Monday, May 31, 2021

Happy Memorial Day


Remembering and honoring those who didn't make it home.  Your sacrifice is never forgotten.

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Friday, May 28, 2021

What I'm Reading This Week #22

What's shaking, y'all?  Everyone ready for the three day weekend if you're in the US?  We sure are even though we're coming off our 25th anniversary getaway.  No amount of time away is ever enough even if it was double what we usually take.  We've got the patio together and since the MIL was dropping something off on the porch, that kicked into gear the need to get the front garden looking presentable too.  I truly broke my body this week being bent over, crouched and the like.  I intended to get back into a full exercise routine but that wasn't going to happen when I couldn't even get up from a seated position without making noises way louder than I usually do.

That also meant I was too lazy to set up pics for dinner.  

Monday was beef roast sammie and a big salad.  Tuesday was turkey tacos and Brussels.  Wednesday was homemade Chinese with cauli-rice and broccoli slaw.  Last night was orange roughy, sweet potato gnocchi and broccoli.

Now let's get into...



12 Bodyweight Exercises for Knee Pain Relief  (Nobody likes achy breaky knees...hello 90s!)




The Surprising Symptoms of GERD You Should Know (That's the worst.  Anyone else Vurp?  (Vomit/burp)  That was always a fun one when I had it...not.)

How to Build Perfect Picnic Sandwiches That Are Tasty and Portable  (I like to use these ice pack sheets when placing them toward the top of the cooler with foil.  Keeps them from getting squished toward the bottom and they don't ice up either.)

20 Gorgeous Flowering Vines to Add Vertical Color to Your Yard and Garden  (I've got star jasmine, clematis and my wisteria arrive today.  Take a tip from my suffering though, be very careful with morning glories and moon flowers.  I got HORRIBLE contact dermatitis all over my waistband area and face after cutting it down to the point we thought I had shingles.  SHOWER IMMEDIATELY after pulling any vines.)



The Best Memorial Day Sales of 2021  (Do ALL the shopping.)

Since we have our patio together, we'll be grillin' and chillin'.  Everywhere will be crowded so there's nowhere we could go to escape people.  Thankfully, it's supposed to be cooler and maybe even a little rain here and there which means mother nature can water things instead of me.

Any plans for the holiday/weekend?

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Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Barreling through May Hump Day Survey


Last Wednesday in May.  Yeesh.  Let's barrel into some survey questions...

What would be an accurate tag line for each month?  

January-  We're only 10 days into winter, shut it about Spring or you're going to make it worse for yourself.
February- Still not Spring...zip it.
March- Okay fine, it's Spring...you're still getting snow.
April- Doesn't that surprise dusting of snow look nice on the tulips?
May- Enjoy the first part, it's going to be hot by the end.
June- Here's your summer...can it.
July-  Is it October yet?
August- I'll be in the A/C for another month again.
September- Please stop being hot.
October- Enjoy the two days of fall color before the wind storm blows them off.
November- Yes, it's okay to decorate for Christmas if you want to no matter what people harass you for it.
December- Cram in everything you think is festive until you're so worn out you're passed out the last 6 days of the year.

When was the most inappropriate time you busted out in laughter?  Usually passing notes during class.

What’s the funniest TV show you’ve ever seen?  When Wipeout first came out, it was hilarious.  I couldn't really name anything funny now though Young Rock was pretty funny!

What’s something that everyone knows is true, but we don’t like to admit it?  We can't make everyone conform to what we think is "right" in our minds.  Forced acceptance isn't acceptance.

What’s the weirdest text or email you’ve gotten?  I got an unsolicited dick pic about 10 years ago, recoiled in horror and showed the Mr.  He texted the guy back and said he was going to call the cops for sending porn to his 12 year old daughter's phone.  When I posted about it, my gay bestie said next time forward him the pic and number and he'd post it on the forums he visits.  LOL  (I wouldn't but that's funny especially if someone persisted.)

What always cheers you up when you think about it?  When grandma would say "you were my first grandbaby."

What’s the most boring sport, and what would you do to make it more exciting?  Anything with a ball.  I would make the ball explode if you had it longer than you were supposed to.  (Like when a quarterback is trying to make something out of nothing and refuses to give up.  Sorry dude, you don't get to "throw it away"...BOOM!)

What’s the creepiest tech out there?  ALL of it.

Who did you use to look up to, but they screwed up and you lost faith in them?  A family member that I really loved and admired.  I asked them to sing at our wedding which they reluctantly agreed to.  We picked songs and I got them sheet music.  I heard a week before the wedding they weren't going to do it and called to see if it was true.  They didn't get back to me until 3 days before the wedding saying they weren't doing it.  I was up all night crying.  The next day I had my work wedding shower and I got $100 from the co-workers, walked directly over to a woman I knew who sang opera professionally and asked if she had plans Saturday.  She sang for me even though it wasn't the style I wanted and was a total pro.  The family member didn't show up at the wedding even though I never told them they couldn't come and was heartbroken because they were one person I always envisioned being there.

What’s fine in small numbers but terrifying in large numbers?  I guess birds.

Do you like things to be carefully planned or do you prefer to just go with the flow?  80% planned 20% go with the flow.  We tried two vacations 'go with the flow' and we are both too indecisive to make the most of our time doing that then find out afterward we missed a bunch of crap.

