How To Play Pickleball (Or How Not to Play)

Since some of you who read my previous post on "10 Things That Make Me Happy" commented you did not know what Pickleball was, I thought you might enjoy a short video of my husband playing.  I included captions that give basic tips on how to play.  I am hoping that my husband will take some video of my play too because I'd really like to see what that looks like.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the video.  Here are the rules:

1)  You only score when your side serves, must serve underhand, behind the base line, over the net and land in the blue area cross court.

2)  The no volley zone (also called the kitchen) is the 7 ft. deep space adjacent to the net on both sides.  Players cannot hit the ball on a fly while standing inside the kitchen, must wait for it to bounce in order to hit the ball while in the no volley zone.

3)  Servers switch sides with their partner after scoring points.

4)  At the very beginning of the game, after the initial server loses the serve, the other team gets to serve.  However, from then on, once the first server on a team fails to score, his partner gets to serve--like a second chance!  Once both partners fail to score, then they lose the serve and the other team gets to serve.

5)  On the serve and return of serve, players must let the ball bounce once on their side of the court before hitting it.

6)  Whichever team gets to 11 points first wins, but they have to win by 2 points.

7)  The receiving team must call a ball out of bounds if it misses the sideline or baseline.  If the ball hits the player or their paddle, it counts as in.

8)  If players cannot tell if the ball was out on their side or if one partner calls it out and other other partner calls it in, it's in.  In other words, if there is doubt, the call goes in favor of the team who hit the ball.

9)  Have fun!

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Have You Swept Your Grass Lately?

I looked out the window and saw my husband actually sweeping our front lawn!  I never saw anyone do this before so had to get a video of him doing it.  When I asked him why he was sweeping the grass, he said he was spreading out the clumps made from when he cut it.  I may laugh, but it did look better where he had swept.  Do you ever sweep your lawn?  Have you ever seen anyone do this before?

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Friday Fragments (travel, sports, books)

Friday Fragments is hosted by Half Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. I have a few this week:

A Trip I'd Like

Over at Snoopy's blog, I saw some very interesting pictures from a trip his mom and dad took down the Amazon, including dogs they saw along the way!  The post is titled "Dogs of the Amazon" but it has pictures of lots of other critters too!

Travel Tips

We don't travel but I came across a very helpful post for those who do at It's Just Life--"Traveling? Take These Along!" She gives a list of items to pack that could be quite useful!   I think this was the most helpful post I read this week.

Paraplegic Hockey

I was intrigued when I watched a bit of a hockey game played by paralegics between the USA and Russia. They sat on a what looked like a big skate using two sticks to slide themselves along on the ice. I struck me most was that there were actually that many paralegic hockey players and that they were so fast!

Good Neighbors

We live on a fairly long street near the one end so walking from the bus stop with snow and ice on the ground and a cold wind blowing more snow in my face is not very fun. I usually walk in the street at the side and am thankful when neighbors see me and stop to give me a lift. We have some very nice people on our street!

Civil War Christian Fiction

I just finished reading another Civil War fiction series by Lauraine Snelling consisting of The Daughter of Twin Oaks, Sisters of the Confederacy, and A Long Way Home. I enjoyed this series very much because of the well developed characters, the adventure and lots of action, and the fact that it is Christian fiction so swear words and steamy sex scenes are omitted. Reading this kind of book helps me keep my problems in perspective.  This series is about saving their race horses, protecting the freed slaves, the separation of families that the war caused, life on a wagon train, how people assisted in the war effort, and how far people will go to protect their loved ones and help others.


What did you find interesting this week?  Have you read anything good lately?

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3 Good Things

As of yesterday, I am staring a new habit of listing three good things that happened during the day.  According to "The Amazing Five-Minute Trick That Improves Your Mood and Builds Your Bones" doing this will help me feel better and help my bones.  I don't know about that, but what have I got to lose?  It suggests that at the end of every day, you evaluate your day and list three good things that happened.  It's so easy to let the bad things that happen get our attention and steel our joy wiping out the good things.  Like yesterday, for example, lots of good things happened:

1. Got a free bus ride to work because the ticket gadget wasn't working.
2. Got Christmas presents from all four of my bosses!
3. Even one of my former bosses visited and brought me some candy!
4. The garage guy called to say he could fix our garage door tomorrow morning.
5. Had an easy work day.
6. Hubby got paid today.
7. I gave away four more of our extra 2014 calendars today.

