Have a safe and happy New Year celebration!

Happy New Year to all my bloggy friends!

However you choose to celebrate, please be smart and please be safe!

Easiest work day of the year!

Because this is what it sounds like in my office. I LOVE it! There are 8 people on my team and only 2 of us are here today. I thought 2 other people would be here, but apparently they decided to take off. Hey, I am not the boss...they don't have to tell me in advance. There are about 50 people that are on our quarter of the floor and today there are 5 of us here. It is so quiet!

Our office was closed on Christmas Day and yesterday. I took Christmas Eve off, so worked Monday and today. I could have taken vacation days for both of those as I have plenty of time left, but we didn't have plans at home and I don't like to take all of Christmas week off as so many people are out. I think it makes my boss more comfortable about taking time off if I am here. Plus, with so few people here, I can get SO MUCH WORK DONE, even while spending some quality goof off time. (Okay, some call it lunch.)

I am looking forward to my last 3 day weekend of December. I will be trying out one of my Christmas presents from Hubby....a Ball Automatic Jam Maker. I am not going to talk about it, since when they first came out, I could not get one to review, even though I make jam all the time, lived on the Ball website and have more readers than a lot of bloggers that got one to review. So there, Ball, take that.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday week and has a great weekend!

Christmas Frenzy!

How was your Christmas?

Ours has been excellent. The family, well our kids, Hubby and MIL decided to have our get together on Christmas Eve. Fortunately, that was decided in time for me to request the day off. LOL! For some odd reason, my company closed for the holiday on Christmas Day and the day AFTER Christmas. Maybe it was some form of political correctness, so as not to offend those that don't observe Christmas. Who knows. But I have planty of vacation days left, so am having a nice 3 day break in the middle of the week.

MIL had sent word via Hubby that I was to bring green bean casserole. I also made deviled eggs and Hubby had gotten a variety cheesecake, rolls and chips. So, we got to MIL's at 12:30 and I took my casserole into the kitchen and lo and behold, MIL had ALSO made a green bean casserole. I was confused and reminded her that she had sent word to me to make one. She then told me that she HAD sent word, but then she changed her mind and decided to make one. She said she was sure she told Hubby or left him a message. Hmmmm...I don't think he would forget to tell me THAT. Oh, well, we have plenty of green bean casserole in the freezer now. LOL!

Our kids and grandkids came, as well as Samantha's boyfriend and Meredith's baby daddy. He is actually also her hubby. They have been separated for a couple of years, but still hang out as a family with the kids. And I have heard that they MIGHT get back together. We shall see. I haven't asked and figure I will be told when there is something to tell.

As for the frenzy? It happened when it was time to open gifts. Our grandsons just started ripping into gifts. I tried to slow them down, but I am not the parent and their parents WERE there. In Chance's defence, he did get Jacob to slow down and actually read the tags to know who gifts were from. But Meredith and Billy just sat and watched as Theo and Wyatt just tore through gift wrapping, tossed the gift aside and went to the next. They even opened some stuff that was not theirs. Ugh!

MY kids did that before I became their stepmom. The first Christmas I spent with them, before Hubby and I married, I was appalled at how they attacked gifts at the family get together. They did NOT behave like that the next year and my in-laws were stunned at the change in their behavior. LOL!

But I am not the mom to the grandkids, so..... But they DID scream out loud and often how much they loved gifts as they opened them.

We had a great visit with the kids, though there was a little tension after Chance and Jacob left as Mere and Samantha are really put out that Chance is not telling them and their mom everything he is doing. As Sam's bf said, "Well, it is HIS business after all." Smart bf. And as my mom said when I talked to her last night, "He has fought in wars...he doesn't have to report his every move to his sisters."

But we did not let that ruin our Christmas. Hubby and I spent yesterday quietly at home, opening gifts and just relaxing. It was like this:

It was a great Christmas! Hope yours was as well!

He's gone again and Happy Holidays!

