8-28-10

10:00AM

I keep thinking about the stupid
electric bill and can't figure out
why it is so high! I got online
and went to AEP and wrote them
hoping to get an answer back soon.
I figured I'd try this first before
talking to someone on the phone.
Probably get a foreigner that I could
not understand anyway. Isn't that how
it usually works with customer service?

This is to give you an idea of
what my electric bill has run in
the past three years comparing it
to what my bill is now!

There is a difference of
$82 to $124, that's a BIG jump
if you ask me. Even if electric
rates went up it shouldn't be this
much of a difference in one month's time!!!
I let them know I do cut back
and know how and where to cut back
with electric that I am not totally
clueless when it comes to saving money.

2008

8/25/2008 1,124 KWH $119.88
7/25/2008 1,083 KWH $115.66

2009

8/24/2009 680 KWH $81.95
7/24/2009 627 KWH $77.11

2010

8/24/2010 1,418 KWH $177.23
7/26/2010 1,618 KWH $201.49


So anyway this is what I wrote them:

I thought by having a Smart Meter I would be able to keep track of my electrical usages to see where and when I could cut back. When I try to access it under my account where it says Your Smart Meter, it says Smart Meter information is not available for your account. They installed a Smart Meter earlier this year.

Since getting this Smart Meter my electric bills have been the highest I have ever seen!! This and last month's bill is DOUBLE and then some of what last years was! I keep my air conditioner (when on) between 75 and 78 and run a ceiling fan on low to circulate air. I keep curtains shut and blinds down so this isn't making sense at all!! Our home faces North and doesn't get direct sun. We have a carport and 4 large mature trees in the backyard to shade the backside of the house. I rarely use my electric oven and dry all my clothes on a clothesline to cut back on electric during the Summer months. I run full loads in dishwasher every other day or every three days and full loads in the washer about 4 loads a week. This is something I do every year and is no different than this year. We even updated our old TV to an LCD one that was more efficient. And use laptops instead of desk top computers. So please tell me why my bill has DOUBLED.

_______________________________

4:50PM

I am whipped.
We spent from 12:30-3:30PM
at COSI. We still have yet
to see the entire place!
Do I think it was worth an extra
$10 a ticket to see the Titanic
artifacts, NO! You had to have
a reserved time frame to be able
to enter the exibit. There had
to of been a couple hundred people
allowed in each time. You were
elbow to elbow with people.
Yes it was interesting to see all
the neat things recovered from this
ship from the bottom of the ocean
BUT too many people!! You were not
allowed to take pics or videos of
it.
FYI- If you go make sure to bring
your own hand sanitizer! The ones
they provide smell horrible, almost
moldy. Just imagine how many hands
on things are there for people
to do to share germs!

We are back home for a bit to relax
then I want to head over to UV to
see if anything is going on this weekend
with move outs.

I'll get pics/videos posted later on.

6:00-8:00PM

Drove around UV and Olentangy.
Still not much going on.
Found a fold up card table
and a fisherman lamp similar
to this one HERE that I'm gonna
give the in-laws for Christmas.
This one has a barrel shade with it. And
a desk for Jonathan. Would have
preferred a wooden one but this
one will do for now til I find one.




Pictures from COSI



TV Studio.
Christopher & Tony watching
themselves on the tv screens.




Cosi

Cosi

Indy car.


Space room.

Playing in the water.


Jonathan inside a submarine.



____________________________

This evening I was browsing through
The Bag with store ads in it.
I saw Walgreens had HALLOWEEN candy
on sale!! There are 64 days til
Halloween!! Wonder when we will
see the first appearance of
Christmas stuff? It seems to get
earlier and earlier each year.

_____________________________

10:00PM

I'm standing out at the end of
our driveway smoking a cig.
I see this critter's eyes glowing
walking down the street towards me.
At first I thought it was a cat but
as it got closer realized it was a
raccoon. It went up under our truck
then came back out and walked within a
couple feet of where I was standing.
I stood very still! It then walked up
to the carport area. There was no outside
lights on. It went straight for
the bucket with cat food in it. I could
hear crunching noises so I knew it
was having a snack. And I now know it
has been here before because it knew
right where it was. Tony came out
and it went in the backyard. We took
a flashlight looking for it
around the yard and in the trees but
couldn't find where it went.

_____________________________

11:00PM

Been sitting here doing surveys.
I joined the one survey site
18 days ago and are already up
to $17.50!!
And another survey site
sent me 3 items to try and
evaluate!
Plus yet another survey site
that I just deposited 9
checks from for $27.
And lastly another one that
I have almost accumulated enough
points to get $100 gift cards
for GameStop.

