Green Tip of the Day

Generating enough electricity to cook for an hour in a standard electric oven creates 2.7 pounds of carbon dioxide. Here's a list of what can do it for less: toaster oven, 1.3 pounds over 50 minutes; slow cooker, 0.9 pounds over seven hours; and microwave, 0.5 pounds over 15 minutes.

Sunday Update

I am looking forward to today. Thomas and Diedre are driving down for a visit with the family. Chloe will also be here later. John and Elaine are in town for their yearly visit. Plus the usual Sunday group should be here, along with Doug's niece Jessica and her brood.

Yesterday morning I took an hour walk through Oak Shade Cemetery and over to Thomas Park. I came into the park from the back way through the cemetery. It was a nice walk and got me well on my way for my step goal for the day. I ended up with 16245 steps for the day. I hope I have a chance to take a walk today.

After walking I did some cleaning around the house until John and Elaine showed up. They had Curt with them and stayed for about an hour. Chloe was also here for a little while. After John and Elaine left to go back over to Curt's, Chloe also left. She had a show thing that she had to help with later in the day.

Left alone again, Doug and I went over menus and the shopping list. I went shopping and got more of my walking in. In the evening we made salsa with garden tomatoes. It is one of the best batches of salsa I think we have ever made. I also baked a cake before going to bed. I have to frost the cake this morning.

That is all for today. I will see everyone later!

Green Tip of the Day

A laptop uses just a quarter of the power required by a desktop computer.

Saturday Update

Yeah vacation has started!!

Yesterday was nice because we were let out of work at 2:00. With pay!

I came home and found that John and Elaine had not called yet. Doug was also still waiting for Johnny to come over with the nail gun. Finishing Chloe's room was on hold until we had the nail gun. Johnny finally showed up at around 7:30. He told us his car had been stolen early Friday morning, around 4:00 AM. It also had all of the supplies he had purchased at Menards the day before in it. What a bummer, at least he may get a new car if it is not found.

Nailing the floor boards down took only minutes with the nail gun. The room looks very nice. I will need to get some pictures to post. After Johnny left, Doug decided to take Mark's saw back to him. While he was gone I moved things back into Chloe's room. I was close to being finished when Doug returned home.

We didn't hear from John and Elaine until almost 10. They had been at Curt's since around 5. Elaine told Doug she had said they would be staying at Curt's first. That conversation actually never took place. The last time we had heard from them was over a week ago, they had said they would probably not be stopping at Chloe's or Thomas and Diedre's.

That is all for now. I hope to see everyone on Sunday. Go Tigers!

Steps Update: 10734 on Friday.

Thursday Update

Yesterday was such a long day at work. Had a few rough calls, but not bad over all.

When I got home I went to the laundromat to wash the old featherbed from our bed. We bought a new one and will use the old one on the bed in Chloe's room. The laundromat has not changed any. In fact it got worse. They still have five or six TVs, but only two are on. And the people just let their kids run wild. I had a little boy, about four, try to grab a dollar bill from my hand while I was getting change from the machine. At least he did ask if he could have it while he was reaching for it.

After I got back home, Doug said he wanted to go to Menard's to get some things to finish up Chloe's room. While we were there Doug had to call Johnny to ask him what kind of nails we need for his nail gun that Doug will be borrowing. Johnny said, "Just a minute, I will be right there." He was coming to return something and shop for some things for one of his houses that was damaged in the flood. We tried to finish our shopping before they closed as they were making the closing announcement while we were there. We did not quite get everything we need, so we will probably be making another trip over there tonight.

We finally had a chance to sit down and eat supper around 9:15. I was hungry and tired at the same time. I ate and went to bed. What a long day.

I almost forgot, yesterdays step count was 12099.

Wednesday Update

Happy hump day everyone.

Chloe's room is coming right along. Last night Mark and Doug finished putting in the last of the flooring. Now Doug has to get the trim for around the walls, the new outlets and put the closet door back on. I'm sure there are some other details that I have forgotten. But, it is very close to being done. Hopefully I will have some pictures to post soon.

Yesterday I stepped up my walking to 11617 steps.

Tip of the Day:

Homemade Cleaning Products

Candles, Telephones

Sponge with a piece of cotton dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Carpet Freshener

Combine 3/4 cup baking soda, 2 tbsp corn starch, and 1/4 cup perfumed talcum powder. Sprinkle on dry carpet, let stand 5 to 15 minutes, then vacuum.

