1-31-13

 

6:05am

Yup typical Ohio weather.

1-25  About 4 inches of snow. Schools let out early.

1-29  Snow melts and it's 67 degrees. No school because of no power.  Didn't run furnace most of the day.

1-30  Temps around 65 degrees.

Another day of not running the furnace during daylight hours.

1-31  Snow flurries 26 degrees with a 13 degree wind chill.

Starting to feel aches in my lower back and legs.  

Let the throbbing begin.

The other day while strolling through Kroger I picked

up a 2013 Farmer's Almanac and browsed through it.

I saw predictions for a lot of rainy weather this year

with some severe storms

and a hazy, hot and humid August.

Snow flurries for November and snow for December. 

Yup that's about normal.


For supper tonight I'm thinking about making
some crockpot salisbury steak.

My tweaks to the below recipe is I will

be using cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of chicken and

will add a packet of country gravy mix instead of au jus mix
and are using deer burger instead of hamburger.

Only because it's what I have on hand.

--

9:00am

I might go lay back down now.

I ate some jelly toast and it didn't sit too well in my stomach

plus the heating pad is calling my name

with all the throbbing from my lower back and legs. 


12:50pm


Up from my nap and are feeling better after laying
with the heating pad.
I got salisbury steak made up and in the crock pot.

5:30pm


I've been a busy little camper this afternoon
with making salisbury steak, finishing a sewing project,
getting dishes done and just now serving supper.

 9:45pm


Hubby told me tonight that he doesn't think
we'll be able to make our Michigan trip this year
due to being invited to his sister's wedding in West Virginia this year also.  He doesn't think we can afford both trips.  
Might not be able to afford the third possible one either.  

Hubby told me how much his paycheck would be tomorrow after taxes and what not.  He did get a bonus and 
over time on this check.  Taxes killed us! 
His take home pay is half of what he made!
That seems a bit much if ya ask me.
  
I know the price of things this year
are only going to get worse.  Gas the other day
was $3.59 a jump of about .30 cents overnight.
Once it starts climbing again the price will
be reflected onto food and other goods.
You shouldn't assume that all is well
because it is not.  You need to plan ahead and not
wait til it happens.  Spend wisely now.
Don't say I didn't tell ya so when the time comes
because I've been reading a lot about it
so prepare for it now.
The Droughts Impact on Food Prices.


 

1-30-13

7:15am

It was 65 degrees this morning at the bus stop 

around 6:45am.  Pretty windy and it now appears

that the rain has finally made it here.

We've got storm and high wind warnings

along with tornado watches in Southern Ohio.

7:23am


We are now under a severe thunderstorm warning
for Franklin county.  It just came across the tv. 


4:55pm


Tonight's supper is just something I threw together.
I took 2 boxes of Betty Crocker aug gratin potatoes
and 1 box of Hamburger Helper potato stroganoff
and put the potatoes in a greased casserole dish.
In a skillet I fried up some leftover bacon and
half of an onion diced up.  Then added the liquid ingredients
that the directions on the boxed potatoes said to add.
I replaced 1 half cup of milk with a half cup of mayo.
I poured this over top the potatoes
and baked 350 degrees 25 minutes.
Next I fried up a can of corned beef and added
homemade seasoned bread crumbs to it.
I removed the potatoes from the oven
and turned the oven off.
I then put the corned beef on top of the potatoes
and sprinkled a little cheese on top and
returned to the oven while it was off til supper,
about 10-15 minutes.

It's one of those days where I was just grabbing
stuff off the pantry shelves that sounded
like it would be good together. 

1-29-13

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL HUBBY!

6:30am


School Closing:
Huy AG Bell Elementary, Medina Middle School,
and Tree of Life Northridge closed today
due to a power outage in the Karl Rd. area. 

A car around 2:30am
hit a telephone pole taking out power
to much of the area.  Hubby called to say it also
included the traffic lights
at I-71 and Cooke Rd which is being
directed by a traffic cop due to the rush hour traffic. 
WBNS 10 TV news.