8-27-10

7:50AM

Everything seems to be going
smoothly this morning.
Got the boys lunch packed.
They are having pizza rolls
warmed up in a thermos, yogurt,
nutty buddy bar and a juice pouch.

12:30PM

Back from yard sales & thrift
stores due to not many sales
going on today.

I didn't get much.
yard sale-
-can of Fix-O-Flat
-invacare shower chair
for step-dad's birthday next month.
I saw these things for $30 to $100
and I got it for $1.00!

thrift store-
-boy baby doll for top of diaper cake $1.99
-receiving blanket .90 cents
-baby hat that matches receiving blanket .90 cents



_______________________________


Tonight's supper

Lasagna made with leftovers.

-box of lasagna noodles
-tub of cottage cheese

leftovers
-1/2 bottle tomato juice
-shredded cheddar cheese
-shredded chicken from freezer
-leftover salsa someone made for us
-bread crumbs
-a tablespoon splenda for sauce
to take out tomato bitiness.

Since I don't have a spaghetti sauce
I think I will boil the tomato juice
and add a little cornstarch mixed with
water to thicken it then add in
some salsa or canned tomatoes to make
it chunky. Will season with garlic
& Italian(Tuscan)seasoning.

Grease casserole dish. I boil my noodles
before hand. Layer in dish with chicken,
sauce, cottage cheese and cheddar cheese
in whatever order you want.

Top lasagna with:

Toss together 1/2 cup bread crumbs
(or ritz cracker crumbs) with 1 tablespoon
melted butter. Sprinkle over
top layer of cheese.

Dessert:

1 can of sliced peaches, cut up
1 can pineapple bits
1 large box vanilla pudding
1/2 tub cool whip
1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix everything together including
juice from cans and chill
in fridge.

____________________________

Got a free Dewalt drill today
with 2 batteries and a charger!
My brother gave my step-dad
his old drill and these got passed
on to us.
Now momma's got a new drill to
play with, lol!



____________________________________

6:30PM

Got lasagnas made and got one
in the oven. I had enough
leftover ingredients from
making the one lasagna that
I threw another one together
for the freezer :0)

My saying is try to make do
with what you have. You don't
have to follow recipes exactly.
How do you think those recipes
got created in the first place,
it was because people were throwing
together stuff.



______________________________



This would be fun to go see.
I think the kids would get a
kick out of it.
I didn't know about it til
today so only made a suggestion
about doing it to Tony.
We'll see.

Balloons & Tunes

Friday, Aug. 27 and Saturday, Aug. 28
at Beulah Park, 3811 Southwest Blvd.

features 20 unique hot air balloons
in coordination with the
Central Ohio Balloon Club.

hours are Friday, Aug. 27 from 5-9:30 p.m.
and Saturday, Aug. 28 from 4-9:30 p.m

There also are balloon glows on
Friday and Saturday evenings at dusk.

All launches, rides and glows are dependent on weather.

There is no fee for admission or children’s activities, but there is a $5 parking fee per vehicle.

No tailgating, coolers or pets are permitted.

Balloons & Tunes is a smoke-free event.

This fun, informational area will allow people of all ages to touch real balloons and ask questions of the pilots who fly them.

Saturday, Aug. 28

4-9:30 p.m.

Balloon Launch; 7-8 a.m.

Free Children's Activities and Inflatables; 4-8:45 p.m.

Tethered Rides ($5 each); 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Live Entertainment by 7 Bridges; 5-8:40 p.m.

Balloon Launch; 6-7:30 p.m.

Balloon Glow; Dusk

Sunday, Aug. 29

Balloon Launch; 7-8 a.m.

8-26-10

My morning is off to a rough start.
Why can't things go as planned
and be organized? That would
be asking for a lot around here, lol.

Jonathan's sandals broke last
night and someone forgot to repair
them. Sooo they are not ready to
wear this morning.

Jonathan left his book bag in
the truck last night then presents
me with a crap load of paper
work this morning. I ain't filling
it out this morning so it will
go to school tomorrow!
I ain't got time to do it right now!

The kids remove a fan from the
window this morning to be able to
wave bye to dad when leaving.
I was outside when I heard crying and
ran back into the house to see
what happened. The fan hit Christopher
in the head putting a gash. Doesn't
look bad enough for an ER visit and
not bleeding all over. So that's good.
Good enough to still go to school.



While I have a shopping list
ready for Meijer this morning
I still have to pull all the
coupons I am using out of my binder
for my shopping trip.

Mom calls at 8AM says there is a strange
man coming to her door
and walking around her house.
She thinks it is gutter people
BUT they weren't supposed to
be there. She had not scheduled
an appointment with them.
This guy just showed up outta the
blue in an unmarked car.
She didn't answer her door.
Luckily he was gone by
the time I got down there.

