Celebrate The Cherry Blossom

Due to the cooler weather this spring the 2018 Cherry Blossom Peak Bloom Forecast has been pushed back just a bit. Originally it was thought that blooms would appear around March 29th. But this no longer looks like it will happen. The colder weather has not left and there is more to come. The National Park Service and the Washington Post has decided to make a second prediction. The new prediction is that Cherry Blossoms will appear around April 8th to April 12th.

The later date is one of the latest predictions. One could blame the later date on the cooler days of March. February was warm but when we reached March it was cooler than normal. The warmth of February helped the cherry blossoms to get an early start but then it was slowed in the cooler temps.
The cooler temps held the buds in the "green buds" stage longer than usual. The cooler temps allowed only a little over 1/2 of the blossoms to be ready and present in the blossom stage.

Don't worry the Cherry blossoms will be ready soon and sights like these will be able to be enjoyed:

Cherry blossoms is a symbol of spring as well as beautiful flowers. The bright, cheerful colors offer a heavenly scent and perfect to offer as a pick up.

In Japan cherry blossoms signify not only the start of spring but also a new beginning, a time of renewal and fleeting nature of life. The short lives of the beautiful blossoms last only about 2 weeks. There are many Cherry Festivals celebrations. This gathering is known as hanami in Japan and means "watching blossoms" and takes part as many have picnics and socialize with loved ones underneath the trees. At night couples gather to watch the blossoms.

Many cherry trees in the United States were gifts from Japan.

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Sunday Features

Hodge Podge about Spring

On this first official day of spring tell us something (besides the weather) you're looking forward to in this season of the year.

I must say that the first official day of spring seemed more like winter was still here and that spring had not arrived. It left me looking forward to warmer days to get and enjoy nature and family times The warmer days definitely falls under the category of weather but family time is great year round. Spring is awesome for being with family and friends sitting around the fire pit, getting in the garden, the farmers markets and so much more.

When it comes to spring cleaning would you rather wash windows or wash baseboards? Clean out closets or clean out the garage? Dust ceiling fans or dust bookcases? Wipe down the patio furniture outside or wipe down the light fixtures inside? Any of these tasks recently completed?

It is most definitely time for spring cleaning Washing windows reminds me of great times with my daddy. Each spring he would wash windows for many elderly individuals and me and my sister would go work with him. Now days though baseboards would be more like the work around the house I do now. I need to clean out the closet and while I don't have a garage I do have storage sheds that need organized. I do the closets on regular basis and I believe cleaning the storage units would be fun just to see what all is in there. Heights are not my thing and washing off patio furniture would get me outside so I would choose the later.

Your favorite thing to make/eat that calls for cream cheese? Sour cream? Whipped cream?

My favorite thing that has cream cheese would be simple ritz crackers with cream cheese. My daughter would most likely say she loves my cheesecake treats that contains cream cheese or the appetizers with a Mexican flair . Sour cream is what I love to have on my baked potatoes it is also something I put in lots of recipes from mashed potatoes to dips like the sweet onion dip my family loves. Whipped cream is perfect for those summer treats as well to serve atop hot cocoa


I read here a list of commonly mispronounced words. What is a word that gives you trouble when it comes to pronunciation?

spelling is often frustrating for me, saying may be a stumbling block at times as well. It seems one word that I trip over a lot is aluminum foil. 

What's a song you love with the word 'rain' in the title or lyrics?




Insert your own random thought here.

My random thought is an experience I had just today. I work outside of the house and today is my payday. I put my entire check into the bank and went grocery shopping. I tried to use my bank card to pay and it was denied. That was just the start of the issue. What was to follow came as a large surprise 

I paid in cash for my groceries and headed home to call the bank. What I found out was that my privacy had been invaded. My bank had blocked use of my card as it had some odd transactions on it. For one thing in the past 3 weeks I had been in many different states using my card for things such as hotels, eats, drinks and etc... My card number had been stolen and in the morning my card will be taken to the bank to get a new one and my money is protected. I am happy to bank with a company like the one I have and sad to see that something like this could happen to anyone including me. 

