AMANDA'S BASKETS: WHERE I'VE BEEN AND SPRING HOUSE CLEANING?

Thursday, June 9, 2016

WHERE I'VE BEEN AND SPRING HOUSE CLEANING?

I've been away for a couple of days...but I'm back. On Tuesday, I did manage to get to the dentist to see about a lost crown. Long story short. Dentist can't figure out how the previous dental office even put a crown on! Or, part of the tooth was lost when the crown came off. Result. Remove the rest and put in an implant instead. $$$$$ And I spent lots on the tooth and crown a couple of years ago.!!!

It was an interesting trip. All the dentists in my area had way too many bad reviews so I went to one that was about 84 blocks away, an easy subway trip. It was supposed to be only 82 degrees. I decided to take the train to the dentist and walk back. Well, when I got out of the subway at the dentist office, it was 90 degrees outside...in other words, hot and sunny!!!

Afterwords, I figured that walking in that heat would get the best of me so I took the subway back, along with all the school kids. When I got off the subway, back in my area, it was cold and raining!!! Go figure!

Then Tuesday evening, one of my children and I watch the returns and talk...yes, I am a political junkie. It was very, very late Wednesday morning before I went to bed.

Wednesday, as you know, is my day to skype with friends for a couple hours. After our conversation was over, I sat down to enjoy a cup of fresh coffee, picked up a novel (A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Mystery by Anne Perry. It's a very interesting mystery series set in Victorian England.) and that was it for the rest of the day.

So now you know why I didn't post on those days.

So, today it is cool and sunny with clouds rolling in and out. Cool is the operative word here. I am wearing a hoodie to stay warm. I refuse to close the windows because it is so refreshing.

I was reading a blog this morning about simple living and spring house cleaning. Do you 'spring house clean'? I remember my mom cleaning the dickens out of our home every spring. I could see why she wanted to air out the blankets and wash the scatter rugs.

But, for the life of me I could not understand why she wanted to wash the walls and the windows. Mainly, everything was clean, And it seemed a bit excessive especially when all the dust and dirt would be coming in during the summer.

Now, my grandma, she had to spring house clean. Know why? Well, she had a old coal furnace first and then later on an old oil furnace. Do you know what that does to the walls and just about every piece of furniture. It leaves a sooty, oily layer on every surface.

So spring house cleaning for her was really necessary. Walls, woodwork, windows, furniture all had to be cleaned and all the bedding, rugs, curtains needed to be washed. And then for good measure, she added a layer of shellac or varnish on some of the furniture to make it shiny - without removing the previous layers. And yes, I did say layers. You would stick to it if it was hot outside!!!!

Now, for me, I do fall house cleaning. With the windows open, all the dust and pollen comes barreling in all summer long. I dust and shake out the rugs and blankets to try to keep it down somewhat. But, I love those open windows. For the most part, I don't even use ac unless it is extremely hot and humid. Then I put it on in the bedroom.

But spring house cleaning? No, it seems a fruitless exercise in the spring. Fall, yes, when the windows close then it's time to clear out all that dust and pollen and get ready for winter. Now, that's my time for 'spring house cleaning'...in the fall. Besides, then I can decorate for the season of orange which, afterall, is my favorite season of the year.

Thanks for dropping by...
Talk to you later...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?