Giuseppi and I (Part 2)

Giuseppi and I had to use our creativity for the project in this Part 2.   We built a really unique shadow box shelving unit out of the smaller, shorter pieces of barn wood.  I have an old bottle collection and thought a barn wood creation would be the perfect way to showcase these bottles and get them out of the way.  Did I mention how little you have to dust barn wood?  Oh yeah!  It’s another big plus.

So, I brought out all the old bottles, which incidentally were mostly treasures scavenged out of the creeks running through our property and surrounding fields.  Some of which Giuseppi himself discovered in his younger years.  All of the grandkids enjoy a good scavenger hunt with Papa and Grandmama.  We furnished an entire rock bed for the flower garden just by scouring the fields in search of perfect sized rocks and then toting them back in the golf cart.  So, I have these bottles.  Giuseppi and I were trying to measure a symmetrical shelf with exact spacing enough for the bottles.  I was out of my league but Giuseppi worked magic with his tape measure and pencil.  Meanwhile, I kept finding more bottles.  I’m sure I was driving him crazy, but he never let it show.  Not to me anyway.  Then we decided it did not have to be symmetrical, it just had to look good with the bottles.  So we laid it out, cut the wood pieces to fit all the different bottle sizes and had fun completing the jigsaw puzzle.  The only two pieces that had to be the same size were the outer “frame” pieces.  We were really cooking with gas now.  

After arranging, and rearranging we were ready to assemble.  It was about that time I began wondering how we were going to hang this creation.  Giuseppi had a great suggestion of drilling a hole and stringing rope through each of the end “frame” pieces and hanging it by the rope.  I loved the idea, because I too like rope with barn wood, however, I was afraid the different size and weights of the bottles would make it hang uneven and crooked and I would be forever straightening it.  That’s the kind of anal-retentive personality I have.  The idea of a rod or dowel through the top of the “frame” pieces was perfect!  This would be strong enough to hold it straight and also be easy enough to hang on hooks to hold it out away from the wall.  We made a quick trip to the hobby store to buy a pole and stylish hooks for hanging.  Giuseppi skillfully drilled the holes and got it right on the first try.  It fit snug as a bug in a rug.  Ready to hang…

 Then Giuseppi was adamant about using rope and I agreed.  He had a piece of wood for a shelf that fit perfectly across the bottom but there wasn’t enough room to put anything on it.  He quickly went to work drilling holes in the “frame pieces” and the new shelf.  He then tied ropes to the shelf and the “frame” pieces which lowered it and created a “hanging shelf”.  He burned the ends of the rope to prevent unraveling.  Yippee!  Room enough for a few more knick-knacks!

This barn wood creation was complete.  We didn’t have to find it a home; I already had that picked out.  All that was left was to find the studs, because it is quite heavy, and hang it to display my unique collection.  It looks great!  Yep, we had just as much fun decorating as we did creating and building it, Giuseppi and I.

 

If you like old windows, you’re going to love Part 3 of Giuseppi and I.

Giuseppi and I (Part 1)

What do you do with a load of barn wood?  What do you do when a 15-year-old grandson visits you for a few days?  You make barn wood creations!  It’s sort of like when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  But this is a ton of fun.  We work very well together, Giuseppi and I. 

I’ve known for a very long time my Giuseppi is a very handy, mechanically inclined kid, but this is exceptional.  He’s made the traditional birdhouses, wood signs, and a tree house so his wood working skills have already been apparent.  Not to mention his duct tape creations.  I still have my checkbook cover!  But that’s another series.

 

Since he was going to be visiting everyday for quite a few days Papa and I knew we had to come up with something besides a swimming pool and yard chores to make his visits more tolerable.  When I asked him if he wanted to build stuff his look was that of “hmmm, that might work” and I knew we were in.  FYI:  15-year-old boys love power tools.  I think it’s the men are from Mars thing. 

The first project was a shelf for above a window.  Since his little sister was also included in these visits my time could not be totally dedicated to the building thing so I simply explained what I thought would look good and Giuseppi grabbed the tape measure and dug right in.  Within what seemed like a few minutes, but in reality was a bit longer, he called out from the garage.  He had cut the wood to the exact lengths and attached them together so that one board fastens flat up against the wall and the shelf comes out from there.  It looked great and fit perfectly above the kitchen window. 

It didn’t stop there.  He had an idea.  He wondered if I would like a rope attached to each side as if it were a “pull down” shelf.  He drilled the holes, tied cool knots and burned the ends.  I love it!  All that was left was to bring it in and put it up, and he had no trouble completing that task either.  I see good things coming out of these visits.  With my ideas, Pinterest, a few more planks of barn wood and power tools we can do good things, Giuseppi and I.

