6-16-10

Ok I was up and adam at 6:30AM
seeing Tony off to work by 7AM.
The guy across the street said
his kids would be coming over
at 7AM. So I have been sitting here
waiting for them since then.
It's now almost 9:30AM and they are
just now getting here.

Well I can see it now. So much for
all my cleaning I did yesterday.
With a house full of 5 kids
I'm sure it's going to get messed up!
I had considered steam cleaning carpets
yesterday and am so glad I didn't do it.

I drug up 2 huge totes out of the basement.
They are full of Barbie stuff.
I think I paid $20 for most of it at
a yard sale about 5 years ago.
The rest was freebie stuff I found at
Tony's work.

The dad said he was gonna leave me a key
but when his brother dropped the kids
off there was no key to get their
juice or other food from their house.
Now I have to figure out what to feed
these kids today.

Well it's official, it's not even 10AM
and my hard work from yesterday cleaning
has gone out the window!

I am such a nice person when people
get in a bind. Too nice.
Someone shoot me!

The cat just come around the corner
to see what all the commotion is about.
The look on her face was like, WTF??
The dog could care less. Many more
hands to pet her today.

I worked as a preschool teacher for
6 years! 6 years was a loooong time!
60 hour work weeks, no benefits, no paid
vacation, I used my own
vehicle to pick up school kids
and all for under $4 an hour.

Well I think I figured out what
everyone will have for lunch.
Ramen noodles and hot dogs.
Simple, cheap, quick and something kids like.





10:30AM

Brain storming as to what to have for
supper. I'm thinking about firing up
the bread machine to make some breadsticks.
Maybe stuffing them with something I just
don't know what yet. Gotta go and check
to see what's in the freezer first
to come up with some concotion.

11:30AM

Went outside to get a smoke.
Checked out the garden. I am amazed
at how fast things are growing in there.
I did see something I didn't like,
green catapillars on some plants
eating them. Well I got something
to take care of that. Too much time
and energy goes into a garden to have
bugs eat it!

Anyway here are my garden goodies I
found this morning.

Zucchinis, a bean plant and cucumbers
are blooming.
I've got these baby veggies starting to grow.
Tomatoes, banana peppers, hungarian peppers,
green peppers & beans.













12:00PM

Just shoot me because I have gone nuts.
Make that 6 kids in my house now.
Jonathan decided to invited a friend
inside to play video games.
It's pretty quiet though.
Is that a good thing or bad???
Now remember this house is about
930 square foot.

I remember an older lady, actually
the people who bought our Cadi,
telling me she raised either
6 or 8 kids in their home which
is just like ours.
I don't know how they did it
and kept sane in a small place.

I've got some bread in the bread
machine. I'm gonna try to make
meatball stuffed breadsticks with
cheese and sauce.
Well I should probably go and get
the meatballs started before
the bread gets done with it's first
rise.

2:10PM

I have survived 4 hours 40 minutes so far.
Still have 3 hours 20 minutes.
Getting tired by the minute.
Is it bed time yet???

3:00PM

I decided to take all 5 kids
across the street to the other
kids house to play in their
backyard in their playhouse.
While crossing the street a guy
on a bicycle rode by and asked
if they were all mine. I said,
I don't think so, only 2 of them are.


Ok only 1.5 hours left to go.
And who's to say that these kids
grandma will be here by then to
pick them up.

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Why is it when someone describes a scent
of a product do they refer to it as flavors????
This bugs the crap outta me.
I have seen it in Krogers on a sign.
Laundry detergent on sale, only certain flavors.
Now I see an online add for incense-
three different flavor sticks.
HELLO PEOPLE, flavors are something you
taste, scents are different smells!!

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8:30PM

The kids were picked up at 6PM.
While all three were good kids I had
a sigh of relief to see grandma walking
up the walk. I can relax now and take
back my house, lol.

This evening we decided to go to Blockbusters.
It's been a looong time since I've been there.
We had a couple coupons out of the Entertainment
book for rent 1 get 1 free movies and games.
This will probably be our last trip there
other than to return the movies and games.
$11 and some change to rent 2 movies
and 2 games. I'm bitching and I got
2 free rentals. Normal price would
have been $22 plus!! It's just not
worth the money if you ask me.
I can take everyone to the movie theater
for $6 and buy cheap games for $5
each at Gamestop. Heck at the moment
I'm almost up to a $75 FREE gift card
for Gamestop from doing surveys.
Hoping to get it up to $100 by Christmas
time. Plus I just checked the new release
movie we just rented for $5
for $5 to $7 NEW to OWN on Ebay.
It's a no wonder there are very few Blockbusters left!

