Pre arranged funeral/Burial

Have you ever gave it a thought or specific idea about what you wish to happen to your remains after you pass away? Hubby and I talked to the funeral director about this today. Quite frankly, I have never thought much about this sort of thing, probably because its just not something I want to think about. Hubby thinks it is so, his decision for a prearranged funeral/burial for us is so that it does not become an emotional or financial burden on our children or loved ones. So we talked about this. I am thinking this does make sense and is the right thing to do for us and our family. By doing this you'll say goodbye in a way that reflects your personal style not someone else's. We will protect our family from unnecessary pain and expense. It will minimize dispute between relatives. We can comfortably pay for this funeral over time at today's prices, so our family won't have to find the money later. You might be surprised that funeral planning isn't just for older people, that the best time to prearrange is when you are vibrant and healthy. The average full service adult funeral can cost up to $28,000 depending upon the services. Prearranging your funeral burial is something maybe we should all think about. No, it's not pleasant to think about but it's a sure thing, that as soon as you are born, you start to die.

Tackle it Tuesday

I got my shelving in the storage room. Now comes the tackle. I have to fill these empty shelves. I have to take all my overstock food that I took out of this room and put it all back on these shelves.We have company coming early this evening so it must get done. I love this push or the umpf...tackle it Tuesday has given me today. As you can see empty shelves.....

and 3 hours later.......

All overstock is on the shelves and neatly organized now. I can now find things when I need to. No more boxes and food on the floor. The room is small so it made it hard to get the full picture of the 3 bookcases top to bottom but, you get the general idea. I am pleased with the outcome!

Go to http://5minformom/ more tackle it Tuesdays!

Menu Plan Monday

This week will be nothing fancy. For the most part the end of the week is going to be crazy and so therefore not sure what we will have or what we will be doing as of yet so Friday and Saturday could change. This is what I have planned...

MONDAY- spaghetti

tossed salad

TUESDAY-omelets with/cheese, bacon, hash browns, onion, green pepper

toast

strawberry/banana smoothies

WEDNESDAY-grilled ham steak

green beans

macaroni and cheese

THURSDAY- eating out

FRIDAY- grilled burgers and hot dogs

kidney bean salad

chips and ice cream sundaes

4th of July-BBQ ribs? potato salad, fresh steamed zucchini and summer squash ( providing it is ready in the garden by this time)

SUNDAY- on our own (usually leftovers)

Check out http://orgjunkie/ for more menu ideas and have a great week!

Garage sale find

It was a beautiful day for garage sailing. I haven't been going to as many sales as I have in the past years so it seemed like the thing to do. Hubby and I started out about 9:30 am with the intention of only garage sailing until about noon. Guess what, we didn't stop until about 3:30 pm. But, we enjoy the time together and scouting for anything we might need at a cheap price. Today we found something I really can use, and that is 3 large bookcases! Ever since we moved in this trailer I have done my share of complaining there is not enough closets or shelves or storage period! With all my stockpiling, I have devoted the small bedroom into my storage room. I have 1 small bookcase and a really nice cabinet to put things in. Just these 2 things have helped immensely. I have one whole wall that I wished I had nothing but shelves clear up to the ceiling. We found just that today. 3 of these large bookcases for a mere $22.00 for all that will fit that entire wall nicely. Hubby just finished putting one out of 3 of these together. Now, the fun part, getting it down the hall and getting it all set up in that room.

Let's go Krogering!

Went to Kroger and got all this for $4.75! A total savings of $24.15 for 15 items! Kroger has their mega Daytona sale: Buy 10 mix and match items, get $3.00 off your order instantly. Watch for this Sundays coupons for $1.00/2 ball park franks. This will yield cheap packs of hot dogs at Kroger! If you are like me, I can't keep enough hot dogs in the house. My darling hubby gobbles these things like there is no tomorrow, snack food for him. Hee-Hee

Thankful Thursday

This is a good day to be thankful. I have alot, big and small to be thankful for today....

I am thankful that accident prone me made it throught the week without any injuries. My toe is still sore but all and all not throbbing. There still seems to be some swelling and I am sure if I would just stay off my feet for a mere second that it would go down.

