I'm Electric!

Do you suffer from static? – I certainly do! 

Depending upon what shoes I am wearing I get a shock from the car door when I close it after I get out.  This happens so often that I nearly always try to either pull my sleeve down to push the door closed or I close it with my elbow.  At least we don’t use keys to open them these days as that was a work of art for me to try and do that without getting a shock.

The poor cat gets a shock from me often.  One cat seems to be ok for some reason but the other one must be a bit static too I think because I often give her a shock when I touch her, especially on her nose.  I feel so guilty after I have given her a shock too!  I sometime wonder if I should even give her a fuss just in case I give her a shock.  She doesn’t seem to take too much notice though so maybe it is just me that feels it.  How can I not fuss her though L  I doubt she would appreciate me adding conditioner to her fur!

I have to wash my clothes with a conditioner to finish – I know we all do these days, but years ago they didn’t bother, although I always did.

When I wash my hair I have to get the drying “just right” to avoid static as much as I can.  After washing, conditioning and towel drying I have to use a spray to help stop the static.  Then I have to leave it until it is almost dry and use an anti-static air styler on it to avoid making it more static.  Hairdryers and straighteners make it even more flyaway and static.  I can’t wear a jumper or anything likely to be too static while my hair is drying and just after drying either as that also makes it static.  Scarves and polo neck tops are a nightmare.  Once it goes static it tends to fly out at all angles from my head and looks like I have “been pulled through a hedge backwards” – that’s a funny saying really as most hair would surely look better after being pulled through backwards than it would if you were pulled through forwards.  When mine gets static like that it will follow my hand up in the air if I get it near my head.  As for keeping a style – well forget it!

I have to be careful with some clothes as I can feel that they just have too much static in them.  If I do wear anything that has, then apart from making it worse for my hair and touching things it also crackles like mad when I take it off and sometimes even when I move – I sound like a bowl of Rice Crispies.

Slips (petticoats) were always clingy for most people I think when they were made of nylon but I still have the same effect with mixed fibres.  When I do wear a skirt, unless it is cotton and lined with cotton too, I have to wear a slip to stop the skirt itself from clinging to my legs and they don’t seem to sell many that aren’t made from nylon.  Have you seen those old ladies with their dress clinging tightly to their legs like shorts – well that is me if I am not careful!

Then there are supermarket trolleys – they are horrendous if I have a particularly static day or wear the wrong shoes.  Every time I put something in the trolley I have to be careful not to touch the trolley and I have to make sure I am careful to push it without touching the metal at the side of the plastic handle.  I do get some very funny looks from people as I involuntarily leap back from the trolley in the middle of the shopping aisle.

LOL - it’s a shame I can’t be plugged into the house at night to drain the static from me like the way they use solar panels – I might generate enough power to boil the kettle J

Today’s trivia:

Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a "Friday the 13th."

Today’s chuckle:

I was driving with my three young children one warm summer evening when a woman in the convertible ahead of us stood up and waved. She was stark naked! As I was reeling from the shock, I heard my 5-year-old shout from the back seat, 'Mom, that lady isn't wearing a seat belt!'

‘No Cook’ Chocolate and Coconut Truffles Recipe

This recipe was in a friend’s town magazine and was a suggestion for children to make for Mothers Day.  Well as I was dying for some chocolate today and had none in the house I could resist temptation no longer and decided to give the recipe a try.  It is extremely easy, although it is a bit mucky to roll it into balls – but that’s only because I hate getting my hands messy, kids and dads will probably love it.

They taste absolutely gorgeous, sort of chocolatey and chewy – very like chocolate macaroons I have had in the past.

All you need is a mixing bowl, scales, spoon and something to lay them flat in the fridge to set properly (although I shouldn’t think they will stick together if you pile them up).  The only slight ‘cooking bit’ is melting the butter if it isn’t a warm day.  Just pop it in the microwave with the milk in the mixing bowl (for about 30 seconds – depends on how soft the butter already is – just try for 30 secs and if not long enough, for a little longer until runny or almost runny – if you stir it round the rest will go runny but you don’t want it to start bubbling – you only need to melt it, not cook it).