Stay tuned for more posts and barn wood creations from Giuseppi and I!

Boo!

I found an article today that brought back many memories.  It wasn't just Halloween that peaked our interests in ghosts and hauntings, but it's that time of year that makes them even scarier.  We would take any opportunity we could to seek out the thrills of maybe seeing "Witch Buela" or the prom girl on Kennedy Hill Road.  (Mom, don't be shocked by this story.)  And don't forget the "stick people" out somewhere in Sportscore.  I regrettably admit I did not see the trees that supposedly represented the stick people.  Of course, I pretended to be just as scared as everyone else,  and I do not doubt they were there, and probably still are, just admitting now that I never saw them.  As for the poor old woman we called Witch Buela, and I'm not sure how she even got the name let alone how to spell it, I actually felt sorry for her.  Again, I was scared out of my wits, never say out of my pants while my Mother is reading this, but not from a ghost or witch.  I had heard her neighbors would protect her from all of us hoodlum teenagers and come out shooting.  Anyway, as for the article.  I can't believe we had never heard the story of Bloods Point Road..... until now!  Dun dun dun.... (sound effects).

This road, as if the name isn't intriguing enough, stretches between Fairdale and Wheeler Roads in rural Cherry Valley/Boone County.  Named by and early explorer and prominent business man, Arthur Blood, whose family settled here and built a beautiful home.  Bloods Point Road and its history of bizarre events is notorious amoung paranormal investigators and ghost hunters.  And now to myself and all of you are "dying" to go check it out!  Everything from murder, suicide, accidental deaths, and scheduled hangings have contributed to the lost souls and spirits supposedly sighted roaming this haunted road.  Having paranormal activity in my own home, which is an entirely separate post, I have a special interest in these legends.  

At first you must get past the trees.  Again with the trees.  They appear to take on human appearances while standing guard along the road with their limbs stretching out to grab you.  Perhaps to warn you.  Yeah, ok.  Now on to the good stuff.

Legend has been told, there is a rancid, decomposing witch named Beaula (I'm not making these names up) who is believed to have hung her children and then herself from the Bloods Point Bridge.  If you are out there late at night you may smell the awful stench.  Or if you see her walking, because she does this as if searching for someone, do NOT look into her demonic red eyes.  For if you do, you will feel an overpowering urge to run.  You will not be able to run and an even stronger urge to vomit will overpower you even more.  If at first you can't find her, look for her black cat.  So the story goes, the cat runs out into the road causing vehicles to swerve right into the witch as she's walking along her path.  Creeped out yet?  Me neither.  But wait....

This is the stuff that kinda creeps me out.  Not going to lie.  There has been a ghost cop car seen by more than a few travelers.  Blaring red light and all!  During all hours of the night phantom trucks, old school buses, vintage pick-ups, are all known to be traveling Bloods Point Road.  The railroad bridge, where the highest amount of paranormal activity has been sighted, is home to a mysterious school bus crash.  The children involved in the crash are still heard crying, screaming, and fighting for their lives.  Barking hellhounds have been known to chase vehicles and strange lights moving around shining in the trees have also been seen.  Goosebumps.

Of course, no ghost story is complete without a cemetery.  Yes, the Bloods Point cemetery is also famous among thrill seekers and ghost hunters since its establishment in 1836.  More hellhounds have been spotted guarding the cemetery.  However, there is also a 24 hour community watch in place and trespassers will be prosecuted.  The hellhounds, however, have not been able to be caught.  

I have been on this road many times and always thought the name was a little creepy.  Will I travel it at night?  You betcha!!   I'm a thrill seeker when it involves finding walking ghosts and spirits.  Just don't put me on a roller coaster.  So who's with me on this road trip this Halloween?  

Buon Appetito!

Evviva!  (Yippee!)  I tried another new food and, Italian or not, you’re gonna love this Authentic Italian Homemade Pasta from Marigold Pasta.  I purchased three kinds.  The Angel Hair, Spinach Fettuccini and Tomato Basil Fettuccini.  I was going to wait and tell you about all three at once, but I can’t.  I tried the Spinach Fettuccini today for lunch.

First, I start the pot of water boiling and add a teaspoon or two of chicken granules to make it a light, savory chicken broth.  I always add a jigger of olive oil and salt to season things up a bit too. 