What about you?  What good things happened to you yesterday or today?

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Friday Fragments (funny, authors, tips, crafts, learning)

Friday Fragments is hosted by Unknown Mama for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post to give Mrs. 4444 a break for the summer. Here we go:

Laugh

This video made me laugh out loud when I saw it this week. I would like one of these to wear when I greet at church!

5 THINGS WE LEARNED THIS WEEK:

Cowboy Vest Craft

Helping in a group of 80-100 kindergartners for VBS takes a lot of time on preparation. We both learned how to make a cowboy vest using a paper bag. You can too by following the instructions listed in yesterday's post. Gerard will be working in this group this week and had to make 50 cowboy vests out of paper bags. Lots of cutting and taping. We worked on cutting them out while we watched most of the Indians game last Sunday and Joel Osteen. Then I taped around the neck of them and did a little Monday through Wednesday to get them all done. Whew! This is one reason I don't like to work in the younger groups.  It's actually a pretty neat craft--older kids could make their own though. I think the kids will love these--they get to color patches and glue them on! (At least we didn't have to do that part.)

Authors

I discovered some new authors this week after reading A Bride For All Seasons--Mail-Order Bride Collection. Four authors contributed to this book containing four historical romance novellas that I thoroughly enjoyed. I already read some of Mary Connealy's books but also look forward to reading more of Margaret Brownley, Debra Clopton, and Robin Lee Hatcher's. Have you read any by these authors--recommendations of what to start with?

Just Right-Click

Pic I made my big discovery on

All my blogging skill I learned along the way on me own with a little help from other bloggers. I am still learning! I started blogging in 2008 and just now discovered that when loading pics from my camera to the computer, all I need to do is right-click on a pic and choose the rotate counterclockwise option from the drop down menu to change it to portrait from landscape! All this time I was saving it to my computer, then opening it up and then choosing rotate.

Juggling Update

My juggling is coming along and I am confident I can learn this. I'm practicing with two balls now! Are you currently trying to learn something new?

Dog TV

A new channel is coming soon for dogs! Yes, it is for dogs who are home alone all day to watch. Abby is not a big TV watcher, but Gerard is eager to see this. Get more details at dogtv.com. Do you think your dog would like it?

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Sunday Sharing: A Direct Line To God and a Password Tip

Happy Easter Everyone!

This week I have chosen two verses as my highlights of the week that both relate to prayer:

Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you.  Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered.  (John 15:7 - Jesus speaking)

You will ask the Father in my name, and I won't have to ask Him for you.  (John 16:26 - Jesus speaking)

Isn't it wonderful that because of Jesus' death and resurrection, we can have a relationship with the God of the universe!  I don't know about you, but that just blows me away.  I love that I can talk to God in prayer anytime, anywhere and know that He will answer.  It's like having a direct line to God without being put on hold or dropped into voice mail.  He is always ready, willing and available to listen.

I would like to point out though, an important couple points that jump out at me in these verses.  The first is that Jesus tells me to "stay joined" (contemporary English version) to Him and let His teachings become a part of me.  The obvious question is, how exactly do I do that?  I think the key is to be willing to obey His Word and actually apply it in my life.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, praise the Lord, I can do that!  I have finally grown in my spiritual walk to actually get to the place where I look forward to reading the Bible some every day.  It does help me to jot down a verse that I especially find interesting and then choose a highlight for the week. By using different verses for my passwords, it helps me to keep them in my mind.  (see end of this post for example).

The second point from the next verse is to ask the Father in Jesus' name.  I know sometimes people pray, especially at public functions, when they do not do this.  There is power in the name of Jesus and we are told by Jesus himself to pray to God the Father in His name. 

Once again, it was difficult choosing just one highlight.  Other verses I considered choosing were John 17:3, John 18:4-6 and John 18:36.  I hope you read your Bible each day and develop a close personal relationship with God too.  Happy Easter as we all join together in celebrating Christ's death for us and His resurrection!

Password tip idea:

 Keeping in mind that a strong password is long but easy to remember, has numbers and letters, isn't a word found in the dictionary, here is an example of a strong password using a Bible verse:  ItbGcthateGen11 (Just use the first letter of the words, the first letter of the book where it's found or the abbreviation for the boo and the chapter and verse.  This example is Genesis 1:1 which says, In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.  To make it even stronger, substitute a special character for the comma and/or period. 