Cobwebs

For hard to reach spots, slip a sock over the end of a yardstick and secure with a rubber band, then sweep the area. This method works well for cleaning under radiators and refrigerators also.

Pet Urine

Dab area with toweling, wash with suds of liquid dish detergent, and rinse with 1/2 cup vinegar diluted in 1 qt warm water. Lay towels or paper towels over the spot and weight down to absorb excess moisture. Let stand 4 to 6 hours, then remove toweling, brush up nap and allow to dry completely. To speed drying, use an electric fan.

Ovens

Fill a small glass bowl with 1/2 cup full-strength ammonia, place in oven and close. Let stand overnight, then wipe loosened dirt with paper towels or newspapers. If necessary, rub surfaces with a suitable abrasive, such as fine steel wool, then wash with warm soapy water and rinse. Repeat process if necessary.

Homemade Window Glass Cleaner

1/2 cup vinegar to 1 gallon of water (or 2 tablespoons per quart) OR

1/2 cup sudsy ammonia to 1 gallon water (or 2 tablespoons per quart)

OR

1/2 cup sudsy ammonia 2 cups rubbing alcohol 1 teaspoon liquid dishwashing detergent 1 gallon water (This one is less likely to freeze in cold weather.)

Pots and Pans - Burned, and Crusted,on Foods

Soak or boil a solution of 2 tbsp baking soda per qt of water in each pan. Let stand until particles are loosened, then wash as usual. Use a mild or moderate abrasive if necessary.

Discolored Aluminum

Heat a solution of 1 tbsp vinegar per qt of water or 2 tsp cream of tartar per qt of water in each pan until discoloration disappears.

Grease

Rub greasy spots with a mild or moderate abrasive, such as fine steel wool, and a dish detergent until they disappear.

Stained No-Stick Cookware

To remove stains from no-stick surfaces, pour a solution of 1 cup water, 2 tbsp baking soda and 1/2 cup chlorine bleach into the pan and simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Do not allow mixture to boil or to boil over the side of the pan. Wash in hot soapy water, rinse and dry. Apply a light coating of cooking oil. (Note: This formula may fade dark-colored surfaces.)

Drains

To keep drains clear, flush daily with scalding water. For grease buildup, dissolve 1 lb washing soda in 3 gal boiling water and pour down drain. To avoid burns from boiling water, hold water container close to drain and pour slowly and directly into drain. For heavy grease buildup, use a commercial drain opener. Exercise extreme caution when using and follow label instructions exactly. (Commercial drain openers can be used to clear hair buildup from bathroom drains, also.)

Disinfectant/Mildew Remover

Dilute 3/4 cup chlorine bleach in 1 gal of water. Apply to tile and grout and scrub; wipe shower stall and curtain; rinse thoroughly.

Fixtures

To clean stainless steel, chrome, fiberglass, ceramic, porcelain or enamel fixtures, dissolve 2 tbsp baking soda in 1 qt of water.

Rust Stain and Hard Water Deposit Remover

Apply full-strength vinegar or lemon juice and let stand until spot disappears, then rinse. Repeat if necessary.

Soap Scum

Apply baking soda dry or as a thick paste, rub vigorously with a wet sponge, then rinse.

Toilet Bowl

Pour 1/4 cup full strength chlorine bleach OR 1/2 cup full strength ammonia into bowl. DO NOT USE BOTH. Swish with a bowl brush and flush.

Combs and Brushes

Fill a basin with hot water, and add either 2 tbsp ammonia OR 1 tsp liquid dish detergent. Drop in combs and brushes and soak 10 minutes, then use combs to clean brushes. Rinse thoroughly and air dry.

*From pioneerthinking.com

Last night on G Word we saw a group that uses human hair mats to help clean up oil spills. I was interested and looked into it more. They will take donations from hair salons and schools that have collected hair. They prefer not to have the hair in small envelopes, but in bigger packages. Teachers can actually do a demonstration of how the hair mats work.

Hair For Oil Spills Information For Teachers

Tuesday Update

The 10,000 Steps Challenge officially started yesterday. I finished with 10131 steps. The site I log my steps at says I need to take 9504 steps just to maintain my present weight and 14256 steps to start losing weight. I only guessed at my starting weight because we do not have a scale at this time. From reading at the Challenge web site, I found that I don't have to start at 10000 steps the first day. You are supposed to build up to it by adding 500 steps a week. But, I don't like to mess around. My goal is to get up to the 14256 steps to lose weight. I think this is a 6 week program.

