Monthly Random Acts of Kindness - November

Here is my update for November.  My monthly Random Acts of Kindness.

As I said in my January post, it's pretty easy to reach a goal of one random act of kindness a month.  Especially if you look at all of the little things that you do.  This is a summary of some of the kind things that I have done this month.

Raked  my neighbors leaves
let people ahead of me in line
Greeting people on the paths during my walks
Helping a customer pick out gifts for her grandchildren
help carry packages to customer's car
Made cupcakes for neighbor for his birthday

How did your list for Random Acts of Kindness look this month?

Looking for ideas for Random Acts of Kindness?  Check out this post here.

Phone

This isn't about just any phone, it's about my cell phone.

I've had my cell phone for 3 or 4 years now.  Yea, it's old, but it still works!  If you must know, it's an IPhone 4.  (I'm a few models behind the times)  It's in a pink Otterbox (more on that in a moment).

For those of you who don't know, the "4" only has 8GB of storage so I can't have too many apps on my phone.  In fact, I can't even update to IOS 7.  Yea, I know they have moved past 7 and are on 8 or 9  (I think).  I'm still trying to figure out how to get 7 on my phone.  I don't think it's going to happen, but, I won't give up trying.  Some apps require at least 8.  I guess I'm missing out on some of the new stuff.

So, my phone case.....well, it was/is an Otterbox.  The one that has the rubber around it (I'm a professional phone dropper).  Well, mine HAD the rubber on it, but, it kind of wore off.  At one point I had a rubber band around it to keep it on (everyone who saw it was jealous), but, then I just gave up and threw it out.  The hard pink case is still hanging in there (a little cracked from all of the phone dropping that I do).  Let's just say that it doesn't look pretty.

In fact, my family keeps telling me that it's time to get a new phone.  I have been hearing this for over a year.  A lot more, lately.  Probably because I complain that it's really hard to turn my phone on and off (again, due to the phone dropping, I'm sure).  I have figured out that it's easy to turn my phone on by plugging it into the charger.  Turning it off is another story.  If I can't turn it off, I just mute it.  I eventually get it to shut completely off every other day (or every third day).

The other day at work, I had to use my phone.  I was working with the manager and we were trying to restock shelves.  I was in the back pulling the inventory off the shelves.  I had my phone on the shelf and I went to move and my phone went crashing onto the concrete floor.  Yep.  You guessed it.  Cracked the face of the phone.  I put the case back together and held it together with rubber bands.

I got together with my family the next day and was asked about my phone.  I pulled it out and said, it works!  Everyone got a good laugh about the rubber bands (I explained that they had to be there).  Then they all went to great lengths telling me about all of the features of the new phones and that I just need to get one.

My brother told me about an app that I have to get.  I explained that I would love to, but, if its a new app I probably don't have the software to support it.  

RT said I'm now just being stubborn and that I will keep the phone forever.  I'm not a quitter.  I think I have to just to prove a point.

I'm not sure what that point is, but, I'm going to prove it.

In the meantime, I'm sure my family has set up a fundraiser for me for a new phone (and for psychological help for being so attached to my old phone).

The other night, I woke up at 3 am out of a dead sleep and I said to RT (who I assumed was not sleeping), "Did you pull your car into the driveway?"  He replied, "That's what you think about in the middle of the night?" 

 I wasn't dreaming about it. I admit that it's a little odd, but in my defense, I left the car on the street so my Mom wouldn't have to walk that far (to our door) when she came over. 

i got up to look and the car was in the driveway. Nick saved the day. 

This morning RT asked me how I slept and I said, "I was up at 3."  He said, "Thinking about the car in the driveway?"

Butterfly Birthday Bash Late Over

I posted about the late over invitations here.

This party was a late over birthday for a 10 year old girl.

