Living on the Edge

Princess Diana's Wedding Cake

Ok, just got back from town.  Q needed her sports physical (very hard to schedule the week before school starts when you are a Group Health member.)  A tip for those of you that are parents of 6th graders this school year...do the physical next summer...early!

Even if you think your child won't go out for a sport...they may change their minds...actually, what am I thinking, they are pre-teens...they will change their minds as often as they turn the bathroom light switch on (notice I didn't say off....I run around the house doing that!) or as often as they change their underwear--whichever is more often in your house!

So, I popped on the computer to catch up with the geeky, pencil protector part of my life and look at the headline that was just under the 'McCain chooses a running mate'....

Slice of Diana's wedding cake

 

sells for $1,830; 

Former royal servant kept the 27-year-old piece in clingfilm in an attic

Now, I just have one thing to say...ick!  It's not just the Americans that are weird.  We see Jesus in an assortment of foods, places, and apparently on the backs of moths (yesterdays news story!)...then they sell it on Ebay. 

But now the British are saving hunks of Royal wedding cake?  Man, she got married when I was in high school...and my 20th reunion was more years ago than I want to count!  I know we saved a piece of cake from our wedding in hopes that we could eat it on our 1st anniversary...I heard that was what you were supposed to do with it.  But I threw it out somewhere around month 7 or 8 cuz it was so unrecognizable with all the freezer burn on it!  darn, could I have sold it on Ebay?

So now the question is...is someone planning on eating it?  Like I said earlier...ICK!

 

Our New Cousin

The girls were so excited to meet their new cousin.  They kept asking "how many more days" till we leave!  Well, we made it to Portland, finally!  I was coming to the point, that if the day didn't get here soon, I would just throw them on a plane and tell their Aunt to hang onto them till we come get them!

Here's sweet Jewel with her "Baba".  She is such a doll that you just want to hold and snuggle her...

But she is 3 1/2 and it's hard to get her to hold still long enough for a snuggle!

She is pretty tough too.  Just look at her trying to take down CC!

But she is as light as a feather, so CC quickly had the upper hand!

Jewel loves to pose for the camera.  After each shot she had to see how it turned out!  How did we ever grow up with regular film!?

And once she approved of the shot, she would orchestrate the next one!

This was my favorite one.  After the first shot above, she grabbed both girls (you see she is still holding their hands) and dragged the girls next to her, then pointed at my camera!  Of course she came and gave the picture her approval afterward too!  Way too cute.  Mama and Baba are going to have their hands full with this little one!

What was most amazing, was the connection she had with CC!  Not that I don't think CC is awesome, but I have never seen her be so doting on a little one before.  They just fell in love with each other!  It was hard to keep them apart!

Was it the braces, the long hair or just something else?  Whatever it was, was cute to see.  My little girl is growing up...and she is nurturing to others!  That's nice to see!

Q didn't mind too much.  She was into this furball cat!

20 Mule Team Borax...my green friend

Not just a natural laundry booster anymore!

In this world of green there are new products coming out all the time that declare themselves natural, safe, NEW and nearly superhuman!  Sometimes it just takes looking in your grandmother's laundry cupboard....dig out the Borax.  Do you remember seeing these commercials on tv when you were a kid?  With all the push for Green you'd think you'd see mroe of these commercials.

Here are the details of the many uses from their site.  I've done many of them myself and it really works!  I got hooked when my girls were babies.  It was the only thing that helped getting CC's 'urp'-stains out of my clothes and hers too!

Since 1891

• Laundry - Makes your detergent work better
• Kitchen - Helps make your China sparkle & eliminates kitchen odors
• Bathroom - Helps remove stains and deodorizes.
• Porcelain - Porcelain enamel surfaces will sparkle when washed with a solution of 20 Mule Team®* Borax and warm water.  Just sprinkle 20 Mule Team®* Borax on a damp sponge or cloth and wipe.  Your surfaces will shine!
• Fiberglass - Fiberglass surfaces will sparkle when washed with a solution of 20 Mule Team®* Borax and warm water.  Just sprinkle 20 Mule Team®* Borax on a damp sponge or cloth and wipe.  Your surfaces will shine!
• Hard Water - Got hard water? 20 Mule Team®* Borax Laundry Booster works great as a water conditioner, helping your detergent to work more effectively.  Add 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team®* Borax along with your regular laundry detergent.  You'll get cleaner, fresher smelling clothing.
• Delicates - Delicate hand washables also benefit from the water conditioning and deodorizing of 20 Mule Team®* Borax.  Dissolve 1/4 cup of 20 Mule Team®* Borax and 1-2 tablespoons of detergent in a basin of warm water.  Soak delicates for 10 minutes, then rinse in clear, cold water.  Blot items with a towel and lay flat to dry.
• Garbage Pails - Deodorize your garbage pails with 20 Mule Team®* Borax.  Just sprinkle a little 20 Mule Team®* Borax in the bottom of a clean, dry pail  (you can use 20 Mule Team®* Borax to wash the pail, too).
• Refrigerators - 20 Mule Team®* Borax is excellent for cleaning and deodorizing your refrigerator.  Lingering odors and spilled food can be washed away with a sponge using a solution of 1 quart warm water and 1 tablespoon 20 Mule Team®* Borax.  Rinse thoroughly with cold water.
• Baby Clothes - Baby clothes and cloth diapers can smell just as fresh as your baby when you use 20 Mule Team®* Borax in the wash.  Soak items in 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team®* Borax and warm water.  Follow up with a hot or warm water wash, adding 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team®* Borax and warm water along with the recommended amount of your regular detergent.
• Fine China - Ever wonder how you can make your fine china safely sparkle?  Rinse it in a solution of 1/2 cup 20 Mule Team®* Borax and warm water in the kitchen skin.  Designs on hand painted china will not fade.  Give china a thorough rinse with clear water before drying.
• Humidifiers - To help keep your humidifier free of odor, dissolve one tablespoon of 20 Mule Team®* Borax per gallon of water and add it to the unit.  Be sure to rinse out this solution before refilling your humidifier with pure water prior to use.
• Toilet Bowls - 20 Mule Team®* Borax is great at deodorizing the toilet bowl.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup of 20 Mule Team®* Borax into the bowl, then swish with your toilet brush.  Let it stand for 30 minutes or overnight, for the freshest bowl you've ever had.

