Musings Day 5 Chemicals

My daughter Amy sells do terra essential oils.  The company only uses organic flowers and plants that have not been sprayed with chemicals and they are super concentrated so a little goes a long way.  I decided to buy some just because they smell so good.  I make my room sprays with the orange, lemon and grapefruits oils. That means no chemicals in the air.  That's the only thing I used them for.... at first.  Now I can use them for cooking (the peppermint, lemon and oregano are great). I was watching a doctor on TV saying that most of our environment is so full of chemicals that we should be careful of the things that we put into our bodies, especially processed foods because we can't always know what's in them.  I really think that's true but I also know that it's almost impossible to eliminate all of them.
We get coupons every week in the paper for processed foods that are on sale.  Almost all of the coupons are for these kinds of foods and we never buy them. Rarely do you find coupons for whole wheat bread, lettuce or strawberries.  We rarely buy  processed foods, bologna being an exception as we know. They are too expensive and contain unknown additives that we can't pronounce. We just don't think they taste as good as home made either. Why buy Alfredo sauce when you can make it so easily and quickly?  Why buy canned soups when they are so easy to make?  When you read the labels on so many of these products, it's mind boggling how many ingredients are in them.  We had some ice cream once with a list a mile long.  I know ice cream isn't a healthy food to begin with but sugar, cream, eggs, milk and vanilla sound a whole lot better than what is in some commercial ice creams such as:

caroxymethyl cellulose, butyraldehyde, and amyl acetate diethyl glycol -- a cheap chemical used to take the place of eggs, which is also used in anti-freeze and paint removers.
Aldehyde C-17, flavoring for cherry ice cream, is an inflammable liquid used in dyes, plastics, and rubber. Piperonal, used in place of vanilla, is a lice killer. Ethyl Acetate, a pineapple flavor, can also clean leather and textiles. That is according to  NaturalNews.com.

I am not a purist by any means  but I want the best for us and if we can eliminate a lot of those things, maybe we will be healthier as we live longer.  A lot of the things we have  in the cupboard clean very well and are non toxic.  I use these a lot....soda, vinegar, lemon oil and hydrogen peroxide.  I have not given up everything potentially toxic though because I believe in the benefits of alcohol, and bleach too when needed, but I am open to any good alternatives. 
I try not to microwave in plastic, and I use distilled water, vinegar and alcohol to clean the granite counters,  I  limit my use of antibiotic cleaners because they say we shouldn't use them too often and the monster germs are becoming immune to them.  I do however, use hand cleaning wipes at the grocery store to clean the cart handle every time.  Until this year, I hadn't had a cold for several years and haven't had the flu for many years.  I'm knocking on wood as I type.

I am not giving up my makeup though.  I'm sure there are bad things in them, and I hope one day the manufacturers will start making better choices in these products.  My vanity has gotten the better of me here.  I'm hoping the chemicals in them will stay on the outside. 

Musings Day 4 Books

I love books.  I love reading.  I love exploring unknown and unexplored places and times through reading.  I try to read all the books I own but I am still behind a few and yet I still want more.  I envy my daughter in law Kee because she reads so quickly.  She is a speed reader and can read a book in a couple of hours.  I just don't get it...how it's done.  When I read, it's at the same speed I would read if reading out loud.

I usually give a book about 80 pages before I decide it's just too boring.  I have not read too many books where I can't plow through and find redeeming content.  I belong to a book club that I love to attend, I am on "Goodreads" so I can get good recommendations from friends,  I have lists from the library that list classics and book club favorites, I read Oprah's pick list, I borrow books from my daughters and learn what they are reading in their book clubs and I go to Amazon a lot to see the 5 star book picks on there.  I have a Kindle that serves me well and love it when I can get a new book for less than the book store price ( not always, but usually)  and I haunt thrift stores and garage sales to get others.  My problem?  I don't have enough time to read all the great books in the world.  I always feel like I'm missing out.

I read my scriptures on the church web site and I love that I can read it screen size and can click on a link  for references.  I have my study guides from Institute and that helps too.  I am grateful for all these resources.  I can also listen if i choose instead of reading them.

I also have a few book on tape and that frees me so I can craft while listening to good stories.  We all like to multitask don't we?  We had XM radio that enabled me to listen to stories while traveling and looking at beautiful scenery at the same time.

I like to read stories to my grandchildren and love it when they say they are reading certain books.  I have loved reading since I learned how.  I lived a block from the library when I was growing up and went as often as I could.  I loved the days of Nancy Drew and Mary Poppins.  I loved that I had a card that could take me anywhere I wanted to go through words.  I still have a library card.

My Dad was an avid reader ...maybe too avid at times.  It was hard to get his attention as his face was always in a book but he gave me the desire to see what all the fuss was about at a very young age.  I love that all my children and grandchildren love to read too.  I think you have a great advantage in school if you are a good reader.  I sent a link to my book club ladies, but I will add it here too.  It is a sweet story.  Make sure you go clear to the end.