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Hodge Podge Wednesday
all season linkup

Colorectal Cancer Awareness

It seems I write a lot about cancer awareness on my blog. My life has seen a lot of tragedy because of cancer. One of my first friends at the age of 6 died of leukemia, my cousin also had leukemia, I have had aunts and other adults to have cancer either change their lives or take them away as well. My own mother in law suffered, battled and eventually lost the battle to colon cancer. So today I want to bring a bit of awareness to colorectal cancer. 

Colorectal cancer is a cancer that starts in the colon or the rectum. Other names from this type of cancer can be colon cancer or rectal cancer. It all depends on where the cancer started. When cancer cells start growing out of control is when and where Cancer begins. Any part of the human body can become cancer and it may spread to other areas of the body as well 

Colorectal cancer often starts as a growth on the inner lining of the colon or rectum. These growths are known as polyps. Some polyps have the ability to change into cancer over time. Not all polyps will become cancer. Polyps normally take many years to turn into cancer and the chance of it doing so depends on the type of polyp it is. There are two main types of polys (1) adenomatous or adenomas these have the ability to change into cancer as they appear in the pre cancerous stage.  (2) hyperplastic polyps and inflammatory polyps these are the polyps that are more common but not pre cancerous. 

Polyps more likely to contain cancer include:

• the polyp is larger than 1 cm
• more than 2 polyps are found
• a polyp that is found to be dysplasia (pre cancerous) 

If cancer does form in a polyp it can grow into the wall of the colon or rectum. The wall of the colon and rectum are made up of many layers, cancer most often starts in the innermost layer and grows outward through the layers. Cancer cells can be carried away through blood vessels or lymph vessels. The cells can travel to lymph nodes or to other parts of the body. 

• read more about colorectal cancer here
  
  

The Wonderful Stories of Jesus Love

Doing a bit of reminiscing this evening thinking about a wonderful lady who like St. Patrick was a missionary. She was from a small little area in Illinois and went all the way to Taiwan. There she taught children school, English and about how a man named Jesus loves them. I can recall her many stories. By the time I was growing up in the same community she had returned from her time on the mission field and was then teaching children in small bible groups. What a wonderful time we used to have singing songs like these:


 







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really crafty party 

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friday at the firehouse

Make Up Some Easter Nest They will Love

1 package chow mein noodles
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
chocolate candy Easter eggs

Spray 2 mini muffin pans (12 cups each) with cooking spray. Set aside.
1. Pour chow mein noodles into a large bowl. In another microwave-safe bowl, combine milk chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. Put into microwave and heat until melted. Add peanut butter and stir until fully incorporated. Pour mixture over noodles and stir to combine.
2. Using two tablespoons, fill each mini muffin cup with chocolate noodle mixture until nests form. Place 3 chocolate Easter eggs on top of each nest and place muffin pans into the fridge to set. When ready to serve, simply remove each nest and enjoy!
Notes
Easter Nests will keep up to 1 week stored in an airtight container in the fridge or for up to 2 months in the freezer.

shared this Easter recipe at
The Edge
spring tft party 

Glanzmann's Thrombosis

As I have shared in previous post March is the month to bring awareness to Bleeding Disorders One of these disorders is Glanzmann's Thrombosis.

Our blood contains small, sticky cells called platelets. These platelets rush to the site of injury when a cut or injury occurs to a blood vessel and an individual begins to bleed. The platelets will stick to the blood vessel and attempt to stop the leak. Other platelets are alerted when the platelets at the injure site send out a chemical signal. The platelets join together at the injury site to form a plug that stops the bleeding.


