OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD 2012

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Showing posts with label Works For Me Wednesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Works For Me Wednesday. Show all posts

Works for Me Wednesday: Saying No








Another problem I have is not being able to always  manage my daily activities.  I like to to different things and hang out with friends both old and new.  But, when I commit to go somewhere or do an activity with someone I feel an added layer of stress to go along with the commitment. 


After I have said yes (and then don't really want to go or do not have the time to go) I stress about telling the person I have changed my mind and I can't go. 

So, now I give myself a day to think about what the function is and how will it benefit me ( by actually easing stress because it might be fun) or will the stress I am feeling is actually worth the commitment.

Since there is already so much going on in my life, I have found taking the time to consider any and all benefits before I commit I have much better control of my stress level. 

What about you?  How do you control the stress in your daily activities?

Works For Me Wednesday: Adult Immunizations



To secure my employment at the local community college, I was required to update most all of my shots.  There are not too many on this list that I did NOT have to get.  I thought I would share all of the adult vaccines that are available for you.  There are probably more, but I found these:   

Preventable Diseases and the Vaccines that Prevent Them

Diphtheria (Can be prevented by Tdap or Td vaccine)
Diphtheria is a very contagious bacterial disease that affects the respiratory system, including the lungs. Diphtheria bacteria can be passed from person to person by direct contact with droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze.

Hepatitis A
(Can be prevented by HepA vaccine)
Hepatitis A is an infection in the liver caused by hepatitis A virus. The virus is spread primarily person-to-person through the fecal-oral route. In other words, the virus is taken in by mouth from contact with objects, food, or drinks contaminated by the feces (stool) of an infected person.

Hepatitis B (Can be prevented by HepB vaccine)
Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver caused by hepatitis B virus. The virus spreads through exchange of blood or other body fluids, for example, from sharing personal items, such as razors or during sex.

Human Papillomavirus (Can be prevented by HPV vaccine)
Human papillomavirus is a common virus. HPV is most common in people in their teens and early 20s. It is the major cause of cervical cancer in women, as well as anal cancer and genital warts in both women and men. The strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer and genital warts are spread during sex.

Influenza
(Can be prevented by annual flu vaccine)
Influenza is a highly contagious viral infection of the nose, throat, and lungs. the virus spreads easily through droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes and can cause mild to severe illness. Typical symptoms include a sudden high fever, chills, a dry cough, headache, runny nose, sore throat, and muscle and joint pain.

Measles (Can be prevented by MMR vaccine)
Measles is one of the most contagious viral diseases. Measles virus is spread by direct contact with the airborne respiratory droplets of an infected person. Measles is so contagious that just being in the same room after a person who has measles has already left can result in infection.
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Meningococcal Disease (Can be prevented by MCV vaccine)
Meningococcal disease is caused by bacteria and is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis (infection around the brain and spinal cord) in children. The bacteria are spread through the exchange of nose and throat droplets, such as when coughing, sneezing or kissing. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, confusion and sleepiness.

Mumps (Can be prevented by MMR vaccine)
Mumps is an infectious disease caused by the mumps virus, which is spread in the air by a cough or sneeze from an infected person. A child can also get infected with mumps by coming in contact with a contaminated object, like a toy.

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) (Can be prevented by Tdap vaccine)
Pertussis is caused by bacteria spread through direct contact with respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. In the beginning, symptoms of pertussis are similar to the common cold, including runny nose, sneezing, and cough.

Pneumococcal Disease (Can be prevented by Pneumococcal vaccine)
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that can be caused by the bacteria called pneumococcus. These bacteria can cause other types of infections too, such as ear infections, sinus infections, meningitis (infection of the covering around the brain and spinal cord), bacteremia and sepsis (blood stream infection). S

Rubella (German Measles) (Can be prevented by MMR vaccine)
Rubella is caused by a virus that is spread through coughing and sneezing. In children rubella usually causes a mild illness with fever, swollen glands, and a rash that lasts about 3 days. Rubella rarely causes serious illness or complications in children, but can be very serious to a baby in the womb .

Tetanus (Lockjaw) (Can be prevented by Td or Tdap vaccine)
Tetanus is caused by bacteria found in soil. The bacteria enters the body through a wound, such as a deep cut. When people are infected, the bacteria produce a toxin (poison) in the body that causes serious, painful spasms and stiffness of all muscles in the body. This can lead to “locking” of the jaw so a person cannot open his or her mouth, swallow, or breathe. Complete recovery from tetanus can take months. Three of ten people who get tetanus die from the disease.