I am thankful for our dear friends Dale and Karma, they are back from Florida. It's nice to have someone to talk to during the day besides Sassy ( don't take this personally Sass, you are only a dog not a people) Dale and Karma are here everyday while some of our neighbors are only here on weekends.

I am thankful God hears my prayers and all his blessings he has given me. That God grants me the knowledge to handle what life gives me which is never more than we can handle, and keep me calm when that storm of life hits.

I have had some problems with some certain family members for the past year. I am so thankful for these people, with their acts of unkindness that no longer hurt me, and the pain that was there is now dissipating. I am trying so very hard not to hold on to the pain, the anger. It is theirs if they choose to keep it.

Ahhhh the weather, Some people complain but not me. It has been dreadfully hot and humid here this past week. Unless you are playing in the water, it has been too hot to do anything outside for any length of time. So for this I am thankful for air conditioning!

and a big thankyou for stopping by! Hope you have a blessed and thankful day!

Wordless Wednesday

My stepdaughter, Amanda, Some kids just never grow up!

Garden Update

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My garden is growing so nicely! I am really getting excited about all the fresh veggies. We should have alot by the looks of our garden. We have eaten fresh lettuce, radishes, and green onions from our garden already plus we have been sharing with others. This picture is one of my zucchini plants. See the little zucchinni? It is about the size of my thumb right now. I will have to keep an eye on it.

My tomatoes are so big! I can't wait for these! Yummmmm!

Do you see my little pepper?



I am thankful for our garden and for the bountiful veggies it has provided us and the veggies that it will provide us to come yet this summer!

Be cool - Save energy

I love warm weather! In the spring as soon as I can, I am opening my windows but, when summer gets here and it gets hot and humid, my little trailer gets hot! Hubby and I will hold out as long as we can then we have to run the good ole central air. Being as frugal as I am, I don't like to do that unless I really need to. Some ways I and you can too to stay cool and save energy costs are.......

1. avoid cooling rooms that are not occupied. In my house it is the small bedroom I use as my storage/stockpile room.

2. Use fans to make your air conditioners job easier. Fans, like your ceiling fan improve the circulation and cost only 1/10 as much to operate.

3 Raise your thermastat. We keep ours 78-80 degrees during the day. Every degree you raise your thermastat in the summer is savings. As said before, use fans for circulation.

4.I do my cooking, laundry and bathing in the early morning or late evenings if all possible. Eat more cold meals during the summer. We cook outside as much as possible and use the microwave more. Bake at night if you need to. I never use my dryer in the summer. I hang clothes outside. this is way more energy efficiant and green. They smell so good too.

5. Use lights sparingly. Turn lights off when not in use. Thats something we should do any time of year.

6. Whether its shades, drapes or awnings, sheild your windows from the hot sun. I have mini blinds I close to keep the house cooler. I find this makes a huge difference in its self.

7. Keep all windows and doors shut to keep the air conditioner operating more effienciantly

8.Did you know reflective white roofs cut energy costs 20%? White roofs help deflect the suns hot rays thus reducing the indoor temperature.We do not have this , although we have checked into this.

9.Sip lemonade and think cool thoughts....like how you'll be freezing next winter and longing for summertime again!

MENU PLAN MONDAY

Summer has finally arrived here at Golden Lake and it is supposed to be hot and humid! So quick, easy, and light is what I'm aiming for this week. During the summer, when I love being outside I don't feel like spending time cooking and don't. Here is what I have planned....Bon Appetit!

MONDAY- Chef salads, blackberry pie

TUESDAY- Pancakes and sausage, peach smoothies

WEDNESDAY- egg salad sandwiches, chips

THURSDAY- eating out

FRIDAY-Pot roast w/carrots and potatoes ( made in crock pot), kings Hawaiian bread rolls

Saturday- Tacos

SUNDAY- on our own

A good CVS trip!

This weeks CVS trip went well. I used a $5/$30. I used to get them quite often but not as much anymore,. I really like them alot! This is my scenerio today...

