Category: HELPFUL HINTS

Been a long week for us here.  Hubby had surgery for a massive shoulder tear that included 3 tendons so I’ve been busy playing nursemaid making sure he does what he is supposed to, but really making sure he doesn’t do what he isn’t supposed to.

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

WEATHER OUTSIDE
Spring had sprung, but we’re going to be dipping a quite a bit down in temperature (like 20+ degrees) and will wet again by Thursday.

TO DO FOR THE WEEK

• cleaning
• laundry
• paperwork

CURRENTLY READING

• Barbara Freethy Callaway series
• Last Book in Kathleen Brooks Women of Power series

TELEVISION/DVR
Everything from last week is on DVR to play catch up.

CRAFTS & PROJECTS
LOL, yeah right – who had time.

MENU PLANS

SUCCESSFUL RECIPES FROM LAST WEEK
Nothing new this week with hubby’s surgery.

RECIPE FINDS TO TRY AT A LATER DATE
With hubby’s surgery last week I had A LOT of time in the waiting room to search all their old magazines for recipes and I found some fun sounding ones at that.

• Baked Stuffed French Toast (Savory Style)
• Gingerbread cake with Buttermilk Frosting
• Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Strawberry Glaze
• Bananas Foster Coffee Cake with Vanilla Rum Sauce
• Banana Brownie Sticky Toffee Pudding
• Bacon Onion Tart
• Roasted Cider Brined Pork Loin with Green Tomato Chutney
• Mexican Hot Chocolate Mousse
• Sunday Sauce (Savory)
• Rainbow Angel Food Cake
• Citrus Cookie Bars
• Ginger Basil Vinaigrette
• Peach Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
• Red Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

HOMEMAKING TIP
Slice an apple and leave the pieces in areas with strong odors.  After a few days, the apple slices will be brown and dry and odor will be replaced with the scent of apple.

ON MY MIND
Absolutely nothing – just trying to gather more than 2 hours sleep at a time so I can think straight. Shoulder injuries are kind of like having a new born baby – there is always ice to change and pillows to fluff to try and get him comfortable for another bout of sleep.

FAVORITE PHOTO
Found this on the camera drive this week when I was cleaning out the old stuff.  He’s about 40 feet tall and made out of corrugated tin, just wish he looked happy.

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

WEATHER OUTSIDE
Cold and rainy again.

TO DO FOR THE WEEK

• Laundry 
• Prep for hubby’s surgery
• Paperwork
• Sorting spring clothes LOL just in case it stays for awhile next time

CURRENTLY READING

• Barbara Freethy Callaways #3

TELEVISION/DVR

• NCIS
• Justified
• Murdoch Mysteries – a new find for me and I’m really liking this show.
• American Odyssey
• Big Bang Theory
• Mike and Molly

CRAFTS & PROJECTS
Nothing going on this week with hubby’s recovery.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

SUCCESSFUL RECIPES FROM LAST WEEK
None to report this week

RECIPE FINDS TO TRY AT A LATER DATE

• Marshmallow Chocolate Cookie Sammies
• Chicken Gumbo
• Razzleberry Crisp
• Lemon Pudding Cakes
• Chocolate Cinnamon Babkallah

RECIPES TO TRY FOR NEXT YEAR’S CHRISTMAS PLATES

• White Chocolate Green Tea Sugar Cookies
• Golden Cashew Curry Brittle
• Cookies and Cream Brownies
• Irish Cream Brownies
• Chocolate Fudge with Bourbon Sugar

HOMEMAKING TIP
To freshen the air in your house, sprinkle cinnamon on aluminum foil and place it in a hot oven leaving the door ajar.  As the cinnamon heats up it will freshen the whole house.

ON MY MIND
A lot and too much to put all of it into words. But a big problem for this germaphobe girl is people blowing their nose at the dinner table. In my opinion excusing yourself to the bathroom is not only proper etiquette, but also the best and only hygienic option. When you blow your nose, you introduce a myriad of germs. Think about that as you reach for any bowl of food on the table, the salt and pepper, or grab the handle of the restaurant door as you leave.