'No Cook' Chocolate and Coconut Truffles

Ingredients

50g (2 oz) butter (or margarine)

60ml (4 tablespoons) milk

75g (3 oz) caster sugar

25g (1 oz) cocoa powder

100g (4 oz) oats

100g (4 oz) desiccated coconut

25g (1 oz) chopped nuts

15ml (1 tablespoon) milk

To make

1.    Melt butter and 4 tbsps milk together until runny

2.    Add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well

3.    Allow to cool (if still warm)

4.    Form into small balls

5.    Place on baking tray or plate

6.    Put in fridge for a couple of hours to allow them to set firmly

If you want to make them look professional or for a gift you can roll them in coconut, chocolate powder or vermicelli after rolling them into balls and / or put into sweet cases.  Then you could tuck them into a box or basket to give as a present.

They can of course be made without nuts – just replace with more coconut instead.

Other suggestions are to add ground almond instead of the nuts, add a couple of drops of almond or vanilla essence.  You could probably use coffee (mixed with the milk and cooled) instead of the cocoa powder for coffee truffles instead.  I am sure there are many slight alterations that can be tried.  This is the first time I have used this recipe so I haven’t yet tried playing around with alternatives.  

Enjoy J

Ooh one thing I meant to add – it makes more than shown in the photos – some had already been nabbled by the time I got the camera!

I Lost It!

We went to the supermarket yesterday to do our monthly shop and I dropped a right clanger. The normal items like milk, bread, meat, yogurt etc. we get each time so no problem but I keep a list of other things that I will need when I go each month.  These are things that probably only run out every few months so when I start the new one I write it on the list to get another one in stock for next time.  LOL – yes you see I am organised.

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I try to write the list in the order that we go round the supermarket too so that we don’t have to double back for anything.  My husband hasn’t quite got this!  So if he adds anything to the list without asking me where he should put it  we may get right to the end of the supermarket and then find that the next items on the list (something he added) is right back at the entrance so we have to go all the way back for it.  So you see the best organised plans can go to pot!

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But I digress as the problem last night was that I lost my list not long after we got in there. We had only gone round the first few rows of the shop, which happens to be the fruit and veg section so I didn’t need the list until I got to the next rows.  When I went to get it out of my pocket it was gone!  Now we hadn’t gone far and I know I had it when we got into the shop as I had checked there was nothing we needed on the list before the fruit and veg rows.  I went back round where we had been but there was no list to be found.  We turfed out all the fruit and veg in the trolley to see if it was in there – no.  I asked a couple of the shelf stackers – no they hadn’t picked it up either.  Now I am pretty sure that my list would be no good to anyone else so I can’t see anyone else picking it up but as it was nowhere to be seen I can only imagine that a member of staff had noticed it and picked it up as they walked past to keep the aisles tidy.  Any other time it would probably have laid there for an hour or so!

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Now when I used to shop weekly, if I had forgotten to take the list I could probably remember most things on it,  but now we shop monthly some of the things on the list may have been on there for nearly 4 weeks and I can’t remember what I have gone to the cupboard for yet alone remember what we nearly ran out of  3 or 4 weeks ago.  Of course, the other problem is that these are important items that when we want to use them they will not be there, so when we finish the current toilet rolls or tube of  toothpaste it will mean that when we go to the cupboard for the replacement there will be none there and we will be stuck.  Although actually I did play safe with the toilet roll situation and bought a pack just to be sure.

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If I had just forgotten to take the list it would be so much easier as I could check it when I got home and if there was anything we had missed we could make sure we picked some up before we ran out.  But not having it at all means we will have no clue until it is too late.  A bit of a problem if it is the last toilet roll, for instance!

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I tried all the CSI tricks and looked to see the imprint of the list on the next sheet of paper which was almost there but not quite enough.  I couldn’t find a pencil but I tried rubbing over it with a crayon but I hadn’t written the list hard enough for it to imprint on the next page.  So we will just have to keep our fingers crossed that we don’t suddenly run out of something very important.

Today’s trivia:

Your ribs move about 5 million times a year, every time you breathe!

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Today’s chuckle:

Some more of the Catholic Elementary School Test Answers

THE EGYPTIANS WERE ALL DROWNED IN THE DESSERT. AFTERWARDS, MOSES WENT UP TO MOUNT CYANIDE TO GET THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT WAS WHEN EVE TOLD ADAM TO EAT THE APPLE.

THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT IS THOU SHALT NOT ADMIT ADULTERY.

MOSES DIED BEFORE HE EVER REACHED CANADA . THEN JOSHUA LED THE HEBREWS IN THE BATTLE OF GERITOL.