2- thermacare wraps $2.49 x = $4.98

1- almay pure blend foundation $13.99

4- soy joy bars $1.00 x 4 = $4.00

4- so- be waters $1.49 x 4 =$5.96

4-2 liter mt. dews $1.33 x 4=$5.32

1_ mitchum deoderant $2.99

1- dove candy bar .67

1-3 muskeeter candy bar .67

5 bags of checkers cookies $1.00 x 5 = $5.00

23 items

TOTAL: $43.58

Used $5/$30

Used $12.07 in MQ's

Used 20 ecb's

subtotal $3.55

tax .39

TOTAL OOP $3.94

I am happy!

Spending time with family and friends

Hey all! It has been a busy weekend here in Indiana.I believe summer feels like summer now. Hot and sticky! We had our little granddaughter Jocelyne, overnight last night . When granddaughters stay overnight at Mimi's and Papa's house they always insist on going out to village kitchen for breakfast. Village Kitchen is the little mom & pop restaurant we always go to. We had a good breakfast with the wee one and hit a few garage sales before taking her home. My sister called and I spent the rest of the day helping her. It is always nice to spend some sister time,and we got alot accomplished. Later when I got home, my stepdaughter Amanda and her boyfriend with his 2 kids stopped over to go swimming and go for a pontoon ride. Later we grilled hot dogs on the grill.I guess what I was going to have tonight for dinner we will have to eat next week. Just when I thought I could get on the computer I didn't. Hubby and I spent time visiting with the neighbor friends across the drive. You know, sitting around the campfire, shooting the breeze, we even went out on their pontoon for a ride and yes, you guessed it, grilled hot dogs and grillers. So far, this has been a busy and fun weekend. I love spending time with friends and family! Take the time to spend with your family and friends. We all need it!

Thankful Thursday

Okay, it's thankful Thursday again! This week has been a rather stressful week. It seems everyday I have been either hurting myself or stressed out with a headache or just always something. Last weekend I cut my finger good on a sharp knife while I was doing dishes, I have been more tired than usaul every day and stressed from babysitting granddaughters and today I ran my foot in our old push cultivator. which by the way is probably going in the next yard sale now. I think I jammed my little toe good. I don't believe it is broken. My little toe has swelled up twice the size and it is so black and blue it looks more black. But, It could all be worse. and for that I am truely thankful! May next week be better!

Wordless Wednesday

This picture was taken back in March of Reese and Dalton playing. Do you see my poor little dog in the swing? The funny thing about it Sassy didn't mind a bit.

Finding nightcrawlers for fishing

Finding night crawlers for your fish bait instead of buying it can be rewarding and cheaper. I suppose its not for everyone. If you are a live bait fisherman fishing with night crawlers is a fun and economical way to land a variety of fish, whether it be bass, bluegill, perch, catfish, or crappie and among others. Fishing with night crawlers, which are simply large earth worms, is not only productive, but is lots of fun as well. Once you get over the part of having to put one on your hook, fishing with night crawlers is the best way, as well as the cheapest. Now, you can go to the bait store and pay as little as $3.60 for a dozen around here in Northeastern Indiana. However there is no reason to pay for your bait if you intend to go fishing with night crawlers if you catch them yourself. This only requires a flashlight, a can,and your hands. Once it's dark outside in the evening, especially during or following a rain, go out into your backyard and shine your light on the ground. You should see plenty of night crawlers, especially in and around your garden and in areas where there is open dirt. Keep the light directly off of them as they will very quickly head back underground. You have to be fast. This is the tricky part, slowly reach down and once near the crawler, grab it quick and firmly (they are quick) and slimy and squiggly...now finish pulling it out of the hole. Do not tug hard in order to avoid breaking the night crawler in two. Just pull gently until it comes up out of its hole. After awhile you will get the hang of it. Hubby is very quick and good at it. I am not. Once you have the night crawlers, you need to put them in the dirt, dead leaves, moss or grass in a cool place. In the refrigerator is good place to keep them if the family doesn't protest. We have found you can keep night crawlers alive for over a month in the refrigerator. Do not put in the freezer. I say this because ( this is a whole other story) Hee-Hee..Last year my darling Hubby didn't have his head on straight and we lost all of our crawlers due to being freeze dried major! We still laugh about this one! Now, that you see how easy it is to find your own night crawlers. Why buy your bait? Hmmm...... Maybe we will be night crawler hunting tonight. Sounds like fun!