So, what is your scripture highlight of the week?  (I'd love to know what you think of my password tip too!  Don't worry, I am not using this one for any of my passwords.)

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10 Friday Fragments (pets, zoo, news, books, tips, computer)

Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. Here we go:

Please Vote For Manny Boy and Me

It's time to vote in the Valentine's Day Contest on Facebook for our entry. It is a cropped picture of Manny laying on my legs while I pet his head while watching TV. He absolutely loves this and the idea of the contest is to choose a picture that shows our love for our cat.  Voting goes through Feb. 28.  (The winner gets a $100 PetSmart gift card!)

 

  Scratch Reflex

Oh yeah!

I read in "Have A Good Day, Feb. 2013" that if you scratch a special spot on a dog's belly or flank, that it sends his leg kicking like crazy. That response is called the "scratch reflex" which is similar to when someone hits that special spot on our knee that automatically sends our leg kicking.

Zoo Addition

In 2014, the Cleveland Metropark Zoo will be getting a wildlife carousel with 64 hand-carved wooden animals on it.

Warning

Don't get Anti-Skid Ice Melt. Read our What They Don't Tell You post to find out why.

Suicide

Don't worry, we are not committing suicide, but according to USA TODAY, there are 19,000 suicides in the USA every year! Gerard's book of the month, You Before Me by Jojo Moyes, deals with this issue. It's a fantastic read! Click on the link here to see his review.

Productivity

According to USA TODAY, 44% said they are more productive at work if they go out to lunch. Gerard always eats lunch in; maybe he should go out?

Second Opinion

I never knew our immune system could actually attack our brains until reading Brain On Fire--My Month of Madness by Susan Cahala. Now I see why it's wise to get a second opinion when being diagnosed. This is a non-fiction medical thriller that's really scary! Click the link for our review--we both read this one!  We are giving this away to the first U.S. citizen who states they would like it in a comment on our review.

 

Pillows

Over at The Modern Mom I learned that if you put a flat lumpy pillow into the dryer with a couple tennis balls and run it on low heat for 30 minutes, it will perk up.

Computer War

I've had some troubles this week with my Firefox browser. I updated it and chose a Boston Bruins persona which stayed about 3 days and then it was back to the generic gray. It took me awhile to find the selections again, but I went back to the solid yellow one. I just like something more cheerful than black on top and that I can easily read. I also had trouble with some of my pictures not loading in my header and in my Note Card Party Post. If I click on the black spot where the picture should be, it does come up in another viewer so I can see it. What's going on?

Captions

In my Note Card Party Post:  Wildlife in Winter (1), we got lots of good caption suggestions for the first one I didn't have one for. I think I like "Shouldn't I be hibernating right now?" best. Which do you like best for this bear pic for a note card?  Thanks for all the suggestions and comments!

• Shouldn't I be hibernating right now?
• Let's get together for lunch!
• I can't bear to be without you!
• Unbearable Day?
• Nobody can fill your paws!
• Something got you growling?
• It's so cold out here, I can't bear it?
• Thank you for visiting my cave!

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Where Does Our Money Go?

Our 2012 Spending

In setting up a monthly budget, I started by looking at how we spent our money in 2012.  The percentages are based on our income after taxes.  We were given a the following guidelines at church to assist us in setting up a budget.  The Bible has a lot to say about money, part of which is being a good steward of the resources God has given us.

Suggested Spending Plan Guidelines:

10-15%  Giving (church and other contributions)
5-10%    Saving (emergency, replacement, long term)
0-10%    Debt (loans, credit cards)
25-38%  Housing (mortgage/rent/maintenance/utilities, Internet, Cable TV, Yard, improvements/repairs)
12-15%  Transportation (auto repairs, maintenance, gas, bus, license, payments)
5%          Insurance (auto, homeowners, life, medical/dental, other)
15-25%  Household/personal (groceries, clothes/gifts, household items, toiletries, cleaning supplies)
5-10%    Entertainment (vacation, trips, restaurants, babysitting, education, hobbies, movies, sports)
5-15%    Professional Services (medical, childcare, legal, counseling)
2-3%      Misc., small cash expenses

In the handout, I noticed that pets were not listed anywhere so I included them in the Entertainment category! Our miscellaneous item was postage but was so small it didn't even amount to 1%.  I was happy to see our budget is in line with the suggested guidelines, or in most cases, even better!  Now I just need to apply these percentages to our monthly income to get a monthly budget plan.  I love that big chunk of savings which includes our 401k contributions and bank savings.  As we get closer to retirement, I think we need to save as much as possible.