20 Mule Team®* Borax also can be used throughout your house for cleaning and deodorizing.

For a free booklet on these and other uses of 20 Mule Team®* Borax, please contact The Dial Corporation - Consumer Information Center at 1-800-457-8739 or download the booklet from the internet purex.com

20 Mule Team®* Borax is harmless to washing machines, plumbing and septic tanks.  20 Mule Team®* Borax does not contain phosphates or chlorine.

I'm still here!

No I haven't fallen into the great abyss.  We have had anything but a restful July.  We actually drove all the way to Seattle just to get away from our staycation at home.  Painting, Packing, Moving furniture downstairs and then back upstairs, Cleaning, new carpets, new fixtures and so on...life has been crazy!! 

We just want the house to sell.  Met with a builder today.  Now DD is very excited about our retirement/dream home.  Need to sell more stuff on Ebay to get the $1,000 we need to get the architect to draw up the plans we like.  I'm a quarter of the way there.  I'll post the link later so you can shop from my momma!  She does all the posting for me in her store.

Pictures will follow very soon.  I have a rediculous amount of fun to post.  We went to our first Mariners game...first professional baseball game ever. We were all tired and didn't really want to go, but our friends talked us into it and it was fun!!  We'd definitely go again.  It's a funny store too.....like I said, I'll share soon, very soon.

A funny one for those who know someone in the military...

This is my disclaimer:  I am not posting this to offend anyone.  It's all in good humor.  My dad was in the Marines, I met some very cool SEALS and Rangers (nice guys with a thing for white bread) when I worked in Colorado, I dated a very tall Navy boy once, my husband and brother in law were in the Army and I have very good friends who served in the Coast Guard and the Air Force....Plus this was sent to us by an ex Army friend.

Marine Corps Rules:

1. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
2. Decide to be aggressive enough, quickly enough.
3. Have a plan.
4. Have a back-up plan, because the first one probably won't work.
5. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
6. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not start with a '4.'
7. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.
8. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral & diagonal preferred)
9. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.
10. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.
11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance,or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
13. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating your intention to shoot.



Navy SEAL's Rules:

1. Look very cool in sunglasses.
2. Kill every living thing within view.
3. Adjust speedo.
4. Check hair in mirror.



US Army Rangers Rules:

1. Walk in 50 miles wearing 75 pound rucksack while starving.
2. Locate individuals requiring killing.
3. Request permission via radio from 'Higher' to perform killing.
4. Curse bitterly when mission is aborted.
5. Walk out 50 miles wearing a 75 pound rucksack while starving.

US Army Rules:

1. Curse bitterly when receiving operational order.
2. Make sure there is extra ammo and extra coffee.
3. Curse bitterly.
4. Curse bitterly.
5. Do not listen to 2nd LTs; it can get you killed.
6. Curse bitterly.


US Air Force Rules:

1. Have a cocktail.
2. Adjust temperature on air-conditioner.
3. See what's on HBO.
4. Ask 'What is a gunfight?'
5. Request more funding from Congress with a 'killer' Power Point presentation.
6 Wine & dine ''key' Congressmen, invite DOD & defense industry executives.
7. Receive funding, set up new command and assemble assets.
8. Declare the assets 'strategic' and never deploy them operationally.
9. Hurry to make 13:45 tee-time.
10. Make sure the base is as far as possible from the conflict but close enough to earn tax exemption.


US Navy Rules:

1. Go to Sea.
2. Drink Coffee.
3. Deploy Marines

Go Navy!

14 Years and Counting...

My husband is a great dad and husband.  But it is amazing that we got married let alone ended up living together all these years.  All I can figure is that the part about opposites attract...is true!  If you were to ask if I was going to marry an  Irish, meat and potato, Catholic, Republican, I would have laughed...hysterically!! 

Before I met my husband I lived with many a 'green'-loving group of friends. (Although we didn't call it that trendy name back then--it was 'crunchy' at that time) I used cloth bags, never shaved my legs, found cool used clothes shops, shopped at the farmers market each week, knew how to cook tofu, recycled everything and anything possible and didn't even own a television that got more than 3 channels without first wrapping foil bows to its antennae.

I was the epitomy of a Humboldt Honey.  I wore Birkenstocks, tye dye shirts, ate brown rice and veggies for dinner every night, rode my bike everywhere, registered as an independent and actually had time for a few hobbies.

I'm surprised that when we first met, he didn't take his conservative red, meat-eating neck and go running for the closest Republican campaign office for shelter.  But I was in luck, he had a sister that got to him first.  His 'little' sister T broke him in and showed him that there was light on the dark...err rather, green side of life.  She was also running with the same 'crunchy' crowd.  He must have figured if he was still a Republican after spending time with her, then I wouldn't rub off on him either. Little did he know!

So here we are 14 wedded years later!  Believe it or not! (He wrote 15 in our card...but at least he got the date right so I won't fault him for it!)  All these years and two beautiful daughters who are way too smart for their, or our own good, three dogs, 3 chickens and 2 hamsters all living together out here "On the Edge" of married bliss!  I still don't get enough rice and veggies though...maybe in the next 15 years!

Happy anniversary to DD and Me!