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$2.00 snail mail coupon
for Always.

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Two FREE sample packets of Bull’s Eye BBQ Sauce

FREE sample of CAMOCARE ORGANICS Youth Elixir Serum! Just click on the “Request FREE Sample” link in the lower right hand corner.

6-15-10

8AM

My dream car.
The car that inspired my love for Trans Ams.
Can you name the tv show this car is from???
There was also the Chevy Stepside from the
same show. I've owned both a blue stepside
and a Trans Am, lol.
You ALWAYS see bandits and K.I.T. cars
at the Trans Am car shows but NEVER
this car!!
It's taken me about 6 years to find
photos of this car!

I know it's only a dream because to find
a 1971 to 73 TA under $3,000 is like finding
a needle in a haystack!

The color is coppermine gold or rootbeer.







I have a big job ahead of me.
I have to figure out how to paint
one of these birds on the hood of the Trans Am!
Don't this look like fun with
all the little details???
It's either that or pay $269 for the
hood bird decal. A complete decal
kit costs $299!!





This is the type and color of bird
that used to be on our red Trans Am.
We had to remove it as it was causing
the hood to rust.

Actually the top, first bird is correct.
It has 5 feather tips compared to the
one below which only has 4.


TRANS AM COMMERCIALS














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9-12:15PM

I've started cleaning the dining & living room
& coat closet which is a magnet to pack
full of crap! I can finally put
my carpet cleaners and vacuum in there!
Tired of them sitting in the hallway
and stubbing my toes on them!
When I get in one of my moods, cleaning
does not mean tidying up. It means
a total overhaul of moving everything,
dusting, vacuuming, carpet cleaning
and throwing crap away!
I'm gonna try to do it in little
strides so I don't get burnt out
from it. Then later on this week
if I feel up to it, I'll start on bedrooms
and the kitchen.

6:55PM

Sorry I have been on a retro kick. I get
like this every now and then.
I spent my day cleaning and listening
to 80's music.
Then for the past couple of hours I have
been watching my CHiPs dvds. I have
the whole series. It was a favorite
show of mine when I was about the boys
age. The get hooked on this show also
every time I play it.

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11:30PM

Me and Tony were sitting outside waiting
for the storm to get here.
As we were getting ready to come back in
the neighbor caddy corner comes over
and wants to know if I would babysit his
THREE kids tomorrow. Uh hello, doesn't
anyone have a little respect to ask someone
ahead of time, and I don't me right before
they head off to bed???
I knew this would eventually happen since
our neighbor got another job.
He's an over the road truck driver
of all things. I just hope this doesn't
become an all time thing. I'll try to manage
this one time. One of his kids is about
kindergarten age, the next should be almost
ready to go to school and the third one
is 2.5 years old. Now add that to my 9 & 10
year old!! AHHH 7am to 5:30PM is gonna be
a long day for me tomorrow with 5 kids,
a dog and a cat of our own, along with his 2 dogs
and a cat that I probably should go
over and look after a couple times
throughout the day to go pee or what not.

Well the storm is rolling through.
Time to head to bed. I love listening
to thunder and rain when drifting off to sleep.

6-14-10

10AM

Took the kids to the library
to get some books and a movie.

Afterwards I picked up mom
and we went to Kroger.

MY FREEBIES AND DEALS.

Free DVD in the mail for the kids.

Free coupon for Poise Pads up to $4.00.

$4.01 pkg of chicken for $1.39

$4.46 pkg of chicken for $1.54

2 two liters of Dr. Pepper .50 cents each





__________________________________________________

The other day while in Dollar Tree Jonathan
got a can of strawberries. Today I think I will
make homemade,

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

SERVES 4 , 1 Quart

Ingredients

* 8 ounces cream cheese
* 1/2 cup sugar (if using sugar or syrup packed frozen berries, omit the sugar in the recipe)
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* 3/4 cup fresh pureed strawberry (if using sugar or syrup packed frozen berries, omit the sugar in the recipe)
* 1 cup half-and-half

TIPS:

If you don't have half-and-half.

Substitutions: Equal parts milk and cream
OR
1 cup half and half = 1 cup less 2 tablespoons milk plus 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

To cut down calories, fat & sugar:
Substitute low fat or fat free cream cheese,
splenda and light or fat free half and half.