Click here: Father Read To Daughter Every Night Until College : Video Clips From The Coolest One

Musings Day 3 Family History

I have done  a little family history although my sister is the family historian.  She is amazing and has amassed a lot of names for her hubby.  I started doing it when I was 12 years old when I filled out my family group sheets and my history and life story up to that time.  I also did work on the census a couple of years ago for the LDS church but the program wasn't compatible with my computer so I had to give it up.  Now, I am going to take it up again. Hopefully with my new computer it will work once again.  I love digging into family history and seeing what other people find too.  I  watch the TV show "Who Do You Think You Are"  and am always fascinated.  I have a few life stories of my ancestors and they always move me. They help me to get an idea of who I am.  I am lucky enough to have great examples for good on all sides of my family.  I know there are some dark horses in there somewhere but I haven't come across them yet.  It will be fun if I do.  Or, maybe I'll wait and let my sister find it and just ride along on her coat tails.

Musings Day 2 Consumer Testing

I feel like some companies should do a little more consumer testing before they launch  new products and then after they do, they should listen to the consumer's input on how we like them.

I bought some wet wipes a while back.  It came with a little holder that you stick to your bathroom wall.  Then you place the wet wipes on the holder and you can use it in conjuction with your toilet paper.  The instructions were pretty poor but I figured it out.  The holder was flimsy and stuck out too far from the wall.  I was afraid that if I pushed hard enough or bumped it, the holder would come loose and the whole thing would fall.  That might have happened, but I disliked it so much that I decided to just take it down. The little plastic holder was easy enough to get off but the tab that sticks to the wall was not.  There was no way to get it down without tearing off the paint or drywall.  Luckily, I am a scrapbooker and have a bottle of sticker remover.  I poured it all over the tab and waited for a few seconds and I was able to gently and slowly pull it off.  I am one of those people who write companies when I really like or dislike their products.  They usually respond by sending me something or saying (basically) tough luck.  However, I like my preferences known so they adapt their products to their consumer's needs.

 I bought a bottle of hair spray once, and because of the design of the bottle you couldn't reach the spray nozzle while holding the bottle unless you held it right at the top.....very poor design.

 Another jar had face cream that I really liked but the lid would not screw on right ever, so it dried up way too quickly.  I wrote and told them.

  I had a paper cutter that would not cut straight.  I wrote them and they sent me a new one.

 I had a hair conditioner that I fell in love with and wrote and told the company.  They sent me a free bottle.

 I have a dishwasher that is probably the cheapest model  you can buy but it cleans really well.  The pull out drawers in it are horrible.  Most of the prongs on it have rusted and fallen off.  I wrote to the company to ask them where to get new ones and they wrote me back that my refrigerator was out of warranty so tough luck.  Refrigerator???  I wrote again and got another answer that didn't make sense either.  I never did get a satisfactory response.  Whirlpool, you need to check out your service people.

I write my legislators when I like or dislike what they are doing.

I send letters to those I love and try to keep in touch with relatives.

Isn't this s great country when you can have the freedom to let your voice be heard? (With the exception of Whirlpool who apparently just doesn't want to hear at all)

Musings Day 1 Bologna

Maybe I have had a little too much time to think this week but I will write down my observations.... posting them over the next few days.

1.  I really like bologna and lettuce sandwiches.  You can't find bologna like I had when I was a kid.  Mom used to buy it thick with the rind on.  She had to slice it and it was so good.  Today I get fat free chicken/turkey bologna or pork/beef bologna.  There really isn't much difference in the flavor now.  They are both probably full of things that aren't good for you (nitrates and salt) but it still tastes good and the fat free kind actually gets a B grade from nutrition sites.  I love eating my sandwich with a glass of milk.  They just go together so well.  The problem is, I only eat one slice a week or less and so it spoils before I finish it.  Emerson comes and sometimes helps me eat it.  I slice it like a pizza for him or carve it in waves.  He loves it too.  I just need to freeze all but a few slices when I buy it so it doesn't spoil.  Don't write and tell me it is full of pig snouts and chicken gizzards because I don't care.  I see nothing wrong with Pig snouts.  It is good protein.  I also love pork rinds and bacon.  My son-in-law Wes says the only thing better than pork, is more pork.  I have to agree. Not the more part, but the more varieties of pork.  Who doesn't like a BLT?

Saying that, I use Miracle Whip on my bologna sandwiches.  There are the Miracle Whip lovers and the mayo lovers and they all seem to like one or the other.  Why?  They are two different things.  I have to have Whip on my balogna and in my tuna sandwiches but I love mayo on others things.  Most times I mix the two and then you have a perfect flavor for egg salad.  Mayo is best on sandwiches from Subway and in fry sauce.  See, you don't have to choose one over the other.  You can have it all......in moderation.

A Horrible News Item

Oh this is horrible!

The cost of chocolate keeps going up and up.  When will it get to the point when I will no longer buy it?  I don't know......I just can't see that happening yet. Here is another reason, artificially or not, why they may raise the price.

Western Pa. candy factory fire destroyed nearly 20,000 pounds of chocolate, official says

By Associated Press, Published: February 4

CANONSBURG, Pa. — An official says a fire at a candy factory in southwestern Pennsylvania destroyed nearly 20,000 pounds of chocolate.
The blaze broke out early Friday morning at a second-floor packaging area at Sarris Candies in Canonsburg in Washington County.

 A health inspection determined that Sarris must destroy the candy, which either melted or had smoke damage.

Canonsburg Mayor David Rhome says officials will inspect the damage Monday. He says the fire does not appear to be suspicious.
Sroka says the inspection will also determine whether an additional 5,000 pounds of chocolate packaged for sale in the store will have to be destroyed.
But he says most of the company’s stock survived because it is stored in an off-site
facility.

I don't have my 2 years supply of chocolate.  I need to get on that right away.