Once the girls started arriving, I had them start decorating a pillow case.  I had a peace sign, a butterfly and a dragonfly stamp along with fabric paint and foam paint brushes.  I decided the color for each stamp so I didn't have to keep washing and drying the stamps.  This made things go a little smoother.  :)  I let the girls use the paint (it's in a squirt bottle) and write their names on their pillow.  Some went a little crazy and squirted a little too heavily (it just made it a little more difficult for their parents at pickup.

Next we played a game called pass the present.  I used two different color wrapping papers and wrapped a little surprise for them.  When the music stopped, whoever had the present got to unwrap one layer of wrapping paper.  The present was a small sheet of tattoos.  My niece was helping so she was tatting while the rest of the girls played the game.

We then had pizza and cake.

Instead of cakes, we made cupcakes.  Well, Bella made them.  She used green frosting as the base, white chocolate covered pretzels as the wings and M&M's as the body.  She wanted Hello Kitty on her butterfly.

We moved on to play another game called Move to the Right.  I found this game idea here.  This turned out to be a blast!  You have a list that you read from, all of the girls are sitting on the floor in a circle.  When you read off a line:  Move over one spot if you like Christmas.  If someone doesn't move (they don't like Christmas?) then you sit on their lap.  It gets to a point where there are A LOT of girls sitting on one girls lap.  This time that person was my niece, ha ha!

I gave each girl a composition notebook and let them use duct tape to decorate their books.  We peeled the top layer of the book off so it wouldn't show through when the tape was applied.  The girls had so much fun doing this that they just wanted to write in their notebooks!  I let them take their time with their note books.

We moved onto freeze dance and the limbo.  Both fun activities for them to do and a way to burn off some of their extra energy.

They started to wind down a bit and we put in the movie (Bella's choice was, "Into the Woods."  Other ideas?  Princess Bride, Maleficent, Despicable Me, Ella Enchanted, Cinderella.  They had popcorn, pretzels and gold fish crackers (along with bottled water) while watching the movie.

The goody bag had lotion (Butterfly Flower from Bath and Body Works), hair ties, erasers (small pack that had butterfly, dragonfly, lady bug and bumble bee).

Girl Scout Junior Meeting - Thanksgiving Craft Pine Cone Turkey

Better late than never, right?

We started our meeting off writing Thank You letters to the Mayor.  Our last meeting was a tour of the Village Hall for our Inside Government Patch.

We did our Pledge, Promise, Law and Attendance and then we started our craft, Pine Cone Turkeys.

Supplies Needed:
Pine cones*
orange pipe cleaners, cut in half
orange foam, cut into small squares
red felt, small rectangle
2 pom poms
google eyes
feathers (we used five-six per pine cone)
glue
scissors
hot glue gun (to be used by Leader)

*pine cones are fun to collect when you go on a hike.  This gives the girls something to look for and you can use them in future crafts.

We tried to have the girls do some of this on  their own but we realized that some of the items would not stick to the pine cone with regular craft glue.  Therefore, the hot glue guns were brought out and warmed up.

We handed out the supplies and told the girls to cut out a beak from the orange foam.  I already cut the gobbler out for them.  It really isn't difficult for them to do, just cut it uneven (and rounded).

The girls then glued the google eyes onto the pom poms.  We used the hot glue gun to glue the pom poms onto the pine cone.  (The glue will work for the rest...but some of the girls wanted theirs hot glued to make sure it stayed all together)

We then glued the feathers into the back of the pine cone (trying to make sure that it fans out like a turkey).

We twisted the orange pipe cleaners  to make legs.  They can either be glued on or twisted onto the bottom of the pine cone (I think we just twisted them).

And you're done.  Believe it or not, this did take awhile.  There were only two of us leaders with two glue guns.  The girls were patient and had a blast making the turkeys.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I was in the kitchen baking pies (see yesterday's post).  When I FINALLY finished I decided to whip up a batch of Home made Lotion.  I got to the part where I whipped it up using my blender and I stopped, leaving it on the kitchen counter.  I had to go upstairs and get my empty glass jars.  When I came back into the kitchen, I see RT licking his fingers.  I said, I hope you didn't lick that, it's my lotion.  He made a face, ran to the sink and started rinsing his mouth out.  RT thought it was a frosting for the pies that I had made earlier.  I told him that he would live...it's just natural butters and oils.  < I think I would rather lick this lotion than a store bought lotion.