One of the proteins that helps the platelets do their job is glycoprotein. The job of these proteins is to work together to form a bridge to connect platelets with each other. Each glycoprotein has a specific target, whether it be another platelet or vessel wall. They have their own jobs to help form a plug. This is the beginning stage of a blood clot. If the proteins do not work properly then it is harder for the clotting factors to work and create a stable clot.

A platelet disorder occurs if:

• there are not enough platelets
• a normal amount of platelets are present but they do not function properly
• Platelets can not stick to blood vessel or to each other
• platelets are not able to send or receive chemical signals

Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia is a platelet function disorder. The platelets do not work correctly when an individual has this bleeding disorder. When an individual has this disorder a missing or defective glycoprotein is present. The disorder will not allow platelets to stick together through to a clotting factor. Therefore, the platelets are not able to clump together to form a plug. 

Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia was discovered in children from the Swiss Alps in 1918. The discovery was made by a pediatrician from Berne, Switzerland. Dr. Eduard Glanzmann made the initial discovery and since that time the disorder has been found all over the world. 

The cause of this bleeding disorder was found to be related to parents genes. Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia is an "autosomal recessive" disorder. It affects both males and females. The disease is inherited from one abnormal gene from each parent. Whether the parent has the disorder or is a carrier does not matter. 

Signs and Symptoms of Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia include: 

• easy bruising
• small red or purple spots on skin caused by minor broken capillaries
• bleeding from nose or gums
• heavy menstruation in women
• excessive bleeding after surgery or injury
• bleeding into head and brain resulting in headache, neck ache, drowsiness or loss of consciousness
• vomiting blood, bloody or black bowel movent
• joint bleeds
• 
  

The Vaquita

One animal on the rare species list is the vaquita. The vaquita is a rare species of porpoise. They live in the northern part of the Gulf of California. The name vaquita is spanish for "little cow". The animal is also known as a cochito which means "little pig", the desert porpoise, the Gulf of California harbor porpoise, Gulf of California porpoise and the gulf porpoise.

In 1996 the vaquita was listed on the critically endangered species list. At that time there was estimated about 600 in 1996 and by 1997 there was below 100 in existence. In march of 2018 there is only about 12 remaining. Unless drastic actions are taken the vaquita will no longer exist.

The main reason that the vaquita is disappearing is because of the illegal gillnet fishery searching for the totoaba. The totoaba is also critically endangered. The Mexican government has put millions of dollars into efforts to eliminate this illegal action. A ban on the gillnet is currently on the books.

Vaquitas are the small but stocky and are porpoise shaped. Distinguished marks include dark rings surrounding their eyes, patches on lips and a line that extends from their dorsal fin to their mouth The grey color of this fish fades as they grow older Females are normally larger in size than their male counterpart.

Vaquitas communicate with others with a high pitched sound. They live leisurely as they feed and swim at their own pace. They will avoid boats and often are very evasive if contact is made. They often live alone unless they swim with their calf.

Find out more about the actions to protect the Vaquita

This endangered animal informational post shared at
Make Pretty Monday 

My Life Begins Today;;;; Enjoy life with a taste of Quinoa

This summer I choose to live the way I want to. I am a very responsible organized individual and respected by those that I live with, love and my co-workers as well. But this year I will choose to take risks, dream big, dress in a leisure comfortable manner, and go out when ever I am able to. 

I choose to be as weird as I choose to. Have a few drinks if I choose to. Have lots of fun and laugh until my chest muscles strengthen from all the movement. Its been a long times since I have just been me and this year I choose to be. Not only will they never forget this summer but neither will I. 

I choose to get out and take a walk, learn how to cook the way I want to, be the nana that my grandkids want and spend time with my family. I will no longer be a slave to the ordinary and will live how I choose to. Take a few vacations and work so that my co-workers and residents miss me when I am gone and welcome me back with a cheer. 