After staying with us for 5 weeks, our son has moved into his own place. I didn't post updates, but he was busy the entire time he stayed with us and kept me really busy, too! He looked for jobs, he enrolled in school, he shopped for apartments and he did his Christmas shopping.

It was a lot of fun looking at apartments with him and shopping for new stuff for his home. He did have a fully furnished apartment when he was in the Army and put his stuff in storage when he deployed to Afghanistan. Then his storeroom was robbed! Stupid people! They did go to jail for it, but he never got his stuff back, so he only had what he had in his barracks when he got back from deployment. So we shopped...and it was fun. He is a good bargain shopper and was so thankful for everything we got for him.

Last week, Hubby and my MIL helped him move his stuff into his new place. I have not seen it yet, but will when I am invited. I don't invite myself anywhere. I have texted with him a few times and he is doing fine. He found a job that is not the one he was hoping for, but will work around his class schedule. He had several options and decided if the job he wanted the most didn't call, then it meant he was supposed to go to school, so that is his plan now. The GI Bill will pay for school, plus give him a living stipend, so he should manage fine with that and his little job he took.

Hubby and I are ready for Christmas! I was really behind in the jam making and baking area, so made jam and baked bread this weekend. Tomorrow is our family get together and Christmas Day will just be Hubby and me. I am also off on Thursday. So work today, off 3 days, work Friday, off 3 days. I could get used to this schedule. LOL!

Hope everyone is excited about Christmas!

Check it out! Google made my tree twinkle!

Take that, CVS!

For the last couple of years, I have been using CVS brand gentle facial cleansing wash. On the bottle is says "Compare to Purpose", so I figured it was the same as Purpose. It was oil and soap free and I really liked how it made my skin feel.

Recently, I was getting low, so decided to get a new bottle, so I would not run out. Well, thank you very much, CVS. Apparently, I was the only one that liked the facial cleanser as you no longer carry it. Ugh! So, I have been looking for a replacement cleanser. Oh, sure, I COULD pay $9.99 for a bottle of Purpose, but I just don't want to. So, I have been looking.

Then, last weekend, I was at Aldi and looked at the HBA endcap...yes, it is just an endcap at my store.....and there was a bottle of Lacura facial cleanser.I had read good things about Lacura products so thought I would try a bottle. Heck, it was only $2.49. If I didn't like it on my face, I could use it as body wash, or to hand wash something.

I think mine had a green top though. I don't know now, as I put in in a pump bottle I had so I could just pump it instead of picking it up and squeezing. No, not lazy...just like the amount the pump bottle gives me.

So take that CVS, I don't have to buy more expensive facial cleanser. I will just buy it from Aldi.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Are you playing bongos naked?

I thought I would share with you my most excellent Thanksgiving holiday. Wednesday, our office closed early, so I got home around 2:30. It was excellent!

Thursday, we went to see "Dallas Buyers Club" an excellent movie, starring Matthew McConoughey. Though it definitely was not a "feel good" movie, it was a GOOD movie. Then we went to eat at a local "country cooking" restaurant. It was just Hubby, Chance and me. The food was excellent and the company better. We did not eat "Thanksgiving food" as we expected to have that on Saturday. Then we came home and the boys watched football games while I played on the computer and watched some tv. It was really nice.

We thought we were to have the family get together on Saturday, so I planned to cook a broccoli casserole, deviled eggs and pumpkin pie for that. Then I was going to cook more on Sunday to fill in leftovers, so had a turkey breast thawing. BUT, the girls messaged Chance that the Saturday get together was off as Hubby's mom was going to have Meredith's boys and it would be too much for her. Yes, my sorta son-in-law called Hubby's mom and asked if she would take them Saturday so he could "study" and she could not tell him she had plans, so she just cancelled her plans. Yep, she cancelled the family Thanksgiving dinner so she could babysit. I would have been happy to cook dinner and carry  it over there, but didn't even suggest it. Sometimes she drives me crazy in that she will cancel plans at the last minute. Oh, well, her loss.

