Vintage TV Moments from my Childhood

Sit back and take a stroll with me down memory lane....

Creative Way to Store & Measure Sodastream Flavored Syrups

For some reason, Sodastream bottles only come in boring colors in the US.  Black, White, Gray or for a small fortune, Chrome.  They have recently added a green and orange .5 liter twin pack to the line up, but If you don't mind taking a little trip, these varieties, plus a few more are available.  My personal favorite is the blue in the upper left.  All you have to do is go to Israel!

Just kidding!  There is a seller in Israel on Ebay that you can get them from.  Just search for Sodastream Bottles.  Now you have a bottle that stands out from the crowd and has a little zing!

Which brings us to our main discussion.  What to do with the bottles of flavor? hmmmm

Due to the design of the flavor bottles it is quite difficult to tell which bottle has which flavor unless you are looking at it straight on.  This is something I hope, but doubt, Sodastream designers would fix in the future.  If they would just print what was in the bottle on the side as well as the front of the bottle, then it would be easier to line them up and grab what you want with a glance.

If your tastes are like ours, then you like to have a variety of drinks to choose from depending on mood or time of day (caffeine/no caffeine).  We tend to have between 6-8 flavor bottles open

A Review of Sodastream (plus Creative Way to Store Flavoring + How to Measure)



The Genesis model that I am reviewing



As of this writing we have owned the Sodastream Genesis for 8 months (since Oct 2010) and use it multiple times a day.

One of our favorite things about the Sodastream is that we always have a variety of flavors on hand to choose from without having to either go to the store or have cases of drinks on hand at all times.  The latter is back breaking to haul into the house and in the course of a week the empties will fill a standard 13 Gal. size kitchen wastebasket we use for recyclables, not to mention the flavor I want might not be cold at the time I want it.

We each drink in excess of 2 liters a day (in South Texas it's really HOT) so as you can imagine it's gets both tiring and expensive to keep that much flavored drink in the house.  We are trying to increase our fluid intake to 3 liters per day to aid in weight loss so we only use the diet varieties, but the non-diet varieties contain only a third of the sugar and carbs of their brand name competitors.

For a complete nutritional breakdown and name brand comparisons, click here:  Sodastream Nutritional Information

Now the flavored syrups do not taste EXACTLY like their mainstream counterparts (trade secrets and patents), more like a generic version as you would find

Just like me, Romeo also has Wild Cousins

Jerry sent me this picture because it looks quite a bit like our little Romeo.  It's hard to see if you've never met Romeo, but I think it's the eyes.  Pomeranians are often called "Little Foxes" so the similarity is not a surprise.

I can't find an exact picture to capture the likeness and Romeo actually hates having his picture taken, so it's hard to get good shots of him.

Moving up in the world

Well today I learned that if you google "woman cute dogs" my blog comes back as the 113th result.  Woohoo!  Guess I'll have to work harder to bet into the double digits.

I am now up to 9 countries that have blog readers.  This week readers from Algeria and Bangladesh joined the fray.

In other news:

Of course, my mother who proclaims me to be the worst person on the face

Creative use of PVC Pipes

No longer - DESPERATELY SEEKING DENTAL WORK

**UPDATE**

Yay!  My brother developed an absess which sounds bad but is actually good!

Now the insurance is going to kick in and pay for his teeth to get fixed.  It will be a long painful process that will require some teeth being pulled and a denture being fitted, but his life will be so much better!
*****

Original Post: May 30, 2010


Does anyone know of a dental charity that is free or low cost? Here is my problem.
I am 13 years older than my youngest brother and was out of the house by the time he started kindergarten. My mother was very neglectful of him and he's only seen a dentist around twice in his life. As a result his teeth are in bad shape. My mother told me she had them fixed 2 years ago. I had a chance to visit him last weekend and was very shocked to find out she lied to me.

He is 24 years old, is attending college part time, a good looking guy, been married to a sweet girl for 3.5 years (who is also going to college) and has an

10 Most Pointless Salad Ingredients

10 Most Pointless Salad Ingredients | The Daily Meal

Just when you think your doing the right thing by having a salad...