Update on our lake

This is an update on our lake about all the fish dying as you know awhile back our lake had fish dying all over the place and I mean lots of fish. We were told until they had a chance to test the water for contamination it may be wise to not eat any more just in case. Well, just thought you all should know that the DNR said they tested the water and that it was alright. They said the fish must have been dying because of no oxygen in the water that it must have smothered the fish. That is very good news. Hubby and I both love to fish and love to eat them! It is such a relief! We will be going out again fishing soon and I hope to catch a big mess of bluegills too!

MENU PLAN MONDAY

I hate cooking in the summer. So this time of year I focus on eating simple, avoiding cooking inside as much as possible as to not heat up our house anymore than we have to. Plus, Hubby and I are always on the go. I need to make dinners that are quick and easy. This is what i have planned this week...
MONDAY-grilled chicken , pea salad

TUESDAY- chicken and noodles, veggie

WEDNESDAY- beef stir fry, rice

THURSDAY- Eat out

FRIDAY- omelets, cottage cheese, blueberry muffins, fruit

SATURDAY-hot dogs on the grill, baked beans, root beer floats

SUNDAY- On our own
Be sure to visit http://orgjunkie.com for more menu ideas!

Free malto meal cereal !

Whoo-Hoo! Malto meal cereal is on sale at Meijer for $1.33 each . Thanks to Megan over at

http://dailyessentialsanddeale.blogspot.com for the heads up on this deal! Keep in mind my

Meijer doubles coupons up to .50. Pair this deal up with MQ at http://www.malt-o-meal.com/special-offers/special-offers.php

and the buy 2 get 1 free MB

at http://widget.mealbox.meijer.com

here .This makes 3 bags of cereal free plus .33 overage. Print the coupons twice by using your

browsers back button and snag yourself 6 free bags of cereal!

Storage solution solved

We acquired this cute cabinet from our neighbors from across the road today. They offered it to us, they said if we didn't want it they were going to disassemble it so to speak.and that would be a shame.My storage solutions are solved! No more not knowing what I have or don't have because of having to dig through boxes and what not or not being able to get to my stockpile half of the time. Not only is this aggravating but can cost unnecessary money out of the pocket. One of my goals I promised myself this year was to get myself more organized. Not only do we have the bookcase we bought at the garage sale yesterday but, we have this really cute cabinet As you can see it has all this room underneath besides the 2 drawers. I love it! Plenty of room for my stockpiles. It is definitely what I need.

Our garage sale adventure

I have to say this has been a long tiring day today. We got up at 6:00 am this morning, grabbed a bite of breakfast and coffee and were on our way for a day of garage saleing. Just the hubby and I spending time with each other. We found a few treasures we thought we couldn't live without like a sauder bookcase , new, still in the pkg for $15.00. I will put this in my little storage room to use for some of my extra stockpile. We also found the hubby some neat t-shirts with fish and fishing logos on it for a mere 50 cents. I found a really cool pair of walking shoes for $1.00 they are soooooo comfortable! There was alot of little of this and that. The best purchase hubby bought for us was a brand new still in box 12x20 canopy to use for my yard sales for $50.00 My dad has one he has had for years that he used to park his car under. I cannot stress how nice this will be as whenever i decide to have a sale, it likes to rain UGH! But, this will be nice for shade also. For the most part it was nice all day today. Later this afternoon soon gave way to rain and for the most part put a damper on the sales around town. Most people just started closing up. One place we went to just put everything out at the curb and said it was all free. Geesh.....people can be like vulchers when it comes to something like this! You should have seen all the people grabbing this and that and getting soaked in the rain. It didn't seem to bother them a bit ! Yea, I guess I am one of them. We soon had our little car filled as much as we could fill it and decided it was time to head home. Another day of garage saleling here and gone.

Counterfeit Coupons-Tips and Resources to help you spot them

If you ever received a coupon via e-mail for a free item, or maybe you are hearing about a coupon that you think is too good to be true. Check out http://www.cents-off.com/body_coupon_counterfeiters.cfm# and verify the authenticity of those coupons. Unfortunately, probably due to the economy, it seems there has been a sudden spike on fraudulent coupons going around. A few of them I want to bring to your attention are...