THE GREATEST MIRICLE IN THE BIBLE IS WHEN JOSHUA TOLD HIS SON TO STAND STILL AND HE OBEYED HIM.

DAVID WAS A HEBREW KING WHO WAS SKILLED AT PLAYING THE LIAR. HE FOUGHT THE FINKELSTEINS, A RACE OF PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN BIBLICAL TIMES.

One of those Weekends

I had one of those busy but can't-see-anything-so-show-for-it weekends.

I spent the weekend listing items on ebay as it was free listing and then AFTER I had listed them all, on the same template that I always use, ebay sends me a message to say a listing had been deleted because it didn’t comply with their policy!  If they were going to bring it up after all this time (months now) couldn’t they have done it before I had just listed 100 items!  I had a paragraph in my listing that they didn’t allow as they said it would lead to off ebay sales.  This is the offending paragraph:

“If you are looking for anything in particular or any necklace/stone combination that I haven't got listed, then please ask as I can make one for you to see (no obligation to buy). I have lots of different shapes and patterns of all the gemstones and a wide choice of necklaces too”

Now I, in all innocence put the paragraph in to show that I had other gemstones and necklaces that I could make up if someone wanted something similar to what I had listed.  I would obviously have to list it anyway if they requested a particular necklace because I wouldn’t have their contact information so I would have to list it the same as all the other items.  So I can’t see how it would lead to off ebay sales.  Someone would have to buy something from me first for me to have their address and email and it states in ebay policy that you can sell other items to someone after you have sold the first item on ebay – not that it would apply because I wouldn’t have their information anyway as the messages would be through the ebay message system and they wouldn’t allow an email address to be exchanged.  Anyway I spent a very long time taking the paragraph off all the listings yesterday and I haven’t finished yet as it takes ages to revise each one!

The other thing I have been doing over the weekend is trying to find some bookcase / shelving units for the bedroom to house some bears above my chest of drawers.  What I would like is clear backless ones so they wouldn’t stand out so much and would fit with the creamy colour bedroom units.  I decided it was an impossible task.  I can find just what I want in pine but it would stand out like a sore thumb and I just can’t find anything right in clear or a light colour.

I have also been doing some de-cluttering of my wardrobes – I still have full shelves in my wardrobe and yet now I have 5 big bags of clothes on the floor to go to the charity shop.  I know it is probably tidier on the shelves now and things will be easier to find as they are not crammed in – but honestly where did the stuff on the floor fit in as I had a job to get everything back in that I kept as it was!  I suppose I have gained some space but it doesn’t look like I have!

So all-in-all my weekend seems to have whizzed by and I don’t feel I have achieved anything much at all.

Trivia snippet for today:

On average a hedgehogs heart beats 300 times a minute.

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A little chuckle for today too:

Some more of the CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEST ANSWERS

THE JEWS WERE A PROUD PEOPLE AND THROUGHOUT HISTORY THEY HAD TROUBLE WITH UNSYMPATHETIC GENITALS.

SAMPSON WAS A STRONGMAN WHO LET HIMSELF BE LED ASTRAY BY A JEZEBEL LIKE DELILAH.

SAMSON SLAYED THE PHILISTINES WITH THE AXE OF THE APOSTLES.

MOSES LED THE JEWS TO THE RED SEA WHERE THEY MADE UNLEAVENED BREAD WHICH IS BREAD WITHOUT ANY INGREDIENTS.

It's the Simple Things

It’s the simple things we don’t know about that make like so much easier.

How many times has someone told you, or you have told someone else, how to do something on the computer and it has totally changed things and made it so much simpler.  Not only on computers, but other things in life too.  We sometimes do things the hard way because no-one has ever shown us or told us about a different easier way.

We work on computers all the time and often have no idea that there is something we have just never know we could do.

I came upon this about a week ago when I was complaining about how long it took me to check out new people who had circled me on Google+.  Then someone just happened to mention that they open each one in a new link.  Durgh – why had I never thought of that???!!!  Actually I had no idea you could do that – you certainly couldn’t on my old system before I started using Google Chrome recently.  I obviously knew that when you click on some things they open themselves in a new link but I didn’t know you could right click and open them yourselves in a new link without losing the old link.  Now it is just so much easier to look at lots of things by using this method.  The photos, for instance.  Before when I looked at photos I lost my place in the stream when I went back as it took me to the top again – now I can open a new link and then look at them straight away or later if the stream is moving fast.