Doug's finger looks very sore. It is turning interesting shades of purple. He is frustrated that it does not show very well in pictures. The scary part is how swollen it looks from the side.

Mark has been assisting us with the flooring in Chloe's room and he took the doors and last of the flooring home to trim on his band saw. He will hopefully have them completed tonight and bring them back here to finish. After the last pieces of flooring are down, Doug will measure for the floor boards. We will then need to paint them before installing. After that; hang the doors, replace the light switch and electrical outlets and we will pretty much be done with that room. Although we will need to find a rug for the room.

This is some of the sweet corn Wanda and Mark brought for us a week ago. We ate some that day and the rest we vacuum sealed and put in the freezer.
This is Doug's smashed finger.
Ouch!!
What a fun finger to injure, don't you think?

Saturday Update

I had two free meals yesterday. The first was in Green Square Park. It was put on by Alliant and the downtown ass_ _ _ _ _. I had a grilled chicken sandwich, pasta salad, pickle, watermellon, brownie and a Dew. I second was paid for by our site manager. It was Chinese from some place I never heard of, I don't even remember the name. I had Mongolian beef with fried rice. There weren't any vegetables in the rice and there were more onions than beef.

Starting Monday I will be tracking the steps I take each day through the 10000 Staep a Day challenge through our Cigna health plan. I could win an Ipod. We received our pedometers yesterday at work. It is very nice with a compass that you press to open the cover that has the settings buttons inside. I enter my weight and stride length and it keeps track of my steps. The steps will be logged at a Cigna web site and I am supposed to be able to calculate how may steps I need to take each day to maintain my present weight or to loss weight.

Last night I took a 45 minute walk in the downtown area around the library and over to Walgreens. I was only able to take a total of 6868 steps yesterday. Although I think I need to figure out exactly were to wear it to make it work best. Some times I walk clear across the house and it only records 2 steps. Oh well, I have until Monday to try and figure it out.

Last night Bobo paid us a surprise visit. She called after 9:30 to tell Doug she was in town at Katie's and she wanted to stay the night at our house. It's too bad it is so hot and muggy right now. We had to block off the day kitchen area and let her sleep on the couch because her room was too hot.

Friday Update

Friday at last! I have one more full week and then one full week of vacation while Elaine and John are here.

Wednesday when we got to the office and the main elevator was shut off and no one had gotten there to unlock the door coming from the freight elevator or the door in the stair well. We were unable to find someone to unlock the doors and turn on the elevator until after 8. Needless to say, we got a late start answering the phones that day. Yesterday was pretty uneventful. Except I did get quite a few angrier than normal customers. I noticed they were all from southern states, hmmm.

It is also very cold at work. This is because right now we have no way of regulating the air conditioner. It stay about 64 all of the time. Very cold for me, but I know Doug would love it. My hands stay pretty numb all day.

We have been mostly watching the Olympics all week. I wish they would quit focusing so much on volley ball. Also, the US track team has been pretty disappointing.

I hope everyone has a good Friday and a wonderful weekend.

Have a great day at school Thomas and Diedre!

Wednesday Update

Yesterday was an interesting day at work. The elevator worked when I first got there in the morning. However, by first break you could only use the stairs and the elevator never started for the rest of the day. It is just as well, because even with the carpeting and wall covering pulled out it still smells really bad.

It took us until about 8:30 to get our IP phones working. Good news though, they originally told us our old phones would never be brought back because Armstrong Centre was switching to a new server and our company did not want the expense of switching our phone system. Armstrong Centre informed us yesterday that they are not getting the new server after all. We even found out we could log into the old phones, however not all of the functions are working.

I have to use the laptop for my main phone for now and the desktop for my other work. However, I can use both for whatever I want. So it is nice to have two computers to work from.

Tuesday Update

Today we start working back at the office. They have not opened the sky walk yet. And I guess only one of the elevators in our building is working. This makes me a little bit nervous, because before the flood every now and then one of the elevators would not work. And it wasn't always the same one. I am going to miss working from home because I won't be able to dress in my shorts and a Tool t-shirt any longer. Back to the dress code.