Do you have a spending plan (budget)? 

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6 Tips For Making Your Passwords Strong

As part of information security at work we got an email about having to change our passwords every 120 days and tips for making strong passwords. (No, Beaded Tail, just because you can't remember it doesn't necessarily mean it is strong. A skilled hacker could figure it out!) When reviewing all my personal passwords, I was a bit surprised that out of 50, only 12 met these requirements! I thought my readers may find this information enlightening and helpful as well so am sharing it with you. It's definitely time for me to change my passwords even though it's a pain.

1. Do NOT use a dictionary word as your password. (If you must, string several together) 


2. Do NOT use standard number substitutions. Think "P455w0rd" is a good password? N0p3! Here I thought I was being so clever and that I had a very strong password by doing this but cracking tools now have those built in. 


3. Make it long. (The longer, the better!) Today's processing speeds mean that even a short weird password like "h6!r$q" is quickly crackable!


4. Use different passwords. If one is hacked, and you use it on all or many of your accounts, the hacker then has access to all of them! This would be very bad!


5. Give bogus answers to security questions but make your answers memorable. Think of them as a secondary password.


6. Use a mix of Alpha, Numeric, Capital letters and Special Characters.

Here's a couple things you can do to protect against hackers:

1. Use a unique, secure email address for password recoveries. If a hacker knows where your password reset goes, that's a line of attack. Create a special account you never use for communications and make sure to choose a username that isn't tied to your name so it can't be easily guessed.


2. Opt out of Spokeo and WhitePages.com. One of the easiest ways to hack into an account is through your email and billing address information.

Now, are you going to actually use this information to improve your security? Maybe it's time for you to replace your passwords with some new ones. Let the fun begin!

Source:  Tips from Wired magazine, December, "Kill The Password"

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Tips on How To Make Your Buffet Table Beautiful

A Thanksgiving Holiday Buffet (Image from Side-by-Side Facebook Page with permission)

First of all, these are all tips I got from Julie, the hospitality workshop speaker at this month's Women of Wonder (W.O.W.) meeting at Parma Heights Baptist Church.

1)  Cover table with 3-5 different pieces of material (big napkins draped, basic white base).

2)  Add boxes to create tiers for bringing food dishes and center piece up higher.
 
3)  Use pretty platters and bowls.
 
4)  Keep cold food cold by using one bowl with crushed ice and set a smaller bowl with the food on top of it.  

5)  Use warming trays to keep the hot food hot, hide cords under material.
 
6)  Add protected candles and put a layer of little colorful Styrofoam balls around the base.
 
7)  Fill in the lower parts of the table with greenery, pine cones and ornaments.
 
8)  Add a string of small lights among the greenery.
 
9)  Label all the food dishes and add a warning if nuts are in it.
 
10)  Set up the drinks/punch bowl at a separate table.
 
11)  Set up a special buffet table for the kids with foods they like.

12)  Martini glasses work well for holding candy and/or nuts.

13)  Wait until the guests all leave before cleaning up--enjoy spending time with your company!  (I really like this one!)
 
14)  Have some music playing softly.

 I asked Julie what she included on the menu for a Christmas buffet and here is what she said:

My menu I had planned for that buffet is:  Turkey and Ham croissants, Holiday Potatoes, sweet potato crunch, Waldorf Salad, Sweet and sour cabbage salad, asst. olives, vegetable tray shaped as a wreath.  For Dessert I planned a heath bar triffle, mini choc mouse cups and mini cherry cheesecakes.  I also had tall martini glasses filled with chocolate mints and kisses.   For the beverage I will have a lime punch, which is a combo of 7-up, limeade and lime sherbert. 

I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture of the sample buffet table she had set up but I left my camera in my jacket in the other room.  The greens, ornaments, pine cones and lights really made the table look wonderful!  Hope you can use some of these suggestions for your holiday entertaining.  Thank you, Julie, for doing this fantastic workshop!