The times I have seen other people doing something the hard way (or long way) and have shown them something I do which is much easier.  We all know different things and I am sure we could all learn the odd thing or two from someone else, who is not necessarily any more experienced than you but has just found an alternative way.  Then of course, there is the fact that if you don’t use something very often you forget how to use it.

We learn new things all the time and we never stop learning.

Today’s trivia snippet:

Owls are the only birds who can see the colour blue.

Today’s chuckle:

CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEST ANSWERS

IN THE FIRST BOOK OF THE BIBLE, GUINESSIS, GOD GOT TIRED OF CREATING THE WORLD SO HE TOOK THE SABBATH OFF.

ADAM AND EVE WERE CREATED FROM AN APPLE TREE. NOAH'S WIFE WAS JOAN OF ARK. NOAH BUILT AN ARK AND THE ANIMALS CAME ON IN PEARS.

LOTS WIFE WAS A PILLAR OF SALT DURING THE DAY, BUT A BALL OF FIRE DURING THE NIGHT.

Sleeping with Dogs

Do you let your dogs sleep in your bedroom or on your bed?

My dogs have always slept downstairs at night but my husbands dogs had always slept in the bedroom.  When we were first together I brought my dog with me (his had passed on before we met) so he still slept downstairs - the dog, not the husband.  But when my dog passed away nearly 2 years ago we bought 2 puppies and until now they have also always slept downstairs – mainly because they were puppies and liable to do all the yukky puppy things plus eat our clothes, my bears etc. if they were upstairs unsupervised when we were in bed.  The other problem is that one of them is a bit of a yapper – one thing we didn’t want in a dog but ended up with anyway!  But we didn’t want to be woken up at every noise she heard.  The other one make a sort of “fuff-fuff” sound when thinking about “shall I bark or not” but even if she decides it isn’t worth barking after all this “fuff-fuff” sound always makes the other one bark as she is the more nervous of the two. 

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We had discussed a few times about whether we should now try letting them have the run of most of the house at night and the other night we decided to give it a try.   Never again!!!  If you have your dogs up in the bedroom with you I just don’t know how you do it.  Ours are only lapdog size (Lhasapoos - Lhasa Apso / Toy Poodle cross) but boy do they keep you awake!  They fidget, they scratch, they snore, they lick your face, they climb all over you and they just don’t stay still for long!  I thought it was said that all dogs do is sleep.  Well, maybe they do in their own bed but certainly not on mine!  I think they did everything apart from start playing with toys or each other.

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One kept lying across my bad leg and so hurting my tendon and if she wasn’t laying on it she was lying next to it which pulled the quilt tight over it so it was pulling my toes towards the bed (not a comfortable position for someone with achilles tendonitis I can tell you).  That’s when she had finally settled after going round and round in circles and scratching trying to make her bed every time she changed position.  The other one kept wrapping herself around my head so that her head was either just above mine or next to mine on the pillow – either way it was a great way to prove to me just how loud she could snore.  Then there was the grunting and snortling in between the snores.  She was worse than hubby!  If she wasn’t snoring in my ear she turned the other way so that she was leaning her body into me and I had a face full of her thick fur. 

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They took turns in seeing who could make me the most uncomfortable by laying on my chest, my tummy and worst of all, my bladder!  Giving in and getting up for a pee meant they followed me but when I got back into bed they had a competition to see who could just on my most vital organs from the floor.  On one of the few occasions I had actually dozed off to sleep the yapper did exactly that (well ok just a little bark, but enough to wake me with a start).  I think I got about 2 or 3 hours actual sleep in the end and felt absolutely zombie-like for half the next day. 

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You probably wont be surprised to learn that hubbie slept through most of this as it was my side of the bed they spent the night on for some reason – probably because I am more padded than he is and have to sleep on my back because of disc problems.  He did admit he slept badly though and was woken by the yap.  So there was no discussion to be had about whether we continue with it or not – it was a very definite NO.  They happily went back downstairs when it was time for bed the next night and had no problems with me closing the stairgate on them, thank goodness.  So we tried it and it didn’t work and from now on they sleep downstairs in their nice quilted bed and we sleep peacefully upstairs in our dog-free bedroom.

Todays trivia snippet:

Beetles taste like apples, wasps like pine nuts, and worms like fried bacon.

(How do they know this!!!  Who on earth decided to taste them and describe a likeness!!!)

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Todays chuckle:

An Italian Boy's Confession

'Bless me Father, for I have sinned.  I have been with a loose girl'.