What was the worst shopping experience you’ve ever had?  Shopping for my wedding dress.  This was the late 90's when you had 3 fat lady dresses to choose from and you're lucky we don't make you walk down the aisle in a white linen bag.  I still had to have it altered.

What escalated very quickly?  I don't want to say because it involves politics

What did you believe for way too long as a child?  That family would always be there for you.

What current trend makes no sense to you?  Every person being a paparazzi for normal people.  Mind your business.


Your turn!  Pick a few or all questions and answer them in the comments!

What would be an accurate tag line for each month?

When was the most inappropriate time you busted out in laughter?

What’s the funniest TV show you’ve ever seen?

What’s something that everyone knows is true, but we don’t like to admit it?

What’s the weirdest text or email you’ve gotten?

What always cheers you up when you think about it?

What’s the most boring sport, and what would you do to make it more exciting?

What’s the creepiest tech out there?

Who did you use to look up to, but they screwed up and you lost faith in them?

What’s fine in small numbers but terrifying in large numbers?

Do you like things to be carefully planned or do you prefer to just go with the flow?

What was the worst shopping experience you’ve ever had?

What escalated very quickly?

What did you believe for way too long as a child?

What current trend makes no sense to you?


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Monday, May 24, 2021

What I Used to Aid Healing My Abscess



I know...what a delightful topic.  As many of you know, I ended up in the ER on Easter because of a lump I had on my big toe that was not going away and getting bigger.   I had cellulitis that was treated with antibiotics and while the painful lump on top of the toe went away, the lump underneath wasn't.  I wondered if it was a blood clot because it seemed like something separate since the antibiotics didn't treat it.  The ER doc had a venous ultrasound done and confirmed no blood clot and I was dealing with an abscess that wasn't big enough to drain there.  He prescribed Bactrim and to do foot soaks and warm compresses a few times a day to get it to drain internally.

It should be said, I am not a patient person.  I was immediately trying to find out how long it could take for this to go away because I'd already been dealing with it for weeks and was over it.  The general consensus seemed to be 7-10 days.  I was faithful with my Epsom salt/baking soda soaks at least twice a day and warm compresses 3x a day but I also did a few other things to help slay the demon.  

I have ZERO idea if they helped or not but I do know after doing one in particular, is when I saw the most reduction.  If you have an abscess you NEED to see a doctor.  I am not one so therefore if you want to try any of these things, you need to discuss it with your doc first!  They can be deadly if not treated and spread!

Magnetic Field Therapy Pad-  I can't find the exact model I have but I got this to help after compartment syndrome in 2016 because I didn't want to pay for Bemer therapy at my chiro.  (It paid for itself with three uses)  I would sit with my toe square in the middle of it while watching TV and it promotes circulation without heat which is what I was told an abscess needs to heal...circulation.

Handheld UltraSound- I used this initially to continue with the ultrasound therapy at home that my chiro used on my TTS back in 2012.  It does not heat up like some people in bad reviews seem to think it should, it just penetrates the skin to heal.  I have no clue how it works but when I used it on the abscess area, it would almost flatten out.  It would come back but smaller.  It seemed to be a complimentary treatment to the soaks and compresses.

Epsom Salt Gel- I would put this on it at night so that there was still some kind of treatment going on even when I slept.  It's a good thing to have on hand anyway for sore muscles or aid in post workout recovery.

Bentonite Clay-  While after a full 6 days on Bactrim and faithful soaks/compresses were shrinking the size, I began to get antsy.  I was looking up how to heal abscesses quicker and I don't know why I didn't think about bentonite clay before!  I had some left and it is used to pull toxins from the body when used as a facial mask with apple cider vinegar.  That is what I needed!  So I added that to my regimen and kept a paste of it ready to help kick things to the curb.  (I even made a poultice using both the clay and the Epsom salt gel for maximum suckage.  I think it works the best once it dries, especially if you're on the go between soaks and your issue is somewhere hidden.)

Dry brushing-  Dry brushing can help the lymphatic system do its job.  If you sit all day, your lymphatic system, which helps rid you of toxins, illness, etc, can get clogged.  In the morning, I would use the brush starting from my ankles up to the top of the leg as well as the arms doing all moves toward the heart.  

Again, who knows if any of these things helped speed healing for me, but I need to feel like I'm doing all I can.  As the Mr says, when I do something, I go hard.  

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Friday, May 21, 2021

What I'm Reading This Week #21

Hey there everyone and Happy Friday!  I hope you've had an awesome week and are ready to party hardy this weekend.  Heh...I don't know that I've ever partied hardy.  It's been a long week so I am ready for the weekend.

A quick note about email notifications.  Feedburner is doing away with its email notification which means those of you who get posts delivered to your mailbox, will no longer get them beginning in July.  I've been looking into alternatives and I hope there are some free ones out there because I can't afford to pay a monthly fee for that especially since it appears that about 10 people actually click through emails.  I'll keep you updated on that front but if anyone out there knows anything about this kind of stuff and wants to throw out suggestions in the comments, feel free.  (Don't message me on Facebook because once again, that is a crapshow.)  If you do click through emails, please comment below so I can get a better idea of how many people this will actually affect.

