Monday, October 27, 2008

Lazy Fall Season!


Not much has been going on lately so there hasn't really been much to write about. Weather is getting extremely cold and the day is getting shorter so I've been home, curled up on the couch enjoying it. What is it that makes the fall such a beautiful season? Is it the cooler air or the shades of red, yellow, orange and pink coloring the world around you just come to life?

Friday, October 24, 2008

Household Tips

Take 2 minutes and read through this; you will be amazed at what you can learn!

Bed Sheets
After drying sheets, put both sheets and one pillowcase in the other pillow case. Fold neatly in a square. Next time you change sheets, you just take the one pillow case and all the sheets and pillow case are inside. No need to look for matches.

Reheat Pizza
Heat up leftover pizza in a non-stick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Broken Glass
Use a dry cotton ball to pick up little broken pieces of glass - the fibers catch ones you can't see!

Easier thank you's
When you throw a bridal/baby shower, buy a pack of thank you cards for the guest of honor. During the party, pass out the envelopes and have everyone put their address on one. When the bride/new mother sends the thank you's, they're all addressed!

Name tag
If you purchase a new bike for your child, place their picture inside the handle bar before placing the grips on. If the bike is stolen and later recovered, remove the grip and there is your proof who owns the bike.

Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and -- voila -- static is gone.

Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry the cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield?
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser!
Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.

Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair...

Good-bye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2 with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' & can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, esp. if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

Take baby powder to the beach
Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When you're ready to leave the beach sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder and the sand will slide right off your skin.

Hope you learn something new today ;)

Thursday, October 16, 2008

May I Borrow $25.00

I received this very touching forward from a friend of mine and I would like to share it with you. I got a little choked up about it.

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'
DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man.
SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'
DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the man said angrily.
SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'
DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'
SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?'

The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think:

Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

'Are you asleep, son?' He asked.

'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.

'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.'
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.

The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.

The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father grumbled.

'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.

'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

Friday, October 10, 2008

What's In Your Handbag Meme

Ching of Little Corner of Mine tag me with this unique Meme and I think its kind of cool to play along. One thing for sure my handbag don't usually look like that. I will have a lot of junk like receipt, coupons and all kinds of paper in it. It's just so happen I change my handbags a few days before I got this tag and I already clean it up.

Here are the rules:

Find a safe quiet place free of significant others, nosey meme makers, priests, nuns, all things religious and men in general. (If you're a guy just reverse this process to male and tell us about your wallet, tool box, briefcase or metro sexual accessory.)
1. Dump the contents of your handbag in a pile
2. Take a photo of your handbag and the contents
3. Be brave and explain to your fellow bloggers what lurks inside the handbag.
4. Tag others who might want to embarrass themselves
5. Answer these questions: Describe the contents of your handbag. What's the most important thing in your handbag? What's the most embarrassing thing in your handbag? What's the smallest thing in your handbag? Is there anything illegal in your handbag? This meme was started by Mimi, Queen of Memes who thinks up brilliant memes. Here are the answers to the questions..

Describe the contents of your handbag?

Purse, coin purse, keys, reading glasses, sun glasses, camera, cellphone, tissue, train schedule, carmex, nail cliper, and tampons.

What's the most important thing in your handbag?
Driving License - need that for my driving.
Money, debit card, credit cards - need that for all my purchases.
Cellphone - to call and receive call.
Reading glasses - Getting old so I need that for reading.
Camera - need that for taking pictures for blogging :)

What's the most embarrassing thing in your handbag?
Tampons - Not sure if this is embarrassing but for me it's for emergency.

What's the smallest thing in your handbag?
Carmex and nail clipper.

Is there anything illegal in your handbag?
eeerrr... I don't think so.

Now I am passing along this meme to:

Pinky
Cat
Zue

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Birthday Celebration

We celebrated Carlos birthday at home this year. Since we went out for dinner on our anniversary and spent so much money eating at Outback (food was just so so) I thought maybe I should prepared his birthday meal at home. I plan a steak meal for him since he like steak at lot.

Ribeye steak with roasted potatoes and asparagus.

Birthday cake

Birthday boy blowing out the candle

Later in the evening we went for a movie. This is a very good movie.
The next day Diana and her Bf came home to prepared us a Japanese meal. We had DIY hand rolls. Robin trying to cool down the sushi rice outside the cool temperature :)


Our spread!

How To Save Money On Groceries

With the situation with the world economy here are some tips to keep your food budget in check.

• Buy store brands. The quality of store branded food items has improved dramatically in recent years, and many now compete with major national labels, according to Tom Marks, senior editor at Consumer Reports magazine. Some consumers may want to stick with name brand detergents or soaps, for example, but buying store brands for a broad array of products from fruit cups to cereals and pastas can save anywhere from 20 percent to 50 percent, Marks said.

• Evaluate unit prices. Buying in bulk is traditionally more economically, but that's not always the case, Marks says. So he and other experts recommend shoppers look at the item's cost per unit, which is found on the shelf sticker next to the item. Marks added that when items go on sale, shoppers should always compare the cost per unit on both the big and small packages to see which is a better deal.
But experts also say shoppers should keep in mind how much their families are going to consume. It's not economical to buy a big bag of fruit if it's going to end up rotting in the refrigerator.

• Compare prices of the same product in different areas of the store. "Where things are placed in a store can make a big difference," says Challagalla. For example, cheese is often cheaper in the dairy aisle than the deli because shoppers have to pay extra for it to be sliced.

• Clip coupons. Shoppers should look through circulars for special deals, but Marks warns them not to assume that all items in a supermarket's weekly flyer are on sale. He noted that manufacturers could have paid to have the item featured.

• Obtain a store card. These loyalty cards allow shoppers to get extra discounts on items without having to clip coupons.

• Consider frozen foods. Frozen peas, fish and other items are cheaper than fresh because they have a longer shelf life."Anything that is perishable, shoppers are going to have to pay higher prices because stores have to build it into their (profit) margins," said Challagalla.

• Ignore precut fruit or vegetables or other prepped items. While it's nice to have that pineapple cut up in chunks, that extra convenience costs money.

• Avoid items displayed at the checkout counter. Stores feature single serving pies, cans of soda and other items at the checkout that are often more expensive, but can be tempting to shoppers, particularly hungry ones.

Article from CNN .com/living

Friday, October 3, 2008

Happy Birthday My Dearest Husband!



I feel so lucky to share my life with someone as loving, caring and understanding as you. Here's wishing your special day lights up your heart and happiness. Happy Birthday, Sweetie!!