Varicella (Chickenpox) (Can be prevented by varicella vaccine)

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella zoster virus. Chickenpox is very contagious and spreads very easily from infected people. The virus can spread from either a cough, sneeze. It can also spread from the blisters on the skin, either by touching them or by breathing in these viral particles. Typical symptoms of chickenpox include an itchy rash with blisters, tiredness, headache and fever. Chickenpox is usually mild, but it can lead to severe skin infections, pneumonia, encephalitis (brain swelling), or even death.

Zoster (Shingles, Herpes Zoster) (Can be prevented by the zoster vaccine)
Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays in the body in a dormant (inactive) state. For reasons that are not fully known, the virus can reactivate years later, causing shingles. Almost 1 out of every 3 people in the United States will develop shingles, also known as zoster or herpes zoster.

If you have any questions about vaccines, talk to your healthcare provider.

source CDC

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Works for Me Wednesday: Halloween Costume Ideas


Creating a unique or weird Halloween costume shows originality and creativity. Try taking a popular phrase such as "killing time" and create a costume from that. Or take a popular movie or book title and add your own twist to the words. Weird and unique costume ideas can also be found on the internet. Many of these costumes are also home-made so there is very little expense in creating them.

 I usually wait to the last minute and never figure out a costume.  Since it is October already, I want to try to plan ahead.
Here are some unique and weird ideas to help you this Halloween season.

1. A Highway: Wear all black sweat suit, stick on white or yellow tape on your legs and chest to resemble lines in a road. Attach tiny cars and road signs onto your pants and shirt.


2. Nudist on Strike: Wear normal clothes and wear a sign around your neck that says "Nudist on Strike."


3.  Cheating Husband: Men can wear a button down shirt that is buttoned all wrong, pants slightly unzipped, shoes untied or on wrong feet, lipstick kisses on collar, shirt, neck or even on pants and hair messed up. Tell people you didn't dress in costume, you forgot about the party and just dropped what you were doing to come over. 


4. Cheating Wife: Women can wear a skirt with the back tucked into pantyhose; hair messed up, make-up smeared and bra on the outside of shirt.



5.  Leaf Blower: Wear regular clothes. Wear a hat with a leaf hanging down from the rim so that the leaf is in front of your face. When people ask what you are blow on he leaf and make them guess.



6. Tornado: Wear all black or gray clothing. Sew strings of varying lengths all over your outfit. On the ends of the string, tie on tiny houses, people, cars, animals, etc. When people ask what you are, spin around fast and make sounds like a tornado.

My grandson as Peter Pan

7.. Cereal Killer: Clothing should be kind of rugged and torn. Carry a bloody knife and have blood on your clothes. Attach labels or actual little cereal boxes all over your clothes.


Works For Me Wednesday: Baked Oatmeal


One of my goals for this year is to stop buying cereal and switch to breakfast foods that are healthier and homemade. Baked oatmeal is something that is easy to make, healthy, and can be made in advance.
One recipe makes a 9″x13″ pan and will last for several days. I will bake it on the first day and then re-heat it as needed.




Baked Oatmeal
1/2 c butter, melted (I have been using applesauce and it turns out great)
1 c brown sugar (I am trying to cut back on the sugar each time I make it, 2/3 c works fine)
2 eggs, beaten
3 c rolled oats
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 c milk
Cream together first 3 ingredients. Add all the rest to creamed mixture. Bake in 10″x10″ or 9″x13″ pan at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Can be mixed the night before. The eggs can be omitted.
Variation: use 1/2 c sugar and add raisins.

Microwave: Combine melted butter, 2/3 c brown sugar and eggs. Add remaining ingredients, using only 1/2 c milk. Place in 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Microwave on full power for 6-7 minutes. Stir several times.

Variations of Baked Oatmeal:

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

Peach Baked Oatmeal 

Blueberry Coconut Oatmeal

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Works for Me Wednesday: Crock Pot Liners

The best thing they every made was Slow Cooker Crock Pot Liners.  I use my crock pot weekly, and the worse thing about using a crock pot is the clean up.  
 

With the Crock pot liners, you can cook your meal in the crock pot and as soon as your are done, you just lift out the bag and voila, you have a practically clean crock pot!  Wipe it out with warm soapy water and let it dry.  You are ready to go again!  


Addendum:  According to "Good Housekeeping" the Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners are PBA free and safe to use.

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Works for Me Wednesday: Vinegar in the Kitchen


  • When boiling or steaming cauliflower, beets or other vegetables, add a teaspoon or two of white distilled vinegar to the water to help them keep their color. This will also improve their taste, and reduce gassy elements. This also works when cooking beans and bean dishes.