Here's a peek at our eats this week.

Monday was ground turkey fajitas


Workout was Turbo Fire 45 EZ.

Tuesday was Southwest Chicken and Rice.


Workout was LIIFT 4 Back and Bi's.

Wednesday was BBQ Chicken Pita Pizza and broccoli.


Workout was Jessica Smith 5 miles.

Thursday was General Tso's Shrimp with Cauli-rice.


Workout was WATP 3 miles.

Now let's get into...





5 Tips For Speeding Up Digestion — Naturally   (We've been getting in the habit of if we've overindulged to go for a walk and it really helps.)

The Ultimate Home Workout Guide to the 150 Best Moves, Plus 30-Minute Workout Videos  (A great list of moves to make up your own workouts!)


16 Ways to Detox Your Lymphatic System  (Mine needs all the help it can get)

Don’t Like the Way Others Make You Feel?  (Good article, I wish they went a little deeper though)

The Hard Science of Reincarnation  (Really interesting stuff!)

How to Fold a Fitted Sheet  (I feel like if it needs more than two steps I'm still going to ball it up and call it a day.)

55 Memorial Day Recipes That Aren’t Hot Dogs and Watermelon  (Some good looking options right here!)

Watch "Baby Skunk Does The Cutest Stomps  (OMG, SOOOO sweet!  Watch that butt lil buddy.)

I think we might start thinking about getting the patio in some kind of order.  I'm sure everyone else has the same idea.  No nursery visits for flowers until mid-week if the mood strikes.

What's the plan for you this weekend?

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Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Humpeth Day Surveyeth




Good day m'lady and lords!  It's time to get medieval on some Humpeth Day surveys!

What is the hidden meaning behind your name? Why were you given the name?  No hidden meaning.  My dad picked my name and was apparently quite excited to be a dad...until he became one at 18.  Whoops!

What's the worst dish you have ever made?  I made this horrible krab alfredo our first year of marriage.  The Mr threw the leftovers out the window on his way to work.  It's the only dish he's ever bashed with authoritah and we've never bought imitation crab again!

Have you ever met someone famous in person?  MANY people back in the day.  Lots of bands and pro wrestlers and a few actors.  Met a few as adults too.  I get a Christmas card from someone I'm relatively certain 80% of you watch weekly on one of his many shows.


What was the worst travel experience of your life?  2016 when our flight from Kauai was cancelled and they crammed us in coach for 8 hours.  I got compartment syndrome and had to have dry needling and PT done and spent $2000 fixing what they broke in me and 8 months to recoup.  

Have you ever won a medal or trophy?  Cheerleading trophy

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?  Meteorologist

What was your favorite childhood video game you played?  Pac Man and Space Invaders on the Atari.

Have you ever been to summer camp growing up?  I was forced to go to one in 6th grade and it was MISERABLE.  I was on my period, I fell in a mud pit, I wasn't with any of my friends.  I went home early.

What was one of the most interesting concerts you’ve been to?  U2's Popmart tour was awesome.  We were in the nosebleeds but damn that was like The Matrix.  You can watch the concert here with technology that was current at the time and shows many of the wide shots we saw behind the band.  When they did Discotheque....epic!

What’s the worst movie trope?  All Hallmark movies.  Sometimes dudes are a-holes.  Sometimes they don't move to Vermont.  Sometimes they don't end up together.  Be real instead of so friggin' predictable!

What’s the longest rabbit hole you’ve been down?  Any time I'm researching for a new vacation rental.  The Mr can vouch.

What’s something that everyone agrees we should change, but somehow it never changes?  Healthcare.  You should see the shock on basically every countries face when they see what we pay.

What company do you despise?  Apple.  I'm sorry but I don't respect a company that keeps releasing a new version of something that ain't broke, have compatibility issues or stop putting in chargers or stuff like that.  We still have our original iPod and just replaced the battery so it didn't explode.  We won't get rid of it until it dies for good.


Your turn!  Picketh a few or all questions and answer in the comments!

What is the hidden meaning behind your name? Why were you given the name?

What's the worst dish you have ever made?

Have you ever met someone famous in person?

What was the worst travel experience of your life?

Have you ever won a medal or trophy?

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

What was your favorite childhood video game you played?

Have you ever been to summer camp growing up?

What was one of the most interesting concerts you’ve been to?

What’s the worst movie trope?

What’s the longest rabbit hole you’ve been down?

What’s something that everyone agrees we should change, but somehow it never changes?

What company do you despise?

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Monday, May 17, 2021

Everything I Do Before Clicking 'Checkout'


Growing up in a single mom household in the 80's/90's, we had to scrimp.  We had coupons, and we rarely bought the name brand of anything unless it was exceptionally good over its doppelganger.  The Mr grew up the opposite and given we were both making under $20K each when we got married, I knew I had to teach him my frugal ways.  I can't tell you how proud I was the day he came home with paper towels and was like "look, I got these on sale!"  Trust me, it was a big deal then.  I don't care how much we bring in, a few cents to a dollar is always better off in our pocket than someone else's, especially big business'.

So here are all of the things I make sure I do before clicking 'checkout.'