Monday Update

This weekend went by way too fast. It looks like this might be my last day working from home. Yesterday the gazette had an article that said some Armstrong Centre tenants will be moving back in Monday or Tuesday. I wonder if Art Mart will be coming back? Not this week because they were on the 1st floor, but some time.

We had lots of good food yesterday for Soup Sunday. Hot dogs, brats, hamburgers, chili, cole slaw, broccoli-tomato salad, creamy cucumbers, sweet corn (fresh from the Jordan field), chips and salsa. And for dessert we had a cheese cake that Jamie brought. Everyone stayed around until a little after 8 and then we bagged up the corn Wanda and Mark brought to us. We already had it blanched from when we cooked supper. We left it on the cob and vacuum sealed it.

Well that is all today. Have to take out the trash you know.

Sunday Update

Yesterday was a productive day. In the AM I spent about an hour and a half fertilizing and weeding the garden. I also mowed along the side of the garage and the back yard. The weed killer Johnny sprayed has killed most of the crab grass. Next year in early Spring we will have to put down grass seed.

Yesterday afternoon was a little more relaxed. I had lunch and did some reading. I also figured out the next 2 weeks menus and wrote the grocery list. Around 4 I went to the store. This was the first time since Monday that I had gone anywhere outside; other than the yard. I guess that is the only down side of working from home. I can live with that though, because it is so much more peaceful working from home.

I am finally going to post those pictures of Thomas & Diedre's house that I promised.

What a nice house.
What, two garages?
I'm so proud of both of you!!
Tired and happy movers.

Nice view from the back yard.

Stray cats that the neighbor lady takes care of.
The high school and it's wondeful wind turbine.
The first good harvest from our garden. Looks good doesn't it!

Saturday Update

I don't have much today. I will still be working from home on Monday. They are putting some pipes in the ceiling at work. I'm not sure what I will be doing this weekend. I do know I need to finish mowing the yard. I only got to the front yard so far. We are starting to get ripe tomatoes and I will be picking green beans soon.

Wednesday Update

Yesterday I worked from home. It was very relaxing. I did not have to hear the back and forth bickering of my co-workers. Mao also did not bother me like I thought he might. Talking into the headset must have made me look crazy to him. Working from home must have worn me out. I was very sleepy from about 7:30 on last night. I could barely stay awake to watch the Olympics. I did get to see Phelps win a gold medal. His Mom was very excited.

It is just a few days away from Thomas and Diedre beginning their teaching careers and I am very excited.

Monday Update

I'm back!!!

Mediacom brought us a different modem today. So far we have internet. But, as always that could change. Tomorrow and Wednesday I will be working from home. Highway Equipment needs their conference room for a sales conference. We still don't know when we get to go back to the office downtown. If the internet holds up at home, I might be given permission to work from home until we go back downtown. I hope that will happen so I don't have to drive so far.

Tonight is the 2 hour season finally for The Mole. I still think Craig is the Mole. I will probably be wrong though. It is so hard to pick the mole.

I'm excited for Thomas and Diedre; their first day of teaching will be this Friday. That is all for now. I might post more in the morning.

Tuesday Update

The weekend was very busy. It was also a very good weekend. I love Thomas and Diedre's new house. The kitchen and family room are a toss-up for my favorite room. We took pictures which I will post at a later time. I still don't know how to get them from the camera to the computer.

Small towns are so great. There is a small theatre with one showing a day at 7:00, they were showing Walle. The court house building is very beautiful. My favorite has to be the Aloha Fountain. It even has a real soda fountain. It reminds me of my childhood. Thomas also met one of his future students working there.

The local motel was cutting corners a bit too much. The air conditioner was not quite big enough to cool the room and the over head fan did not work. They also had unplugged the refrigerator and did not bother to let us know. We actually had to stop at Pamida to buy a fan to circulate the air in the room. It did help to cool the room.

Thomas and Diedre are settling in to small town living nicely. They are being given fresh vegetables on pretty much a daily basis. They especially enjoy the sweet corn. They are already planning their garden for next year. It sounds pretty impressive.

On Sunday we went to Justin and Jamie's new house. Also very impressive. I'm not sure how to describe it. There a lot of rooms, a nice bar in the basement and a huge back yard. I love the huge willow tree.

That is all for today's update. Have a great day and stay cool everyone.