I will not give up my cucumbers!  Or as I said as a child, cootmumbers.  But I will add some zuccini.

I love flavored croutons!!  Can't lose them, but will cut back a little

Iceberg lettuce I have always hated anyway so given a choice I will always take spinach or a spring greens mix

Onions - Don't use anyway and might I suggest to all of you in the workplace to leave them alone, for the rest of ours sake.  Please?

I do like cheese on my salad, but try to use a fat free or 2% cheese

Corn & Green beans?  Never heard of it on a salad.  I use broccoli or sugar snap peas

Chow mein noodles & Bacon - can live without

Alfalfa Sprouts - prefer Bean Sprouts anyway so no loss

Of course it doesn't really matter what is in your salad if you drown it in dressing.  Most dressngs are just flavored fat.  Make sure and read your labels and keep to light or fat free varieties

Update for May

Hey everyone!  Before I start, I just want to say that our hearts go out to our friends who lost a loved one this past month.  There were losses in many friends families and we hope all of you are doing well.

On a happier note, Patti & Scott became grandparents for the first time so Congrats to them!  It's really odd.  It seems that only yesterday all of our friends were becoming parents for the first time and I don't know if we are quite ready to be friends with grandparents!

Been really busy this past month finishing up training my boss on how to be a bookkeeper.  Finished that a couple of weeks ago so now I am focusing on Jerry and getting everything set up for the move. 

I know I've been a little remiss with the personal posts and other correspondence, just haven't felt very creative lately.  I guess it's a double edged sword. 

• The upside, I'm no longer doing the Riverdance in my sleep and the tremors in my hands and barely noticeable (and in fact wouldn't be noticed except by me & Jerry). 

A Poem for My Husband, Jerry

I thought this was a very touching poem.  Even though it shows a pomeranian, it expresses how I feel about Jerry every day of my life!  I think this would make wonderful wedding vows.

 

PS.  The Pom is the same coloring as Romeo and almost as adorable

Cooking & Cleaning? No thank you!

So after much consideration, I have determined that due to some freak of nature, my DNA does not include the "Housewife" gene. 

I enjoy being challenged at work.  Sure, when I'm at work I prefer to work alone and absolutely loathe having to be on the phone all day, but I miss the social interaction.  Interacting with people makes me happy!

When I'm at home, I just get depressed because I miss the interaction.  I don't want to clean, I really don't 'enjoy' cooking.  It's tolerable, but when you cook, then there's just more to clean which starts a vicious never ending cycle!

I know some woman just love being home, taking care of their man, but I was raised too independant for that.  My mentality is more "He's an adult.  He can take care of himself". 

I just don't know what to do with myself anymore.  What do housewives do?  REAL housewives that is, not the Bravo TV kind. 

So I got another message on Facebook. At least this one didn't call me a BBW!

Where do these losers come from and how do they find me? The only game I play is Bejeweled so it's not through gaming. At least this one was a little creative. I can just imagine him sitting in his underwear in squalor somewhere trolling profiles on FB and pasting this message to everyone he finds.

Parents - this is why FB is not for children! My profile is currently locked down to the "Friends Only" level and I got this:

May 19 at 5:19pm Report
wow........i am certainly speechless....what manner of beauty bestowed on one person. You must have been created on God's resting day.

The name is Bruce. i was looking perusing through a list of profiles when i found yours. i looked at it carefully and found out that we have lots in common, especially in the area of smiling like no one is watching, as ur picture suggested that. That is a very sexy picture u have there. it reminds me of the likes of the duchess of castle bridge, lady Jane who was made queen of England cos of her charming beauty, most catching enough she was a maid to the former queen Anna Boleyn when King Henry sited her in court (British History...tell u more later)lol. Hope u don't mind my humorous comparatives as i couldn't think of a better comparative than this.hehe. They were all damn beautiful.

Bruce .

Feeling Nostalgic Tonight. Here's my favorite Schoolhouse Rock!

Watchin Thundarr the Barbarian on Boomerang made me nostalgic for Saturday Morning Cartoons. What was your favorite?