In my opinion (based on how I was raised) it is rude and just plain gross to blow your nose in front of others, ESPECIALLY when eating. In my opinion it is always better to excuse yourself….you can go outside or preferably the restroom because you really should wash your hands afterwards. Be respectful, polite and clean.

I went in search of an answer to whether this is polite or not and found only articles to support the old fashioned answer that is NOT polite.  Etiqutte Daily said it best:

• “Q: Is it acceptable to blow your nose at the dinner table? My husband says that it is okay and has even blown his nose into a cloth napkin.

• A: …If what is required is big, noisy nose-blowing, this should be conducted away from the table. It is distasteful to others to hear or see someone beleaguered by mucus deal with it at the table.”

FAVORITE PHOTO
LOL – I actually didn’t take any this week. I think that is a first for me.

INSPIRATION

Here we are at another Monday. I hope you had a great Easter.  Easter morning was gorgeous, absolutely beautiful sunrise (we would normally have fog or clouds until 10 or 11) but it didn’t last and the storm hit around noon.

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

WEATHER OUTSIDE
Typical April weather – stormy and wet.

TO DO FOR THE WEEK

• Research 
• Paperwork
• Dr. Appointments

CURRENTLY READING

• Destined for Power by Kathleen Brooks

TELEVISION/DVR

• Dovekeepers
• Killing Jesus
• Castle
• NCIS 
• Bones

CRAFTS & PROJECTS
 Nothing going on this week.

WEEKLY MENU PLANS

EXPERIMENTAL RECIPE SUCCESSES with LINKS

• Garlic Cider Chicken
• Durango Chicken
• White Bean & Artichoke Cassoulet

RECIPES TO TRY IN THE FUTURE

• Corn Bread Stuffing Muffins
• Cream Cheese Danish Braid
• Chocolate Coconut Macaroons
• Crock Pot French Onion Soup
• Salted Caramel Eclairs

HOMEMAKING TIP
Not all onions taste the same and can alter the flavor of your dish.  Know your onions.

• Vidalia (Georgia), Walla Walla (Washington) or Maui (Hawaii) = SWEET onions which have a higher water and sugar content – found mostly in the spring and/or summer.
• Red or Purple onions also have a sweeter flavor and are also known as Italian onions,  They do tend to lose their color when cooked, but add a mild sweet flavor and color to salads and burgers when used raw.
• Green onions are “young” bulb onions and much milder in flavor making them perfect for salads and casseroles.
• Shallots (Greek originally) form like garlic in clusters. These are a milder form of an onion, but don’t let that fool you.  Shallots are flavor packed miniatures.

ON MY MIND
If one more person tells me, “But the computer says” or “The computer won’t let me” I swear I’ll scream.  Your computer DOES NOT talk and like the old adage says, garbage in, garbage out! So if you can see that something does not make sense and the computer program is such that it won’t allow the proper corrections, CALL an IT guy!

Last year I had a medical bill that should have been 100% covered, but they DEMANDED 20% up front which I gave in and paid just to get out the door.  A few weeks after that I received a bill for the remainder of the whole amount.  I called them and explained (AGAIN) that my insurance (if billed properly) covered that expense 100%.  They said they understood and would re-bill the insurance correctly.

Then a few weeks ago (several months after the last phone call) I received a phone call from a different girl demanding full payment or they would send me to collections.  I went through the roof!  She said that I had NO insurance according to their computer, and that every time they billed my insurance company it was rejected for that reason.

Fortunately I had never spoken to this girl before and as it turns out she possessed not only common sense, but compassion and understanding as I explained one more time that I didn’t owe them anything, what my insurance was as well as HOW to bill it properly and what it covered and that they actually owed me money from the initial payment. She said she’d look into and fix it.  Honestly she was nice, but I wasn’t holding my breath. Guess what?  I received my refund check this week. Thank you new girl with a brain!