Ease up on the trigger finger

This doesn't really apply to grocery stores because they know you need food to survive but other carts...fair game.  Some places, even small businesses will send you a coupon code if your contents have sat in there for a day.  Ever get those "hey, we saw you checking us out!" (okay stalker) or "you still have items in your cart!" emails?  If they don't have promo codes to continue your purchase, wait another day...they might!  I've been sent 10-15% promo codes to complete my purchase.


Coupons

We don't get coupons like back in the day except for the ones from our main grocery store that are generated by our purchases.  Those are always appreciated and usually if they are sent to us via mail, then they are typically available online as well attached to our loyalty card.  (God, I hate those!  Just give everyone the sale price already!)  Problem is, they don't load onto your card unless you go in and do it.  I go into our account and scroll the coupons every Friday morning and upload any we might use even if it's something we might not have bought recently but I think we may buy on a whim because you never know.  I'd rather be surprised getting the money back on an impulse buy.  Sometimes if you're doing a pickup/delivery, it will say there is a coupon for the product...gotta click it!  They'll let you know about it but won't do it for ya.

Rakuten (Rack-ooh-tan)  formerly Ebates

This is where some will say it's a scam.  They sell your info.  Blah blah blah.  The Mr works in computers and fully vets anything like this in addition to my own research.  Hundreds of legit, big name stores are part of this program and they're not going to mess up their own reputation to be part of a scam.  I have gotten back almost $1300 of my own money that would've gone to stores if I hadn't used them.  The premise is, they are splitting an affiliate commission with you.  You are more likely to come back to use them which means more money in their pockets and the store that participates may get more money because of the fact they're in the program so you'll shop them more often.   Sometimes there will be double and triple cash back.  Make sure you install the extension in your browser so if you happen upon a site in Rakuten's network, it will alert you so you can get your cash back.  

Examples of cashback I've gotten- The 25th anniversary book I made through Shutterfly was only 1% when I started putting it together which is better than nothing because I'll take almost $1.50 back over nothing.  I was happy when I didn't finish on my own self imposed deadline and it went up to 10% cash back!  I don't even know why but I'll certainly take $15 back instead!  I got 10% back on our tax prep.  I got 2% back through Sylvane getting my ultrafine particle air filters ($10-12 cheaper than I would've paid through Amazon or Walmart too!) so I will take any amount back in my pocket, please and thank you!   

If you want to sign up and poke around a bit to see if any of your favorite stores are listed, click here to sign up through my affiliate link.  If you sign up then spend $20 that you were going to spend anyway, we'll both get referral money added to our accounts.  

Promo Codes

The Mr knows to search for promo codes before buying anything online.  Kinda makes me proud when he does. Sadly, some sites are a waste of time but I can get some pretty reliable results from Retail Me Not and Coupon Cabin (though the latter is a little less reliable than it used to be.)  Clothes places seem to give the biggest discounts like 40-50% off of a single item (sometimes your whole purchase) but you can easily find 10-30% by entering the name of your store and the term "promo code" or "coupon code" after it.  Something to be aware of for Rakuten members.  If you're going to look for promo codes, either do it in a separate browser than the one you're checking out on or look them up before activating your cash back or one of the coupon sites might hijack your cart for their program.  Retail Me Not is notorious for taking over your cart with their program if you're going to click to get their code then it boots out Rakuten.  So get your all of your codes to try first, then activate Rakuten and paste the codes.

Sign up for email newsletters before buying

Many sites will give you a promo code for joining their lists.  A lot will automatically give you the coupon code when you enter your email, some send them to your email and then some jerks act like they're going to give it to you right away and you end up getting it 1-3 days later.  (Murphy's Law says likely after you've already made your purchase.)  It's always worth checking especially if you can't find any other promo codes that work out there.  Then you can unsubscribe if you don't want to get promotions from them.

Purchase and use gift cards for other rewards

Chances are, you probably have a loyalty card through your grocery store.  A lot of times you can earn fuel or grocery points by purchasing gift cards.  Let's say you always get a pizza from Dominos or Pizza Hut every Friday night.  Grab a gift card to pay for it and get your points.  Same with the store itself.  You know you're going to be shopping there, so get your Ralphs, Kroger, Shaws, Publix or whatever gift card for what you typically spend on a trip to get some points back toward those future purchases.

Pick it up!

If you're not shopping somewhere that has free shipping (or you're not going to reach the minimum for free shipping) but has pick up as an option, pick dat shizz up especially if they're close by.  With so many retailers doing curbside, you don't even have to get out of your car and save some moolah doing it.

Go incognito

Did you know if you shop a site frequently, your cookies give you away and work against you?  If some stores know you shop through them frequently regardless of the price, you may pay higher prices for being a loyal customer!  What a crock, right?  I've even seen this on vacation rental sites with two different nightly prices checked on the same property on two different browsers.  So always open a private/incognito tab to make sure you're not a victim of "dynamic pricing!"

Comparison search

If I come across something I don't typically buy on a site, I copy the name of the item and go a Google search to see if it comes up cheaper somewhere else.  I saved $10 buying air filters somewhere other than Amazon just because it was easier.  It came a day later than Amazon would've and I could wait a day for that kind of savings.  Plus I got 2% cash back over none so there's that.