  • Make pasta less sticky and reduce some of its starch. Add just a dash of white distilled vinegar to the water as it cooks.

  • Remove kitchen odors that come from burnt pots or when cooking certain foods by boiling a small amount of water with 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar so that the steam circulates throughout the room.

  • Make onion odors disappear from your hands by rubbing with white distilled vinegar.

  • Add moistness and taste to any chocolate cake—homemade or from a box—with a spoonful of white distilled vinegar.

  • To keep frosting from sugaring add a drop of white distilled vinegar. It will also help keep white frosting white and shiny.

  • Make perfect, fluffy meringue by adding a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar for every 3 to 4 egg whites used.

  • Perk up any can of soup or sauce with a teaspoon of red or white wine vinegar.

  • Eliminate the greasy taste in food cooked in a deep fryer by adding a dash of white distilled vinegar.

  • If you’ve added too much salt to a recipe, add a spoonful of white distilled vinegar and sugar to try correcting the taste.

  • Keep molded gelatin desserts and salads from sagging or melting in the summer heat by adding a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar for each box of gelatin used.

Works for me Wednesday Revisited: Homemade Detergent

 Yes, it is Thursday, but I wanted to share the outcome of the homemade detergent experiment.  This "recipe" made a huge bucket of detergent.  I thought it would never run out, but alas, it finally did.  Almost 7 months later, it is time to gather up the above ingredients and make up another batch.  

I did not notice any difference in the clean factor of our clothes.  For the last week I have been using regular store bought detergent and the clothes are looking the same as when I was using the homemade detergent. 

Have you tried homemade detergent yet?  What do YOU think about it's cleaning qualities?

In an effort to stretch our dollars as far as they can go, I have been researching (translation: spending too much time on Pinterest) the many different "recipes" to make your own detergent.  There are the "wet" recipes and the "dry" recipes.  After reading about both, I decided to go with the dry mix.

Here are the ingredients:  Total Cost - $17.75

1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent aisle


1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking aisle

1  box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent aisle

3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap, found in the detergent aisle

2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent isle.    
(this is optional, I added it into mine because I have a pretty messy grandson and husband)

Toss all ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket lined with a garbage bag. Use a Heavy Duty Trash Bag. Less of a chance for tearing while mixing.

definitely use a heavy duty trash bag

open and dump

The grating goes quick

looks like shredded cheese!


This part makes your whole house smell great. Once everything is mixed store soap however you like.  Right now  I still store my detergent in the same five gallon bucket and bag that I mixed it in.    I also got a little scoop to keep inside. Wasn't that easy? Sure was! Enjoy your soap.

I have been using the "new" detergent for the last few loads.  I like how it cleans and am looking forward to the money saving benefits too.  It should last several months, but I will keep you posted on exactly how long it does last.

Works For Me Wednesday: Vinegar in the Kitchen


  • When boiling or steaming cauliflower, beets or other vegetables, add a teaspoon or two of white distilled vinegar to the water to help them keep their color. This will also improve their taste, and reduce gassy elements. This also works when cooking beans and bean dishes.

  • Make pasta less sticky and reduce some of its starch. Add just a dash of white distilled vinegar to the water as it cooks.

  • Remove kitchen odors that come from burnt pots or when cooking certain foods by boiling a small amount of water with 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar so that the steam circulates throughout the room.

  • Make onion odors disappear from your hands by rubbing with white distilled vinegar.

  • Add moistness and taste to any chocolate cake—homemade or from a box—with a spoonful of white distilled vinegar.

  • To keep frosting from sugaring add a drop of white distilled vinegar. It will also help keep white frosting white and shiny.

  • Make perfect, fluffy meringue by adding a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar for every 3 to 4 egg whites used.

  • Perk up any can of soup or sauce with a teaspoon of red or white wine vinegar.

  • Eliminate the greasy taste in food cooked in a deep fryer by adding a dash of white distilled vinegar.

  • If you’ve added too much salt to a recipe, add a spoonful of white distilled vinegar and sugar to try correcting the taste.

  • Keep molded gelatin desserts and salads from sagging or melting in the summer heat by adding a teaspoon of white distilled vinegar for each box of gelatin used.

Works For Me Wednesday: Homemade Detergent



In an effort to stretch our dollars as far as they can go, I have been researching (translation: spending too much time on Pinterest) the many different "recipes" to make your own detergent.  There are the "wet" recipes and the "dry" recipes.  After reading about both, I decided to go with the dry mix.

