INHALER ADVISE

Here's some advise that I saw in Prevention magazine. A study says that 33% of asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients don't use their inhalers correctly. The best way to be sure that you do is to ask your doctor to demonstrate the proper use. This can cut the error rate by more than half.

I was feeling better today than I have felt in awhile. I went to get my hair done and then Marcy and I went to see our mother who is now bedridden. My coughing has not gone away so we didn't stay very long. Mom is too weak to get a cold. After we left there we went to visit with Chris for awhile. Now I am home and resting again. Boy, when we get old it sure takes quite a bit longer to recuperate, doesn't it???? Whewww!!

Those soda recipes that Chris gave sure would make someone feel better!!!! Yummmm!!!

MAKE OLD FASHION SODA

Chocolate cream soda
2 T of chocolate syrup
2 T of real cream or whole milk
3 T of chocolate or vanilla ice cream
Carbonated water to fill glass
This may be mixed in a blender. Of course you can use reduced fat items.

Vanilla cream soda
1 T of corn syrup
2 Drops of vanilla extract
2 T of real cream or whole milk
3 T of vanilla ice cream
Carbonated water to fill glass
Place the corn syrup in a glass and add the vanilla extract and cream or milk, then blend well. Add the ice cream and fill the glass with the carbonated water and mix well or use a blender.

Strawberry cream soda
1 T of strawberry jam
2 T of real cream or whole milk
3 T of strawberry ice cream
Carbonated water to fill glass
Place the strawberry jam, cream, or milk, and the ice cream in a glass. Fill glass with carbonated water. Mix well or blend.
The measurements are the glass with all the ingredients in it. I would say a 8-12 ounce glass, then pour it all in the blender. I think the blender will do a better job of mixing the ingredients. Of course, I would double the recipe. Hope your day is going well!

Strawberry Smoothies

Secret is flaxseed. This will keep you regular, if you know what I mean.
1 Cup refrigerated strawberry breeze juice
2 Cups ice
1 1/2 Cups frozen unsweetened strawberries
1/2 medium banana
2 T ground flaxseed
In a blender, combine all ingredients; cover and process until smooth. Serve immediately. I have been reading about the good properties of flaxseed. The National Cancer Institute has been studying flaxseed, it is an important source of "lignans," which are plant compounds that provide a specific fiber that may contain anticancer properties. It helps me with a daily tablet I take. Ask your doctor before you take ANYTHING NEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can add different fruits and juices to the recipe, use the fruits you enjoy the most. SMILE.........

MARCY'S HOT TODDY

Yes, this old cold is still lingering. I haven't had the awful body aches and fever, though, so I don't believe it's the flu. The other day Marcy convinced me to take the hot toddy concoction that sounds so gross. The way I was feeling I was willing to try anything at that point. The trick is to drink and get bundled up in the bed to sweat the cold out. Since I couldn't fall right to sleep I was too hot to stay under the covers completely and took the covers off for a few seconds. I put them back on and finally fell asleep. I was amazed at how much better I felt in the morning. I could still feel the effects of the cold, but, not as bad. I did it again the next night and it definitely works. Like I said, I still feel the cold and some congestion left and my voice isn't completely back yet, but, I would be worse off if I hadn't taken the toddy. So since this dreadful flu and cold is getting so many people down here goes a little something that might help.

MARCY'S HOT TODDY

1 cup of any brown liquor

1 1/2 cups of water

2 tea bags

1 whole onion. sliced

1 whole lemon, sliced

honey, to taste

Put all in a pot and bring to a boil. Pour the liquid in a cup and drink as soon as you can. Get in bed and wrap yourself in a blanket. I even slept in a sweatshirt.

My hair was a mess when I got up, but, I was feeling a little better. Give it a try. One of our nephews tried it (he's in his 30's) and he said it worked on him, too. My brother, Ricky, reminded me that our great-grandma Johnson used to talk about this without the onion. So it is an old remedy that works. The taste really wasn't bad, either. I hope this gives someone out there a little relief. Now I am going to wrestle on the Wii with Bill for awhile. Have a great day!!

