Finding Nemo   Dorie   Money


I have mentioned in previous posts about finding money, especially on my morning walks.  Sometimes I find money in parking lots or in front of stores.

When I was in college, I drove whatever car was available.  The majority of the time it was my grandfather's '77 Ford Granada.  Not exactly the coolest car out there.  It did get me (most of the time) from one place to another.  My Dad used to tell me, "Leave the windows down.  That way someone will feel sorry for you and throw $5 on the seat."

One day, I drove to school and parked the car.  When I returned to my car at the end of the day, I found a $20 bill on the ground next to my car.  I was pretty excited and told my parents about it when I got home.  Of course, my Dad said, "If you would have had your windows down, you might have gotten more money."

The other day, I was out in the yard doing yard work (of course).  I was on the patio and turned toward the bushes by the deck and saw a $10 bill on the ground.  I looked around, thinking it was a joke.  I picked it up and continued gardening.  I'm not sure if someone felt sorry for the bad landscaping or weeding or what?  I'm not complaining, tho.  I have never been enthusiastic about gardening, but, now that someone is paying me, it's not so bad.

Uber Driver

I mentioned a few posts back how Alex got his Driver's License.  Currently, we are sharing a car.  Some might think this is awful and that it puts a strain on your day to day.  I believe this is the best thing that has ever happened.  I now have my very own, personal uber driver!  He drops me off and picks me up.  I can ride in the car and look out the windows and not worry about the traffic.  I arrive at destinations and I don't have to worry about where to park.  Oh, and give him a few Swedish Fish and he's happy.

Of course, my uber driver enjoys this set up because he gets to use the car more.

Now to get him to put gas in the car.........

The Lavender Fields

We have three lavender plants in the front of our house.  I call the area, "the lavender fields."  The other day, Bella and I harvested the lavender from "the lavender fields," and hung it to dry.

I have quite a bit of dried lavender from our recent harvest.  So far I have made a sachet (sewn), and a lavender bag (used a small organza bag to put under your pillow....it's great if you have problems sleeping).

Looking forward to using it in soap, potpourri and put in a bag for the dryer (similar to dryer sheets).

Do you have any other useful ideas for dried lavender?

Roasted Vegetables and Pesto Penne Pasta

I found this recipe on Damn Delicious blog.  If you have time, check out her blog.  She has some really damn delicious yummy looking meals!  I have successfully made several meals already!  

I have a ton of basil growing in my garden and thought this would be the perfect recipe to try.  I'm looking forward to using my grape tomatoes in this recipe (when they ripen).

Roasting the vegetables was super easy.  In fact, you could just roast the vegetables and use that as your meal.

I wasn't sure how this recipe would go over with my family.  You see, I didn't add the meat to the recipe.  We had left over barbecue chicken that (I felt) they could have added (if they wanted).  It was the first time I made the recipe, so, anything could happen (not work out, taste bad, etc).  But, the blog is titled, "Damn Delicious," so...... I have to say it was a SUCCESS!  In fact, Nick asked to finish it off (so, no leftovers!)  I will definitely be making this again.

Here's the recipe from Damn Delicious:

Roasted Vegetables and Pesto Penne Pasta

1 pound penne pasta
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup almonds, toasted
12 basil leaves
2 pepperoncini, stems removed
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
5 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 links chicken sausage, chopped (optional)
8 oz asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
8oz mushrooms, halved
2 zucchinis, quartered and cut into 1" cubes
2 jalapeños, halved


In a large pot, cook pasta according to directions, drain well.

To make pesto, combine the tomatoes, almonds, basil, pepperoncini, garlic, red pepper flakes and Parmesan in a food processor or Vitamix, season with salt and pepper to taste.

With the motor running, add 3 Tbsp olive oil until emulsified, set aside.

Preheat oven to 450F.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place vegetables in single layer and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Gently toss to combine (I actually did this in a separate bowl prior to putting on the baking sheet) 

Roast in oven for 8-12 minutes

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, pesto and roasted vegetables.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Felt Tablet Cover

I believe I mentioned that during my stressful soap making experience, Bella decided to make her own felt tablet cover.  Her tablet is small and she wanted to make a cute felt cover to put it in (Thanks, Pinterest!).

Because her tablet is so small, one piece of felt folded in half covered her tablet.  She sewed this herself.  She drew and cut out a starfish and, with help, glued it onto the front of the cover.

This is a simple sewing project that any one (even kids) can do.

Supplies:
Felt
Measuring tape
scissors
thread
paper (to draw design on)
glue (optional)
pencil (can trace onto felt)

Soap - Soap Making - Homemade Soap

I did it.  I finally took the plunge and made soap.  I have tried melt and pour in the past.  (Alex wanted to make soap and I thought this would work for us).  This time, I made Cold Processed soap (CP).