At 6:00am I was getting kids up and getting them ready
for school and their breakfast.
They were moving slower than molasses.
Should have seen how fast they sprung
to life around 6:30am 
when they saw on tv that their school was closed!


7:30am


I got up before 5:30am to make hubby a birthday surprise.
I made him a bacon rose bouquet.
Not too fully functional at that hour of the morning
to be rolling and baking bacon and then
tearing apart a couple artificial rose bouquets
to put the bacon roses on!
But I did it.  All the while I'm thinking hey I'll
get up early and get this done and I'll make up
for it with a nap later on only to find out
the kids school is closed today.
I told hubby, see it was a good thing you changed
your day off.  We had planned to spend a day together
without kids to get a little mommy and daddy time
and go out for breakfast or lunch.
If he'd of still taken today off instead of Friday
we probably wouldn't have gone out.
Tonight we're all going out with my mom and step-dad
to pizza hut for a birthday supper.
I don't have to cook, woo hoo!

12:55pm



It's 62 degrees outside and I have windows open
airing out the house.   It's nice to be able to get
some fresh air in here.
Air inside ones home can be more polluted than
outside air so that's the reason for doing it
especially this time of year when everything is closed up.  
Rarely do we get
the chance in January to open up windows.
Read about it here --> Indoor Air Quality in the Winter. 

We're supposed to have about the same temps
tomorrow then back into the 20's for highs
the rest of the week. 
Another day or two without running the furnace,
woo hoo!

Hubby called H&R Block.
I guess they got all the paperwork in that they
needed to do our taxes now so we went
ahead and made an appointment
for Friday morning to finish doing them
while hubby was off work.
I don't want to just walk in even though
that's what they originally told us and
have to wait when we've already made
our appearance before that. 
There has been a wait this year for millions of people til January 30th to file due to the fiscal cliff and new tax law changes.
Some have to even wait til mid February to March.
Read about it HERE.
IRS has a link to check to see when you will be 
getting your refund once you've filed.
Where's My Refund starts January 30th.


1:45pm


I am currently working on a beauty pageant cape/ponch
for a friend of mine.
Did you know you really don't need to go out and
buy patterns which can be costly when
all you have to do is use actual pieces of clothing.
You can tear apart the clothing at the seams
and trace out patterns and fabric pieces.
Take notes or pictures of how to sew everything back together.

My friend said that these beauty pageant capes/ponchos
are sold for $39 on up and that's why she asked
if I could make one for her.
For this project I purchased a poncho at the thrift store
to use as a pattern for $1.99
 and the bolt of fabric says $5.  There is still a lot of fabric
leftover on this bolt after I cut out the poncho pieces. 
I think I'm just going to zig zag stitch the outside
of the pattern pieces because the straight stitch
on my sewing machine isn't the greatest.
That is how it's done on the original piece anyway.

3:25pm


This is how far I've gotten with the poncho.
I've decided to put it up for now.

There's a couple of things I need to work out with it
and either try to finish it tonight or tomorrow morning
depending how I feel.

Going to go jump in the shower and

start getting ready to go out for supper tonight.

We just broke the record high temperature for the day at Port Columbus. Our temperature of 67 tops the old record of 65 set back in 1975!

 

 

 

 

1-28-13

12:00pm

Monday is my chill day after all the 

things we do on the weekend, especially when

hubby has on call at work.

Hubby's birthday is tomorrow and he had requested it off

wanting to use a personal day.

With over 17 hours of overtime during this pay period

I didn't think it was a good choice.

His pay period goes from Wednesday to Wednesday.

He called today to let me know he switched

his day off to Friday.  The reason being is

that if he took tomorrow off using a personal day

all his overtime would end up being straight time.

After doing all the calculations for him

I said if you take Tuesday off and just get straight

time you'd be missing out on $330-$400

you would have gotten with overtime.