CHEF'S SPICES

Five Spice Powder
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Teaspoon ground cloves
1 Teaspoon fennel seed
1 Teaspoon star anise
1 Teaspoon peppercorns, ground

Italian Herb
1 Teaspoon oregano
1 Teaspoon marjoram
1 Teaspoon thyme
1 Teaspoon basil
1 Teaspoon rosemary
1 Teaspoon sage

Seafood Seasoning
1 1/2 Teaspoon celery salt
3/4 Teaspoon paprika
3/4 Teaspoon ground mustard
1/8 Teaspoon cayenne pepper

Chili Powder
3 Tablespoons paprika
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
2 Tablespoons oregano
1 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder

Cinnamon Sugar--I love this sprinkled on buttered toast
7/8 Cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

Not a pretty day today. Cold on the way for the next couple of days. Not great weather but glad to be alive and well. Food for thought!

SWEET-SOUR GREEN BEANS

2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 bacon strips, diced
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 teaspoons brown sugar
3 teaspoons cider vinegar
Cook your green beans until crisp-tender. In a small skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Move to paper towel to drain. In the bacon drippings, saute onions. Stir in brown sugar and vinegar; heat through. Take drained green beans and place in serving bowl, stir in onion mixture and top with bacon. They say this makes 2 servings. Easy to double recipe. Great as a side dish to any meat.
Weather great and I am done with Monday's wash. Mom's phone service is back on since Saturday. My sister is there now because older sister and husband are on vacation for 3 weeks. I will take the next shift on the 7th. The Oscars were boring to me, who are these people? Have a good afternoon....

SKILLET CORN BREAD

4 T vegetable oil, divided
1 C self-rising white cornmeal
1 T sugar
1 egg
3/4 C buttermilk
Coat the bottom and sides of a small ovenproof skillet with 2 teaspoons oil. Heat skillet in 450 oven for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine cornmeal and sugar. In another bowl combine the egg, buttermilk, and remaining oil; stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened.
Remove skillet from the oven; carefully pour batter into skillet. Bake for 12-16 minutes or until golden brown and the toothpick comes out clean. Cut into wedges; serve warm.
This recipe is from a magazine my sister gave me called Reminisce. This magazine states that it brings back more good times and it does. If you want to remember the years gone by, read one for the great articles and fun. It made me smile and have good thoughts. Jackie still is not well and this has been going on for weeks. She must go to a doctor now, as many of us have suggested.
Sending good thoughts her way! Have a good evening.

HINTS

A. After you move your furniture, there will be places that are matted down. Place an ice cube on the matted down area overnight.
B. To deodorize carpet mix 2 parts cornmeal--1 part borax and sprinkle over carpet. Let sit a least 1 hour before vacuuming.
C. Sharpen up carpet colors by sprinkling small amounts of table salt around. The salt provides a mild cleaning action. That is a new one for me, I will have to try this one out during the week.
I think I will go back to giving recipes I have collected over the years. I must say I am kind of disappointed with the books I purchased. I thought it would give us all new and better hints for our everyday lives. Mom finally got her phone service back this morning. She was so happy. Have a good day!

DANDRUFF SOLUTION

Here's an easy, simple dandruff cure that I saw in a home hints book. Pour a tablespoon of salt onto your head, rub it into your scalp and shampoo as usual. Those white flakes will vanish like snow falling on a warm ground per the book. I haven't tried it because I have a skin condition that I am afraid the salt might irritate. I am going to try it, though, when my scalp is at rest and not being it's pesky little self and having a flare-up.

That darn bacteria or whatever seems to not want to leave me alone. I am still down and feeling tired and lousy. My rock, Chris, is always there if I need something though and is just a phone call away. I had to make a drive to the next town this morning, though, that I really wasn't planning on making. Bill volunteers with some of the Knights at one of the V.A. hospitals and he missed his ride this morning. He was going to drive himself in, but, in his condition and the awful rain we were having today was not a good mix. So I took him and by the time I got home my voice was about gone. Since I want to make a big pot of gumbo for my nephew coming tomorrow, Marcy and I had to go shopping this afternoon for the ingredients and other groceries for their visit. My sister, Roxy, and her kids and grandkids are going to visit with our mother tomorrow and they will come here for gumbo. So I have taken some medicine and I am resting now and trying to get some strength built back up so I can get ready for my company tomorrow.
Have a safe, great weekend!!

COFFEE STAIN HINT

Place 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice in the glass container and add warm water. Use a bottle brush and swish around for a minute or so. The stain should come clean, then rinse. You can use this hint for steel bottles that hold coffee or those vacuum bottles.
After going through this solutions book I purchased, I see good old baking soda is used for many problems.
My mind is on other things tonight. My 92 year old mother's phone service has been out since this passed Sunday. All they can say is, "they are working on it".
They also wanted to know, if she had a cell phone. I asked why a 92 year old person would need one if the had home telephone service that should be working. It's not like she goes many places or drives. I am curious to see if the phone company will credit her the time she had absolutely NO SERVICE. Have a good night!

