Two years ago, I decorated like this.
Daisy’s cane decorated for the playoffs
Now where’s my lucky sweatshirt?
Go! Pack! Go!
Looking back – on the green and gold
Reply
A moment of silence
…for my laptop.
Blogginess will continue soon.
Wisdom and Laundry – a slightly revised encore
The original post aired in December of 2008. The philosophy still fits, and the details needed only a few minor updates. Enjoy.
Green washing of Jeans: wash first, dry last. Hang to air dry in between.
This saves time and energy by air drying the wettest of the jeans. They’ll shrink less, too, as they can now dry for a minimal time on the delicate cycle.
20 Mule Team Borax is a good invention.
It smells better than bleach, doesn’t spill (well, I don’t spill it as easily), and takes out stains well. It doesn’t cost as much as commercial detergent boosters, and the paper box is recyclable. I’ve used it to kill weeds, too. Hm. This might mean a little more research is necessary.
Detergent makers usually recommend at least double the amount that’s really needed to wash a load well.
Of course! They want me to buy twice as much of their product. Ha, ha, ha. I’m wise to this trick! My usual detergent is heavily concentrated, too; it works as well as the HE (High Efficiency) detergents in my front loading machine.
Dryers eat socks. Sometimes they spit them out later. I keep an Orphan Sock Box in the closet for socks waiting reconciliation.
This also works if one sock in a pair spouts a hole. When another pair from the same package suffers the same loss, there’s a new mate waiting. If a sock really, really doesn’t have a mate, well, I’m still working on that. Cleaning rags, perhaps.
Just because I do this chore efficiently doesn’t mean I like it.
I’ve learned enough tricks to get the family laundry done quickly and efficiently, get the stains out (mostly), and get all the clothes back in the closets and drawers by the time school and workweeks start Monday morning. It’s a necessity, family, not a pleasure. I’m glad Amigo now handles his own laundry.
Clothes must be washed, no matter what the other plans are. Fit it in.
See above. If we’re going away for part of the weekend, I’ll start sorting and washing ahead of time. If report cards are due, I’ll start a wash load, work on math grades, throw the wash in the dryer, work on reading grades, yada yada yada,
Each and every family member needs to own at least two weeks worth of underwear.
See above. If no one runs out of underwear, laundry can wait a week in a pinch. Maybe. So there’s the wisdom; make sure everyone has drawers in their drawers, and the livin’ is easy.
Shop Small: Not just Once a Year
Shop Small, and Shop Local!
There’s more to this picture than just a reminder to shop small and use my own bag. The bag (cute, with polka dotted back) was free at a small downtown shop on Small Business Saturday, the day after Black Friday. If you look closely, you’ll see that also hanging on the kitchen chair is a large plastic bag from Kohl’s. Oops. So much for using my own bag, right?
Well, not exactly. Kohl’s is a Wisconsin company. Its headquarters are near Milwaukee. I shop there carefully to get the most for my frugal dollar. Between discounts and a gift card (earned through a wellness program) and sale racks, I got my money’s worth when I filled this bag.
As for the bag, it’s big. The reusable bags in my purse were not big enough to handle this order (mainly the hiking boots and their box). To make the most of the one-use plastic bag, I’ll make sure it sees at least another day as a wastebasket liner or a container for thrift store donations. I’m green, but I’m not perfect. Sometimes I have to make the best of a less than optimal situation.
So the moral of the story, the resolution to this tale, is this: shop small businesses, shop locally, be green whenever possible and use tools to shop frugally at those local and small businesses. Sound good? Readers, I value your input. Comments are welcome – consider adding your two cents about shopping small and shopping locally.
Food Choice – eat a rainbow
Children are natural sorters. They look at collections and organize them into categories or order them by size, shape, or color. Chuck gave our niece a basket of toy food. She organized it by color, in rainbow order.
Rainbow Menu!
Maybe her mother will let her sort and organize the refrigerator. Or maybe not.
Crock Pot Experiments – the beginning
Why attempt crock pot experiments? Because I can. Because being on break for a week lets me monitor recipes as they cook. Because I teach full time and need to provide a decent supper without much prep time (pun intended). And really, why not?
Sunday’s experiment: Overnight Oatmeal from the cookbook Fix it and Forget it
- Crock pot size: 3 quart, overnight, on low
- Results: a little mushy. Next time I try this I’ll either use old-fashioned oats or steel cut oats for a sturdier texture. Or maybe, just maybe, I’ll do this on a day that we won’t be sleeping in. That might prevent overcooking.
- Modifications: since I’m only feeding three, I cut the cookbook recipe in half. If I make the full quantity, I could use a slightly larger crock and set it on Warm. The 3 quart only has low or high settings.
Monday’s experiment: Breakfast Bake from the cookbook Fix it and Forget it
Crock pot size: 3 quart, 5-6 hours on low
Results: delicious. I cut the recipe in half. A full batch might require a larger crock. The full batch might take longer. This has potential for an overnight bake.
Modifications: I might stretch this with a little more milk and a diced slice of bread. A handful of diced bacon was a good addition. I added thyme and oregano – maybe a little too much oregano.