So I said I would just cook here on Saturday. Chance let the girls know and Samantha said she'd be here. Meredith said she was "all Thanksgivinged out". Whatever. LOL! More food for us!

Friday, Chance and I went running around looking at apartments, he took me to lunch and then we went to Big Lots. Yes on Black Friday and it wasn't too bad. He wanted to do some Christmas shopping for Jacob and BL had a nice set of cookware on sale. So he got some shopping done, bought a set of cookware and a set of dishes. While we were gone, Hubby made cornbread for my dressing, boiled eggs and baked a pumpkin pie.

Saturday I cooked a turkey breast, dressing, broccoli cheese casserole, sweet potato casserole, deviled eggs, crescent rolls and gravy and Bob made mashed potatoes. Chance got a message FRIDAY night from his ex, responding to Chance's message from last MONDAY, that he could pick our grandson, Jacob, up for the day on Saturday, so he went and got Jacob. We had a small group, but it was fun and the food was yummy. 

Sunday was a day to relax, except that I did run to Aldi and Family Dollar to pick up a few things. On Monday, I canned 12 pints of salsa as we were on our last jar and since we did not have enough turkey leftovers, so I roasted another turkey breast on Monday and made some more broccoli casserole. It was quite delicious!

I am taking every Monday in December off, so long weekends all month. WooHoo! I don't know that I plan to cook on every Monday, but we will see.

Oh, and the playing bongos naked question???? After we saw Dallas Buyers Club on Thanksgiving, there was discussion about Matthew McConoughey and it was brought up that he was arrested years ago for smoking pot and playing bongos naked in his house.

So now, when we call each other we ask if the other one is playing bongos naked. LOL! Yes, we are odd.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing all my friends a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Unexpected blessing....

I think I made it pretty clear here how I felt when our son came to stay with us a couple of weeks ago. We have been busy, busy, busy since then and it has been great. Our son has been so industrious and it kinda rubbed off on me. LOL!

I have been crazy busy at work, so have been working through lunch every day and until 5:30 in the afternoon. My normal hours are 8 - 5 with and hour lunch. I DO get paid for OT, so the larger checks are kinda nice, but they are not large enough to make me want to do this forever.

Without writing a novel, here is what has been done in the last 2 weeks:

• Hubby took Son to the VA to find out what needed to be done to get his benefits.
• Hubby hurt his ankle while doing it.
• Son went to a veteran's job fair and handed out 20 resumes and picked up a lot of information
• Son applied on-line to a LOT of job offers.
• I took a day off and went with Son to finish signing up at the VA Hospital for bennies.
• We went to the local community college and Son talked to the VA rep
• I went with Son to look at apartments in the area. I made sure to shame anyone that didn't give a discount to veterans. LOL!
• Son had job interview with Starbucks for a shift manager position
• Son had interview with a company for a route salesman position.
• Son interviewed with HR, hiring manager, branch manager and regional manager. 
• Son went on ride along to see how he would like the job.
• Son has been following up with unemployment office who still hasn't been able to get his UI bennies straight.
• Son registered with the school, though not for classes and is scheduled to attend orientation to see what he would like to take
• Son has second interview with Starbucks and was offered job.
• Son considering lower paid Starbucks job and attending college full time. Yesterday, Son gets voicemail that second company is interested in him for 2 positions; the one he applied for and one as the Facility Health and Safety Coordinator for REALLY GOOD SALARY. He was so excited and is weighing all options.

As you see, Son has not been lazing around doing nothing. Oh, and there is other stuff he has been doing. I just hit the high points.

The unexpected blessing is that Hubby and I have gotten to spend SO much time with Son. It has been such a pleasure and such a blessing to spend time with the young man the Army sent back to us. He was always a joy, but now he is a man and a wonderful man at that. My heart just bursts with joy pretty much all day long. 

Yes, I am a sap.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Safe Holiday Shopping.