Then I am used to the bus coming
around 8:30-8:35AM.
It now comes at 8:25AM.
I was running late.
On the way to the bus stop
I had to flag down the bus
to get the kids on it.

Can ya tell I was determined
this morning to get the kids
off to school between bleeding
heads and almost missing the bus.
LMAO!!

9AM

Had to go to Tony's work
with mom to drop off the paper
work for him to fax to Downy
for the contest.

From there me and mom headed
to Meijer then out to lunch
at Taco Bell for a $2.00 meal deal.
Returned home by noon.

My grocery bill before was
$43 and I paid $28.
Even though it's been 3 months
of not shopping at Meijer
the cashier still remembered
me!! She said, "you always use
lots of coupons and save lots of money!"
LOL. Then the Catalina machine
was spitting out coupons like crazy.
I said keep "'em coming baby, I like
coupons!" She laughed.

Oh yeah, I checked out that
unadvertised deal I saw online
about the spiral 70 sheet notebooks for
.10 cents each and they do have them!
I got 20 of them for $2.00!!
They are normally .99 cents each!!
STOCK UP ON THEM NOW.
You can get 20 for the regular
price of TWO!

I now have a total of 40 notebooks
I paid $5.00 for.
It would have cost $40 any other
time of the year!! Saved $35!

12:25PM

Tony just called to say he
got signatures needed for my
Downy form and got it faxed
to them. Now will sit back
and wait to see what's next.
Something should be happening
in the next 3 weeks.
Hoping they will compensate us
for driving to Cinci instead
of flying.

Well guess where I am heading?
I am going to take a nap!
My belly is hurting and my back
and legs are hurting.
I just took an Excederin and
hope it kicks in soon.

Sounds like it is going to
be a long evening ahead.
Tony has to work late and I don't
know when he will get home.
They have many move outs also
and have to get them done
before this weekend.

Just checked the mail.
Found a box Fed Ex had dropped
off on my front porch.
More free food to do a survey on!
I'm telling ya, those recent
survey sites I signed up for
work like a charm!
If you need an invite to
sign up for them just email
me or leave a comment.

I have never had something
shipped to me that was frozen.
So that was pretty neat to see.

Oh also got another $3.00
check today from another
survey site. I gotta get
those in the bank! Got
quite a collection going.

_________________________________

4:00-4:30PM

Got kids off bus.
Mowed the front & side yard.
Made frozen
pizzas for the boys for supper.

Tomorrow I'm gonna microwave up
some of those pizza rolls and
put into a food thermos for
their lunch. Also got them
some yogurts today for something
different than pudding.

To save time in the morning
on school days:

-I lay out the boys clothes
the night before with shoes,
socks, undies, shirt & pants/shorts.

-I make sure backpacks have homework
and paperwork and are ready to
go.

-I set lunch bags on
counter by fridge ready to
be packed in the morning.

-They take baths or showers the
night before.

-Sometimes we go a step further
and have cereal bowls, spoons
and cups sitting on the counter
ready to go.

-Tony sometimes
has his coffee pot ready to go
with coffee and water and all
he has to do is hit the on button.
No we don't have a coffee maker
that has automatic timed start.
His coffee pot doesn't have a burner
warmer, instead it is a thermos
type that he can take with him
and it stays hot for like 6 or so
hours.

______________________________

Tomorrow me and mom will go to
yard sales. Now that kids are back
in school I will look for things
for Christmas gifts and maybe some
baby things for this diaper cake
I am making.

_____________________________

5:00-5:30PM

Knock, knock on door. It's the
truck driver neighbor trying
again to see if I would watch
his kids in the mornings from
7:15 til whenever the bus comes
and get them on the bus.
I politely told him I didn't think
I could handle it. My mornings are
hectic with getting Tony and 2 kids
ready. I showed him what happened
to Christopher's head this morning
before school and I also told
him we damn neart missed the bus also.
I'm not a morning person at all
and have a hard time getting it
in gear and getting things ready
for ourselves.

6:00PM

I heard a noise outside so got
up to take a look see.
It was the kids and the neighbor
kid trying to get a huge ladder
out to get on the roof!!
AHHHHH! I guess the neighbor kid
threw Jonathan's shoe on the roof
and they were gonna get it.
I stopped that in a hurry.
So now guess what I get to do?
Climb up on the roof to retrieve
a shoe. AHHHHH!

And what makes the neighbor think
I want to watch THREE more kids????
I DON'T THINK SO!!!!

Going nuts, be back later.