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7 Good Health Habits I Actually Have

Karen Golfing at Shawnee Hill Golf Course

I came across this video by Dr. Oz last week sharing 7 Habits of Thin People and thought I measured up pretty well. Below is a list of the points he mentions and how I measure up:

1. Exercise before breakfast. I have found that this is the best time for me to get exercise into my day and was happy to see that it is on this list! I’ve been doing just about 15 min. of in-home exercises before I get dressed. That way, I get it in!

2. Eat small meals through the day rather than big ones. No kidding! This is just common sense and I usually do this. At the fitness class I am currently in, the one nutritionist told us that we should use the 95-5% rule which is that if we eat right and do what we should 95% of the time, then it is okay to go ahead and splurge 5% of the time. For me, a normal week consists of three small meals a day with a couple morning snacks. I only have one big meal once a week on the weekend when we go out to eat breakfast. Even that one, I cut down from what I used to eat at Hometown Buffet since we switched to Denney’s.

3. Eat slower and savor your food. I do savor my food but could probably eat even a little slower. Gerard eats slower than I do because he generally reads while he eats.

4. Eat breakfast every day! I love breakfast and have no problem with this at all. I actually look forward to breakfast. It makes sense to eat more calories at the beginning of the day to fuel up so that you have energy during the day to do things and time to burn them up before going to bed.

5. Weigh-in regularly and journal progress. Well, I do check my weight at least once a week. I used to journal my progress when I worked out at the gym, which I’ve pretty much stopped doing. I just got tired of it and decided to exercise at home instead and just try getting more active during the summer.

6. Have a fitness hobby outside of the gym. I really like this one because it’s more fun. I look forward to playing tennis and walking more again as the weather gets warmer. Maybe I'll even get some golf in this summer--it's good exercise because we don't use golf carts when we go!

7. Drink lots of water (32-64 oz.) is what I’ve been told. I do good on this Monday through Saturday but should really increase my intake on Sunday. For some reason, I just don’t think about it as much on Sunday.

How do you measure up?

(50 cents per legitimate comment during May goes to Joni and Friends for family retreat scholarships for those having special needs children.)

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5 Things We Learned This Week 15 of 2012 (charity, ants, safety, MLB)

 

Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. We like to share what we've learned each week.

1. Comments For Charity

   The total comments for March on our blogs was 216 so we donated $108 to The American Cancer Society, split between Louise at Country Pictures and Mrs. 4444 and her Difference Makers at Half-Past Kissin' Time. For April, our charity is the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

2. Ants

   Over at Modern Mom, I found out ants hate coffee. She suggests putting dry coffee grounds in a paper bag on your counters and in cupboards where you found ants and could also spread some around the perimeter of your house to keep them away.

3. Crime Prevention

   I attended a Street Smart Crime Prevention at work and learned several things regarding personal safety, one of which was not to walk and read at the same time which I used to do every day on my breaks and at lunch. I posted my notes on this blog in case you missed them, here are the links: Part 1, Part 2.

4. Orange and April

   I learned this week that April is Animal Cruelty Awareness month and the color to wear is orange to show your support. (Kind of like pink for breast cancer.) You can donate to the American Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to support this cause. 

5. Longest Opener

   The Cleveland Indians lost to the Royals  Toronto Blue Jays in their home opener thanks to a blown save in the 9th that launched the game into 16 innings, the longest opener in the history of major league baseball. “I feel terrible,” said Perez. “Everyone did their job today but me.” This makes four losses in a row for Cleveland home openers. Oh, and out of the 16 innings, the Indians only scored in one of them. On a brighter note, they had a pretty good season last year so I'm still optimistic. It was cold too, not good baseball weather. I felt sorry for the players and the fans who went. See: Wrong Side of History--Indians Lose Longest Opening Day Game.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE--HOPE YOU ALL ATTEND A CHURCH THIS SUNDAY TO CELEBRATE JESUS CHRIST'S RESURRECTION  AND OUR NEW LIFE IN HIM!

Have some marshmallow eggs too--they are my favorite Easter candy!

(50 cents per legitimate comment during April goes to Paralyzed Veterans of America--maybe next month will be ASPCA.)

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14 Street Smart Crime Prevention Tips--Part 2

I am continuing the tips from Tim Dimoff that he gave in a seminar at my place of employment last Friday. Part 1 was yesterday.

Here are 14 Rules that Tim Dimoff gave to help prevent you from becoming a victim to crime:

Rule #1--Pretend to be a criminal. Think where would you hide if you were a criminal wanting to catch someone off guard? Who would be an easy target?