First, I start with cooking and living a bit healthier. Foods like quinoa that was unfamiliar to me not to long ago. If you was like I was let me first tell you what Quinoa is. Quinoa is a natural gluten free food packed with protein. It helps keep our bodies full for hours. It is quick to prepare and reheated through the week when ever needed. There is a whole mess of add ins to help with flavor. 

Preparing quinoa is much like other grains. Start by rinsing quinoa to prevent a bitter taste. Then using 1 part quinoa and 2 parts water place rinsed quinoa in medium pan filled with needed water. Bring to boil over high heat. Now is the time to add in flavors of your choice. Cinnamon and Vanilla are just a few choices. Heat should be reduced to low, cover, let simmer for 15 minutes or til liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, let stand 5-10 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, add in fruit, nuts, milk, or whatever your heart desires. Serve. 

1 cup quinoa

1 can coconut milk (or 1 1/2 cup any other type of non-dairy milk)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

2-3 tablespoons coconut sugar (or sweetener of your choice)

1 small persimmon, cut into 1-inch pieces

3-4 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

1 handful raw walnuts

Preparation

Combine quinoa and water in a saucepan over high heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed.

Combine the cooked quinoa, coconut milk, cinnamon, cardamom and coconut sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until warm and creamy, about 5 minutes. (Alternatively, you can combine these ingredients in a bowl and microwave until hot).

Spoon quinoa into bowls and top with fruit and walnuts.

Pro Tip

Make a big batch of quinoa on a Sunday night and mix it with your milk of choice in the mornings throughout the week.

Three Symbols of St. Patrick's Day

Many times when someone thinks of Saint Patrick's day they will think of shamrocks. The "Shamrock" is the name of a three leafed clover native to Ireland. A clover or "shamrock" is thought to be lucky. The shamrock is Ireland's national emblem because of the legend of St. Patrick. St. Patrick would use the clover to teach the doctrine of the Trinity. The belief that God is three in one : Father , Son and Holy Spirit could easily be told through the shamrock. 

The character known as the leprechaun is a traditional symbol of St. Patrick's day as well. The name leprechaun comes from the Irish word "luchorpan" which means "little body". A leprechaun is an Irish fairy resembles a small, old man about 2 feet tall. He often appears dressed as a shoemaker wearing a crooked hat and a leather apron. 

Leprechauns are said to be unfriendly and often live alone. Making shoes is how they pass their time when they are not checking on their hidden pot of gold. Leprechauns guard their gold from treasure hunters who endlessly seek the pot of gold. The sound of hammering often helps give the leprechaun away. If the leprechaun is caught the seekers will threaten him with bodily violence until they find out where the gold is. The leprechaun can never be trusted even if captured. If he is not constantly watched the leprechaun can easily vanish and the treasure will be lost. 

The color green was not actually the color St. Patrick wore. He actually wore blue. It was during the 19th century that green became used as a symbol for Ireland. Ireland is blessed with plentiful rain and mist making it the 'Emerald Isle' It is green all year in Ireland and this became the inspiration for the national color. Wearing green is considered an act of paying tribute to Ireland. Green is thought to also bring good luck when wore on St. Patrick's day. Irish children began the tradition of pinching people who did not wear green on St. Patrick's day. 

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Tuesday with a twist 
awesome life friday

Deli Style Corn Beef Sandwich

3 lb corned beef brisket
2 tnsp olive oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp cider vinegar
½ cup water
1 small onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Rye Bread
Swiss Cheese
Thick sliced pickles
Coleslaw
Brown Mustard

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan or braiser. Add the corned beef to the pan, and sear on all sides until browned and crispy.
Add the brown sugar, cider vinegar, water, onion, and garlic to the pan.
Cover with a lid, and place in heated oven.
Roast for about 2½ hours, or until tender.
Let sit for 15 minutes. Let the corned beef cool, or serve it on the sandwich warm. Either way, it's delicious!
Slice the corned beef as thin or as thick as you like, and build your sandwich. I put the coleslaw on the bottom, added a generous helping of corned beef on top of the coleslaw, 2 slices of Swiss cheese on top of the corned beef, 2 thick pickles on top of the Swiss cheese, and a generous dollop of spicy brown mustard to top it off.

we served ours up with some chips and kraut Delicious for lunch or supper if you choose to make the coleslaw yourself it sounds rather easy:
 roughly chopped a half of a small cabbage, shredded a small carrot, a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise, 1 tbsp. vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, about a tsp of mustard, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper, all combined and chilled for about an hour.