Free one pack of energizer batteries
Free one pack kozy shack product
Tyson product
Charmin
Reynolds wrap
Pepsi co products
Skippy peanut butter
Free riceworks
Nestle Purina pet care
and unfortunately the list goes on...
Remember you can see the current whole list of counterfeit coupons at http://www.cents-off.com/body_coupon_counterfeiters.cfm# If you received a coupon in pdf or jpj form that you think its too good to be true; it most likely is. If you know it is fraudulent, throw it away immediately. Don't use it! Why risk the public embarrassment. Use common sense and honesty!

Loving My Husband Friday

Here's how you can love your husband.....

• Forget the idea that your husband should be like prince charming. Realize that he is just what God made him to be. A regular guy who is your companion through life. Remember that as an imperfect human being, your husband will sometimes fail you, but you can always count on God., for he is the only one who can truly provide strength, happiness, and security.
• Don't allow any family member to treat your husband disrespectfully. You should be the one to defend him to any family member that dishonors his place as your husband. Defend him to anyone who's being disrespectful in their talk about him. Love protects!
• Encourage alone time for him when it is possible. I let my husband go across the road to fish by himself or let him hang out with the other men. My husband likes this. He doesn't need me attached to his hip constantly.
• Thank him for the things he's done around the house ( it means alot to men) Regard him as important and let him know he is important to you.
• Tell him you love him often and pray for him to enjoy God's best in life!
• For more ways to love your husband check out Shannon over at http://mominin-thepeerreview.blogspot.com

Meijer and Walmart shopping trip 6/11

Tonight was not just payday for hubby and our eating out night at our most favorite restaurant but, it is also the night we do some of our shopping or errands. Tonight we went to Meijer and Walmart. I didn't need a whole lot because I bought alot of my groceries last week. There was however some things at Meijer that I needed and it was a very good deal. Walmart had a few good deals I just couldn't pass up.

This is what I got at Walmart. Total: $35.35 Total OOP $5.60 Whoo Hoo! approx. 93% savings?

This is my Meijer shopping trip. As usual the 20 oz Mt. dew is missing because hubby drank it on the way home. He loves his mt. dew. Total: $40.82 Total OOP $15.51 A savings of approx. 57%?

and then this is what came in the mail today....

A big 4 lb bag of dog food! The 4 free mars candy coupons came from a lady in front of us in Meijer at the checkout who gave them to me. She got them and said to use them for the granddaughters that she didn't really need them. Wow! That was really nice of her!

Thankful Thursday

Once again it is Thankful Thursday. Today, I am taking a moment to consider the things I have to be grateful for. Gratitude every day is important, not just while writing Thankful Thursdays post. Okay, I am thankful for......
Ahhhh...the weather I am thankful for the rain God has provided for us because it is doing the garden wonders. I may have to weed again after all this rain but, the plants are healthy and growing. I can't wait for those fresh veggies! The cooler than normal temps temps have been nice too. It may not be exactly swimming weather but being cooler means we don't have to run our central air conditioning as we can be comfortable with just the windows open. We don't like to run the air because it can be so costly.
Oh yes..I am so thankful for those giveaways from some of you other bloggers. I just found out I won a coupon for a free Tyson heat& eat product. Yaaay! These little things always help believe it or not!
Where would life be without those grandchildren...I am so thankful for all 5 of those little ones. There is something really special about being a grandma or a grandpa. We can spoil and treat the grandchildren more than parents seem to be allowed to. Today, I am thankful for the role my own grandparents played in my life. I miss them.
In my life I have made many mistakes. God has never forsaken me. I am thankful for a God who loves me despite my numerous flaws. There is no other love greater than Gods love. What an awesome God he is!
Life can be stressful and busy and sometimes its hard to remember some of the blessings we have in life. Please remember that even if you don't participate in Thankful Thursdays, be mindful and grateful for everything. You never know when it might be gone.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

By the look on Abby's face I'm not sure if she is too happy with her Mimi for corralling her in the playpen.

Tackle it Tuesday

> I decided to link up to five minutes for mom tackle it Tuesday meme today at http://www.fiveminutesformom.com/ My tackle for this Tuesday is to weed the garden. This morning for the most part I tackled those darn pesky weeds. To keep a nice garden. keeping the weeds under control is a must and a tackle. Here is my garden before weeding. Can you see all those weeds?