I receive messages from the Harris County Sheriff's Office in Texas and though I would share this one:

In an effort to reduce your chances of being victimized by these “grinches”, the HCSO’s Auto Theft Unit recommends you take the following precautions:

 Do not carry large sums of cash, or a purse or wallet that can easily be grabbed. Large wallets that protrude out of the back pocket and handbags that cannot be secured are prime targets while you are shopping or walking to and from your vehicle. Make sure that all valuables have been removed from your vehicle before leaving home.

 Be mindful of your parking spot and park as close as possible to the doors. It is much safer to shop in the day time hours but if you cannot avoid being out at night, make sure you park in a well-lit, high-traffic area.

 LOCK your car and TAKE your keys. The failure to do these two things just enhanced your chances of becoming a victim.

 Walk in and out of the shopping center with other shoppers, and if you feel vulnerable at all, wait until someone is walking in or have a security guard escort you.

 Do not take packages to your car and then return to shopping. Thieves watch the parking lot for this type of activity and target vehicles with valuables inside. Packages should be secured in the vehicle trunk only before leaving to go home or to another shopping center. You do not want to arrive at another shopping center and be seen hiding and arranging your packages.

 When at a fueling station, do not leave your vehicle unlocked, not even while pumping gas. Thieves can gain access to a vehicle and snatch valuables inside in a matter of seconds. Children should NEVER be left unattended.

 When banking, make sure that you are aware of your surroundings when returning to the parking lot and watch to make sure you are not being followed. Thieves have followed banking patrons to their next destination which has resulted in both robberies of the person and burglaries of the vehicles.

 At home, park your vehicle in your garage. This significantly protects your vehicle from thieves. It only takes a few minutes for a criminal to break into your vehicle and take valuables and/or equipment. Never leave your garage door opener inside your vehicle. By doing so, you give criminals access to your home.

By taking these precautions, you are significantly reducing these crimes of opportunity.

Now, go out and have a safe and happy holiday season!

Way to honor a veteran, Bio Mom.

You will not BELIEVE the newest example of what a crappy parent my kids’ mother is. Our son has been out of the Army since October 1. We have not seen much of him and didn’t push it, thinking he would let us know if he needed anything. We did know that he stayed with his sister for a while and that did not work as, according to her, he was coming in late at night and waking her up. And now that she is a full time working stiff like the rest of us, that did not fly with her. So he moved out. His side of the story is a bit different, but that is water under the bridge.

A couple of weeks ago, we found out he was staying in a hotel. He said he was looking for a job and wanted to wait until he found one to decide where to live. Then he would find an apartment close to work. That made sense to me.

On Monday, I received a message from my children's other mother through Facebook asking if Son can stay with us a few days? What?!! We told had told both of our girls to let him know he could stay with us any time he needed to and when we saw him Nov 3 (we had a get together to celebrate a few birthdays), we told him the same thing.

So, I replied to Son's mom and told her all that and questioned why he was having HER contact me. She replied that she was just doing it on her own. That they were waiting for a call from the VA liaison. And he needed a place to stay for a few days. I reiterated to her that all he had to do was call.

So, Son called Bob and came over Tuesday. And we found out that the call his mom made was to the HOMELESS VETERAN’S COALITION. WHAT THE HELL!. He is not homeless. Son is supposed to receive a call within 48 hours, so we are going to wait and see what he is told. But what kind of mother, who lives in a big house, (She moved back in with her ex-husband and they have 4 or 5 bedrooms.) would send their child to a homeless shelter. OMG! I am just dumbfounded! Can you tell?? I know that her ex and none of our kids got along, but you would think SHE would stand up for her child and let him stay there in one of their 3 or 4 extra bedrooms for a few days until he got something figured out. But I guess that would not be convenient for her.

Please don't think that I have anything against the Veteran's Homeless Coalition, but I think its purpose it to help homeless veterans. Not recently separated veterans that have plenty of family who should be willing to lend a helping hand. For a bit.