Do you do any of these (or something in addition) before checking out?

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Friday, May 14, 2021

What I'm Reading This Week #20

Hello all!  Another Friday is upon us and we're halfway through May already.  It's been a pretty relaxing week in our parts which is a good thing.  

Here's some eats for the week:

Monday was sweet potato curry lentil with lime rice.


Workout was 3 miler around the hood.

Tuesday was Big Azz Salad time with cayenne sweet potato and cosmic crisp apple.



Workout was lower body strength.

Wednesday was Brussels sprout flatbread.




Workout was Powerstrike.

Thursday was apricot glazed orange roughy, TJ's gnocchi and grilled asparagus.


Workout was WATP 3 miles.

Now it's time to jump into...





5 Tips for Easing Into Post-COVID Life When the Time Comes  (Don't let anyone force you into jumping back in until you're ready.)



Is Texture The New Taste? Why Mouthfeel Matters Right Now + Expert Cooking Tips  (Some things I can't eat because they feel gross in my mouth.  IE- Tomatoes.  RETCH)


The 10 Best Hamstring Stretches to Relieve Tightness (Because You Feel Like You’re About to Snap)

5 National Parks Offering Virtual Tours You Can Take From the Comfort of Home  (Awesome!  We've been in Nahuku (Thurston) Lava Tube many times.)


You’ve Been Putting Garbage Bags in the Wrong Way—Here’s How  (They will truly make a video about anything.)

Tiny Puppy Shares An Adorable Moment With A Very Friendly Butterfly  (Adorable but also one playful bite from disaster!)

We're going to see what kind of tomfoolery we can get into this weekend.  I haven't had a bout of true tomfoolery in a while so we're due.  I hope you are too!

Weekend plans?

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Thursday, May 13, 2021

How to Make Homemade Salad Dressing




Salad season is upon us and it's super easy to make your own vinaigrette at home!  You can customize all different kinds of flavors and get as creative as you like.  The biggest bonus is you know it's fresh and what every single ingredient is inside.  No preservatives, corn syrup, etc.

Use the list below as a starting point and let your imagination flow!  I like to store vinaigrettes in glass bottles like this for 10-14 days.





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Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Hump Day Survey Time





Heidi ho, yo!  It's time to get down on it and waste a little time with our hump day survey!

Should kidneys be able to be bought and sold?  Yike!  Well, I suppose it's none of my business.  If people need the money desperately enough and someone else has the need, why should I look down on them.  I almost lost a family member by not getting an organ in time and there are some ethical feelings that loom on that front but I can imagine they would've paid if someone offered one up without red tape.

Do you think that children born today will have better or worse lives than their parents?  Oh Lord, worse!  I know they won't see it that way but as someone who straddled the line between pre and post technology, I feel like there are major things they can't do or comprehend.

What movie, picture, or video always makes you laugh no matter how often you watch it?  Real Genius.  ("We were going to make you king of the winter carnival."  "You'll rue the day!"  "Your mother puts license plates in your underwear, how do you sit?")

If animals could talk, which animal would be the most annoying?  I have to imagine a laughing hyena wouldn't be able to finish a sentence without laughing.

What’s the coldest you’ve ever been?  Probably in Woodstock IL for the 25th anniversary of Groundhog Day.  It was single digits but it was worth it for the memories.

Do you eat food that’s past its expiration date if it still smells and looks fine?  Hell yeah.  It's 'best by' date.  You didn't waste food when you were as po' as we were after the divorce.

What songs hit you with a wave of nostalgia every time you hear them?  Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears.  Sometimes it takes everything in me not to cry hearing it.

When was the last time you slept more than nine hours?  OMG, I don't know but that sounds like friggin' heaven!

How comfortable are you speaking in front of large groups of people?  Fairly comfortable especially if I know what I'm talking about or honoring someone.

Who has zero filter between their brain and mouth?  My cousin.

What would be the best thing you could reasonably expect to find in a cave?  Guano or the Miner 49er.

What’s your best story from a wedding?  I was a flower girl for my aunt's wedding and after getting shaving cream on my hands from the getaway car, I didn't know where to wipe them off so I used the tails on my new uncle's tux!  Whoops!

What life skills are rarely taught but extremely useful?  Mental health and self care.  How to seek help if you're struggling.  Instead it's "here's some courses you'll need for college, you're 18 now, adult away!"

When was a time you acted nonchalant but were going crazy inside?  Any story involving my grandma's husband after her death.

What’s the scariest non-horror movie?  Anything like Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch Project.


Your turn!  Pick some or all of the questions to answer in the comments!

Should kidneys be able to be bought and sold?

Do you think that children born today will have better or worse lives than their parents?

What movie, picture, or video always makes you laugh no matter how often you watch it?

If animals could talk, which animal would be the most annoying?

What’s the coldest you’ve ever been?

Do you eat food that’s past its expiration date if it still smells and looks fine?

What songs hit you with a wave of nostalgia every time you hear them?

When was the last time you slept more than nine hours?

How comfortable are you speaking in front of large groups of people?

Who has zero filter between their brain and mouth?

What would be the best thing you could reasonably expect to find in a cave?

What’s your best story from a wedding?

What life skills are rarely taught but extremely useful?