_________________________

Why is it I always have someone roll
down there window at red lights
and ask me directions. Had another
one today. This guy says, excuse me
I was wondering if you knew where
there was a gun shop around here!!!
I was told there was one. He looked
like a decent person, older guy, well
dressed and driving a very nice car.
I told him how to get to Vance.
Now if it would have been a couple
of younger people in a hoopty mobile
I would have said I had no clue!!

_______________________________

I am currently researching how
to possibly fix our Explorer.
If we can figure that out then I wouldn't
sell it and would drive it.

Me, myself and I, thinks I have
figured out what the problem
might be but don't know how to
go about fixing it.
It needs a speed sensor and
possibly the vss gears replaced
which are plastic. Over time
the teeth on those gears can wear
away causing the slip and the bouncing
speedometer needle causing erratic
shifting.

The speed sensor replacement wouldn't
be so bad but having to get inside
and tinker around the transfer case
sounds complicated!

I need to dig out the Explorer's
repair manual we have and look it
over.

Explorer's transfer case:



______________________________________

Tony is still not home.
Kids are outside.
I've been going through
more laundry organizing it
and putting it away.
also got clothes laid
out for everyone for tomorrow.

_____________________________________

7:00-7:30PM

Can everyone see my head spinning
and me going crazy??!!

Boys come running inside to tell
me a car of Ferris was speeding
very fast, slid into a fire hydrant,

I can't take a break for 5 minutes
around here that something has not
gone on today.

9:20PM

Tony got home around 7ish.
We spent this evening cutting
down the remaining fence posts
from the old fence. Then I took
a pile of dirt that was leftover
from the fence and graded it
over the back part of the yard
to look half way decent. Will
have to get some grass seed sometime.
Then Tony mowed the backyard.

In the meantime the neighborhood
kids were in our front yard
playing football.







Got dark so we all came in.
Then I had a ton of paper work
to fill out for the school.

Oh yeah, my day has ended with
Christopher spilling a FULL cup
of pop all over one of the laptops.
I turned it off and unplugged
it. Got it sitting on it's side
draining any pop out of the keyboard
area.

I am REALLY hoping to have a better
day tomorrow. Don't know what it
was about today, but it just wasn't
my day. One of those days you wished
you just stayed in bed.

Winding down by watching AFV to lift the
spirits. Then taking a hot shower
and going to bed.

8-25-10

8:00AM

So far so good with the boys
this morning getting ready
to go back to school.



After the kids get on the bus me
and mom's heading to the thrift store.
I want to find a couple more shirts
and shorts for Christopher.
Then we are going out to breakfast.

_________________________________

12:30PM

Back from 2 thrift stores
and going to Subway for lunch.
Mom had to be back by noon because
a contractor was coming to her
house to give her an estimate
on a gutter.

The second thrift store was
having a half off sale. While
half off the store sales are nice, I
myself would prefer to go on a normal
day. There was sooooo many people there.
You tend to get a little claustrophobic
being elbow to elbow with people.
Plus the wait in line was soooo long!
They also had black tags 75% off.

I did really good. I went in after
what I originally needed and walked
out with only those items. So I am
patting myself on the back.

I set out today to get Christopher
some shorts, shirts and some undies.
I did find Tony some boxers also
which is something you always need.
They were originally .99 cents
with 75% off making them .25 cents
each.

I spent $12 between 2 stores
and got these items:

1 soft sided lunch bag
3 Shorts
2 Polo shirts
1 button up shirt
1 eight ounce baby bottle (for diaper cake)
1 four ounce baby bottle (for diaper cake)
7 pairs of boxer underwear for Christopher
7 pairs of boxer underwear for Tony
1 Mickey Mouse spray bottle with fan
-I love taking spray bottles with us
to places to cool off on hot days.

WHEN COMPARED TO BUYING NEW.
PRICE COMPARISON.

MEIJERS

Boxers $2.00 a pair when bought in pkgs.

KMART
Polo shirts new run about $10-$15 each.
Shorts go for around $7-$10.00
Button up shirts $8-$10.00

Lunch Bag $9.00

Gerber Bottles $1.67










____________________________

Tomorrow morning me and mom plan on going
to Meijer. I need to go through
my coupons (the one that I have not
clipped yet) to see if I can
find any other deals. Don't
want to miss anything :0)

Here is a list I plan to get
with some sales & coupon matches.