This is after! I believe this looks alot better!

Check out this giveaway

http://www.frugalrimama.com is giving away the complete season tw0 3 disk set dvd of 8 simple rules for dating my teenage daughter. Hurry because this giveaway ends tonight at 11:59 pm EST. If you remember this show ran 3 yrs on ABC. It was an upbeat family comedy and one of my favorite shows. It's about a sports writer named Paul played by John Ritter who is prompted by his wife Cate's (Katey Sagel) return to nursing to take a more active role in raiseing their 2 teenage daughters. Paul begins writing a column about his struggles with his children and offers advice to pepole who are in his same position. His teenage daughters ar dating which sparks the use of the " 8 simple rules for dating my teenage daughter" Hurry you only have until 11:59 pm EST tonight!

Contaminated fish

We have been informed today by the Department of Environmentalist not to eat any fish from our lake until they determine the cause of all the dead fish showing up on shore. One of our neighbors buried over 35 dead fish that washed up on shore the other day and while we were on our dock and out for a boat ride we noticed lots of dead fish different places in the lake and up on shore. This causes me concern, we have 8 beautiful bluegill sitting in the basket off our dock and we will have to let them go. Its not worth the chance of getting sick and even if you don't get sick, Do you know what chemicals or poison you may be putting in your body by eating the contaminated fish? This problem is believed to be from spraying maybe from the fields and is leaching into the lake contaminating the fish. It is not sure exactly what it is. I am hoping they get this resolved soon so we can get back to fishing and eating those delicious bluegill again real soon.

MENU PLAN MONDAY

Here we are again! Time to post the menu plan! Here is what I am thinking about for this week!

MONDAY- Blackberry pancakes
sausage
mandarin oranges



TUESDAY- Fresh bluegill
french fries
coleslaw

WEDNESDAY- Swiss steak
mashed potatoes
peas

THURSDAY- Eating out

FRIDAY- Spaghetti
garlic bread
tossed salad

SATURDAY- Something really light and easy as we will be out all day at yard sales shopping!
Egg salad sandwiches
chips
fresh strawberries and whipped cream

SUNDAY- On our own!

My CVS scenario 6/7/09

I haven't posted about my CVS runs in awhile so here is my scenario for this week 6/7-13. This isn't as good as I usually do but, I will try to do better next week. The picture shows a 20 0z. mt. dew missing but that is because hubby drank it before I got the picture taken. Anyway, I started this week with 12 ecb's and ended up spending $8.75 for all 14 items and left with 18 ecb's. I am thinking I should have done more than 1 transaction instead and maybe having less oop. but, I have been a bit unorganized lately.


2 dawn dish soap 2/$2.00
2 dove deodorants 2/$5.00
2 dove body wash $14.00
1 dove shampoo $4.00
1 dove conditioner $4.00
1 crest pro health rinse$3.99
1 Gillette fusion razor $7.99
1 20oz mt dew $1.49
1 20 oz diet pepsi vanilla $1.49
2 vanilla frappachinos $5.78
TOTAL= $49.74 plus $2.29 tax = $52.03

I used $5/$20 cvs Q
$12.70 in MQ's
$13.58 left on my gift card
$1200 in ECB's

GRAND TOTAL
OOP $8.75

Hubby has tackled the trash piles again!

Okay, you all know I enjoy curb crawling and dumpster diving. Well, my hubby will stop at a trash pile if he sees something worth stopping for. Yes, hubby did it again he tackled the trash piles again! Gotta love him! This time he rescued a pillow topper for a king size mattress and A king size comforter with the 2 matching pillow shams and bed skirt. I gotta tell you these were in immaculate shape and very clean. I cannot believe someone was throwing them away. This was in a ritzy upscale area on one of the lakes he was on while he was working. Okay, I really loved the mattress topper but seeing how we only have a full size bed this was definitely not going to work for us. I really wasn't sure what I was going to do. This thing was huge and heavy and would be hard to store until my next sale. I was thinking, if maybe one of our neighbors could use it that would solve the problem. I was right, and they even gave us $40.00 for the topper, and comforter set! They were happy and I was happy it found a home thus saving it from the landfill. All hubby got from this was "thank you Hunny"!