When was a time you acted nonchalant but were going crazy inside?

What’s the scariest non-horror movie?



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Monday, May 10, 2021

An Update on Our Marriage


If you've been here awhile, you know the Mr and I were going through a pretty bad rough patch in our marriage a few years ago.  I talked about it in this series if you need a refresher.  I am happy to say we have never hit that low since and that was truly our rock bottom.  With a few years since starting to make an effort (and still in it), it amazes me how most of us jump into marriage without ever addressing our own crap from childhood and/or previous relationships.  It absolutely sets you up for a lesser chance of happiness.

I came from a divorced family with each parent bringing their own issues that trickled down and the Mr had a seemingly perfect childhood.  I always reinforced that I was the broken one which was a mistake that is pretty evident now.  What we found out is that no one has a perfect childhood.  Just because you don't have divorce, physical abuse or a traumatic event(s) that you can pinpoint where your path changed, doesn't mean a bunch of little things haven't piled up and left you with baggage you carry forward.

I find it the most interesting that books I bought to "fix" myself are ones that have actually ended up showing the Mr the light on some issues he's brought into the mix from his parents.  With his dad having been gone for almost 17 years, I think he felt it was disrespectful if he didn't see his dad as anything other than purity and goodness but we are all human...we are all flawed.  We were able to have some really good conversations about our parents especially after reading this book.  I bought it for myself but as I was reading it, I was seeing some things that applied to his parents as well and thought he could benefit from it too.  It was hard and I tried to be comforting as he took off the rose colored glasses of how his childhood really was compared to how he'd built it up all of these years.  That's not to say it was bad but I won't lie when I say it's been frustrating at times hearing for almost 30 years how great he had it in comparison to how hard I did.  He realized that we were on a bit more of a level playing field than he'd ever allowed himself to consider and that was kind of a big deal.  

I am so proud of all of the strides he's made over the past year because he's had so much growth in an emotional area that he was stagnant in for much of our relationship.  He said he always thought "this is just how I am.  I'm not a bad person so just deal with these 'little things' that frustrate you."  But as they say in a different context, "the little things are the big things."  I don't think he realized how much he was suffocating himself and his own happiness.  It's been amazing to see some freedoms he denied himself our whole life.  I still struggle with self compassion and am working on how to be a better wife but know I am a work in progress.  I wish I felt that I have had as much growth as he has but I still feel somewhat stifled.  The Mr would probably tell you I am being hard on myself which is an immense hurdle I can't seem to conquer.  I am quicker to apologize even if I don't feel like I'm the one that should be because being happy is more important than being right.

We have "workshop Wednesdays" where we do exercises from our myriad of self help books which basically acts as therapy.  If we were going, we'd be doing that once a week anyway so why not make it a thing at home.  We go to the table, have our notebooks, and get down to work.  A lot of great conversations have come from it and interesting differences of perspective too.  It had helped a great deal hearing how we differ in ways we assumed we thought the same.  At times, I still struggle thinking I answered "wrong" because my answer was different from his but I'm getting better at accepting that our differences are allowing us to know each other better.

Not bad progress on people who just celebrated 25 years married and we'll be together 30 by the end of the year.  My biggest regret is we didn't do this work a long time ago.  We still have work to do but the improvements we've seen are big and we've had much quicker recovery from things that would've ended up affecting us for days.  I'm looking forward to learning, growing and discovering even more.

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Friday, May 7, 2021

What I'm Reading This Week #19

Heidi ho, friends!  Another Friday is upon us!  It was anniversary week so we've been basking in it.  Hard to believe 25 years ago today we were on our last full day on Kauai and the Hawaii bug had firmly bitten us.  I miss it so much and I can't wait until the day we feel comfortable enough to fly back.

Here's some eats for the week.

Monday was grilled General Tso's over cauliflower rice and TJ's organic foursome veggies.


Workout was Turbo Fire 45.

Tuesday was passion fruit glazed salmon over quinoa with squash and peas.


Workout was Shift Shop 35.

Wednesday was Veggie Peanut Stir Fry.



Workout was 10 Rounds, wk 1.

Thursday was salmon with sweet potato gnocchi and roasted cauliflower.


Workout was Turbo Fire Sculpt 30.

I got a little wedding nostalgia going on in some of these reads so let's jump into...





Summer Pasta Salad with Lime Vinaigrette  (ooh, this sounds good!)

The Dark Side of Having No Stress (Uh, I'll take my chances to give it a try, please.)

Introverted, Seeking Friends? 10 Tips for Success  (Where's the snarky, yet sensitive get off my lawn club?)


How Much Does It Cost to Elope?  (We kinda sorta almost did it!)

10 Outdated Wedding Traditions to Ditch Before Tying the Knot  (I'm so glad I got married when I did.  Basically everything on this list they're like "this is stupid."  I will say I do like the idea of gifting your toss bouquet to the bride that has been married the longest at the reception though.)

The History Behind “Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace”  (This bride took it out of her ceremony because I had no desire to give about four people the opportunity to wreck it.)

6 Creative Ways to Use Teacups  (Cute ideas if you have a vintage collection!)

7 Tips for Styling Shelves  (I suck at this so I need all the help I can get!)

Meet The Man Responsible For Creating The Wax Figures At Madame Tussauds  (I hope they rope those off!  Pretty cool concept though!)