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA THIS WEEK

INSPIRATION

WEATHER OUTSIDE
TODAY
A little foggy and partly cloudy, but with an afternoon of sun.

WEEK
By Tuesday we’re supposed to drop 20 degrees and get rain.

TO DO FOR THE WEEK

• Digging out the warm weather clothes (just in case)
• Laundry
• Spring Cleaning

CURRENTLY READING

• Give a Little (Summerhill #7) by Kate Perry
• Where the Heart is (Ribbon Ridge) by Darcy Burke

TELEVISION/DVR

• NCIS 
• NCIS Los Angeles
• Castle
• Dancing with the Stars

CRAFTS & PROJECTS
I’m re-working a decorative birdhouse for my mom that was recently found to house thousands of wasps. It had completely faded to a gray.  I blocked the hole so no more wasps can take up residence and then added a little fresh color.

I tried an interesting egg color kit called 24K Eggs by RJ Rabbit.  They had a beautiful picture on the front that made the eggs appear to be a deep gold leafed color. After 2 coats of the “gold leaf” mixture and only a thin opaque layer I decided to get creative.  There wasn’t enough “gold leaf” provided in the package to actually have coated 12 eggs so I put on some rubber gloves and started mixing and matching by hand the “gold leaf” with the 3  basic colors (yellow, red and blue) provided and ended up with some pretty eggs at least.  The kit though was an epic fail if you solely follow their directions.

Tried to polish the brass porch lights, but the brass is too far gone,  so went with a matching paint job to the house trim.

With all the winter rain, the slope of the yard and the spongy soil the blocks around the front yard planter always sink each year.  I spent a few hours leveling the blocks and ridding the area of moss and weeds before adding a spring touch.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

RECENT SUCCESSFUL RECIPES

• Goat Cheese Salad
• Apple Cinnamon Pork Chops
• Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken
• Vanilla Latte Meatballs with Coffee Gravy

RECIPE FAILS or DISLIKES

• Lemon Souffle Pancakes – Flavor was great, but just not worth the work.
• Couch Potato Bars – Hubs likes it, but honestly it didn’t have enough flavor for all the work.  I much prefer my Chunky Monkeys.

RECIPE FINDS TO TRY AT A LATER DATE

• Pumpkin Empanadas
• Strawberry Coconut Cake 
• Pumpkin Brulee’ Tart

HOMEMAKING TIP

 A few definitions this week to help clarify:

• BASTE – Using the drippings to coat the food as it bakes to keep it moist.
• BEAT – Whisk briskly and vigorously with a beater until mixture is stiff.
• BLEND – Mashing or mixing 2 or more ingredients together until blended well.
• BRAISE – Simmering seared meat in a covered dish with only a small amount of moisture.
• DREDGE – To coat thoroughly with flour.
• FOLD – Add delicate ingredients gently with a spoon or spatula to a thicker mixture.
• FRICASSEE – Cooking meat by stewing in a gravy.
• MINCE – Chopping ingredients very fine.
• SAUTE’ – Frying in a small amount of fat.
• SIMMER – cooking over VERY low heat.

ON MY MIND LATELY
Why are we so able to accept computers and/or automation to run our lives?  When did it become acceptable to ignore the needs of people because some script on a computer dictates the flow chart of a conversation?

You can’t call a doctor’s office, store, or business for the most part without first encountering an automated menu.  Many times these menus do not even have the option you need on it.  It allows you to ask for a human, but first you MUST answer their questions and if you don’t answer them correctly 9 times out of 10 the person you do reach will need to transfer you to someone else.  And don’t even get me started on having to press 1 or 2 for English.

Long story short I want to thank Sade’ for being a human that still cares and went the extra mile to help me fix a serious issue for my step dad.  It took me 2 calls and an hour and a half to get to her and then another half hour working with her, but she personified the attitude we should ALL have to help others in need.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA
I finally wrote my post about the Queen Mary and Aquarium of the Pacific this past week and as I edited pictures to post I have to say this was my favorite not only for the week, but I think for the year.

INSPIRATION