Recycling

My daughter, a couple of days ago, gave me bag after bag of the granddaughter's clothes. Now, I just had 2 garage sales and not ready by any means to have another one awhile yet. She wanted them out of the house and I wanted them out of my house. The sheds are still full so I didn't want to keep them for my next sale. So instead I posted them on http://freecycle.org It didn't take long and I had a long list of people that were glad to take them off my hands. The freecycle group is open to all who want to recycle whether its a chair, clothes, an old door rather than throw it away. It's for people interested in keeping good stuff out of the landfills. Everything posted is FREE! Check out http://freecycle.org for cities and information on the movement. Recycle that special something rather than throw it away. Maybe you might find something you can use as well. I have many times. Membership is FREE. so sign up. Let's reuse and keep good stuff out of the landfills. Have fun!

Things I Love Thursday

Ahhhhh...This is just the place to be! Lake living is the life for me!

Boat Safety

It's summertime and its great to get outdoors, maybe take a boat ride, do some fishing, all that fun stuff. Although it doesn't feel much like it in the last couple of days here in Northern Indiana, Many of us will hit the water this summer on boats, jet skis, canoes ect. If it floats on water, we will be on it. Don't let a beautiful day on the water turn tragic. Each year you hear of boating accidents. More deaths occur from people falling off boats that are 16 feet long or less, and most individuals involved in fatal boating accidents were not wearing life jackets. Alcohol is frequently involved in boating accidents. Please don't drink and boat! People who hunt or fish from boats have one of the highest fatality rates of all boaters. It might surprise you to learn that more people die every year in boat accidents than in trains or buses. Remembering some of these safety tips might help.

1. Always have a properly fitted life jacket( also known as a personal flotation device) on board for every passenger. Make sure that everyone who cannot swim ( especially children) wears a life jacket ( it is the law here in Indiana that all children under 13 year of age must wear a life jacket.

2 Never mix boating and alcohol!

3. Have emergency distress signals both visual and broadcast on board.

4. Know your boats capacity, and take care not to overload it.

5. On a pontoon, you are required to have a marine type fire extinguisher on board.

6. Realize that accidents occur from falling off boats as well as from unsafe driving.

7. Keep a constant eye on the weather. Know your water terrain. Approach docks or stationary objects slowly.

8. Learn about safety rules and get info on boating safety courses. A little knowledge goes along way. Learn how to be safe responsible boater and have fun.

Wordless Wednesday

Wild Strawberry : friend or foe

Wild strawberries, low to the ground, scraggly green, lighter than clover, but the leaves are similar in shape. As you can see from the picture they are taking over my flower bed. These spread like wildfire and whether it is a friend or foe depends on your point of view. I consider it a weed. It is one of those plants that I just have to pull out because it drives me crazy. They say it is an edible wild fruit. The berries are tiny and some say they are delicious except for my neighbor said the fruit was very sour. I haven't tried eating them nor I really care to. The last couple of years I have been pulling them up by hand. Quite frankly, this is quite impossible. You can't pull these fast enough. Something else is needed like a broad leaf herbicide and I am not too keen on that idea as, they are expensive, difficult to apply with accuracy, also drifting or leaching may occur and damage desirable plants. So what am I going to do you ask? My solution for now, will be to pull them all up by hand the sooner the better!

MENU PLAN MONDAY

My weekly menu planning is proving to be saving me money. It helps me use the items in my freezer and pantry that need used up and prevents the 5 pm "oh my goodness it is almost dinner time already and I have no idea what I'm going to cook" then follows " well we can go out for dinner. Sound familiar? With a menu, I not only save money, I have one less thing to think about in my busy day because I have already thought about it! For dinner this week is:

MONDAY- macaroni and cheese, sausage, green beans

TUESDAY- pork chops, mashed potatoes, peas

WEDNESDAY- creamy Italian chicken over pasta, http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotchicken/r/bl104c4.htm and roasted asparagus

THURSDAY- eat out night

FRIDAY- BBQ chicken, potato salad, German chocolate cake

SATURDAY- taco bar

SUNDAY- leftovers- on our own!

Check out http://orgjunkie.com as she hosts menu plan monday. She has some great posts for menu ideas