The priest asks, 'Is that you, little Joey Pagano ?'
'Yes, Father, it is.'

'And who was the girl you were with?'
'I can't tell you, Father, I don't want to ruin her reputation'

Well, Joey, I'm sure to find out her name sooner or later so you may as
well tell me now.

Was it Tina Minetti?'
'I cannot say.'

'Was it Teresa Mazzarelli?'
'I'll never tell.'
'Was it Nina Capelli?'
'I'm sorry, but I cannot name her.'

'Was it Cathy Piriano?'
'My lips are sealed.'

'Was it Rosa Di Angelo, then?'
'Please, Father, I cannot tell you.'

The priest sighs in frustration. 'You're very tight lipped, Joey Pagano, and I admire that.  But you've sinned and have to atone.  You cannot be an altar boy now for 4 months. Now you go and behave yourself.'

Joey walks back to his pew, and his friend Franco slides over and whispers,
'What'd you get?'

4 months vacation and five good leads

Update on my 30-minute regime

This is an update on my 30-minute alarm regime for the week for those who read my last blog – normal blog tomorrowJ

 Well so far my new regime is going reasonably well – it is still early days as I have only been doing it for a week but it is certainly getting me out of my chair more.  I sit in the office chair to make my jewellery of course as well as just being on the computer and doing paperwork, so spend many hours in this small room with my backside parked on a chair. 

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I have found that I use the 30 minute alarm for not just walking down the stairs and back up again but to do other things too.  I obviously use it (and wait for it to go off) to make a coffee, use the bathroom, put food in the oven etc. but I have found I also use it for getting the washing out of the washing machine (I usually hear it spinning and think I will get that out in a minute but then forget all about it again for hours once the spinning noise has stopped as the reminder – but now I do it at the next alarm),  prepare the vegetables for dinner knowing that I can put them on at the next alarm, rather than putting off going down to do them as I am busy but then get distracted and find it is an hour later and I still haven’t put dinner on. 

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I also remember to make that phone call that I had written down before I get back to the computer / jewellery so that I don’t forget about it again.  The dogs get fed on a half hour break, the sink gets cleaned – all manor of small things get done at that half hour reminder – purely because I know I just have that one thing to do before I go back to the office.  Actually finishing what I am doing first, or not wanting to get on with other things stopped me from getting other things done so much, but knowing it is a very small break to do one thing and thinking I will do the next thing at the next break makes the small chunks of interruption easier to cope with and accept. 

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I don’t usually have much inspiration to get the vegetables ready for dinner for instance, unless I am hungry, but doing it this way helps.  The trouble with not preparing dinner until you are hungry is that you then nibble at something while you are preparing dinner and then aren’t that hungry when dinner is finally ready.  I only have to eat a few nuts or have a coffee or glass of sparkling wine before I feel quite full by the time dinner is ready.  Getting it ready earlier to put in the oven or turn on the pressure cooker means that I can do that and then go back to the computer without eating and I will then enjoy my dinner more.  

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I am even beginning to notice the times that I have forgotten to click the reset button and think “that alarm should have gone off by now” so it is making me more aware of the time on here too.  LOL – and yes I have forgotten to put it on a few times so I have to try to remember to leave it on the alarm tab so that I see it when I get on the computer to set it again.  The problem is usually when I am jewellery making or other things not on the computer as I start again without seeing the reset button on the screen.

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Although this is only an update I may as well still end with my usual trivia snippet and joke to hopefully brighten your day.

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Trivia:

The first ever product to have a bar code was…..Wrigley's gum.

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Chuckle:

TEN AGAIN

A man asked his wife what she'd like for her birthday.

"I'd love to be 10 again," she replied.

On the morning of her birthday, he got her up bright and early and off they went to a local theme park.

What a day!

He put her on every ride in the park: The Death Slide, the Screaming Loop, the Wall of Fear and everything there was!

Wow! Five hours later she staggered out of the theme park, her head reeling and her stomach upside down.

Right to a McDonald's they went, where her husband ordered her a Big Mac along with extra fries and a refreshing chocolate shake.

Then it was off to a movie, the latest Star Wars epic, and hot dogs, popcorn, Pepsi Cola and M&Ms.

What a fabulous adventure!

Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed.

He leaned over and lovingly asked, "Well, dear, what was it like being 10 again?"

One eye opened. "You idiot, I meant my dress size." She said.