You could also stir in crushed up graham
crackers.
Or even pour the ice cream into a
graham cracker pie crust.

Try cherries instead of strawberries
for a cherry cheesecake flavor.

Directions
1
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Chill ingredients for about 1 hour, or until cold.

2
Turn on ice cream machine and set it to chill the freezing/mixing bowl for 5 minutes.

3
Spoon the cooled mixture into the freezing/mixing bowl of machine. Set the freezing timer to the 30 minute maximum setting. Push start button.

4
When timer rings, spoon ice cream into dishes and enjoy.

___________________________________________________

Check out this web site I found called

ALTUSE

The ultimate destination for everything Alternative Use!

Save money and heal the earth by extending the life of everything you already own.

Whether it’s using hairspray to remove ink stains, vodka to clean your eyeglasses, or coffee grounds to fertilize your garden, AltUse taps into the planet's collective wisdom so you can keep more in your wallet and send less to landfill!

___________________________________________________

3:00PM

I don't know why here in the last couple
of days I have felt soooo tired. Tony
has felt the same way also.
Do we need a vacation from a vacation?
All I know is I would like to get
sooo much done around here while
the kids are out of school and need
to find some energy to do it!

___________________________________________________

3:30PM

I get a knock on the door. It's
a guy going round selling steaks
and meat door to door.
He tries to sound sooo excited telling
me he can sell me steaks for $3.00
a piece! I tell the guy I cannot afford
any steaks.
Oh but they are this great price he
says, you can't beat it.
Then he says, when would be a good
time to come back?
I said look I can't even afford hamburger
so probably never.
He took a hint and finally walked away, LOL!

Steaks? Look above. I just got chicken
for $1.40 to feed a whole family!
Can you imagine 4 steaks for $12??!!!
That cost could feed us 3 suppers or more!

I really need to get back into couponing
and get my binder out again and start
going at it. It's a lot of work but
can save so much money!

I really need to stock up on some meat.
I keep saying that but finding a good
deal on meat is hard at times.
You gotta be in the right place at the
right time to get your hands on the
mark downs before everyone else.

___________________________________________________

10:00PM

I've spent the last couple hours just
chillin and watching Ghost Whisperer.
There's something about that show
that keeps you drawn to it.

I got a homemade ice cream pie
made earlier with the recipe
above for strawberry cheesecake ice cream.
I put the ice cream in a graham cracker
crust and it's in the freezer hardening
at the moment. I added white chocolate
chips to the top.



For supper we had sweet italian bread
pizzas. I just love the taste of sweet
italian bread! I would love to figure
out how to make it in the bread machine.

Looks like we've got more storms rolling
through soon. I'm tired and I know if
I go to bed now I'll end up with both
kids, a cat and dog in the bedroom
until the storm passes so why not
stay up a little longer.
Looks like it won't be til about 11
to midnight before it gets here and
don't know if I can keep my eyes open
that long.

6-13-10

8:00AM

Trying to wake up. I guess we're gonna
head down to the flea market.
I'm thinking with all the rain last night
it's gonna be wet and muddy there
but everyone has their heart set on going.

6:00PM

This afternoon we headed up to Alum Creek
to do some fishing.
Afterwards we went to the beach.
Well I'm feeling a little burnt
on my shoulders and I'm tired
so might chill for the evening.






9:30PM

Well I thought I was chillin for the evening
when I decided to go cut the grass. I had
sweat in places it shouldn't of been, LOL!
Oh well it's done for another week.
Now if the rain would give us all a break.
My rain barrels are full once again
and I haven't had to water the garden in awhile.

Tomorrow it's back to the same ole same ole.
Vacation time is over :0(
At least Tony planned his vacation where
he doesn't have on call when he goes back.
The week after he does. It's always
a stressful week when he goes on call.
Can't do anything because you never know
when the pager will go off.
When the kids are out of school we always
tag along to help out to get the job
done quicker. I know this is gross but
I got my atta girl last time he was on call.
Tony says I'm a bloodhound and can smell
anything and everything. This one lady
called about a dead rodent somewhere in
her apartment. I went in with my sniffer
to find it. I found and retrieved it
out from under her dishwasher.
I couldn't imagine one of the yuppies
gals in the rental office doing
a maintenance man's work that's for sure.
I dive right in. That's how me and hubby
met. We both worked for maintenance
in an apartment complex.

Oh that reminds me of one of my favorite
songs. Gretchen Wilson says it all.
I sure do miss my 75 Chevy Stepside
pick 'em up truck when watching her
video. Getting used to drivin our 'Burban though.
It's got some giddy up go even though it's
a big bubba.