2 Grands Sweet Rolls
$2.00-.80 coupon= $1.20 or .60 cents each

Jack's Pizza
$2.50-$1.40 coupon= $1.40 each

Betty Crocker Cake Mix & Frosting
$2.00-$1.50 coupon= .50 cent a for both or .25 cents each

3 Hunts Canned Tomatoes
$3.00-.90 coupon= $2.10 or .70 cents each

2 Progresso Soup
$2.50-$1.00 coupon=$1.50 for 2 or .75 cents each

Sweet & Salty Chex Mix
$1.00-$1.00 coupon=FREE

3 Totinos Crisp Crust Pizza
$3.75-$1.00 coupon= $2.75 for 3 or .91 cents each

2 Totinos Pizza Rolls
$2.00-$1.00 coupon= $1.00 for 2 or .50 cents each

Other sales

VO5 Shampoo or Conditioner .69 cents each

Dial Foaming Hand Wash $1.50 each

Bar S Bologna or Hot Dogs $1.00 each

Cabbage .25 cents a pound

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

I might also stop by Kroger tonight
and get a few things there on sale.
All Kroger brands.

Cottage Cheese $1.00

Pop Tarts $1.00

Ready Soup $1.00

2# bag of Flour $1.00
stocking up on this while
on sale. I think it's normally
over $2.00. I go through a lot
of flour using my bread machine.

Nature's Bounty Vitamin
Buy 1 Get 1 Free
$1.00 off coupon

Kroger Comfort Care Diapers $4.99
23-50 count
Gonna use to make Diaper Cake.

______________________________

I'm loving it.
Kids back to school
and they have a marathon going
on of my Ghost Hunters show.
They have 5 full episodes you
can watch on their website
or search it on youtube.


I also like to watch Ghost Whisperer
and Destination Truth.

Ghost Whisperer Episodes

Destination Truth Full Episodes

_______________________

4:45PM

Tonight's supper

CREAMY CHICKEN & NOODLES

2 boxes of Creamy Chicken & Noodle Helper $1.00
1 RediServe Chicken Strips, cut up $1.00
bread & butter .50 cents

Total cost for meal $2.50
5 servings @ .50 cents a serving

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

I watch all these cooking shows
on tv. Lots have ingredients
that the everyday person doesn't
buy or can't afford.
I think they should have a show
with meals that cost $5 or
less that uses simple ingredients
that can be found in your pantry.
I feel like these shows on tv
target the more yuppity audiences
rather than the average Joe.

______________________________

Went to Kroger this evening.
Don't get the flour advertised
at $1.00. It is only for
a 2# bag. Not worth it when you
can get a 5# bag for around $2.

Got 2 bags of diapers for $4.99
each to make the diaper cake out of.
They were normally $6.99.

Didn't get the Nature's Bounty
Multi vitamins. Kroger's was
cheaper at $3.39 each.
Got the kids some also
that were gummy vitamins.
Need to boost their immune
system now that they are back
in school.

I want to find some Vitamin D3
on sale somewhere other than Kroger.
They had just regular Vitamin D.
D3 is what is needed to prevent
colds and flu. Kids can take
this also!

Didn't get the Kroger soups for
$1.00. Tomorrow I will get the
Progresso soups at Meijer for
.75 cents each and save .25 cents
each on soups.

Tony found a good deal on Michelina
entrees. He found about 10 of them
marked down half price to .49 cents each!

Well I am off here to watch the Ghost
Hunters new show at 9pm.

Oh yeah we were discussing with
the kids about possibly taking
them to Cosi to see the Titanic
artifacts this weekend instead
of the Trans Am Nationals.
We found $2.00 off on the sides
of Pepsi cans tonight.
It'll still be expensive.
I think it costs about $80 some
to take a family of 4 to it.
But they have never been and neither
has Tony. I have been but it
was back in high school and never
been since they moved it into
the new building.

The last day of the Titanic
exhibit is September 6th.

10-5 Mon-Sat
12-6 Sun
Adults $23.75

Titanic will be airing on TV
* Titanic, 09/03/10 9pm TBS
* Titanic, 09/04/10 8pm TBS




Kids 2-12 $16.75
Seniors 60+ $21.75

8-24-10

9:50AM

Breakfast this morning was
doughnut holes. Cut a can of
biscuits up in quarters, then
fried in a pan of oil, removed
to a bowl with powdered sugar
and coated. You could also coat
with a mixture of cinnamon
& sugar.



Hint & Tip

Don't have any powdered (confectioner's)
sugar? Make your own!

* 1 cup regular table sugar
* 2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Directions:

Pour sugar and cornstarch in to food processor, coffee grinder or blender. Turn on high until mixture is a fine powder.

_______________________________

11:20AM

Got a load of laundry hung
and getting ready to wash another.

Went through and cut out some coupons
and got those filed in my coupon binder.
Still have many more to do.

Today's chores include washing &
hanging laundry to dry and getting
most of it put away.
I also need to clean the kitchen.

I'm tired and achy today so am not
moving too fast.

I need to head down to the basement
and find the kids lunch bags and
get those ready to go tomorrow.