The True Meaning of Christmas (I know, it's only May)

Yes, I realize it is only May, however watching Bones rerun on TNT that takes place on Christmas Eve, a line of dialougue was spoken that inspired me:

"Christmas is going home to Michigan and heading into the woods with your brothers to cut a 12 foot Christmas Tree.  You all decorate it together; brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews.  Forty people that all love you and are happy to see you.  That my friend is the true meaning of Christmas." 

-Dr. Zach Addy, Bones

I think the reason this touched me so much is that it is something I have always craved and never had.  I always wanted to be around all the other kids in my family with the Aunts & Uncles around laughing and carrying on.  I wanted that crazy Aunt who drank too much eggnog and the wacky Uncle that told inappropriate jokes around the kids.  Just to have family to be around for the holidays.

My brother & I were kept isolated from both sides of our family by geography.  That was one thing I loved about Jerry's family.  We always held family get togethers at our house with all the kids

True Cost of the Royal Family

No, I'm not British, but I just love this guy!



http://blog.cgpgrey.com/

Raising Amazing Children - by Monica Quiroga Maldonado



Monica Quiroga Maldonado

  A very dear friend of mine, Monica, wrote this and I felt compelled to share it with all of you:

Quite often, I am asked how I managed to raise such great kids; especially being a single mother with such humble beginnings. Whether it's Rico holding the door for people without being told, cleaning, taking out the trash, saying yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir or no sir; or Lynette excelling at school, in community service, or in a pageant, my children elicit raised eyebrows almost any where we go because they are so well mannered.

It wasn't easy, but it is doable. And, today, I will share my secrets with you.

1. START EARLY- my children, from the time they were old enough to crawl, have had their manners instilled in them. They never knew how to throw a tantrum, suck on a pacifier, or run around a restaurant.

2. BE JUDGMENTAL- If there is a child acting up in public, express your disgust with the behavior, i.e., "I can't believe anybody would let their kids act like that! What awful parents they must have; thank goodness YOU are better behaved."

3. BE A PAIN- know where your kids are, and make sure that they know that you know. For every ten times you trust them expressly, drop in on where they say they are going to be by surprise. That keeps them on their toes.

4. BE PUBLIC- make sure you have a positive reputation in your community. Do community service, join a church, be political- be ANYTHING that keeps your name and your kids in the public eye.

Vadrum Meets the Barber of Seville (Drum Video)

This guy is awesome!   He plays the drums to classical music. You can buy his music on iTunes.

What is the difference - UK, GB and Britian?

This guy speaks pretty fast, but his description is very clear cut and easy to follow.  I love his blog and will be posting more links to it in the future.

http://blog.cgpgrey.com/
http://blog.cgpgrey.com/the-difference-between-the-united-kingdom-great-britain-england-and-a-whole-lot-more/

Inspirational video about a floating football team

This video is a little long but is a wonderfully inspirational story about how if you want something badly enough, your dreams can come true!

What Not to Say in the Workplace

What Not to Say in the Workplace  

Don’t say: “That’s not my job.”
Why: If your superior asks you to do something, it is your job.
Instead say: “I’m not sure that should be my priority right now.” Then have a conversation with your boss about your responsibilities.

Don’t say: “This might sound stupid, but…”
Why: Never undermine your ideas by prefacing your remarks with wishy-washy language.
Instead say: What’s on your mind. It reinforces your credibility to present your ideas with confidence.

Don’t say: “I don’t have time to talk to you.”
Why: It’s plain rude, in person or on the phone.
Instead say: “I’m just finishing something up right now. Can I come by when I’m done?” Graciously explain why you can’t talk now, and suggest catching up at an appointed time later. Let phone calls go to voice mail until you can give callers your undivided attention.

What Not to Say in the Workplace 18 Common Phrases to Avoid in Conversation Real Simple

The Manslater: (Woman Language Translator)

This is friggin HILARIOUS!!!!!
Every guy needs one of these!