Getting kinda bummed vacation is over with.
I made a comment to Tony that when
we were in Hocking Hills I felt like
I fit in. It was so peaceful and quiet
without the rat race of rush hour traffic.
You definately knew when you were back
in Columbus with traffic and people
trying to run your ass over.
Everyone is in such a hurry in the city!
Country folks seem to know how to slow
down and take it easy.

6-12-10

Here is a great site to use to see how long
food will last in the refrigerator or freezer
whether it's cooked or raw. Is it still
good past the expiration date and for how long?
STILL TASTY

Here's an example:

Can you freeze raw eggs?
fresh eggs will generally freeze well for up to a year.
This is good to know when eggs go on sale :0)

__________________________________________________

LINE DRYING CLOTHES

Do your clothes feel stiff after line drying?
Try these tips to help soften them up.

-use less soap. Use about 1/4 to 1/2
of your laundry soap when washing.

-use fabric softener in the water when washing.

-use a cup of vinegar in place of your regular
fabric softener in the rinse cycle.

-give the clothes a good snapping shake before hanging.


__________________________________________________

Have ant problems?
Try planting mint around the perimeter of
your home or in your flower and vegetable gardens.

__________________________________________________

USES FOR CUCUMBERS

-Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

-Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

-Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

-Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

-Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

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PICTURES OF MY FIRST GARDEN

Yesterday I found a bowling ball at a
yard sale for $1.00. I put it on the bottom
of my bird bath as weight to keep it from
toppling over. Total cost to make my bird bath
from scratch $2.00!




EGGPLANT


PARSLEY & CHIVES


BROCCOLI


CABBAGE


BANANA PEPPERS


BUTTERCRUNCH LETTUCE


BELL PEPPERS


HUNGARIAN HOT PEPPERS


CUCUMBERS


CELERY


ROMA TOMATO PLANTS & PEAS


TOMATO PLANTS


WAX BEAN


GARDEN BEAN


ZUCCHINI


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I've tried sand boxes
in the past and they get pretty yucky.
I saw this neat idea of a portable sand box.

"My husband came up with a great idea for a small sandbox: an under-the-bed storage container. This container has a hinged top but the hinge broke so I put it in the garage for another day. My husband filled it 1/2 way with play sand and our daughter loves it. We can play with sand in the garage (if it is raining outside), on the back porch or take it to Grandma's for the afternoon. When we are done we just put the top over it and slide it under the stand that holds the yard tools or under the workbench."

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I used to have fishing maps of all the areas
in central Ohio. You can buy these at any
bait store. BUT I have located them online
where you can print them out for FREE!

Ohio's Lake, Reservoir and River Fishing Maps

All kinds of info for fishing in OHIO.

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12:30PM

Just back from Kroger.
Found some mark downs.

8 dozen eggs .50 cents each
regular $3.39 each!!
gave 4 dozen to mom.

4 loaves of bread .49 cents each
regular $1.00 each

3 packages Italian Sweet Bread
6 loaves total
$1.39 each
regular $2.69 each.

Tony splurged and got
4 sirloin patties for out george foreman.
paid $3.78
regular $6.31!!

I got 2 packages of Skittles
and 2 packages of Starbursts
for .09 cents each with the
coupons I found at Speedway.







2:30PM

Spent a little time this afternoon
cutting back weeds along the chain link
fence. I sure wish the neighbor would
chop all his crap down along the fence
so I wouldn't have to deal with his
weeds coming through our fence!!
I want to put flower and vegetable
beds along the fence and I know it's
going to be a pain keeping weeds back.
We're almost half tempted to ask the neighbor
if we could go over there and chop
the crap down along the fence!

I did get 8 sweet potato plants
planted today. I keep squishing
more plants in, lol.
___________________________________________________

Found this recipe in ALL YOU

Watermelon Lemonade

Stir 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water
over low heat until sugar dissolves.
Puree 1/2 cup chopped watermelon;
strain.
Mix syrup, 1 cup fresh lemon juice,
5 cups cold water and watermelon juice.
Serve over ice.

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The kids have been eating this for breakfast
and keep requesting more...

I add a couple tablespoons of vanilla
yogurt in a bowl and top it with
"honey bunches of oats", Kroger brand.

Instead of buying these sugared cereals
that kids crave try the not so kid friendly
cereals with the yogurt to get them to eat better.

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BP SPILLS COFFEE VIDEO