Scrapbook Saturday: The Mysterious Inner-Workings of the Dryer

My darling love gave me a beautiful ring a few weeks ago.  Not expensive, but with its pink stone and silver setting, very "me". I love it.



Pay no attention to the mess, please.

 Shortly after receiving this ring, I was doing laundry.  As I went to remove the lint filter, the trap door on top of the filter casing fell back at the exact moment that I pulled outward with some zest, and the door edge caught my ring and the pink stone was dislodged and fell down the lint filter chute.

I cried. 

My darling love came down and pulled the lint filter out s-l-o-w-l-y and found the gem.  He put it back in my ring because he's just that fabulous guy who can do anything.

A few weeks went by.  On Wednesday, silly fool that I am, I was doing laundry again.  I have been very careful since this happened, but apparently my brain turned off.  It happened again!

I didn't cry this time.  Now I'm really mad at myself.

I spent over 4 hours Thursday in pursuit of this little gem (I tried my darling love's tactic right away, of course, but it didn't result in me finding it).

I pulled the back off of the dryer and also pulled out the housing or chute the lint filter goes down into:

I pulled up the top and loosened the drum to check all the cracks:

I pulled off the front and found a bunch of cash, but no little pink gem:

You wouldn't believe how much lint and dirt is in the back and bottom of your dryer, and also just laying in the bottom of the vent hose thingy that goes outside.

I saved all my dirt so I can sift through it again.  Here's everything I cleaned up, swept up, and vacuumed up from inside, in front of, behind, underneath and beside my dryer:

Now you know what I'll be doing today.

I can confirm that there is no place in the dryer where socks get to.  I have seen every nook and cranny in the dryer, and there are no secret sock places!



I'm curious about what you have lost in the dryer.  Post in the comments and let me know, and wish me success in finding my lost pink gemstone!

Fashionista Friday: Un-Fabulous Day Today

Photo courtesy of Ambro; FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I feel like a fraud posting "Fashionista Friday".  I shared my weight gain last week, and this week I have not fared too well.  A few pounds have bobbled around this week, but no significant change.  We are having an unusually warm spring here, which means shorts, etc.

I've never really been a "shorts" person.  I prefer dresses and skirts in summer;  I was not blessed with fabulous legs and that holds true no matter what my weight.  They are meaty and fatty and not built for shorts.

My problem here is that I dug through my summer clothes and absolutely nothing will fit me.  Not one thing.

I have gained so much weight that even my shirts are too small.  That's a big deal for me because on top is the last place I put on weight.

I am wearing stretch capri pants and my darling love's button down today.  Classic, right?  No!

I tried "What Not to Wear" tricks like putting a belt right on my ribcage to create an empire waist...small waist and long legs are supposed to be the result, but I looked even more frumpy and ridiculous.

I am overwhelmed and pretty down about this whole thing;  I have daily determined not to let it get the best of me...but it has knocked the wind out of me this morning for sure.

Hope everyone's day is starting well and mine can only get better!

Thursday Thoughts: You're Doing It Wrong

Photo courtesy of Federico Stevanin; FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Today is a rather embarrassing rant.  I try very hard to be patient in the car, but if anything will push me over the edge, it's going to be someone doing something dumb on the road.  It just really aggravates me that anyone would have the gall to endanger my life.

I'm getting off topic. 

I've been dealing with this particular thing for the entire school year.  It aggravates me nearly every day and I try and I try and I try to let it go.  I'm hoping that by pounding out my frustration on the keyboard, I'll be able to move on more quickly.

My rant today is about the car rider line at school. 

You know, the line of cars dropping children off who do not ride the bus.

There's a certain way to do it at every school.

Remember the movie Mr. Mom?  Annette goes to Mr. Mom with regard to the carpool line and says, "You're doing it wrong."

I think this every morning that I am behind a certain black car in the line, which happens to be a lot of mornings. 

When you pull up the school is on the right side of your car.  It makes sense to have your child sitting on the right side of the car.  You are supposed to unload 3 cars at a time and then move on and exit the line so that it will keep moving, the next 3 cars will come up, etc.

I like speed and efficiency in general, and I know that everyone is not like me, but I think the mom who gets under my skin is a little over the edge in the opposite direction.

She pulls up in the correct way, 3 cars at a time, I'll give her that.

She unstraps her seat belt. 

She gets out of the car.

 She opens her child's car door, which is on the opposite side from the building. 

She gets her child's backpack.

She puts the backpack on her child.

She spins her child and zips his coat.

She hugs and kisses him.

She puts her hand on him and ushers him around the back of the car to the sidewalk where the building entrance is.

She hugs him again and kisses the top of his head.