Rule #2--Pay Attention--Watch People. This takes away the element of surprise. By increasing your circle of awareness to 360 degrees around you, cuts your chances of being attacked by 90%!

Rule #3--Avoid groups of strangers. There is a "pack mentality" so it is wise to avoid walking close to groups of teens at the mall or a group of guys hanging around a store or ally.

Rule #4--It's okay to profile. Trust your inner alarms. If someone looks suspicious or you feel as though someone is following you, look directly at them and change your direction. If they continue following you, head for a crowd of people, light or a noisy place.

Rule #5--No stranger needs to be closer to you than 5 feet. If someone approaches you for directions and is getting closer than that, just tell them to "stop, close enough" and you could back up.

Rule #6--Know when to retreat. Do not show fear, change direction and get away. Do not be afraid of hurting their feelings if someone is making you uncomfortable or you think they are doing something suspicious.

Rule #7--Watch to see who is watching you. If someone is watching you and you look directly at them letting them know you know they are watching you, chances are they will look away and choose a different target, one less aware.

Rule #8--Watch for people getting out of cars at parking lots. Have your keys ready as you approach your car and lock the doors as soon as you get in.

Rule #9--Run in direction of your choosing--towards people, lights, activity and noise. Do Not go anywhere with any predator--upset their game plan--if they ask for something, give it to them and walk away or run away. Don't discuss it. Drop it on the ground, turn and leave. Property can be replaced, your life cannot.

Rule #10--Do not allow yourself to be surrounded. Change direction if you sense more than one person coming at you.

Rule #11--Designate a meeting place for your family if get split up when on an outing. Have a code phrase for your family to use to convey danger-listen up.

Rule #12--If someone does get the drop on you, don't argue, increase distance between you and them if possible, give them something and turn and go in different direction. Don't get into a conversation.

Rule #13--If someone attacks you rather than asking for something, that is the time to fight back. Do not go with them to another location.

Rule #14--Avoid high risk behavior. Do not provoke an attack and be aware of your surroundings. Stay alert.

Tim Dimoff said we should go home and tell our families and friends these tips. I hope you will do the same by sharing this on Facebook, tweeting it, Google + it and talking about it. If you didn't see Part 1, please take a look at it as well and stay safe!

(50 cents per legitimate comment during April goes to Paralyzed Veterans of America.)

Here's Part 1 of the Street Smart Crime Prevention Tips if you missed it. Share this:

Street Smart Crime Prevention Tips--Part I

I am sharing notes I took at a seminar that Tim Dimoff (President and CEO of SACS Consulting and Investigative Services, Inc.) did at my place of employment last Friday.  He was in law enforcement, worked for the FBI and worked under cover with no weapons. He didn't give self-defense moves or tell us how to use weapons but he did tell us how to use our head to help prevent us from becoming victims of crime.

For instance, if you are driving home from work and stop at a light and a man with a gun jumps into your car from the passenger side and tells you to drive, what do you do? 
(a)  Argue with him
(b)  Cry
(c)  Do what he says
(d)  Floor the accelerator and drive into a pole or tree and wreck the car

The correct answer is d because then you changed his game plan.  He knows police will be called and respond and he has to get out of there.  The number one rule for crime prevention is NEVER EVER go to a new location with a predator because chances are you will be killed.

Awareness and Presence

Extend your circle of awareness when you walk.  Look around and be alert.  Do not look like a victim, unaware of your surroundings.  (I guess I shouldn't walk while reading on my breaks and at lunch downtown anymore.) 

If you think you are being followed, cross the street or change direction and look at the person you feel is following you.  Criminals do not like to be looked at.  They like the element of surprise.

Listen to what your gut is telling you and if you feel uncomfortable, head for light, people and noise. 

Criminals avoid victims who look like they will offer resistance, so stand tall, walk confidently, look around and make eye contact.  Do not get lost in electronics--(cell phones, Kindles, ipods).

Avoid parking next to vans.  If one is parked on your driver side, get in on the passenger side, lock the door and slide across the seat of your car. 

Do not let a stranger within 5 feet of you.  Maintain your personal space by backing up to increase the distance and just tell them to stop before they get too close. 

He said if you want to use a weapon, carry pepper spray rather than mace.  It is effective at a greater distance and you do not to be as accurate when aiming it.