We've got some driving going on this weekend so we can get out and shake off some cabin fever.  I hope you all are able to safely do the same!

Anything going on for you guys?

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Thursday, May 6, 2021

How to Thaw Your Cake Top for Your One Year Anniversary


Some of you may read that and think "what idiot needs a post on how to thaw a cake from the freezer?"  Apparently, these idiots at the ripe ol' ages of 22 and 24.  We're celebrating our 25th anniversary this week and one thing that inevitably has come up are anniversaries past, especially that first one.  On our wedding night, I put the cake top in our side by side freezer for an hour while the Mr and I sat at the dining room table at midnight eating groom's cake and counting the money from our wedding cards.  After the outside had been sufficiently frozen, I wrapped that mofo with probably half a roll of plastic wrap followed by an armor of foil.  It was placed on the bottom shelf in the back with a box of open baking soda beside it so we hopefully wouldn't be eating the aroma of freezer burnt Chicken Voila's and Hot Pockets on our anniversary.

The day before finally arrived.  We carefully unwrapped the cake and were pleasantly surprised to see it looked exactly as it did on our wedding day.  Perfect intact red roses and sweeping white roping.  I couldn't wait to dig in because the Mr and I never got a piece of our own wedding cake that day.  (Don't even get me started on that one.)  So we put it on the counter to thaw but we were worried about dust settling on it as it thawed so the Mr put our biggest mixing bowl over the top to protect it.

The big day was finally here!  I put on my veil for ceremonial purposes, our dog watched on anxiously because she knew food was involved and she might get lucky and we opened our gifts to each other.  Then I told the Mr to bring in the cake from under the bowl.  I hear him lift it up and silence.  Then panicked breathing then "uhhh.  Yeah....soooooo."  "What?" I said with my stomach in knots.  "The icing slid off a little from the condensation, but I can fix it."  I got up and went into the kitchen to see what "slid off a little" meant.  I was horrified.  ALL of the icing on our beautiful cake had slid clean off the cake.  I burst into tears and had to sit down I was so disappointed, pissed, and felt completely doomed.  We weren't meant to EVER have a piece of our wedding cake.  Is this an omen?    The Mr was determined to save the day and fixed it as best he could because he knew I was in no condition to try and that in a fit of rage I would probably turn on the water and throw it in the disposal.  (He would've been right.)  

I think it's best represented in meme form:

(Our cake topper had a feathery 'cloud')

I think you can tell by the grainy screen grab from our ancient one year anniversary video, to say it looked like it had already been eaten and yarfed back up again is an understatement.  That's what we get for our wedding cake...a heap of shit.  Oh we still ate it.  We're fat not stupid, so that didn't go to waste!  Did it still taste good?  Yes but I won't deny I try not to think of this moment often because it still just sucks.  We've even had the bakery remake our cake top for another anniversary but even they don't taste the same so we can never get that back.

If I had it to do over again, I obviously know now that the bowl is where we went wrong.  If we have even sat the bowl on top of the cake with something under the rim to elevate it about 1/2" on all sides, the condensation would've had somewhere to go.  (I haven't tested this but it's my assumption.  Just trust me, leave bowls out of it.)

These would be instructions to me 24 years ago:

1) Remove the cake from the freezer and carefully unwrap the layers of foil and plastic wrap.

2) Place the cake in a disposable cake container to keep out any unwanted dust/smells from the fridge.  Place in fridge to thaw overnight at minimum.

3)  If you want room temperature cake, remove the cake container from the fridge and carefully pop the lid from the locked position.  

4)  Put a spoon, corn cob holders or anything around the edges to give a bit of breathing room.  This should help with the amount of shine on top of the cake frosting when it is thawed.

5)  Cut into a cake that doesn't look like Trash Heap from Fraggle Rock.


(Source)


I would say I have to laugh about it now but it might take another 25 years to get to that point other than a feigned smile.

(Me still when someone says "but that was funny, right?"  Source)


I just thought I would share so some other couple doesn't make the same mistake.  I know...no other couple would but still.  Our life is a lesson for you to learn from sometimes.  

How did you celebrate your first anniversary?

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Wednesday, May 5, 2021

First Hump Day of May Survey


What was your best vacation?  I tend to go back to 2001's trip to Hawaii.  We got to sit in a lava field for 3 hours completely alone poking lava and just absorbing all of the sights, sounds and smells.  I don't think I've ever been in a moment more.

What was the craziest theme park or fair ride you’ve been on?  Anyone remember the Zipper?  That sucked and only second to the Super Loop which suspended you upside down.  I did both for a boy that had no interest in me because...yet again, gay.  (Actually, my first!)

What kind of people do you most enjoy hanging out with?  Ones that enjoy going deep conversation wise just as much as they like to laugh and be silly.

What do you think the ideal age to be is?  33.  Got some wisdom under your belt and your body hasn't started breaking down on you yet.

What are you kind of snobby about?  Vacation rentals.

What toy did you hate most as a child?  I wasn't a huge fan of the jack in the box.  Between that, Operation and Perfection, it's no wonder I have anxiety!