He begins walking toward the school entrance. 

She takes a few steps, turns around at the back corner of her car, and watches him go in.

She moves to her car door.  She opens it.  She looks back once again to the school entrance.

She gets in.

She puts her seat belt on.

In September, I figured she was new at this and it was hard for her to send her baby to school.

In October, I thought she must really miss him.

In November I began praying to not think about this every morning.

In December, I talked to God in the car rider line, telling him how much I wanted to have a loving and compassionate attitude toward this woman.

In January, I continued my talks.

In February, I started to think maybe I should nicely say something to her.

It's March.  I really need to not let this bother me as I pull up every morning.  I don't think about it until I see her car.  It's usually in front of me, and I groan.  I'm sorry!

I'm hoping that getting all of this down will help me to move on even more.  I don't want to even think about it when I see her car in the morning!

Does anyone want to share their pet peeves so I don't feel like such a big meanie?  Please?

What's Cooking Wednesday: Lighten Up for Summer



Photo courtesy of Suat Eman; FreeDigitalPhots.net



It's warm outside here in the mid-Atlantic states and I'm ready for summer!  Warm weather makes me want to not only be lighter, but to eat lighter too.

I can't stand eating heavy, hot foods when it's hot outside...anyone with me on this?  It seems weird to eat pot roast in July, for example.  Maybe that's because I grew up working a garden with my family and eating right out of it, I don't know.

I want to share my favorite salads.  I'm kind of freakish about lettuce...I was teased as a child because I would "pig out" and eat a whole head of lettuce.  I have also been teased for years because I never liked anything in my salad other than lettuce, but I've gotten adventurous in my old age.

I'll start with my family's taco salad.  I don't know where it came from; it's absolutely delicious and not very healthy as far as salads go, but so be it.  It's fun, yummy, and easy to make for a large crowd or a single serving.

Taco Salad

Serves 6

1 lb. ground beef
1 large head iceberg lettuce, shredded or chopped or torn, whatever you like
2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, fiesta blend, or colby/jack)
1 packet lipton onion soup mix
water
1 bag corn chips (9oz)
1 tomato, chopped, optional
sour cream, optional
3 or 4 scallions (spring onions), chopped, optional


Brown ground beef until cooked through.  Add onion soup mix and water.  I like this salad juicy, so the amount of water depends on how wet you would like your salad.  A normal person would probably use 2 cups of water; I use 4 cups or more.

Simmer beef, water, and onion soup mix for about 10 minutes or until soup mix is softened.

In a large bowl, mix lettuce, un-drained beef mixture, cheese, corn chips and tomato.

Top with scallions and serve with sour cream if desired.


Favorite Healthy Salad

Serves 2

3 cups salad greens (I prefer the organic baby field greens at Sam's Club.  Yum!)
1 English cucumber, peeled and julienned (use as much or as little as you wish.  I use about 1/2 the cucumber)
1/2 cup fresh peas or frozen peas, thawed (you cannot use canned peas here, so don't even think about it!)

Simple dressing:
2 T. olive oil
4 T. white vinegar
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Mix dressing together with whisk and serve.

Obviously, you will mix the salad together and eat it!  You would be surprised at how wonderful this simple combination of ingredients tastes.  It's just fresh and refreshing.  Perfect for a super hot day when you don't want to be weighed down but still need something to eat.

If you don't have a julienne peeler, you should get one!  Ha!  Actually, I was going to say you could use a regular vegetable peeler to get some thin strips of cucumber for your salad.  It's just better than the typical 1/8" or so thick rounds.


Meet Me in the Middle...Somewhere between Healthy and Not....

Serves 2

1 chicken breast, cooked and sliced
3 cups baby field greens
1/2 apple, cored and sliced
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 T. pecan pieces
Handful grape tomatoes, halved
2 thin slices red onion
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained, optional (also called chick peas)

Mix together and enjoy with 4 T. balsamic vinegar and 2 T. olive oil whisked together, or make things even easier by using a store-bought balsamic vinegar dressing.

Tightwad Tuesday: Money Tracking

No, that does not say money "trafficking".  I have been tracking my expenses and I found a few places where I am wasting little bits of money at a time, but it adds up!

Here's my log:

It was an expensive week for me!  I don't know why it's not on my log but I also spent $50 on orthotics for BeanzG11, who is experiencing a myriad of ankle and foot problems, and starting to have a few knee issues.

I spend a lot of money on gas.  I drive an SUV, so that's pretty much going to be my life since getting another car is not in the cards right now.

"Conv." here means convenience.  The diet soda or pack of gum that rings up over and over again.  Those are the things I can cut out, probably to the tune of about $10 in an average week.  Also, as I said before I am cutting out the Emusic account, $12 a month saved! 