Anyway, he is at our place right now. Hubby said he cannot stay indefinitely but we will work to help Son get on his feet. I say, he served our country and we will not let him be homeless. I felt so bad for Son last night. I don’t know what his dumb ass mom has said to him but he kept saying he didn’t “want to be a burden.” I told him he was NOT a burden. And he said he didn’t want to disappoint us. I let him know that could not happen. It was like he was broken. It broke my heart.

Since pretty soon after returning from Afghanistan  he was having some stress issues and was talking to a health care provider on base. I think he might need meds adjusted, so found the site for him to apply for his medical benefits since he has not done that yet. Hubby agrees that he thinks that might be something that needs to be done, so he went with Son to the VA Hospital Wednesday to sign up in person and see if he can see someone pretty quickly. They only got part of the sign up stuff done as they got a late start in the day. They were going to go back on Friday, but Hubby hurt his leg, so I said I would take the day off and go with Son if he wanted me to.

Thursday, Son spent the day at a veterans job fair. He was stoked when he came back.  Oh, and we have had many conversations over the last week and you know what? He does not seem broken anymore. He is positive and excited and looking or work with a vengeance. After the job fair, he spent hours submitting applications on-line.

Friday morning he got calls for 2 job interviews for next week, we went to the VA and he finished getting signed up for his benefits. We went to the local jr college so he could get information. Then we came home for a while and he got on the computer and submitted more applications. Then, we went out apartment hunting. LOL! We were busy all day and it was well worth it.

Today he went to breakfast with his mom and one of his sisters, but before they could start eating, his mom got mad at him...he is not sure why....and LEFT! Yes, he and his sister drove across town and she left. So Son and his sis went to eat. Son says that his sister said that HE didn't do or say anything that should have pissed off their mom. He was understandably upset and I let him vent when he got home.

But he went and looked at apartments on the way home and he has been on-line applying for jobs for a few hours. He it being totally productive and a perfect houseguest. He even took out the trash on his way out today without us even thinking to mention it. LOL!

He will be fine, and he will never be homeless. He is my hero

and we will happily help him. I can do no less.

Day 3 of my 4 day weekend.

I am sitting in an exam room at my doctor's office. Never fear...I am not here for anything serious. Just a sinus infection and refill scripts for maintenance drugs. I am heading to the lab to get blood drawn after this. Then I am getting some donuts for breakfast. Yum!

Moms, Win a Day Off from Purex!

Mothers, we salute you. You deserve a much-needed day off, and we’d like to provide it! We’ll have a maid service clean your house and do the laundry while you’re off getting a mani-pedi, hire a baby sitter to watch the kids, and have dinner delivered so you don’t have to cook! Enter to WIN a day off for yourself or nominate another deserving Mom.

Enter HERE. 

Sweepstakes ends: November 13, 2013 15:00

And the winners are!

The winners of my Purex UltraPacks Plus Oxi giveaway, as picked by Random.org, are:

SonyaAnn
Sluggy
j....udy

Congrats to the winners!! I will be sending emails for your mailing addresses if I can't find them from previous wins.

Thanks to all who entered!!

Purex UltraPacks Plus Oxi Review and Giveaway!

Today, my friends, I am going to share a dirty, dirty secret with you all.

I do not like to wash curtains. There, I have admitted it. I don't dislike any other cleaning as much as I dislike washing curtains. Oh, it is not the washing and drying....it is the taking down and putting up. One reason is that one set is hanging here:

I have to get them down without moving the computer stand.

But, I recently received Purex UltraPacks Plus Oxi to try out, so decided that I would bite the bullet and wash our bedroom curtains. We have 2 windows with floor length ivory curtains and valances. And they were dirty..... really dirty. Oh, not with dirt, but they have fringe that catches dust and they were really dusty. And, Hubby smokes, so I am sure that the nicotine contributed to the darkness of the color. I will tell you, that I was totally disgusted with them.