What catchy jingle or bit of advertising has stuck with you all these years?  The 80's were the mecca of jingles!!  Plop plop, fizz fizz....(you know it)

What luxury is totally worth the price?  First class.  I got compartment syndrome the last time I was in coach.  I will never fly it again and if we get bumped like we did that time, I'll refuse to fly until I can get it.  (If I ever fly again.)

If you had to describe how you’re feeling right now as a weather pattern, what’s your forecast?    Partly sunny.

What simple thing still blows your mind?  The amount of stars in the sky when away from light pollution.  (Montana and Vermont are highly recommended.)

What’s the best book you’ve ever read? Why?  Come As You Are should be mandatory reading for all women.

If you could teleport anywhere in the world, where would you go right now?  Kauai sounds good.

What’s one thing many people hate, but you love?  Winter

Did you grow up in the city, country or burbs?  Country and burbs but spent my teen years cruising the city.

What's something you rebelled against as a kid?  Peer pressure.  I was too stubborn for that too.  I once dumped the guy I liked and his cousin in a crappy part of town when they opened beer in my backseat.  When the cousin refused to dump it, out they went.  (I picked them back up 15 minutes later...no beer allowed in the car.  I was 16.)



Your turn!  Pick a few or all questions to answer in the comments!

What was your best vacation?

What was the craziest theme park or fair ride you’ve been on?

What kind of people do you most enjoy hanging out with?

What do you think the ideal age to be is?

What are you kind of snobby about?

What toy did you hate most as a child?

What catchy jingle or bit of advertising has stuck with you all these years?

What luxury is totally worth the price?

If you had to describe how you’re feeling right now as a weather pattern, what’s your forecast?

What simple thing still blows your mind?

What’s the best book you’ve ever read? Why?

If you could teleport anywhere in the world, where would you go right now?

What’s one thing many people hate, but you love?

Did you grow up in the city, country or burbs?

What's something you rebelled against as a kid?

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Monday, May 3, 2021

How I Tamed My Plantar Fibroma

(Source)



After coming back from Vermont and doing a lot of barefoot walking on wooden cabin floors, I noticed my left arch was hurting.  I freaked out when I felt then saw a lump sticking out.  Even the Mr could see it when I asked him to look at it.  After a little research, I saw it was called a plantar fibroma.  It's basically a fibrous knot on the arch caused by, you guessed it, walking barefoot on hard surfaces,  friction from wearing shoes and walking for an extended period.  It's benign but if it grows, it can become painful especially if it hits arch support in your shoes.  Different websites talk about how you can get it diagnosed and potentially treated which I recommend checking out so you can decide what is best for you.

Given I discovered this during a pandemic, I wasn't going to make any unnecessary trips to a doctor's office for something I could potentially treat at home.  In looking at the treatment options, many of them looked like they weren't going to be something that actually treated the issue, only make you more comfortable except for one...physical therapy.  I've been to enough physical therapy, chiro appointments and massage therapists as well as my own anatomy research to know where to start.  *This is how I chose to treat my plantar fibroma.  I am NOT suggesting this is how you treat yours.  Consult your doctor to decide what is best for you.*

Given I've dealt with knots in muscles and tendons in the past, I know the biggest thing I've learned is that the Graston technique along with increased blood circulation to the area can do wonders.  The first thing I did was get out my gua shua tool that is used for scar tissue and adhesions.

(Photo:Amazon)

This tool is a lifesaver whether you exercise or not.  There are knots that can pop up whether from exercise, injury or everyday life and for under $15 you can banish them to the pit of hell they came from.  This little jerk on my foot was no different.  I applied lotion to the bottom of my foot.  I like to use something thick and for extra dry skin like Eucerin because it reduces friction and it stays on the skin's surface longer making 'scraping' more effective.  

I flexed my foot so the bump was more prominent and gently ran the curved part of the tool over it.  You don't want to go digging in there or feverishly go over it like a 2 year old coloring for the first time or you're going to be sore in an hour or so and definitely the next day.  You have to stand on it, so I treated it with respect.  The blood flow to the area gets pumping when it's scraped to help aid in healing from what I've been told over the years when dealing with scar tissue.

I already had a magnetic field therapy pad from a previous injury so I used that in conjunction with the gua shua tool to aid with circulation.  This acupressure mat and pillow set also got a workout for circulation because I would sometimes just rest my arch on the pillow for five minutes to help with blood flow.  After about 30 minutes of rest from scraping and circulation, I would put an ice pack on it or especially before bed so any inflammation would calm down.

The next day it felt slightly better so I continued doing that and and within a week it was almost unable to be detected on touch and I had no pain.  (This may not be your experience should you try it.)  I will say after 2 months, it did come back just a little because like most humans, I was like "I feel better, I can stop."  No you can't and I should know this by now.  So I will make sure to do a maintenance scrape twice a week to keep it at bay.  What I did notice before it came back was I was doing a lot of lower body stuff that involved either walking or lunges where my arch was getting overextended.  I will definitely make sure to scrape after activities like that and it's just a good idea in general to keep that area pliable anyway.  

I'm thankful it didn't take too long to treat this since I got it at the first sign of pain and now that I have the lesson that it can come back if it's not maintained, I'll keep on top of it.

Have you ever dealt with a plantar fibroma before?

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