For his company and many others you have to

actually work 40 physical hours before you

get overtime.  If you throw a holiday, personal day or

sick time in a work week then it goes to straight time.

So plan wisely before taking time off because

you could be missing out.

6:00pm


I was sitting here watching the news when I heard them say,
"We're trying to find a cure."
Don't even remember what they were talking about.
I then turned to hubby and said,
"when was the last cure and what was it for?
They will not find a cure for things and if they
do it will not be available for ordinary people like us.
The reason being is that if they find cures for ailements
and diseases they can't make money off you!!
So for now people keep seeing specialists, doctors,

hospitals and taking all sorts of medicines."

Don't confuse "cures" with "vaccines"

as they are two different things.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks this way.

Check THIS out!

I looked up to see when the last known cure was

and what it was for.

It was more than 50 years ago and it was for polio.

Don't you think with all the advancements in

medicine they would have found many more cures by now??!!

Something to think about. 


6:30pm


Hubby was going to get gas and asked if I wanted
to tag along to get some tobacco and tubes at the smoke
shop.  I told him I was good for a couple more days but
he figured kill two birds with one stone so I went.
 I get out of the car and walk up to the door of
the smoke shop.  The people running the place
are escorting a couple people outside telling
them to Get Out!  How nice!
Then upon entering I can smell some kind of
chemical, cleaner or whatever in the air.
I grab my stuff and head to the counter having
a coughing fit from whatever they were doing
in that store.  I could see a ladder on the floor
along with two fans sitting out but not on.
The store is not in the greatest condition which
would explain these items and probably repairs
they were making.  Now I have a scratchy throat
that is irritating me from whatever chemicals
they were using in that store.
It was very strong smelling!
There's no sense in it.  They could of done 
the repairs or cleaning or whatever it was after hours
or just shut down the store at that rate.
 

 

1-27-13

12:30pm

Me and hubby went out on a follow up call

from last night about 8:30am this morning

then got another call for a no heat.

Once done a maintenance guy who lives on the

property invited us over for some breakfast

then we had to go to Kroger to pick up 

some groceries for the week.

Now back home trying to clean the kitchen up

and round up laundry and give the kids some lunch.

I bought some gummy vitamins at Kroger for the

kids since they were out.  I also bought

something called Immune C plus zinc

and echinacea gummies to go with those vitamins.

I'm giving the kids 2 gummy vitamins

and one immune one instead of 2 since

they are already getting some of these vitamins

in the multi vitamin.  Don't want to overdo it.

Plus I'm taking one of the immune ones as well

instead of taking a zicam.  I'll save those

for if someone does actually get a cold.

I've been researching echinacea.

It's made from a plant called purple coneflower

or black-eyed susan and has been used

for centuries in America to treat sickness.

I know I watch a lot of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.

Much of the history in that show is true.

Just the other day Dr. Quinn was treating an epidemic

and Sully wanted her to experiment with

Indian herbal medicine and she was hesitant to use it

until she got sick and Sully sent one of her children

out to the Indians to pick up purple coneflower

to make tea for her to get better and she did.

So what they used back then called purple coneflower is called

echinacea today to treat sickness and colds, same thing.

Just thought I would share that information with you.

Ok this is getting weird, lol.

We just checked the mailbox today because we forgot to

yesterday.  I got something in the mail and

when I checked the return address it said it was from...

Colorado Springs, CO

(Twilight zone music going off in background) 

FYI, Colorado Springs is where Dr. Quinn takes place.

Read HERE about the benefits of Echinacea.

If you take prescriptions or even other over the counter medicines please check with your doctor or pharmacist to see if there are any

drug interactions first.

If your doctor is like mine he may not wish to discuss

anything that is considered a home remedy

or herbal remedies.  I've asked doctors in the past

if hubby should take multi vitamins due to having

Diabetes 2 and he was totally against it.

And anytime I would mention anything about

home remedies he wouldn't listen to me.

Doctor's can't make money off you if you 

try to remedy yourself at home.

This is just me, but I believe doctors

and some of their prescribed medicines can do more

harm than good.