I did tell him that if he liked it, I could whip up a separate batch just for him.

Pie Crust Recipe

You can't make pie without a crust!

I posted a recipe the other day on Home made Pumpkin Pie and thought I should post a pie crust recipe.  This is my go to pie crust recipe taken from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

Pastry for Single Crust Pie

1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening*
3-4 Tbsp cold water

Mix flour and salt together in a bowl.  Cut in shortening till pieces are the size of small peas.
Sprinkle 1 TBSP of water over part of the mixture;  gently toss with a fork.  Push to side of bowl and repeat till all is moistened.  Form dough into a ball.
On a lightly floured surface, flatten dough with hands.  Roll dough from center to edges, forming a circle about 12" in diameter.  Wrap pastry around rolling pin.  Unroll onto a 9" pie plate.
Trim to 1/2" beyond edge of pie plate; fold under extra pastry.  Bake as directed in recipe.

*I use Coconut oil.

Homemade Pumpkin Pie from a regular Pumpkin

You're probably wondering, "Why?"

We had an extra pumpkin this year.  I bought three pumpkins and only two were carved.  The leftover pumpkin was large, and I thought, "Why not?"  I would hate to see it go to waste.  

I found a recipe on how to cook a regular carving pumpkin HERE and thought I would give it a try.  I love pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin...OK, let's just say, I love pumpkin. 

I think the most time consuming part was removing the seeds and scraping the pumpkin.  Well, it wasn't that bad.  I cut the pumpkin open, which made it easier to remove the seeds.  Waiting for the pumpkin to cook also took awhile.  I would recommend having another chore to do while waiting for the pumpkin to cook.

Click on the link to get instructions on how to cook down your pumpkin.

I decided to clean out my pumpkin and chop it into pieces and pop it into some boiling water.  This method took awhile but it allowed me some time to let the cooked pieces cool a bit before removing the skin so I didn't burn my fingers off.   Once the outer skin was off I put it in a strainer (colander?) and pressed out some of the water.  From there I took the cooked pumpkin and put it in the food processor.   After awhile, I realized that this might be an all day project.  I mean, if you are going to go through all of the trouble to cook down a pumpkin, you have to make pumpkin pie.  Looking at all of the cooked pumpkin I realized I would have to make at least two pumpkin pies and still have enough pumpkin left over to make two more pies.

Here is the Pumpkin Pie recipe:

1 cup sugar

1.5 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

3 large eggs

3 cups cooked pumpkin

1 12oz can evaporated milk

Mix together and pour into pie crust. (I make a home made pie crust)

Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees F.

Bake an additional 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees F.

*************************************

I do have to say that this was an all day project.  It really makes me appreciate canned pumpkin..and the fact that I don't live in the 1800's and have to stand around the stove all day making lunch/dinner. Although it was time consuming, I have to admit that it was delicious!  I made two pies and there was one and a quarter pies left after a few hours.  I think it was a hit!  Plus, I have two bags of extra pumpkin in the freezer so I can make two more pies!

Need a crust recipe for your pumpkin pie?  Check out this Pie Crust recipe and this Graham Cracker Crust recipe.

Have you ever cooked a pumpkin down and made pumpkin pie?

Tooth Fairy

Score another point for the Tooth Fairy!

Bella had another tooth fall out and the Tooth Fairy remembered to visit!

Two teeth down and one to go!  She's got this!

Inside Government : Girl Scout Junior Badge

Steps:
1.  Decide what being an active citizen means to you
2.  Go inside government
3.  Look into laws
4.  Report on the issues
5.  Get involved in government


We broke this badge up into two meetings.  Our meetings are one hour long with no snack.