Corned Beef Very Versatile

It's that special day better wear green or someone may << Pinch>> you. Its also that time of year where you may smell corned beef and cabbage in the air I do not come from an Irish family but my mom did make what she refereed to as hash. It was hamburgers and potatoes mixed together, a long way off from the traditional Hash that is devoured on St. Patrick's day.

Corned beef can be served a variety of ways. From sandwiches to potato casserole  to the recipe we are sharing today cornbeef and cabbage.

1 1/2 – cups water
4 – lbs corned beef
1 – onion
spice packet: come included with the corned beef ( mustard seeds, coriander, black peppercorns, and bay leaf)
2 – sprigs of thyme
1 – teaspoon ground mustard
1 – head of cabbage
10 – baby carrots (optional)
1 – teaspoon olive oil
10 – yellow potatoes
1 – teaspoon sea salt

Pour water into a slow cooker, then place corned beef, and onion inside slow cooker.
Sprinkle the spice packet over the corned beef. Then sprinkle the ground mustard over the top, and add the thyme to the top.

Cover and cook for about 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
While the corned beef is cooking steam the cabbage and roast the potatoes an hour before dinner time.
Cut the cabbage in 4 equal pieces, then place them in a steamer basket inside a dutch oven with about an inch of water at the bottom of the pot. Place a lid over the dutch oven and place over a medium high flame and steam for 40 minutes. You can add carrots to the cabbage if you would like.

To cook the potatoes: place them on a baking tray and drizzle olive oil over the top and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake at 400 degrees fahrenheit for 45 minutes. 
When corned beef is ready. Remove from the slower cooker and place under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes or until slightly browned on top.

Let the corned beef rest for 15 minutes before slicing it. 

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Frivolity Friday

Hodge Podge Wednesday

Best Place we have been was mostly likely when we had a family meal at

What's something you should say yes to today? Or this week? Or even this year?

I said yes to a day a bit slower today on my day off, this week I need to say yes to a bit of O.T at work and this year I hope to say yes to a few trips to get away

Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day in any way, shape, or form? If so tell us how. In Western cultures the color green is typically associated with jealousy, nature, good luck, and growth. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word 'green'?

we love St. Patricks day who wouldn't a time to wear green, have a bit of fun, a bit of green goodness why would we want to miss that??

 What's a product or service you love so much you'd happily be their spokesperson? Tell us what makes you such a fan.

The answer to this most likely would be neosporin. We use it all the time and for so many different things I am not sure where we would be without it

Random Thoughts today have been around getting away for a much needed weekend. Simply can not wait

shared at
Hodge Podge Wednesday
friendship friday 

Turkey Vulture

Turkey vultures are medium in size when compared to other vultures. Colors are primarily black with a red featherless head and upper neck. This type of bird often holds its wings in a shallow V in flight. Turkey vultures depend on a sense of smell to find food. 

Turkey vultures can be found in the United States. Winters are often spent in the southwest and eastern U.S. Environment of choice include deciduous forests and woodlands. They are often found flying over farmlands. 

Dining of choice is primarily dead animals. They can easily scent decay that has recently began. If they can not find food of choice they will select decaying vegetables, live insects or fish.