HOUSEHOLD HINTS from the PHILIPPINES

I was cleaning out some cabinets and found a cookbook put together by the women who lived at Clark Air Base. This United States Air Force Base was in the Philippines were Jackie and I met. I found some hints in the book and thought I would share them with you.
#1. Put a large pail of water with a tablespoon of ammonia in a freshly painted room, the odor will disappear sooner. Most paints don't have a strong odor anymore. I think this book was written in 1982.
#2. If honey goes to sugar, stand the jar in a pot of hot water until honey liquifies again.
#3. When you iron, try standing on a thick bath mat. It keeps you from getting so tried.
#4. Slip an electric iron cord through a large safety pin, pinned to the corner at the square end of the board. The cord will not drag across the board.
#5. Don't mix those nylon garments in your wash with colored garments. The static electricity in the nylon draws colors.
There is a lot more, but as time has gone by and new things have been invented, not much applies anymore. I know that Jackie and I had a lot of free time but these women on the base really did a lot of work to keep their homes going. We don't appreciate the family of our soldiers enough. God Bless Them All!

CLEAN SHOWER DOOR TRACKS

Here's a little recipe for cleaning that build up for those of you that have shower doors. Quick and simple.

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp. of bleach

1 cup of water

Mix all of the ingredients in a spray bottle and spritz the tracks well. Let sit for 3 or 4 minutes. Rinse well with warm water.

That chicken recipe from Chris sounds delicious and is now on my list of chicken recipes. Bill says it is not so bad eating chicken all the time because I find such different ways to fix or season it. This recipe will really help. I still haven't been outside yet, but, I am getting better. I have to get ready for our nephew's visit. Plus Marcy and I have to finish getting our inventory ready for our flea market venture. Now I am going to go do a little bit of chores and then rest a little more.

Have a great day!!

CRUNCHY ONION CHICKEN

1 1/3 Cups of French's fried onions in a can
4 boneless-skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg, beaten
Place french's onions in a bag. Lightly crush with hands or rolling pin.
Dip chicken in the beaten egg; then coat with the onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Place chicken on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with additional crumbs, if desired.
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until it is no longer pink in center.
(Squirrel hints)
I was going to give you more tips for those little squirrels but after reading my book, it seems repetitiuos. The same thing only worded differently. There is one about sprinkling blood meal around your garden, which will deter the squirrels and other pests. Thats why I thought I better go over all the hints in this book, before passing them on to you. Have a good day!

BATHROOM DRAIN CLEANER

Here's a great tip that I got from one of my home hints books. You make this safe solution and you don't have to worry about smelly or unsafe chemicals. This is one of my favorites.

1 cup of salt

1 cup of baking soda

1/2 cup of white vinegar

2 qts. of boiling water

Hot tap water

Mix the soda , salt and vinegar together, and pour the mixture down the drain. Wait 15 minutes, then follow with the boiling water. Turn on the hot water tap and let it run into the drain for 1 minute. For really stubborn clogs repeat as necessary.

I still haven't been able to go visit my mother yet because this cold bacteria seems to have found a home in my body. Marcy bought me some Mucinex today so hopefully I'll have a little more relief. Our nephew, Stevie, is coming to visit us from Pittsburgh with his little girl on Saturday and I surely want to be better for that. Plus, Marcy and I are trying to get ready for our flea market venture and have to get things together for that. Plus, Jackee and Irwin want to take Bill and I to Florida with them on Thursday for the weekend. Well, we'll see how this old body handles all of this. Anyhow, now I am going to bed and rest. I have cooked dinner, cleaned the kitchen and finished my loads of wash. Marcy is cataloging and getting our inventory ready for our venture. We are really looking forward to it. Goodnight all!!!