Wednesday’s experiment: thaw and warm a soup from the freezer.
Crock pot size: I started with the 3 quart and then realized I only needed the smaller size, slightly more than one quart. Details below.
Results: about an hour into the process, I realized I’d overestimated the volume and moved the soup into a smaller crock. The smaller crock is more like the Little Dipper: no heat settings, just plugged in (on) or unplugged (off). Since the soup was already fully cooked, low heat and small crock were enough.
Modifications, general thoughts: I have a freezer full of soups and broths. This is an option that could carry us through a winter, including staff meetings, conference nights, and even help the family cope when I have to travel for standardized testing.
Readers, beyond the standard soups and chilis, how do you use your slow cooker? Do you own more than one?
What a difference – a new year begins
I usually start the blog year with links to the first post of each month along with a brief summary of the post itself. I decided to try something different for a summary of the year 2014.
2014 threw me more than a few curves. At one point, I posted this:
I entered 2014 with my left eye healing from a detached retina that had been reattached surgically. As January began, I had enough vision and depth perception to see and drive, but it wasn’t fully healed. Wrapping presents while possessing no depth perception was a challenge – no, it was a major hassle.
At the end of January, I had major surgery in the form of hysterectomy. The surgery went well, and all parts healed on schedule. I spent most of February resting and healing and watching the Winter Olympics in Sochi. I learned a lot about ice dancing and learned that Vladimir Putin is really a piece of work.
March came along with a return visit to the neurologist, confirmation of a stroke in 2012, and a referral to another level of specialist: an intervention radiologist. This doctor scheduled a procedure with the possibility of opening a blocked artery by using a balloon catheter and maybe the placement of a stent. This turned out to be the lowest point of the year for me personally. The right carotid artery was 99% blocked. The doctor and his team threaded the needle through the tiny open space, opened it, and placed a stent in the artery to keep it open.
Scary? Yes. Life is precious. And silly posts like these? This one made me laugh out loud – and then stop because laughing was painful.
‘Nuff said.
With the help of family, the garden got prepped and planted.
digging dandelions for bunny
Summer was full of farmers’ markets, weeding and watering the garden, and slowly gaining my strength back. I met a major goal in September: I walked the mile from home to my workplace. I have yet to do that on a regular basis, but I can handle two large flights of stairs without huffing and puffing. I’m taking that as a sign of progress.
November brought a disappointing and disturbing election on the state level. Legislation and outcomes are yet to be seen, and that’s the disturbing part.
Meanwhile, I reached another six month check-up with positive news: the stent is looking good, blood is flowing, and the cerebral aneurysm on the other side isn’t getting any bigger. My left eye can see again, and I haven’t missed the hysterics that were removed last January, either.
The world had a lot of big events and lost some amazing people (Maya Angelou and Robin Williams, to name just two). On a personal level, I stick to the knowledge that life is precious. I look forward to more healing and growing in 2015.
Amigo Sings in the Season
Amigo spent a few nights with a group of men who enjoy singing. He joined them for their Christmas concerts. This was perfect for Amigo. He loves Christmas, loves to sing, and sings very well. He learned the Lead part in the barbershop harmony, got measured for his shiny vest, and got himself ready to join in.
Ready for the Barbershop Bistro show
He plans to continue with the group when they pull together again for the spring. I wonder what they’ll wear?
Tradition.
I was browsing old posts for an encore related to Christmas, and I found several.I also found a little peace in knowing the way some things stay the same. Continuity is good; follow through can be calming in the face of an uncertain future.
Wrapping – or my stubborn attitude toward commercial wrappings and trappings. I gave in and bought curling ribbon because it makes hanging the tags (repurposed greeting cards) so much easier. But I walked past the big rolls of wrapping paper. I stuck to my guns on that one.
Frugal gift giving – I spent money on quality. Both Chuck and I check reviews on expensive products before investing or buying cheaply. I feel like there may be fewer presents under the tree, but they’re worth more and they’ll last longer.
Canning and basic food preservation – I can and freeze summer produce with the goal of feeding the family through the winter. That’s not so different from our ancestors, really. They may not have had the farm markets available that I do, and they didn’t have the huge grocery chains as a back-up, either. The philosophy is the same, though. Quality food preserved in summer will take us through the winter.
Then there is the annual tradition of making and decorating Christmas cookies.
The family decorates!
I was in the kitchen baking the molasses cookies to help defeat the Detroit Lions. Hey, it’s only weird if it doesn’t work.
Playoffs!!
As seen on Facebook:
shared by at least five on my timeline
“In the tundra, the freezing tundra, the Lions sleep tonight!” – posted by a coworker.
Jordy Nelson responds to his new record, passing Robert Brooks to gain a season-high receiving yardage of more than 1500. “Truly an honor. Couldn’t have done it without my teammates and your support.”
Then there’s this guy. (posted by at least four people on my timeline)
Who is he? He’s not wearing green and gold. His colors are that of stadium staff or security – or maybe part of a TV crew. Whoever he is, I hope he’s available after the bye week. Hey, it’s only weird if it doesn’t work.