Here are the ingredients:  Total Cost - $17.75

1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent aisle


1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking aisle

1  box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent aisle

3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap, found in the detergent aisle

2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent isle.    
(this is optional, I added it into mine because I have a pretty messy grandson and husband)

Toss all ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket lined with a garbage bag. Use a Heavy Duty Trash Bag. Less of a chance for tearing while mixing.

definitely use a heavy duty trash bag

open and dump

The grating goes quick

looks like shredded cheese!


This part makes your whole house smell great. Once everything is mixed store soap however you like.  Right now  I still store my detergent in the same five gallon bucket and bag that I mixed it in.    I also got a little scoop to keep inside. Wasn't that easy? Sure was! Enjoy your soap.

I have been using the "new" detergent for the last few loads.  I like how it cleans and am looking forward to the money saving benefits too.  It should last several months, but I will keep you posted on exactly how long it does last.

Works For Me Wednesday: Vinegar and Your Auto

  • Keep car windows frost-free overnight in winter by coating them with a solution of 3 parts white distilled vinegar to 1 part water.


  • Polish car chrome with full-strength white distilled vinegar on a soft cloth.


  • Remove unwanted decals and bumper stickers by covering them with a cloth soaked in white distilled vinegar, or by repeatedly spraying them with full-strength white distilled vinegar. They should peel off in a couple of hours.


  • Rid the windshield wipers of road grime by wiping them with a white distilled vinegar-soaked cloth.


  • Remove the leftover odor after a rider has been carsick by leaving a bowl of white distilled vinegar overnight on the floor.


  • Get rid of hard water stains on your car with a rinse made from 3 parts soft water to one part white distilled vinegar.


  • Wipe vinyl upholstery with a mixture of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water.


  • Remove winter road salt residue on car carpeting by spraying with a mixture of equal parts white distilled vinegar and water, then blot with a soft towel.


  • Remove the hazy film that builds up on inside windows by spraying with white distilled vinegar. 

  • When doing car maintenance, soak rusty bolts and screws with white distilled vinegar to make them easier to remove.


  • Loosen chewing gum stuck to carpeting or upholstery by soaking it in white distilled vinegar.
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Works For Me Wednesday: Seasoning a Cast Iron Skillet

 Seasoning a Cast Iron Skillet is a new skill for me. I guess you can call me a "Teflon" kinda girl.   While I was growing up, my mom had a cast iron skillet and used it for just about everything!  I received a cast iron skillet for Christmas and I had no idea about the care and "seasoning" that goes along with owning a cast iron skillet.  



Here are 5 easy steps to bring back the luster and protect the skillet from rusting:

1.  Scrub skillet will in hot soapy water.

2.  Dry thoroughly.


3.  Spread a thin layer of melted shortening or vegetable oil over the skillet.


4.  Place it upside down on a middle oven rack at 375 degrees.  (Place foil on a lower rack to catch drips.)


5.  Bake 1 hour; let cool in the oven. 


There you go!  Easy enough to do.

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Works For Me Wednesday: Crock Pot Liners

The best thing they every made was Slow Cooker Crock Pot Liners.  I use my crock pot weekly, and the worse thing about using a crock pot is the clean up.  
 

With the Crock pot liners, you can cook your meal in the crock pot and as soon as your are done, you just lift out the bag and voila, you have a practically clean crock pot!  Wipe it out with warm soapy water and let it dry.  You are ready to go again!  


Addendum:  According to "Good Housekeeping" the Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners are PBA free and safe to use.

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Works For Me Wednesday: Readjusting The ING Sub-Accounts



It is time again to re-examine and re-evaluate my ING sub-accounts.  Currently I have set up automatic deposits to the following ING sub-accounts.







For the last 4 months (since my lay off)  The only automatic deposit was going to the Christmas Club account.  At that time, we just did not have enough money in the budget to successfully keep funding all of the sub accounts.   This year we have decided to keep automatic deposits going to the following accounts:

Christmas Club:   $20.00 every two weeks      $520.00 for the year
Birthdays,etc:       $15.00 every two weeks      $345.00 for the year
Pet Care                $30.00 every two weeks      $780.00 for the year
Travel:                    still working this in the budget. 

Without a doubt, there will be other expenses that occur during the year.  We currently have about $1200.00 in our Emergency fund to help cover those expenses.    The new year will be full of changes for us. We don't know how long my parents will need us to take care of them, but if it is long term, we want to move them out to our home.  My ability to get a job depends greatly on their status and their wishes.  My parents are fiercely independent and my have other plans for themselves.  Who knows!


 It is still one day at a time around here. 








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