I actually returned my library movies on time!  No late fees!  Yay me!

I don't feel like this is a good enough representation of spending, so I'm going to continue for several weeks to really get a handle on where to cut or budget categories that need to be added.

Did anyone else track?  Did you find anything to reduce?  Share what you found!

Monday Motherhood Musings: Don't Kid Yourself, It's Not Getting Any Easier!

It's 2:35 a.m. as I start this.  I just want to be up front about that, so if it reads like a jibber jabber gargle of nothing, that's why.

I can't sleep.

I stayed in bed for over 3 hours trying to sleep, but I have accepted that it's just not happening.

I was saying to someone the other day that the difference between raising babies and raising teenagers is huge.

I thought my life would get easier as my kids got older....but the biggest difference I can see is that the poo comes out of their mouths rather than their hineys.

Photo courtesy of imagerymajestic; FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sorry.  Inappropriate.

Don't get me wrong, it is easier in some ways.  But I pictured it differently as I juggled an infant seat and a toddler and a preschooler.  I fantasized about the days when I had children old enough to babysit....oh what heaven, right?

Only I didn't think about how that babysitter-aged child would want to do things with her own life, things besides watching her younger siblings.  Yeah.  Somehow, when they gave out mother brains, I missed that info.  Track.  Dances.  Sleepovers.  Trips to the mall. (Why does she always have so much more money than I do?)

You can guess, I'm sure, that I'm talking about BananaG13.  She is wonderful, please be clear on that.  She is an old soul, she just "gets" things, she is wonderfully responsible and helpful and one of the most thoughtful people I have ever met.  I think she gets that from her aunt, my sister, MathGeekSis.

High school is close on the horizon.  I can only guess that activities will become more frequent and demanding of travel.  As well they should; as far as I understand it, she needs to participate in just about everything to get scholarships and college admissions.

I'm actually counting down the days until she gets a driver's license.

Only this time, I've got my new mom brain in.  I realize that she will not be driving solely to pick up her little brothers from football  as I have fantasized about (side note:  aren't tiny football players just so cute?!) or to take her sister to a friend's house.

I've figured out that my kids are growing up, and growing up means growing away.  I should have realized this since I tried to fly the coop as soon as legally possible when I was a kid.  Geez I was rotten.

Two-plus years till she drives herself to track meets, to dances, to work at a job somewhere, to school, to football games....

Something tells me it will be here too fast, and before I know it I'll wish she needed me to take her somewhere.

Photo courtesy of photostock; FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Soothe Your Spirit Sunday: The Importance of Family Time

Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles; FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Yesterday my wonderful sister-in-law, BlazingBeauty, organized a gathering for those in our family close enough to drive and also for a few friends.

It was just what the doctor ordered.

We gathered around and chatted and talked.  We acknowledged my mother's birthday and had a few of her favorite things to eat.  We had a fabulous, happy time.  I hogged up my 6-month old nephew while everyone else probably grumbled that I was a baby hog.

He's pretty much the cutest and smartest baby ever, by the way.

My darling love was with us, of course, as well as friends of SmartyBro and Blazing Beauty and a friend of MathGeekSis.  It was a perfect little party.

I love being with my family.  They are fun, happy, I can be myself completely, and they aren't bad to look at either.  I love BlazingBeauty's wispy long lashes fluttering against her pink cheeks.  I love SmartyBro's impish smile as he ribs one or another of the attendees at the gathering.  I love Zaneybro's dry jokes and the twinkle in his eye when he smiles.  I love MathGeekSis' enveloping hugs and laughter that rings through the room and fills it with happy.

I've always loved being with my family, but I guess I kind of took a hiatus from it for awhile.  Not completely, but the gatherings definitely dwindled and my willingness to make the time fell into selfishness about keeping my time for me.

I was jolted back into reality about this when my mother passed.  I have had a specific yearning and desire to be with my family more ever since.

My mother always had time for people.  She never acted like she was too busy or overwhelmed for people.  She was often overwhelmed by a lot of things, but never let that get in the way of loving others and making them important.

Make time for your family.  It's worth it. 

The thing I had to realize was that my to-do list would still exist tomorrow; that is not necessarily true for the people we have around us.  The cliche that says, "Life's too short" is actually true.

Cherish today the people around you.  Your family.  Your friends.  Reach out, even if it's a phone call rather than a visit.

("Reach out and touch someone"....that just rang through my head.  AT&T?)

I challenge you today to make a short list of people you "keep meaning" to get in touch with, and write them into your calendar within the next couple of weeks.  Or today if you can. 

Take the time; live without regret and love without reservation.