I found a bunch of Capri Sun drink
pouches in the pantry so I'm good
with drinks for their lunches.
Need to get them in the freezer today.

Planning a meal list for the next couple
of days. Mom's already asking
about going to the store with her
this week once the kids start back
to school. I haven't really thought
about going this week or getting
a grocery list together. Maybe
I'll work on one for next week.

-Spaghetti
-Sweet & Sour Chicken with Rice
-Sweet Italian Pizza Bread
-Ham & Potato Soup
-Creamy Chicken & Noodles
-Chicken Tacos

_______________________________

12:10PM



To make room in my freezers
I took out all the bread heels
I've been saving for the past
couple of months. I got them
all cut up into cubes/pieces.
There's a little bit of everything
in there from wheat to white
to buns.

Next will go out and remove
some basil from the line
and chop some up.

Then will add a little oil
and basil in a bowl with
some garlic salt and stir
the bread crumbs around in the
mixture. Then will spread
out in thin layers on a cookie
sheet and bake them til crisp.
Fill up zip bags full of bread
crumbs/croutons and put back
into freezer.
Use in casseroles for toppings,
meatloaves, meatballs, salmon patties,
salads, stuffing or to bread meat with.

________________________


1:00PM

Just got word from Downy today.
They are wanting to know if we
were available the week of September
20th to go to Cincinnati.

They sent me a form in my email
that they want me to fill out
and fax back to them with signatures
and all that.

Now I'm sitting here wondering how
I am going to do that. I don't
have a working printer to even
print this form out and get it back
to them asap. AhhhhH!!

_____________________________

1:50PM

Got some clothes hung up
in Christopher's room
and organized others into
piles as to which rooms they
go into.
At the moment I am going to chill.
Body hurts and going to
go watch tv or something.

______________________________

2:30-3:00PM

So much for my chill time.
I was trying to watch my
Malcom in the Middle on tv
when the truck driver neighbor came over.
He asked me if I knew anyone that
could watch his kids when
they got off the bus for a
couple hours.
I knew what he was hinting around
at, for me to do it.
Why would he put it that way
knowing I would not know due to
being a stay at home mom/housewife!

I was suggesting church daycare,
after school programs and title 20
daycare. I don't think that's the
answer he wanted, lol. I spent
my Summer of THREE MONTHS watching
kids including ones that liked
to play at our house and in our yard.
I am ready for a break!! And by the
way, this is the same guy that NEVER
paid me to watch his THREE kids one day.
Takes a lot of nerve if ya ask me.

________________________

3:15PM

Decided to work on putting things
away in my kitchen and start baking
all those croutons I cut up earlier.
Sure makes the whole house smell good.
I cheated and instead of cutting up
the herbs outside, I used a Tuscan
grinder blend of herbs in a bottle.

Well gotta go and check on my croutons.
It doesn't take them long to dry out
in the oven and they need turned.
Plus I need to pop a few ibuprofen
for my aches and pains.

Got 2 gallon sized zip bags full.






_________________________________

5:55PM

As if I ain't got enough going on.
Just got an invitation from a friend
of ours we buy Trans AM parts from
to attend a car show at their church.

River Car Rally
River Church
2419 US rt 42 N
Delaware OH 43015
September 12, 2010
registration at 9:00 am
cost is NOTHING
Free food
Free live music
Lots of fun
Awards to the top 20 and door prizes for the first 50.
Donations accepted and all goes to the Orphans!



______________________________

6:45PM

Tony's working late with mandatory
overtime.

I just chopped up all my basil,
parsley & Stevia.



Now working on supper.
Think I'll call it:

Cheap Chicken Cheddar Parmigiana

Boil spaghetti, drain. Add a little
butter. Serve with spaghetti sauce
on top. Top with cheddar cheese
and chicken strips.

8-23-10

7:50AM

Is it Monday already?
Where did the weekend go?
It flew by so fast!
At least we won't have the
pager again for a couple weeks.
It gets so stressful around here
when Tony has that!

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

I found this site I thought
would be useful. I'm all about
homemade remedies and cleaners
from everyday items I have
around the house.

It's called
WACKY USES FOR BRAND NAME PRODUCTS

Here's a few hints and tips
from his website.

BLEACH

Make a clothespin holder. Cut a hole in the side of an empty, clean Clorox bleach jug opposite the handle, and punch a small holes in the bottom for drainage. Hang your new clothespin holder on the clothesline.

FABRIC SOFTENER

Remove old wallpaper. Mix one capful of Downy Fabric Softener with one quart of hot water in a plastic bucket, sponge the wallpaper, wait twenty minutes, and peel off the paper.