(50 cents per legitimate comment during April goes to Paralyzed Veterans of America.)

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Christmas Ideas I Picked Up From Women of Wonder

I won this edible tree!!

Thursday I attended the Women of Wonder meeting at our church and WOW!  They really outdid themselves this time.  First off, I won a door prize!  I candy Christmas tree surrounded by Hershey kisses.  I already ate the top layer before I remembered to take this picture of it.

We had a full meal from Antonios including salad, rigatoni, chicken, pizza and three dessert choices!  What a great way to start a meeting!  Then, instead of sitting the whole time, we had three stations:  (1) ornament making; (2) hospitality tips, (3) Christmas traditions.

The Cinnamon Ornament

The dough was already made for us ahead (1 cup applesauce mixed with 1 cup of cinnamon). Roll it out 1/4" thick, use cookie cutters to make little ornaments, use a toothpick to make a hole for hanging with ribbon/string and then over a week, let it dry out remembering to flip it over every day. They smell good and also work for a package decoration.

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13 Things You Should Know About Cucumbers

I got these items (facts?) about cucumbers in an email and thought they were interesting. I don’t know if they are true or not, but thought I would share them with you.; Can you vouch for any of them?

1) Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2) Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

(I think this is true—cucumbers do perk me up.)

3) Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing spa-like fragrance.

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6 Grocery Shopping Tips For Speed And Efficiency

Here are grocery shopping tips that we use when we shop:

1. Use A checklist and have the items listed in order that you get them in the store. When we do our grocery shopping, we take along a list but just use it to check at the end to be sure we didn't forget anything. I have a list of our usual items on the computer that we just print out and use it as a checklist each week. By putting the items in order according to where they are in the store will save time if you follow your list along the way.

2. Eat before you do your food shopping. We always do our grocery shopping on Saturday after we had a big breakfast at Hometown Buffet. It helps us stick to our list.

3. Go together but split up the list. To save time, we go together but then we split up in the store. We each get the items that we generally eat. I have the cart and Gerard brings things to it. The other option that we have done was to just tear the list in half and each get their half and meet in the middle. This works assuming your list is in order as suggested in item 1 above.

4. When loading the cart, put heavy things in the far end. By doing this, when unloading it, the heavy things will be going on first so they do not crush into the lighter items.

5. Help bag. This is really a no-brainer, especially if there is not a bagger and just the cashier.

6. Use some boxes in your car for the bags of groceries. This will keep things from toppling over and falling out of the bags.

We took this little quiz to see what kind of shoppers we were and here is the results:

We Are Quick Shoppers

You're a speedy shopper and a speedy cook. You value efficiency above all else. You don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen... or in the grocery store! You buy a lot of convenience foods, and you've got making quick meals at home down to a science. You know what's cheap, healthy, and easy. You don't need a lot of fuss to eat well.

Why not take the quiz yourself and share your results in the comments?  Just click the link below.

What's Your Grocery Shopping Style?

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Get On The Do Not Call List

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month.
REMINDER..... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls.

.... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.
It is the National DO NOT CALL list It will only take a minute of your time.. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

It takes about 20 seconds.
https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx

This was too long to be included in our "Things We Learned This Week" post so I decided to make one just for this alone. I think it's really worth it. Now I have to get Gerard to do it for his phone!

7 Things We Learned in Week 6 of 2011 (tips, Cavs, shoes, email, Facebook, singles)

Uses For Aluminum Foil

Over at About.com I watched a short video that gives 5 Tips For using Aluminum Foil (besides just wrapping leftovers). (1) Unclumping brown sugar; (2) Ball it up and throw it the dryer to keep the static from your clothes; (3) to iron clothes; (4) sharpen scissors just by cutting it; (5) make a grilled cheese sandwich by using an iron!

CAVS

The Cleveland Cavaliers broke the NBA record for longest losing streak--with 25 and now have 26 losses in a row!

Wet Shoes

Stuffing newspaper inside wet shoes helps them dry faster.

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Best To Keep Your Blog Posts Short

According to our little survey on this blog, out of 24 people, only two preferred long posts (5 or more paragraphs). I really appreciate all who participated in this poll because I really wanted to know. I will try to keep my posts between 1-4 paragraphs most of the time. I also prefer shorter posts to long ones so glad to discover that I am not alone in this. Three to four paragraphs were most preferred by two votes.

That's all folks! Hope you enjoyed this post!

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