Vadrum Vs Tenacious D (Drum Video)

Had to post this for my hubby. He loves Tenacious D! It is a short one.



http://www.andreavadrucci.com/

Vadrum Meets Super Mario Bros (Drum Video)

This guy is so awesome!





http://www.andreavadrucci.com/

What Not to Say About Someone's Appearance

What Not to Say About Someone's Appearance

Don’t say: “You look tired.”
Why: It implies she doesn’t look good.
Instead say: “Is everything OK?” We often blurt the “tired” comment when we get the sense that the other person feels out of sorts. So just ask.

Don’t say: “Wow, you’ve lost a ton of weight!”
Why: To a newly trim person, it might give the impression that she used to look unattractive.
Instead say: “You look fantastic.” And leave it at that. If you’re curious about how she got so svelte, add, “What’s your secret?”

Don’t say: “You look good for your age.”
Why: Anything with a caveat like this is rude. It's saying, "You look great―compared with other old people. It's amazing you have all your own teeth."
Instead say: “You look great.”

Don’t say: “I could never wear that.”
Why: It can be misunderstood as a criticism. (“I could never wear that because it’s so ugly.”)
Instead say: “You look so good in skinny jeans.” If you slip, say something like “I could never wear that…because I wasn’t blessed with your long legs.”








18 Common Phrases to Avoid in Conversation Real Simple

Dog REALLY Wants to Play Fetch - Video

If Flapjack could talk, the Ultimate Dog Tease...

The Pogues = Hockey Mom??

OK.  Let me start off by saying I really do not usually have an opinion about artists that sell out and let Corporate America pervert their music in yet another attempt to sway us to part with our money by sparking fond memories of the Senior Prom while hawking their products.  BUT, one exception surfaced this past winter that annoys me like nails on a chalboard whenver I see it:

Why does this commercial annoy me so much you ask? Let me tell you.

The title of this commercial is Hockey Mom. The premise of this commercial, as I see it, is that with a hectic schedule with 3 active boys, the Subaru can handle the demands of your life all while keeping your family safe and sound.

However, the song playing during the duration is "If I Should Fall From Grace With God" by The Pogues'.  This particular song is about death and dying.  The title and chorus are essentially saying that if God has decided that it's my time to go, just let me go.  A very moronic choice of songs for a commercial advertising safety.  It is not a coincidence that the Subaru commercial is geared toward the demographic that would recognize the music, but how many of us want to be reminded of our free for all, no responsibilities youth, while being sold a "mini-van"?

I realize that the Pogues' are a more obscure band from the 1980's that played Irish Folk/Celtic Punk music, but their name alone is a variation shortened of póg mo thóin, meaning "kiss my arse".  Not exactly family friendly. 

If you like the music in the commercial, I encourage you to listen to more of their music and to give the whole Celtic Rock Genre a listen also.  Here are the lyrics to this awesome tune:

Fork Etiquette - Another Pet Peeve

I am in no means claiming to be Ms Suzy Manners or to posess perfect table etiquette, BUT, this one thing that I do notice and it annoys me! People who hold their forks and use them to illustrate points flicking little bits of food and saliva all over the table are one, but my BIGGEST pet peeve is holding the fork like a barbarian.

My BIL is the worst example I have ever seen of this. As a Navy Officer you would think they would have has SOME sort of basic etiquette instruction, but sadly his manners and etiquette did not improve. He holds his fork encased in his entire fist in a way that is hard to mimic and even harder to describe with words.

The best way I can describe it, is to imagine you were born without thumbs, and place the fork (or spoon) in your fist with all four fingers encasing it and using your wrist, either pierce or scoop the food onto the utensil (if it won't go on the utensil, use your fingers to give the food a nudge) and twist your wrist around to your mouth.

Now try that at home. It is very awkward. Watching it is completely appalling and barbaric. We only ate in public with him once after we were married because between the fork and his other table etiquette, it was embarassing.

Video Displaying How to Hold Fork

Stop Crazy Dog Behavior With the Pet Corrector

Don't know if it will work or not, but the video is hilarious!



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Guest Review: Stop Crazy Dog Behavior With the Pet Corrector