I have wanted to try making soap for years and I am so glad I finally had the nerve to try.  I think my biggest fear was working with lye.  I took all the precautions and everything worked out perfectly.

There are several tutorials out there so I'm not going to bore you with another one.  Just do your research and choose the best option for you.  I think the hardest part of this whole process will be waiting for the soap to cure (4-6 weeks).  I will probably make more soap while I am waiting.  I think the bars will make great Christmas gifts and, well, as I have posted before, we can ALWAYS use soap in the kids' bathroom.

I would like to show pictures and tell you what a lovely experience the soap making process was for me.  How it opened my eyes, heart and soul.  Filling me with joy, peace, love and harmony.  You know, the whole Martha Stewart experience.

But, as you know, none of this happened, because this is a Scary Journey Inside My Life.  The reality?  Bella decided to start a new major craft project the minute I started my soap making project. (sewing her own felt tablet cover).  This project somehow involved a bit of help from me, all at crucial soap making parts.  Luckily, I had everything set up and ready to go, so my soap project went somewhat smoothly.

Only time will tell (4-6 weeks) how my soap project worked out.

Let's hope for the best!

I think I am in the wrong house.

Someone changed the toilet paper roll in the bathroom.

The Accidental Gardener

I believe there are two kinds of people.  Those who love to garden and those that hate it.  I approach gardening as something that should be done.  I don't dream about the lovely garden I want or make a plan of how my garden will look.  I just go out and do what I think needs to be done.

My mom taught me at a young age how to pull weeds.  It's the old fashioned way with a tool that you push into the ground near the root and pull the weed out with your hands, making sure that you get the entire root.  All these years of practice and I'm pretty good at it.

RT and I do our own landscaping.  We have been doing it in stages.  The front of our house is just about complete.  We just need to add some mulch and do a little edging.  The back yard is our work in progress.  Every year we add something new to beautify the area.

I have two gardens where I grow tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, garlic, oregano and basil (to name a few things).  I have been using companion gardening for the last few years and have noticed a difference in my harvest.  Oh and I forgot to mention, I compost in the garden.  The soil seems pretty good in our first garden.  The soil in the second garden (the newer garden), is coming along quite nicely.

The neighbors comment how well my vegetable gardens are doing and ask me how I do it.  I feel they are looking for either a technical or magical answer.

"It's because the acidity of the soil is _____"

or

"The secret to a successful garden is ____"

Instead, when they ask me how I created such a great garden, I reply, "I don't know."

Hanging out at the pool is always an interesting experience.  Bella is usually running around with friends and I'm hanging out reading, writing and people watching.

There are quite a few teens that frequent the pool.  They can come on their own (no adult).  It's rather entertaining to sit and listen to their conversations.  Everything is "annoying" or "boring."  There is a lot of "what?" and giggling and, "No way!"

Makes me glad I'm past my teenage years and have developed a vocabulary.

FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions

I thought I would start a list of annoying FAQ'a that I get asked either at home or at work.  I'm sure I'm missing some.

At home:

What's for Dinner?
Where is _________? (person or item)
Can you take me to _______?
Did you go grocery shopping?
What's for lunch?
Is there anything to eat?
Do you work today?
Did you work today?
What did you do today?

At work:

Did you take the price tag off?
Did you already ring this up?

I'm sure I will be adding to this list in the future.

If you can think of any, let me know.

Song list for the week

I thought I would come up with some songs that describe my week.

Live While We're Young - One Direction
Let's Go Crazy - Prince
One Way or Another  - Blondie
Don't Stop Believing - Journey *
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2
Thrift Shop - Macklemore
Trouble - Taylor Swift

* I think legally this song has to be on every play list

We have a new driver in the house.  Alex just got his Drivers License the other day.

It's funny how teenagers get their license and feel they should get a car.  Currently, we are sharing my car.  If he drives me to work (and picks me up) then he can have the car during that time.  I have let him drive to work.  I even dropped the car off at his work and walked home.  It's only a little over a mile walk.  Free exercise for me and I didn't have to run out and pick him up late at night.

He is saving his money for a car.  He really needs to save his money to pay his car insurance and forget about the car.

The law states that new drivers are only allowed to have one passenger (not related) for the first year. Of course, there is no limit on the number of siblings that can ride in the car.  This sounds great in theory, but, then there are more kids borrowing the car to go hang with their friends, which means more cars on the road with young drivers.  (There are also those kids that think they can get away with  it and drive with more than one kid in their car)

My main concern is working out a schedule so that I can use my car when I need it.

Wish me luck.

*We don't pay the kid's car insurance.  If they want their drivers license, they have to be able to pay for their car insurance.

Random Act of Kindness RAOK

Paid it forward today.  The customer in line ahead of me was short a couple of dollars, so I help him out.

What Random Act of Kindness will you do today?