4:55pm

Still been running to work because of hubby's pager.

Got another 3 hours this afternoon.

A total of 16.75 hours this weekend alone so far

and still have another 15 hours to go

with freezing rain expected in about an hour

around 6:00pm.

Whew I'm getting tired.

I thought I was ahead of my game with things

to do around the house even though we've been gone most of the day.  I've been doing laundry in between

trips between home and work.

On our last trip home I put some taco meat

that was in a crock in the fridge into the crock pot base

and turned it on to warm hoping it would be warmed

up by the time we got back home and

I could just throw some tacos together.

Well crap, guess who forgot to plug the crock pot in?!

Now are thinking with the busy schedule we've

been having of running almost non stop

of stopping in and getting a few Little Ceasea pizzas

for $5 each.  Plus I need to get some gas in my truck

to take kids back and forth to the bus stop this week.

We've been saving gas by using hubby's car on the

weekends the last couple of weeks. 


9:15pm


Hubby has been wanting a phone holder to put on his belt.
He found a cheap one at the thrift store that was perfect
and had a clip that fit well on his belt.
The only problem was that it had pink on it.
I fixed it for him by dying it black.
I took a bottle of black and diluted and
and began blotting the paint on the fabric of
the cell phone holder.

 

1-26-13

8:40am

I got up at 8:15am because hubby was leaving for 

work to put some salt down around the property

and work on a call he got last night.

People, please learn what a breaker or fuse box is

and how to reset it.  So many people where hubby

works doesn't even know what one is.

So many emergency calls going out to reset

breakers and to tell people, hey you can't

overload your outlets with higher wattage appliances

like microwaves and hair dryers.

We've learned that we can't put our microwave

where the dishwasher is because running

both at the same time will trip the breaker. 

And sometimes we'll get a call for a power outage in

an apartment only to discover a red tag hanging

from their meter which signals that the power

company has turned their electric off for non payment

for a couple months.

Not a darn thing maintenance can do in that situation.

So many foreigner don't realize that they have

to pay those utility bills that come in the mail

and then wonder why things are shut off

a couple months after moving in.

I could write a book about maintenance and 

apartment living and the things that go on.

Another one,

Don't call maintenance to say you are cold

in your apartment and that the furnace isn't working well

when you don't have the thermostat set properly

and are running around in your boxers when we arrive

to address the situation.  This is Ohio.  You need to wear

clothing and turn up that thermosat

to keep warm!

10:00am

Here's a tip for reusing jars and all sorts of

containers with lids.

Use them to store dry foods in!

I have made a pantry in my basement

between wall studs where I put shelves between them.

When your strapped for space even a 4 inch wide

shelf can be of much use.  By putting dry goods

in the jars it makes putting them on those small

shelves much easier.  Also by putting things in

containers with lids it keeps moisture and pests out of them

to help prolong their shelf life.

A cool and dark basement is the perfect place

to store them away from too much heat.

Here below I reuse 2 liter bottles and milk jugs to put

juices in.  They can also be used to store dry food such as

rice, oatmeal, beans, flour and the list goes on and on.

I also make funnels by cutting

off the tops of 2 liter pop bottles. 

Other containers I save,

spaghetti sauce jars, salsa jars, mayonnaise jars,

peanut butter jars and as of recently,

gatorade and kool aid containers.

I have canning jars and they can be expensive

to buy to store dry foods in.  That is why

I have looked for another alternate way

with saving other jars and containers roughly the same size

that are free.

11:20am

I got some carrots sliced up in my food processor.

I used up about 2 pounds worth.

I put them in a crock pot to cook most of this afternoon

on high.  I'll use half of these to serve with some

deer roast.  The other half will be put in some rice

and served as a side to go with fish. 

Hubby's been after to me to make some

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies so 

I whipped up a bowl up cookie dough and

have it setting in the fridge for 2 hours to firm up.

I tweaked the above recipe some.

I used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour

because it was all I had.