OVEN CLEANER

Clean badly stained Pyrex or Corningware dishes. Wearing rubber gloves, spray the dishes with Easy-Off Oven Cleaner, place inside a garbage bag, close it securely with a twist tie, and let stand overnight. Open the bag outdoors, keeping your face away from the fumes. Rinse the dishes with a garden hose, then wash thoroughly.

Clean oil and grease stains on concrete driveways. Spray one or two applications of Easy-Off Oven Cleaner, let sit for a few minutes, then rinse with the highest pressure from the nozzle of a garden hose.

LISTERINE MOUTH WASH

Cure Acne. Use a cotton ball to dab Listerine on blemishes.

Fertilize a lawn. Jerry Baker, author of The Impatient Gardener, suggests mixing one cup Listerine, one cup Epsom salts, one cup liquid soap, and one cup ammonia in a one-quart jar, filling the rest of the jar with beer. Spray this on up to 2,500 square feet of lawn with a hose-attached sprayer in May and again in late June.

___________________________________

9:00-10:00AM

Carpet cleaned the hallway,
living room and dining room.

10:00-11:00AM

Mom & Kendra stopped by.
Took mom down to basement
to see my pantry and how
I am arranging it.
I told her before she shopped
at the store to shop my basement
first, lol. Today she got
2 shampoos, 2 cereals and
a toothpaste.

11:00-12:00PM

Finished cleaning the carpet
in the dining room and cleaned
my new rug under the dining
table. Taking a brief break
then will clean the rug
in Christopher's room.

___________________________________

12:00-1:00

Got Christopher's carpet
cleaned in his room.
Mom brought over some Arby's
for our lunch.

We had Arby's French Dip Sub w/ Au Jus.

If ever you make home made sandwiches
and wanted to make your own
easy au jus dipping sauce-

for every cup of water you put in
one beef bullion cube
(or one tsp. of granules) and boil.

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

Here's another tip.
If ever you need an egg when
baking and realize you don't have
any you can use one of these
substitutions instead...

2 tbsp cornstarch = 1 egg

1 banana = 1 egg in cakes

_____________________________

1:00-2:30PM

Got Jonathan's room weeded out,
vacuumed and then cleaned
the carpet. Now I have some
things to take down to the
basement from his room.

I would love to find a small desk
for his room. Got my fingers
crossed to find one at UV
between now and the end of
the month.

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

2:30-4:30PM

Got Jonathan's room done.
Made about 4-6 trips
to the basement to take
things down there.

Got a load of laundry to hang
on the line and another load
started. I'm gonna wait
til later on to hang them
as I have a yard full of kids.
This picture below is a typical
day around here. And people wonder
why I am so ready for them all
to go back to school .
This is the hang out place
for all the neighborhood kids.
Some days there can be upwards
of 15 or so kids here.


4:45PM

Getting ready to head to the kids
school to find out their
classrooms and teachers :0)

Then we are taking the kids
to Sharon Woods and walk one
of the nature trails.

See I told y'all it's never
ending around here.
Now we're talking about
possibly going to Dayton to
the Trans Am Nationals
this coming weekend.

______________________

5:00-8:45PM

Went to the kid's school.
They each have the same teacher
and same classroom as last year.
The only difference is they
have upped a grade. That's weird.

Went to Sharon Woods and walked
the mile trail. Seemed more like
a couple miles when you're wore
out! Didn't see any deer but
as we were walking along we heard
a crash on the trail behind us.
A large branch came down and
scared me. Never had that
happen before!





On the way home I made sure
to stop and get this picture
for y'all because I thought
it was funny!




Stopped in Kroger on the way
home so I could get some pop
and other items.

Got home and took groceries in.
Had Tony start supper while
I hung laundry on line.
Having a late supper due to
all the runnin.
I am whipped so will be chillin
the rest of the evening!!

Oh yeah I forgot to add these to
the pictures of my finds from
this past weekend. I really needed
to replace a couple of my skillets
because food is sticking to them.

8-22-10

12:00PM

Got the whole back end of the
truck loaded up with crap
to haul outta here.

Been working on hauling stuff
from the boys rooms to the basement.

Still gotta haul all this food
we found down to the pantry
in the basement.

Then I still have laundry to
wash, hang on the line and
put away.

My legs and left hip
still hurts so am doing
it in little spurts.

__________________________________

12:55PM

Well I lied. I tidied up the basement
some but didn't go through stuff.
Just arranged things and then worked
on my pantry area. I still have
a bookshelf in my living room
to haul to the basement also.
If I ain't crippled by the time
this is all said and done it
will be a miracle, lol.