Then, to top the pasta I create a fry pan full of goodies.  I use olive oil to simmer a bit of onion and garlic (surprise) until soft.  Add basil to suit your taste.  Here’s a trick…  I always have a “tube” of basil and other herbs in the fridge.  It’s not as good as fresh, but I like it better than the dried.  Then artichokes, mushrooms and tomatoes go in for the “all swim”.  Top again with more olive oil, salt, and pepper.  After that has simmered the water should be boiling and calling for the pasta.  Lastly, I throw ½ stick of butter on top of my goodies in the fry pan and cover it before answering the pot.

The Marigold Spinach Fettuccini Pasta goes into the pot.  It softens up quickly and the color green is beautiful.  Al dente is achieved in 9 minutes!  

It is transferred to a colander for a brief minute, long enough for me to get the other ½ stick of butter into the pot and melted before tossing the pasta back into the butter.  A couple of go-a-rounds with the Italian Spanking Stick (otherwise known as a wooden spoon) and it is ready.

Finally, put a layer of Spinach Fettuccini Pasta into a pasta bowl, give the fry pan goodies a swirl to integrate the butter and scoop some onto the pasta!  Top with parmigiano reggiano cheese if you’d like and mangia!!!

I’ll keep you posted on the other two AND the lasagna, which I will be purchasing next time from Marigold Pasta! 

You may want to Visit, Share and Like the Facebook page for info and give aways too!  

                                   

     Grazie Marilyn!  È delizioso!

How does a woman decide?

We, and I say "we" to include myself, as women whose natural instincts are to provide and protect have responsibilities far beyond our own realization.

We protect our families, especially our children.  From infant to adulthood we will do everything in our power to insure our children are safe.  When they are learning to walk, we hover over them.  We make sure they are dressed appropriately to insure they are comfortable.  We feed them healthy foods and attempt to keep them germ free to insure they do not get sick.  Whoever might take care of our children in the event we must leave them is scrutinized to the tenth degree to insure the child’s well being.  We teach them, we love them and we send them off to school insuring they have everything they will need.  Then, we worry.  We hope the other children treat them kind.  We hope they remember all the manners they have been taught.  We hope they do not misbehave.  We hope they learn quickly, can see the chalkboard, make friends and respect the teacher.  After all of this, we go to work to earn money to pay the bills.

We provide for our families.  Many households are dependent on two incomes.  Mortgages, utilities, childcare, tuitions and grocery bills add up quickly.  Single mothers face challenges and must overcome obstacles every day.

Nothing Half-Baked About It!

My final review for Healthy Choice includes two Baked Entrees.  I chose the Chicken Enchilada Bake to satisfy my desire for Mexican cuisine and the Four Cheese Ziti Marinara simply because I love Italian food.  Since I couldn’t decide, I ate them both.  Neither disappointed.

We’ll start with the Chicken Enchilada, because that’s the one I ate first.  I have to admit, it has just been recently that I have introduced black beans into my diet.  They are definitely an acquired taste.  I have always been a fan of rice, corn, queso, and especially cilantro.  Healthy Choice has combined all of these flavors with a chicken enchilada to make another delicious, healthy, low calorie meal.  The rice stayed tender, and the corn and beans crisp.  Even the enchilada shell was nice texture, which surprised me for microwaveable food.  I also found there was a good ratio of rice and veggies to enchilada and sauce.  The portion looked a bit small, however, it was filling enough and perfectly suitable for a light lunch, at least for me.  It includes just enough spice to know you’re eating a Mexican specialty.  A fiesta for your taste buds!  This was quick, (only 4 minutes) easy, and tasty.  Thumbs up.

Also thumbs up, is the Four Cheese Ziti Marinara.  Healthy Choice has perfected microwave cooking of ziti pasta.  A perfect al dente cooked for 4 minutes and it would have passed the Italian “throw it at the wall until it sticks” test.  Even Mama would approve of the fresh, classic marinara sauce.  Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, and Mozzarella were also perfecto, but personally, I would have added more Mozzarella and less of the stronger flavored cheeses.  After microwaving this entrée, and giving it a stir, I had pasta with sauce portioned adequately for a nice lunch.  Add a salad and call it dinner.  The kitchen aroma would have indicated I had been cooking sugo all day.  Incidentally, Healthy Choice Four Cheese Ziti Marinara was preferred over other brands in a national taste test. 

There are 8 more baked-from-the-oven tasting entrees waiting for me.  I will probably have to try them all before I pick an absolute favorite.  Overall, the Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurts (chocolate and raspberry) are ranked high on my thumbs up list and I will be purchasing them again in the near future.  The Healthy Choice Café Steamers are next, followed by the Baked Entrees. 

