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