Tony's doing his fair share around
here also. He got the kitchen cleaned
up and is working on getting the
Explorer cleaned out so we
can sell it.
So if anyone is
interested we want $1,000 for
it. It is a 96 4x4 Explorer XLT.
It runs and drives but will possibly
need a speed sensor in it as the
speedometer needle bounces
and it has a hard time guessing
when to shift gears. It's an
automatic. We've owned it about
5-6 years and have done most
of the work on it ourselves.
It has been one of my favorite
vehicles I have ever owned.
Has never put me on my feet
and does excellent in snow.
I have never got stuck even
in blizzard conditions on
unplowed streets!

I'm just wanting to get a newer
Explorer.

I still have sooo much more stuff
to do. Like we want to get rid
of the chair in the living room
and bring another one out of
Jonathan's bedroom to replace it.
It's starting to get tears and holes
in it. I'm glad I don't pay for some
things because they don't make things
like they used to. So why pay the money
for things when they don't last
very long.

1:20PM

Well the pager went off so
going to Tony's work
to do a call and unload the
truck.

1:20-5:50PM

Been running around like a chicken
with its head cut off!! I don't even
have time to breath let alone
talk and gab with someone.

While at Tony's work mom calls
saying my brother is over there
fixing lights, a tv and putting
up shutters. News to me.
She never mentioned any of that
earlier this morning when she called
to say he was coming over.

Anyway she is all like wound up
because my brother brought
over a dead drill and needed my step-
dad's drill which is at our house.
Was told I could keep it here
so we can use it to complete our
fence and that's why I had it.

We were not home due to being on
call which I have told mom for
the past week about.
So she's getting ancy wanting that
drill. So we finally get done at his
work and raced home to get the
drill for them. I didn't get out
of the truck but waved to my brother
who was out on the deck. I don't
have time to stop and gab!!
Mom waves for me to get out and
when I said we had to go that I had
tons to do and it was already 3:30PM,
I got the evil eye. I'm trying to get my
chores done along side of
Tony working. I can't hardly
walk through my house at the moment
with crap laying everywhere,
literally!! This was from cleaning
out Christopher's room.
I've got groceries, we found, all over
the kitchen floor, dishes that Tony
washed sitting on the counters
waiting for me to put them all
away. I like to put them away
or I'll never find them, lol.
I've got laundry piled up and Tony
needs work clothes by tomorrow morning.
I've got furniture to throw out,
furniture to move from one room
to another, find time to eat today,
an air mattress to deflate and fold
up and put away, MANY baskets
of clothes to hang up and put away
from last week because I couldn't
get to closets to hang anything-
that was the reason for wanting
to clean the kids rooms.
I want them all organized before
the start of school. I still have
3 hair cuts to give, we all need
showers, an Explorer to clean up
and clean out. Do y'all want me
to go on?????

Tony got called out again
so we hurried up and threw
the living room chair in the
truck to get rid of while
at his work. Mom calls again
while on the way to his work
wanting to know if we have
a saw zaw. I'm sure it's something
else David needed to work at their
house. BUT Tony has call and
we have to leave when the pager goes
off and I can't help it!! I and the kids
go along because he may need my help
with doing things or lifting
heavy appliances and such due
to no other maintenance men being
there on weekends.

I am so wound up at the moment
trying to get things done
I could just SCREAM!!!

I gotta go and hang 2 loads of
laundry and start another load.

It's 6:20PM and I'm running out of
time to complete everything that
needs done today.

_______________________________

9:00PM

Got a chair moved from Jonathan's
room into the living room.
Of course I had to run the sweeper
first to pick up all the crumbs
that was under the old chair
we moved out.

Then with Tony's help we moved
the dining room table and I moved
my circle rug to the kitchen
and put down the rug I found
the other day in it's place.

Tomorrow I will work on getting
Jonathan's room weeded out.
It shouldn't be half as bad
as Christopher's room was.

Went out and swept the driveway
and street from where kids like
to do burnouts with their bicycles
in the gravel parking area flipping
rocks and dirt everywhere.

Now I am getting ready at 9:05
to give haircuts and have the
kids get showers before bed.

10:15PM

Got only 2 haircuts done.
Tony just got paged out.
I then vacuumed the kitchen floor,
hallway and bathroom.
I guess I am afraid if I stop
moving around my body is going
to get stiff and start hurting.
I think I am finally done for the
evening! WHEW! I pretty much
got most everything done today
that I set out to do. Still
have more laundry to do tomorrow.
And there is still some that will
be left out on the line tonight.
When it's not as warm out it takes
longer to dry.
Hey maybe I'll go and read the
Sunday Dispatch which I have yet
to touch today! I still have a bunch
of coupons I want to get cut out
this week and put into my binder.

Really hoping for a clean house
by the time the kids go back
to school! Can it be done?