I have really enjoyed tasting and reviewing these Healthy Choice Entrees and am thankful for the opportunity.  I am impressed with the organization of the Vibrant Influencer Network Healthy Choice campaign, and hope to be doing more.  Come back and visit often to learn about new products and read my reviews. 

 

Thank you!  Bon Appetite!

Disclosure:  I am participating in a Vibrant Influencer Network Healthy Choice campaign.  I have been provided with free products and remuneration in exchange for my honest opinions about the products.  All opinions are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by Healthy Choice prior to posting.

Need an incentive to eat vegetarian?

As much as I would like to eat healthy, and vegan diets are healthy, I remain an avid carnivore.  Healthy Choice Café Steamer’s are a great vegetarian incentive.  Portioned perfectly for a low calorie, highly nutritional meal, these entrees are great options.

When eating in a restaurant, the ravioli entrée is the first to catch my eye.  These are something I do not make at home.  So, the Healthy Choice Pumpkin Squash Ravioli Café Steamers was the first to attract my attention while browsing the Healthy Choice section in the grocery store freezer.  It was not disappointing.  The unique cooking method of the tray-in-tray technology keeps the pasta al dente and the vegetables crisp while heating the sauce separately.  Its convenient packaging makes it easy to take to work or on the go.  The instructions were easy to follow and the cook time estimate was right on.  The sauce and colors made it appealing to the eyes as well as taste.  There was a nice ratio of beans, apples, squash, sauce and ravioli so that nothing was overpowering.  I felt, however, the butter-sage sauce was a bit heavy on the sage flavor.  Topped off with a Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Raspberry Swirl Yogurt, my meal was delicious!

Overall, this was a pleasant surprise.  My past experiences with healthy eating have been expensive, inconvenient and have made grocery shopping difficult.  I have discovered Healthy Choice options are making this dilemma practically non-existent.  The brightly designed packaging is easily found in the frozen section with neatly divided categories.  The ingredients and nutrition facts include informative diet exchanges and Weight Watchers Points.  Next up is a Baked Entrée!  Stay tuned.

Disclosure: I am participating in a Vibrant Influencer Network Healthy Choice campaign. I have been provided with free products and remuneration in exchange for my honest opinions about the products. All opinions are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by Healthy Choice prior to posting.

Food For Thought

As we age and approach “senior” status, many things happen. I consider myself an active person, other than sitting at my computer maintaining my social media sites, but I’m having trouble considering myself “middle aged” let alone a “senior”. One thing that is a reality check for me is my mirror. I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted and not gain a pound. A “diet” for me was to limit my desserts to one a day instead of one with every meal. Not so much anymore. Meals no longer consist of eating whatever and whenever I am hungry. I now have to read labels and try to count calories. Fat grams and carbs plus calories equal math. However, I have found a great option that I would like to share.

Healthy Choice has a Greek Frozen Yogurt that is a fabulous healthy substitute for ice cream or other fattening desserts. I tried the Dark Fudge Swirl to satisfy my chocolate fix. Since it is made with real nonfat milk, has 4 grams of protein and is only 100 calories, I had a great dessert without having to hear about it from my mirror. I’m not the only one who likes it either. Shape Magazine 2013 Snack Awards gave Healthy Choice’s Greek Frozen Yogurt Dark Fudge Swirl “Best Night Bite” Award.

I love this Greek Frozen Yogurt because it is creamy, chocolatey, flavorful, and satisfying. If you would like to give it a try, and I highly suggest you do, just click here for an online coupon for $1 off Greek Frozen Yogurt and save money on this tasty treat.

Trying to make healthy choices can be tedious and mathematically challenging. If I can have Healthy Choice save time and make decisions and calculations for me, I will be in a win/win situation. Next week I’m trying a Café Steamer so stay tuned!

Disclosure: I am participating in a Vibrant Influencer Network Healthy Choice campaign. I have been provided with free products and remuneration in exchange for my honest opinions about the products. All opinions are my own and were not influenced, nor reviewed, by Healthy Choice prior to posting.

Another New Adventure

Whoever says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?  Well, I am not an old dog and this isn't a new trick, but it's something I'm going to blog about.

I have discovered Tumblr.  Add it to my list of cyberspace adventures.  On this new site I'm going to feature tips and tricks for all of us who are willing to learn.  New apps, games, or perhaps just how to get smarter than our smart phones.  

