August 1, 2013

Good morning! We did it! Over 3,000 views last month thanks to all of you! :) Happy August everyone! Time to change all the calendars & get some new scenery on the walls. :) August is an EMPTY month. There's nothing & I mean NOTHING going on this month. That's got to be a record. I mean zip, zero, nada, nothing. Kinda freaky. I wrapped up July w/ a donut for breakfast, changing my Outlook 2010 e-mail template, the FD got toned out to mutual aid a neighboring department on a vehicle fire, I updated all my apps on both devices, checked out the passbook on my iPhone 5 but still haven't used it & still am not 100% sure how it works, got the mail, chatted w/ Pete, checked my gmail e-mail & got an

idea for a project & now all our windows have window coverings other than just the blinds (and I get to display 8 of my beautiful afghans counting the 1 on the bed!), then it was time for Kyle & I to head out & fuel up the truck, go to the other house & load the truck w/ some stuff, grab lunch at Jack in the Box, come back & unload the truck, & then I started my DIY project. EIGHT YEARS in waiting & I finally

gave up on finding a sweetheart swing or building one from scratch. I even gave up on having someone build it for me ... I just gave up. 8 years on ONE DIY project is ridiculous & do you have ANY idea how many great things could have gotten done in this house had I been doing my DIY projects for the past 8 years instead of waiting for this ONE to happen? I'm very sad that 8 YEARS were wasted. Very angry, too. SO ... no more sweetheart swing. Instead I bought a regular porch swing with an A-frame & I'll place it where I was going to put the sweetheart swing. The front porch won't work because I have NEVER gotten the kids to listen to me & stay off of my stuff & a front porch swing that hangs from the ceiling WILL go through the triple windows of the living room with the kids playing on it. They're never careful & the would just JUMP onto or off of it, sending it through all 3 living room windows. Nope, because no one ever listens to me, I have to hide this beautiful swing in the back yard FAR AWAY from any windows. At least I'll finally have my swing. Included in this purchase will be outdoor insect fogger. It'll be the ONLY way I ever go out there & sit in the thing. Between all of our mosquitoes, spiders, wasps, & other free range bugs ... well ... LOTS of insect fogger! The swing should be here in a week or 2. I can't wait! I've already waited EIGHT YEARS!! The FD got toned out to a med call, I took the dogs out, & then surfed Pinterest ... adding & removing pins from one of my boards & then splitting it up into smaller boards that are more specific. Yesterday's Sims game was my Inventor & my Sim Lewis Riffin is in the university going to classes. Now here we are in August! A month of NOTHING except the swing I've waited 8 years for. Maybe I'll leave that anniversary on the calendar just so there's SOMETHING going on this month! Dad would have turned 75 on Saturday. I hope everyone stays strong through this sad day. Remember the good times.

August could bring brilliant ideas, like finding out what that noise is in the couch or how to get rid of that unwanted relative in your garage.

Declare that you have a peanut allergy & insist that all Snickers candy bars be removed from the vending machines.

How many of you realized that NASA had another launch into space? The shuttle Atlantis, I think it's called, bpasted off int a secret military mission. And nobody knows what's in the shuttle. it's a secret. Like the American hot dog. Nobody knows what's really in there. -Johnny Carson 1985

In the great literature of all progressive societies, love is a verb. Reactive people make it a feeling. They're driven by feelings.

Oldest pair of jeans in existence today is a pair from the 1880s made by the Levi Strauss Company.

Photo Cookbook:

Baking with this app is easy as pie! The Photo Cookbook – Baking clarifies the preparation of 60 recipes for cakes and pies, sweet and savoury pastries, cookies and breads. Beautiful photography, which is displayed in high resolution especially on your iPad, illustrates every step.
Hint: The content of this app is identical to the recipe package "Baking", available by In-App-Purchase in our app "The Photo Cookbook – Quick & Easy".
The app captures the successful concept of “The Photo Cookbook – Quick & Easy”:
Every recipe begins with a picture illustrating all the ingredients used in the following recipe. This way, you can control, at one glance, whether all the necessary foods are available for each preparation.
The short preparation instructions are clearly formulated and easy to understand. This, along with the images, helps beginners and experts alike think about the small details. Every recipe is rounded out with an opulent picture of the finished product.
The app is divided into four chapters: “Cakes & Traybakes”, “Pastries”, “Small Cakes & Cookies” and “Breads”. Every chapter contains a hand-picked selection of 15 refined recipes – including traditional family favourites and modern interpretations, recipes for the special occasion and also for the daily coffee break. All preparations are uncomplicated and useful for the complete beginner, thanks to the step-by-step instructions.
Features at a glance:
- 60 recipes in four chapters
- over 500 high resolution photos
- all recipes are uncomplicated to prepare
- all recipes displayed in professional step-by-step photographs
- search function for ingredients and recipes
- ingredient lists can be emailed
- mark the best recipes as favorites. Simply tap the bottom right corner of a recipe on the overview page
- you can now add your own notes to recipes
- ingredients provided with consumer information (available only in English language)
- compatible with the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch
The content of this app is also available in book format: “Frame by frame – Baking” (Parragon Books Ltd, 2010).

Use baking soda in place of many toxic & irritating cleaners. To clean the bathtub, sprinkle baking soda over the tub surface, then wet it & scrub w/ a damp sponge. Rinse, & enjoy your shiny tub.

Uses for an old pair of jeans top 10:

1. Pot holders
2. Quilt
3. Hanging sleeves for plastic bags
4. Pocket purse (back pockets)
5. Patches
6. Dress a scarecrow
7. Book covers
8. Make a skirt (top portion)
9. Wheelchair tote
10. Yoga bag (1 pant leg will do)

Waxing your legs? Pull skin taut before applying the wax to make it easier to remove the strip in 1 clean motion. Remove leftover wax w/ a cotton ball dipped in baby oil.

World's largest musical instrument is the Great Stalacpipe organ. To play it, you use a set of mallets to tap stalactites in 3.5 acres of underground caverns in Virginia. What does it sound like? Just like a pope organ, actually.