Hints on Squirrels

#1. Keeping them from destroying your tulips--boil 1 qt water and remove from heat as soon as it starts to boil. Add 2T of cayenne pepper and 1/4t of tabasco sauce. Allow to cool for 2-4 hours. You don't want to spray your tulips with a warm mixture. When thoughly cooled, pour into a spray bottle. Spray the stems as soon as the buds appear.
#2. My friends had this problem. To stop them from chewing on you wooden garden furniture, paint the legs with a watery solutiuon of hot sauce and water. This should discourage them.
#3. Use a small amout of used cat litter around the base of your budding plants. This should keep squirrels, chipmunks, and rodents from digging up you plants and bulbs. They think a cat is ready to get them. I know I had less of a squirrel problem when my cat was younger and on the move.
I will have more on the squirrels. We just got rid of a nest from a family of squirrels. Mom and the kids left a big mess in our outdoor kitchen roof. They can be very damaging , so their not so cute. Have a great day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUE!!!

Today is our oldest daughter's, Sue, birthday. She came by yesterday with Tamisha, Misty and little Quentin. They had come to visit my mom who is now bedridden. I told them not to come close to me because of my cold. Especially Misty because she is about to give birth to our 2nd great-grandchild at any time. She really doesn't need to have a cold now. Anyhow, they stayed awhile and then went to see my mom before going back home.

I made cornbread from a recipe that I got from, yep, the diabetic cookbook. It was really easy and quick to make. I preheated the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl I mixed well a box of corn muffin mix, 8 oz. of creamed corn and an egg. I put it in a greased pan and baked it for 20 - 25 minutes. It came out moist and very good. I think that's how I will make my cornbread from now on. It was so easy. Bill and Marcy liked it, too.

I still haven't ventured outside but hope to soon. I am hoping this cold lets up soon. It's staying longer than I thought it would. Plus I am getting tired of this bed. I have been getting up and doing little chores, though, like washing and cooking a little. Now I am going to get settled and get ready to watch Big Brother 9. I don't know why????

HINTS Bumper Stickers

#1. Place a hair dryer on high setting and it should loosen the glue making it easy to remove.
#2. Spread mayo on the sticker and let it sit for 10 minutes before wiping it off.
#3. Bumper stickers can be removed with a coating of cold cream. Let it sit for awhile and the cream and sticker should come off.
These are hints from a book I purchased. I thought I could share with you these hints and it would help us all in our daily lifes. Pass them along to others and please let us know if one tip is better than another.
Jackie still is fighting her cold. When I talked to her, she sounds congested. Please lets all send good thoughts her way. Hope your weekend brought a smile to your face or a good laugh.

ANOTHER GREAT WEBSITE

I heard about this site awhile ago, checked it out, thought it was a great idea and signed up. It's free and a great idea. So that I convey the meaning of the group correctly I am going to cut and paste an exerpt from their web page. CNN did a piece on them today and it gave me the idea to put this on the blog. It really is a great idea. The thought behind the group, I mean. Here goes --

The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,251 groups with 4,498,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on “Browse Groups” above the search box. Have fun!!

The website is http://www.freecycle.org/ so check it out. You might like it. Cnn thinks it is a great idea, also. Well, I am still under the weather and not doing too much. In fact, I won't be going to church services tomorrow. I think the congregation will appreciate not having me there spreading my germs anyhow. Have a good night and restful sleep.

Hints on Ants

A. Window spray kills ants. Next time you think you need expensive sprays, use window cleaner.
B. In German homes they plants lavender plants near the doors and windows to repel ants.
C. Ants hate the herb turmeric and if your powder the entrance to their home, they won't come back.
D. I put a dry bay leaf in all my cabinets and any insects stays away. This is a clean and safe way to keep those pest away from your dry goods. I also put a leaf in the container the dry dog food is stored in.
It was a beautiful day today--75. It doesn't get better than that when you need to do yard work. I had to put on a short sleeve shirt. Beats the snow, cold, and wind up north I just experienced. Hope your day went well!

QUICK COMPUTER TIP

For computer questions or problems I have I like to go to www.komando.com to seek help. The site is very informative and helpful. Some of the "cool sites" listed on the site are really cool. There are computer tips and more. Click on over there and see for yourself.

I am still recuperating and it is taking longer than I thought. I feel better but the problem seems to be in my chest and nose now. So I will rest a bit longer. It's cold outside anyhow so I don't mind not going out. Chris called to check on me this morning to see if I needed her to get me anything, but, I didn't. I do have to get out there, though, before the snakes pop there ugly little heads out because I have a plant that I want to put in the ground. Everything else will be planted in pots. My sister-in-law, Annie, said that planting lemongrass keeps snakes away so (come to think of it) I need to get that planted, too, before the monsters come out. Too much to think about now though. Have a good evening!!