It's called Zig Zapping .  You can click on it, go ahead.  Hopefully it works.  It's a work in progress and I'm open to suggestions.  Ask, Add, Comment, and/ or Follow.  After getting together with the "baseball wives" I came up with the idea.  You see, we all download apps, play games, are friends on Facebook, and know little bits about all kinds of things.  Zig Zapping puts together all of our experiences and knowledge to share.  It also helps us to remember what we've learned!  

So if you want to join my "grandgeeks" and see what's happening c'mon, click on over!

Happy Mother's Day

Winter has taken it's sweet time getting out of the Midwest.  I think the warm temperatures of spring are finally here and along with it is the magnificent beauty of blooming colors as splendid as the preceding fall and Mother's Day.   I've always thought this was a special day and loved celebrating it with my Mom (and still do) and my Gram.  Gram always said, "This is the only day I wish I would have had 10 kids!"  It is even more special now, since I am a Mom and a Grandmama.   I think I like it as much as my Birthday!  Yes, Mothers and flowers are beautiful things.  However sentimental this day is, and will continue to be this Sunday,  there is also my humorous side.  I have to chuckle every time I see the car commercial where the Mom is talking to the car lady and her child is misbehaving in the background.  I believe the premise for the commercial is the camera feature that allows the driver to see in the backseat without turning around.  Well, this is for Dad's and was totally invented by a man because everyone knows women, after giving birth, develop "eyes in the back of their head".  This is not grotesque, its a fact my children will corroborate.  It was a nice spring day when I was driving home from errands, kids in tow riding in the backseat, and my son was thinking about doing something naughty, which is another thing a mother just knows.  "Stop that" I quickly nipped it in the bud.  "How did you know what I was going to do?" little Mr. Innocent asked.  "I have eyes in the back of my head" I replied as directly quoted from my own Mother.  End of story, and problem eliminated.  Continuing driving home it was about 15 minutes later and I had completely moved to the next thought process when Mr. Innocent piped up once again.  "What color are they?"
Hmmmm.  Not really sure what he was asking I requested clarification.  "Your eyes in the back of your head."  Oooooh!  "They are brown!  And YOU can't see them!"  End of story.  They were and still are very good kids.  I look forward to celebrating my Mother's Day this Sunday with Mom and most of my children and grandchildren, the continuation of spring and the anticipation of summer.

I'll share some of the "Beautiful Things" I've found around our place this spring.  Enjoy this colorful video and wonderful song, which incidentally, played during our Granddaughter's Baptism.  To all of us "Moms" out there, have a very Happy Mother's Day!  Enjoy!

Past or Passed

Being the aspiring writer that I am, I have been getting critiqued on my articles.  Comma usage is my number one faux pas.  To remedy this, I am just not going to use them... as much.   Besides they are changing the rules.  When I was in school, walking up hill both ways, we added commas into a sequence of adjectives including one before the "and" of the last one.  For example, "My favorite M&M's are the blue, green, yellow, brown, red, and orange colored ones" should now be, "My favorite M&M's are the blue, green, yellow, brown, red and orange colored ones."  OK, I got it.  I'm an old dog learning new tricks, but how are we supposed to help our grand kids?  Who am I kidding, my grand kids don't ask for my help.  For that matter, neither did my kids.

Now, (comma after introductory phrase) what about past and passed?  Past being a place in time; (yes, a semi colon has replaced a comma here... another new rule) however, time has passed to become the past.  Hm mm.  I drove passed you're house yesterday, in the past.  Spellcheck is of no help with this.  I need a grammar check.  I have never been corrected on my usage of these, so I guess I'm doing alright, or is it all right.  I do this a lot, which apparently has changed from alot (which spellcheck doesn't like). Oh, and a parenthesis... NEVER.  If it needs parentheses, leave it out.  I happen to like them.  Now they are only to be used when making emoticons.  I'll save you the trouble of looking this up... emoticons are smiley faces.  :) Or in the parenthesis' case :(   Incidentally, I did not misspell those words.  The plural form of parenthesis is parentheses.  So when do we ever use just one?  Yep.... emoticons.

Believe it or not, I almost applied for a virtual teaching position to teach English to foreigners.  I decided against it.  While I do strongly feel if you're going to live here you should speak the language, I won't say it's easy to learn.  The only qualification when applying was to know English.  I really don't think I'm qualified.  Besides, wouldn't you think I would have to know there, I mean their native language to, I mean too?  Again, these are not picked up by spellcheck.  I really wish they would consider revising spellcheck.  If only I knew how to create an app!

There and their, to, too and two, personal and personnel, desert and dessert, are easy ones.  Past and passed rank right up there with affect and effect, but that's another day, another post!