Our first meeting we talked about laws and what laws affected them on their way to the meeting.  Did they have to drive at a certain speed?  Were there traffic lights or stop signs that they had to obey?  We then talked a little about some of the wacky laws that are on the books.  There are a few listed in the Girl Scout Junior Manual.  I did a little research online and found a few more silly laws to share with the girls.

We then told the girls that we would be getting a tour of city hall by our mayor.  We asked the girls to come up with a question for the mayor.  We had them write the question on a note card and went through them so we did not have a duplicate question.  We collected the cards so we would have them for our tour.

During our tour we were going to have a mock government meeting.  The girls were divided into two groups and had to come up with valid points for their topic.  The topic was:  Homework vs. No Homework.  We had the girls write down their points on a card and collected them for their presentation in front of the mayor.


Meeting #2

We went on a tour of our town's city hall with the Mayor as our tour guide.  He gave the girls some information on what the day to day is like for our village, including the duties of a Mayor.  The tour of our village hall included safety features that were added (bullet proof glass, emergency button in the board room, etc.).  The Mayor had fascinating information on the population of our town, the large corporations that are based here and some of the odd laws that the town had on the books.  The girls were able to ask the Mayor the question that they prepared at the last meeting.  The Mayor had us run a mock government meeting.  Our topic was extending the school year to all year school.  He had half of the girls vote for all round school while the other half voted against.  The town clerk (one of our girls) counted the votes and said it was a tie.  The Village Attorney (one of our girls) called for the Mayor (one of our girls) to make a decision.   The Mayor told the acting Mayor how to make her decision by talking about both sides and then making the decision.  He also said that when making these decisions you have your friends (the people that you made happy with your decision) and the people that are unhappy with your decision.

I think it turned out to be a very informative tour.  Glad we did it.

The Tooth Fairy

I'm glad I gave the Tooth Fairy another chance.

Believe it or not, she visited on the first night (the night the tooth fell out).   I don't know how she did it but she pulled through.

A big high five to the Tooth Fairy!

Just a three more teeth to go.

The Tooth Fairy can do it.   I know she can!

Does anyone else have a collection of glass jars under their kitchen sink?

Beware of the Dog

I guess I should start out by saying, Pippen is not very fond of small dogs.  He just doesn't like them.  If he could, he would eat them (I think?).  He is also very territorial.  We have a fenced in yard and anyone that comes within 50 feet of the fence makes him go crazy.

We don't have sidewalks in our neighborhood.  We have trails that go behind the houses.  Some will go along the side of a house and cross the street.  They are all connected.  It's great with kids.  They can ride their bike in the back of the house and be safe.

Anyway....We have a trail behind and to the side of our house.  The trail is about 5 feet from our fence so you can safely walk your dog by our house and not be attacked by Pippen.

Every day this couple walks by our house.  The husband walks two dogs while the wife walks one (small dog).  < (key information)  And, everyday  this woman walks her little dog right up to the fence, knowing full well that Pippen will go insane.  Pippen runs back and forth barking and doing his snapping turtle routine, wanting to bite the dog.

This whole routine started the beginning of the summer.  The first time (and every time after) I went out and called Pippen off.  I explained that he is very territorial and that he does not like small dogs.

So, what happens?  They walk by every day and the woman has to bring her dog up to the fence.  The husband tries to tell her to stop and keep going, but she insists on leaving the dog by the fence.  All of this makes Pippen go crazy and me?  I have to come out and call Pippen off.

Every day.

So....the other day I went out to throw something in the garbage can.  I started talking to my neighbor.  Pippen came over and sat down.  All of a sudden, Pippen jumps up and runs to the back of the fence and goes crazy.  I look over and there is the husband with two dogs, trying to help the woman get a hold of the little dog that she is holding.  She refuses his help and continues to stand there keeping her dog right by the fence.  I end up running over and holding Pippen by the harness and calming him down.  I was "assuming" she would then take her dog and move on.  Instead she said, "He came out of no where!  I didn't know he was in the yard."  (another line she likes to use)  I smiled and said, he doesn't like small dogs and he is very territorial.  She just stood there.  I finally told Pippen to run upstairs on the deck (he listened).  I gave her a look and walked away.

