess where I will be tomorrow? And I thought my shopping
adventures were over with, HA HA HA!

Mom wants to go to Kohls since they have some things marked 50-60% off
tomorrow. Then I remembered when me and Tony were there this past week
I signed up again with another email address to get a $5.00 off coupon from them.
Sooo I need to figure out how to go to the library first thing tomorrow and
get the coupon printed since my printer doesn't work.
Then I think I will make up a few more addresses for some more coupons to sign up
for when at Kohls. This will make the third coupon we've gotten from them!

Was sitting here this eve with Damien and Tony looking on Craigslist at vehicles for sale. It seemed like I looked through 10 pages of vehicles and only found three of interest. After being with my other half for 10 years who is a car fanatic I have somewhat good knowledge of what to look for in buying a used vehicle.
I wrote about one car and am awaiting for them to write me back to possibly go see
tomorrow if they still have it. It's a 2004 Dodge Intrepid.

Here are some of my tips that might help you when buying a used car:

1. DO NOT buy one that has a temporary tag! Obviously they bought it and
now don't want it for some reason.

2. Something that says "would make a good WORK vehicle/truck"
usually means it is beaten down, pretty much not taken care of.

3. Check for spots underneath vehicle. Could be leaking oil,
transmission fluid and so on.

4. Look under vehicle for rust!!! Could find rusted out shackles,
springs, exhaust and other things you wouldn't see from above
that would cause major problems.

5. Check the anti freeze overflow tank. If it is empty there is a problem.
Check for rust in bottom. Could mean it was never changed.

6. Check under floor mats for rusted out floor boards or evidence of
any wet spots which could be anti freeze meaning it needs a new heater core.

7. Bring along a clean cloth or paper towel. Check the oil. Is it low?
Is the oil really black? Once you clean dip stick on towel hold it up to
the light, is there any metallic flakes glistening. Not good if so. It means
there is metal breakdown in the oil.

8. Start it up. I have a nose for exhaust leaks as I can "taste" it in my mouth.
Sometimes just smell it. Is it smoking out the tail pipe. A blueish smoke
means it is burning oil. Any smoke is not good.

9. Hear a knocking in the engine could mean it could be about ready to throw
a rod. Run!

10. Dealers will tell you anything you want to hear to make a sale and they
do not know the past history of the car. I prefer private owners.

11. Do not buy a car with a salvage title. Who knows where they got it from
and what hidden damage may be done to the car. Salvage could be a wrecked
car, one from a junk yard, auction or water damage from a flood.

12. Check brake fluid. If it's low or empty it needs brakes or at least pads.

13. Check transmission fluid is pink in color and not burnt.

14. Look for uneven wear on tires. Is it worn on the inside or out. Are they
dry rotted with cracks.

15. Is there oil around the valve gaskets or anywhere else it shouldn't be on the
motor.

16. Check air conditioner, turn it on to see if the compressor is working.

17. Check heater to see that it blows warm air.

18. Check all lights.

19. Check gauges: any warning lights, speedometer and gas gauge working?

20. Check belts and hoses for dry rot. Are they cracked and corroded, leaking or
loose, making squealing noises?


























House is wiped out, dinner has been ate
and I am glad it is over with!
I am so tired! I woke up a 2:40am to find Christopher up.
I think he's had about 4 hours sleep!!
Then I woke up again around 4am to still see him up.
He had gone to bed at 9pm. He has been up ever since!
The rest of us got up at 7:30am.
It is finally catching up with me at 3:02pm and I'm ready for a nap!