I added a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.

And lastly I used 1/2 cup butter and

1/2 cup pumpkin because I had some needing used up. 

I reduced the fat by using pumpkin.

Pumpkin along with oatmeal, peanut butter

and whole wheat flour is healthy for you. 

I know peanut butter can be fatty but the fat content ranks

up there with olive oil.

It has fiber, vitamins like potassium and minerals.

I don't think anyone will eat oatmeal around here

which is good for you so I've been sneaking it in

meats and snacks.

11:45am

Hubby just got home after plowing

and doing a couple emergency calls like no heat,

water leaks, etc.

Here's another maintenance story for you.

Hubby says he went to check an apartment

which was a recent move out to make sure the

heat was left on.  He sees on the patio in the snow

where someone had tried to break into the

patio door.  Want to know the real kicker?!

The footprints leading up to the door in the snow

were from bare feet!!!

Kids are running out of vitamins

so need to get some this weekend.

Hubby gave me a high five just now praising

me for him feeling so much better.

Along with back spasms on the lower left side,

dark urine, charlie horses and constipation

I have alleviated the need for him to go to

the doctor by using home remedies!

Lower left backache with dark urine-

Plenty of water and cranberry juice to flush out kidneys and

urinary tract and heating pad for muscle pain.

Charlie horses/leg cramps during the night-

reduced sugar gatorade with potassium.

Constipation-

100% Cranberry juice.

Natural remedies sometimes work best.

It saved us probably a couple of trips to the doctor

because our doctor would of wanted a follow up trip or two

knowing him. 

Doc probably would have ran blood work, urine tests and

a possible xray to look for kidney stones,

all extra expenses for us.

There would have been time off work for all

these appointments.  Doc sends us

to another location for xrays.

Plus add in the cost for any prescriptions

he may have given for an infection.

All I see are dollar signs starting to add up.

So glad everything I've done for him, no matter

how simple, has helped him so much.

He was in so much pain a couple days ago

and could barely walk.  I swear I saw

a tear or two in his eyes from the pain.

Men rarely tear up from things

so it must of been that bad.

I know I wanted to rush him to Urgent Care.

2-3 days later and he is back to his old self.

WHEW!


12:40pm


And people wonder why I don't get flu shots, etc
and try to do things the natural way when possible.

‎

The quest for relief from pain has now resulted in the deaths of 19 people and a total of 247 confirmed infections of fungal meningitis from tainted steroid injections.

10 Reasons why a flu shot is more dangerous than a flu. 



1:00- 6:20pm


Went with hubby to his work out on emergency calls.
Went out to Groveport to hubby's friend's house
then back to work on a couple more calls.
Here below is where hubby's been spending
his time the last couple of days.   Plow boy!

A sign on a road beside Columbus Airport
on our way to Groveport.
Not today!!!   BRRRR!!!

Riding around the property and saw
this on top of one of the hills there...LOVE.

Back home and are so thankful for crock pot meals.
I fried up slices of deer roast made a couple days ago in the crock, finished making gravy and hubby made some 
mashed potatoes along with bread and butter.  
Served with some carrots in butter and maple syrup glaze 
that was cooking in the crock most of the day.

6:35pm


Nothing like some rib sticking grub for the belly!

I'm full and are ready to curl up in the chair in front
of the tv with my heating pad.  I overdid it yesterday
with shoveling.  Everything on my backside
from my neck down to my waist is soooo sore.
Tylenol or Ibuprofen has yet to do anything for me.



9:15pm


Ok I gotta stop this falling asleep in an upright position.
It's making me look old, lol.
I nodded off with the heating pad and when I awoke
my head was tilted down with my chin on my chest.
I thought, oh heck no and got back up for a few.
I was hoping no one had seen me but hubby
made sure to say he did.  Thanks.
My body has been sooo sore and the heating
pad feels sooo good on my back.
My ribs are hurting so bad they feel like someone
crushed them.  I don't dare cough or sneeze that's
for sure.