Here is what one valance looked like before washing. I should have
taken a picture of them hanging as they looked darker, but I didn't.


I threw them in the washing machine with a Purex UltraPack Plus Oxyi After washing and drying, that same valance looked like the below:

Now, I know that the pictures do not look that different, but they ARE. The pics were taken in the same spot with the same lighting. Now I wish I had a better camera. Sigh. When the curtains were hung the room looked lighter. I swear it did!! Even Hubby commented on how the room seemed lighter.

I was SO impressed with what a great job Purex UltraPacks Plus Oxi did! Purex Ultrapacks Plus Oxi combine the the convenience of Purex UltraPacks with the stain fighting power of Oxiclean. Purex makes it so easy to fight stains, while maintaning a simple laundry routine. What can be simpler than tossing a Purex Ultrapack in the washer?

As a Purex Insider, not only did I receive a package of Purex UltraPacks Plus Oxi, but I also received 3 coupons for a FREE package to give to my readers. So, start entering right now! As always, entries are easy to accumulate.

• If you follow my blog, just leave a comment that you do. (once)
• If I am on your blog roll, leave a comment. (once)
• Visit Purex.com and leave a comment of something you found out about Purex UltraPacks Plus Oxi. (once)
• Like Purex on Facebook and leave a comment. (once)
• Follow Purex on Twitter and leave a comment (once)
• And for those that like daily comments, leave a comment letting us know how you are preparing to celebrate Halloween. (daily)

2 winners will be chosen at random Saturday evening, October 19, and posted on this blog and notified by email.

Good luck!

*Purex provided me with a sample of Purex UltraPacks Plus Oxi so I could review it. However all of the opinions expressed here are, as always, my own.

Some sugar for Christmas.

Since SonyaAnn has got us thinking about Christmas almost weekly, I thought I would share a great idea that I came across today. 

10 Awesome DIY Sugar Scrub Recipes! 

I found this posted at HotCouponWorld, one of my favorite sites. I thought it would be just an okay article, but I was wrong! Look at the yummy names of these scrubs:

Gingerbread Sugar Scrub

Pumpkin Spice Latte Sugar Scrub

Cookie Dough Sugar Scrub

Lemon Coconut Sugar Scrub....I want THIS one:

I won't list the rest, since once you read the first couple of names, I am sure you went and clicked on the link if you had not already.

I have not been making things for Christmas except for jams and my Cranberry Almond Bread, but I may be making some of these scrubs!

Merry Getting-Ready-for-Christmas!

 

Throwing out the baby....

Well, the baby stuff. We wouldn't really throw away, or give away a baby. LOL!

We don't really have a clutter issue. We have a lot of stuff, but it is all in its place so we don't worry about it. But, we still had quite a bit of baby stuff from stocking up when we became grandparents.

Well, the youngest grandson is 4 now and Meredith has informed us that she is not having any more. MIL thinks she should try for a girl, but Mere is pretty adament that 2 boys are enough for her. Samantha doesn't plan to have children. At least that is what she says. And what she has said since she was about 9. LOL! But she is only 26, so she might change her mind. But if she doesn't well that is okay, too. We don't know if Chance will have more. He is not dating anyone at the moment, so no prospects, but you never know.

BUT, MIL's church has a few garage sales throughout the year to raise money for missions and we try to dig out stuff to donate for them, so we decided we could let go of baby stuff and some other odds and ends we had in the closet. If one of the kids has another or more, we can just get new "grandparent" stuff. So we put together quite a nice donation. Here is some of it. (I did not lay it all out nice and pretty like Sluggy does.)