Turkey vultures have a peculiar way of depending on who to nest with . On the ground several birds will gather in circle and begin to hop in a ritualized manner. These birds will hold their wings partly spread. In the air, another bird will begin to follow another the birds will then begin to flap their wings and dive. These vultures will build nest inside hollow trees or logs, in crevices in cliffs, under rocks, in caves, inside dense thickets or in old buildings. The nest is a loose interpretation of that as the eggs are often simply laid on debris or on flat bottom nest site.

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wonderful wednesday

MS awareness

The many years I have worked as a NA I have seen many good and bad times. One of the saddest cases and one that I wish I could have changed was a lady who had Multiple sclerosis. It was in late stages by the time I started to take care of her and the pain was astounding. MS is a potentially in the case I speak it was definitely a disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (CNS-- central nervous system) 

MS turns the immune system against the individual in that the immune system will attack the protective covering of the nerve fibers. This in turn will cause communication problems between your brain and body. The disease will cause the nerves to deteriorate in the long run. 

MS diagnosis depends on the amount of nerve damage and where the nerves are affected. Individuals will often loose the ability to walk. At times there are moments of remission as well. There is no cure for multiple sclerosis but there is treatment. Treatment will help speed recovery from attacks, modify the course of the disease and manage symptoms. 

Signs and symptoms of MS include:

• numbness or weakness in one or more limbs that typically occurs on one side of your body at a time, or the legs and trunk 
• Partial or complete loss of vision, usually in one eye at a time, often with pain during eye movement 
• Prolonged double vision
• Tingling or pain in parts of your body 
• Electric-shock sensations that occur with certain neck movements, especially bending the neck forward 
• Tremor, lack of coordination or unsteady gait 
• Slurred speech 
• Fatigue 
• Dizziness
• Problems with bowel and bladder function

If you experience any of the above with unexplained reasons you need to see a dr. 

Bleeding disorders

A bleeding disorder is a condition that affects the way your blood normally clots. Coagulation is the name of the clotting process that changes blood from a liquid to a solid. You may have noticed that when your injured your blood normally begins to clot to prevent a massive loss of blood. When ones blood does not clot properly bleeding may be heavy and prolonged. 

When there are issues with abnormal bleeding outside and / or inside the body it is primarily due to a bleeding disorder. Bleeding disorders can increase the amount of blood leaving your body, bleeding to occur under the skin or in organs such as the brain. 

Blood clotting depends on blood proteins called clotting factors and blood cells called platelets. Platelets will normally clump together to form a plug at the site of a damaged or injured blood vessel A fibrin clot happens when the clotting factors mix. The platelets will then stay in place and prevent blood from flowing out of the blood vessel. If a bleeding disorder is present the clotting factors or platelets will not work properly or be in short supply.  If the blood does not clot, excessive or prolonged bleeding occurs. This in turn can lead to sudden bleeding in muscles, joints or other body parts. 

Many bleeding disorders can be inherited from a parent and passed to a child. Medical conditions may also cause bleeding disorders to occur. Other reasons for bleeding disorders occur because of low red blood cell count, vitamin K deficiency, and / or side effects of medications. These medications are known as anticoagulants. 

Signs of bleeding disorder may vary depending on the type but signs may include:

• unexplained and easy bruising
• heavy menstrual bleeding 
• frequent nose bleeds 
• excessive bleeding from small cuts or an injury

One or more of these symptoms should be reason enough to schedule an appointment with your doctor. Your doctor can diagnose your condition and help prevent complications of blood disorders

When you contact your doctor the first thing they may do is inquire about your symptoms and medical history. Often a physical exam will be done. Be sure to let the doctor know when the bleeding occurs and how long it lasts. Medications and vitamins that you take and when the bleeding began should help your doctor with a diagnosis as well. Blood test may be ran. These test often include:

• CBC that measures red and white blood cells in your body
• platelet aggregation test 
• test to see how long it takes your blood to clot 

Consider Giving The Gift of Sight

There is so much beauty in this world that we have been blessed with. sadly there are those that will never get to see the world as we do. Those individuals have either been born without sight or lost it somehow. Would it not be wonderful if there was a way to transplant eyes into someone and let them see the world as we do??  Sadly, there is no such thing as a whole eye transplant and if there was it would not work without the transfer of the optic nerve as well. 