My neighbor said, "She just stood there.  Why didn't she move?"  I said, "This happens every day.  She continues to taunt Pippen with her dog."

Not sure what else I can do, except, maybe suggest she has her head examined.

Any thoughts?

Daylight Savings Time

Alex overslept again this morning. I figured something was up when I didn't hear the door open/close at 6:30am.  I went to check on him and he thought it was 5:30am. When I told him the correct time he said that his clock must have adjusted for Daylight Savings Time.  Yes. He said his clock adjusts itself automatically.  It was the clock's fault. 

I told him he used that excuse once and can't use it again until next year. 

This might sting a little....

A few posts ago, I mentioned my accident tendencies.  Dog bites and burring my hand and arm with hot items from the oven.

When I tended to my burns (and bite) I cleaned the wounds with peroxide.  Boy was I surprised at the sting it caused......OUCH!   (yes, I screamed)

I looked up and there was Bella.  All she said was, "I told you it hurts!"

I have always cleaned the kid's wounds with peroxide.  They would ask, "Is it going to hurt?"  Me:  "No."  They would then complain that it hurts and I would shrug it off.  Me:  "It doesn't hurt that bad!"

Boy was I wrong!

I guess from now on I'm going to have to change what I say when tending to some one's burn/scrape/bite to, "This might sting a little."

Butterfly Birthday Bash - Invitation

I finally get to throw a Butterfly Birthday!

If you are a fan of Fancy Nancy, you will remember that Nancy went to:  Brie's Butterfly Birthday.  Every time we read this book I would tell Bella that she should have a butterfly birthday party.  Guess what?  The day has come for.....

Bella's Butterfly Birthday Bash!

It all starts with the invitations.

I free handed a butterfly and used that as the background (pink paper, of course).  Bella's party is a late over, so we asked the guests to wear comfy clothes (pajamas, slippers) and bring along a pillow and stuffed animal.  We also mentioned that we were having pizza and cake.  Don't forget to add the location and RSVP info!

(there is a hole at the top because Bella put this on my bulletin board)

Homemade Giardiniera

You read that correctly.

Homemade Giardiniera.

What to do with all of those jalapeño peppers that you grew in your garden?  Make Pickled Jalapeños and make giardiniera, of course.  It's a lot easier than you think!  You can search online for a video how to or just trust me on this one and start making a batch for yourself.

I have all of these jalapeño peppers from my garden so I had to try my hand at giardiniera!

Here is the recipe:

Homemade Giardiniera

4 jalapeno peppers, sliced* 

1 red peppers, diced 

1 green peppers, diced 

1 large carrot, chopped 

1 medium onion, chopped 

1/2 cup cauliflower, cut into small florets 

1- 2 celery stalk, diced 

1/2 cup salt

Cold water

*you can take seeds out to make it milder

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

2 teaspoons dried oregano 

1 teaspoon black peppers 

1 cup white vinegar 

1 cup olive oil 

In a bowl combine jalapeños, peppers, carrot, onion, cauliflower and celery.   Add Salt and enough cold water to cover mixture.  Mix well.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day:

Rinse the vegetables thoroughly.

Add the garlic, oregano and black peppers into the bowl.

Stir in vinegar and olive oil and combine for the dressing.  Mix thoroughly.

I put it in a clean glass jar (recycle a glass jar or you can go crazy and purchase a ball canning jar).  The giardiniera can be canned (did that make sense?).  Our supply didn't last very long (Hey!  We're from Chicago!).  Serve on beef sandwiches, pizza, salad or on my famous pasta salad.

Enjoy!