Our donation included:

Graco Pack n Play
Graco Convertible Carseat
Fisher-Price booster seat
3 Playtex bottles
miscellaneous bottle nipples
Baby spoons
Baby toys
3 baby quilts
3 baby blanket
Waterproof pad
Pack n play quilted cover
Disposable Diapers
2 Baby wipes
1 Baby powder
1 Baby oil
1 Diaper rash ointment
3 baby towels
3 baby wash clothes
2 sippy cups
Queen size dust ruffle from our new comforter set…we can’t use a dust ruffle
Pillow sham from our old comforter set
Mozaik reusable disposable dinnerware
Mozaik serving bowl with lid
Mozaik large serving tray
Zak designs serving bowl
Apron
Large aquarium net
canner rack
Men’s XXL tshirt

A lot of the above won't make it into the garage sale, as MIL said that a lot of the baby stuff will just go to the nursery. That is a good place for it to go. The purpose is to help MIL's church and I think we did just a bit. She was very excited to see all that we brought for them and said it would all go to good use.

 Now watch us get the call that someone is pregnant. LOL!

I love steroids!

I am sure I will get some hits from that title, but trust me, this post is not that interesting. LOL! But I know SonyaAnn has missed me so I figured I had better post something.
It has been a while since I posted, since I went on a ONE WEEK vacation the first week of August and when I got back, work had exploded.

Since getting back, I have worked overtime every day but one. And that day, I only didn’t have to as I was required to attend an awards luncheon and our team was being moved to a different part of the floor at 5, so I could not work late.

I have not taken a lunch break, though I do eat. I just work while I do it. And I have been beat when I get home from work.

Thank the Lord for Hubby who does all the cooking and has been doing all the grocery shopping so I didn’t even have to do that. Oh, sure, he spends more money at the store than I do, but I don’t even care right now. LOL! And truthfully, he is doesn’t buy anything that I would not, except he DOES buy more “treats” for me than I would buy.

Oh, and the reason for my title…..I developed a pretty wicked sinus infection and when I finally went to the doctor, I got a shot of steroids and prescriptions for an antibiotic and a low dose steroid. I love, love, love steroids and when I am taking them, my arthritic knees TOTALLY STOP HURTING. It is like I have baby knees again. My orthopedic doctor prescribed Celebrex when I told him about the steroid totally stopping the pain, but Celebrex does not work nearly as well as a steroid. Too bad I can’t take steroids all the time.

Hubby went camping this last weekend, so I intended to be lazy and do nothing. Apparently, I got a major burst of energy as I did the following this weekend:

Cleaned out 2 dresser drawers
Cleaned out 2 nightstand drawers
Washed sheets and pillowcases Washed comforter
Washed bed pillows and decorative pillows on the bed
Washed a sheepskin that Hubby has over our computer chair…yes, I washed it
Washed towels
Washed a load of regular laundry Cleaned the bathroom, including scrubbing the tile walls of the tub all the way to the ceiling. LOL!
Vacuumed Cleaned litter boxes Mopped the kitchen floor

AND I shopped on line and ordered:
New comforter set
New purse
Air purifier filters
3 bras, a pair of pants and 2 new tops

I rested today while at work. LOL!

What do I do with these wrinkled apples?

I had bought a bag of apples from Aldi because they were so CHEAP. And I was eating one a day. When we bought our Nutribullet, Hubby decided we needed more apples to add to our “blasts” even though we still had some, so he bought another bag. (Blasts are like smoothies, only they consist only of veggies and fruit, nuts, seeds, water, and sometimes a scoop of protein powder. No yogurt.)

Those apples lasted a LONG time! Last weekend, we still had 4 and they were looking pretty pathetic.  Trust me...the pic does not do their condition justice.They were sad!

I had gotten tired of eating apples and Hubby has not been making many blasts over the last few weeks. Hubby asked “What do you want to do with these?” I knew he wanted to throw them out. I told him not to…that I would think of something to do with them.

So I thought and thought. Owwww...it made my head hurt. LOL!

So I diced them, cutting off the yucky parts… 

Then I added about ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a couple of tablespoons of water….

Then I cooked them until they looked good (I think they simmered about 30 minutes)….

Yummy! 

 They were so good! And to think, Hubby was ready to toss them out!