It is the optic nerve that goes directly to the brain. For many that are blind have a damaged optic nerve. There are some cases that the eye itself has no issues at all but the optic nerve has been damaged. However , there are transplants of the eye. These transplants deal with the cornea of the eye. The cornea is the clear part of the eye that you see through. 

Eyes are taken from individuals directly after death. Just like a blood bank there is an eye bank for cornea tissue. The corneas collected is matched to those needing eyes. Cornea transplants help many and some may and are children. Individuals injured while playing sports or doing a hazardous job. Most individuals who are blind will not benefit from cornea transplants. 

Our Menu and a List of Kitchen Chores Kids Can Do

Looking at the schedule this will be a busy week Great time for a menu that will help us get through it with ease. So what will we have for dinner??

Monday:
Salisbury steak, beans, dump cake 

Tuesday:
meatball subs, homemade chips

Wednesday:
busy night so we will be having chili dogs, mac n cheese and cookies

Thursday:
this is kids night to cook, not sure what I will help them make. If you ever wonder what stage of cooking your child may be at check here

Friday:
meatloaf, twice baked potato, pudding

Saturday:
family night out

Sunday
we either go somewhere or we will serve leftovers

shared at Menu Plan Monday

Save Your Vision

Each year more than 20 million Americans suffer from severe vision loss. Not all eye diseases can be prevented but there are simple steps you do to help your eyes remain healthy. A few ways to help reduce their chances of vision loss in the future include:

With computers becoming more and more dominant in the work place as well as home individuals find their selves on them more as well. One thing to remember when using computers for long periods of time is to take breaks. Avoid digital eye strain by following the 20/20/20 rule. For every 20 minutes on the computer look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This allows your eyes a short break.

Protecting our eyes from the sun is important for eye health as well. Sunglasses that block 99% - 100% of UVA and UVB light rays can help reduce your chances of cataracts and age related macular degeneration. Cataracts are often the cause of vision loss in adults over 40. They affect just under 1 million adults in the state of Ohio. In older Americans it is macular degeneration that is the most common cause of vision loss.

Eat certain foods to provide nutritin to help prevent eye diseases and vision loss as you age. Leafy greens like kale and spinach are good powerful antioxidants help prevent eye damage from sunlight, smoke and air pollution. Collard greens, broccoli and kiwi benefit the eyes as well. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that is beneficial as well.


IF you like what your read then check out one of these related post

Save Your Vision
eye prevention month
cataract awareness 

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Inspire Me Monday 
BFF Party

How To Fix a Leaky Faucet

There are a few plumbing jobs that you can do yourself if you have a few items in your toolbox. Items such as:

• Plunger (one for the sink and one for the toilet)
• Adjustable wrench
• Screwdriver
• Pliers
• Utility Knife
• Plumbing Tape
• Caulking Gun

Fixing a leaky faucet is a job that should be able to be completed easily. To find out how your exact faucet can be taken apart check for online instructions. If it is just a slow drip then more than likely you simply have to replace a washer, know what size you need before buying a new one. 

First take off the tap's cover to remove the handle Undo the screw and remove the handle. If the faucet has a metal cover, unscrew it by hand, or use a wrench or tap spinner. Replace the bonnet and spindle. Put the faucet back together, turn it off and turn the water back on. 

PROPER REPAIRS. Using a spanner, take off the tap's cover to remove the handle. ...

Undo the screw and remove the handle. If the tap has a metal cover, unscrew it by hand, or use a wrench or tap spanner.

Refit the bonnet and spindle. ...

Put the tap back together, turn it off, and turn the water main back on.

If you found this post useful and helpful check out one of the following as well

time to spring clean
create compost
cleaning grout 

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Over The Moon Post