Friday Night at the Movies

It's movie time again. Okay, here's a good one. We watched it on TV, but it's available on Netflix also. It's a rather old Disney movie called Iron Will. Dear Hubby really likes adventure/survival movies, so I taped this one for him, and it turned out to be a really sweet movie. It's about a boy in 1917 who enters a 500-mile dogsled race.

Another reason I liked it is because of the beautiful Huskies. We had 2 Huskies when we were growing up -- Sheba was 1/2 wolf, 1/2 Husky, and Brutus was full-blood Siberian Husky. We were known as the people with the big dogs. I'll never forget them. Or the day my sister Kim decided to take Sheba to school with her. Harrison Lane Elementary erupted into chaos, and our neighbor Kenneth had to come lure her out of the building and into his car with candy (Sheba, not Kim). It's still one of our family legends.

Save more money by watching movies at home! This is a great one for the kids, too.

Use 1/2 the Hair Products

Okay, maybe everyone else already knew this, but I didn't. I don't have the kind of hair that looks good when I get up in the morning. I look like I slept with my head between two mattresses...really...Dear Hubby laughs at me almost every morning. So for a long time, especially since it's been short and I can't put it in a ponytail, I've been washing my hair every day.

Over the last year, I found out that I don't have to actually wash it. Every other day I can just wet my hair in the shower, then style it like I usually do. It actually styles better on those days. I am now using 1/2 the expensive shampoo and conditioner I like; and half of the two other leave-in products I put on after shampooing. It's working quite well for me, and may for you, too. Unless you're like my little sister Alicia. She apparently is part blood-hound, and says she can smell her own scalp if she doesn't shampoo every day. But actually, there's no need to wash it unless it's dirty, and it's better for your hair and scalp to not strip the natural oils every day. You can experiment with how long you can go between shampoos. Try it the first time on a day when you're staying home, if you're worried about it.

These days, it doesn't hurt to save money every way you can.

I Just Walked 5 Miles in My Living Room

Well, actually it was three. But I could have! I've been kind of a slouch about exercising this winter, so I needed something to get me going again. I had been eyeing a certain exercise dvd in Kroger that was only $9.99, and when my friend Margaret mentioned that she uses it, that was all it took.

The dvd I'm using is Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home 5 Mile Fat Burning Walk. I am really liking it. It's more than walking. She adds in some more moves, and you can tailor the intensity to suit yourself. You can walk 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 miles at a pace of 12 minutes a mile. This video makes it easy to slip in a mile or more whenever you can during the day. I like it so much, I will probably buy more of Leslie Sansone's videos. Hey, it's a lot cheaper than a gym membership or a piece of equipment I don't have room for anyway.

Bonus Tip: There are only a few moves, and they are simple enough that once you get the hang of it you don't really have to have the sound. I figured out how to show it on my TV in split screen, with a regular tv program on the other side. When there's a commercial, I switch the sound over to the exercise video. Oddly, I keep playing the music in my head, even when I can't hear it, so it's not hard to keep up. This keeps my boredom factor down to a very low level, and I feel like I'm getting a treat while I'm exercising.

I just thought to check Netflix, and it turns out they have a lot of these Leslie Sansone dvds. They don't have this particular one, but you could rent different ones, and then buy the ones you like the best. Or, just keep renting and rotating.

Friday Night at the Movies

If you've been reading here long, you know I'm a fan of Netflix, because it's a lot cheaper and more convenient than going to the movies or going to the movie rental store. For around $9 a month, I can rent one movie at a time, keep it as long as I like, and get the next movie on my list as soon as they receive it back in the mail. Each mailing, to and from them, only takes one day. (They also have cheaper and more expensive plans.)

Today I want to suggest 2 movies -- one that is available now, and one that you can put on your "Save" list for when it does become available.

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is not a fun movie, it's a documentary. But it is very informative and interesting. It's rated PG and is 98 minutes long.

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story is a wonderful movie. We save it on TV -- sorry I can't remember what channel. But you can put it on your Netflix Save list, or look for it to rerun on TV. This is a true, very inspiring story, and an even better movie than I was expecting. Cuba Gooding Jr. plays Ben Carson, who is quite a hero in my book.

True, there are some movies that just BEG to be seen in the theater. But for most, renting them at home is the best option. I love the Save feature in Netflix. Even when a movie is still in the theaters, I can put it on my list and it will automatically be in my lineup whenever it's available on DVD.

Wedding Sparklers

When our oldest son, Michael, got married on 8/8/8, it was a great celebration. He and Christie had been dating for 4 years, and we are so happy to have her in our family now.

Christie found a great idea for the wedding that I had never heard of. She ordered extra-long sparklers for the going-away ritual. It was so pretty!

You do have to be careful if it's windy. Fortunately, our middle son, Austin, is both a pyro-fanatic and trained in military safety. He manned the blow torch to light everyone's sparkler and then lined us all up far enough apart so that we wouldn't set the bride's dress on fire.

This was really fun, not too expensive (she found them online), and it made great pictures. We kept a few leftovers to entertain the neighborhood kids.

Best, Cheapest Eyeglass Cleaner

This tip is simple, but good! Every since I gave up my contact lenses a few years ago (they left my eyes too dry), I've been having a struggle keeping my glasses clean. I've tried the spray-on cleaner, the individually packaged cleaning towels, and just plain soap and water under the faucet, followed by drying with a paper towel. But I've stumbled upon the best solution of all - a piece of flannel.

Take a scrap square of flannel - and use it dry on your glasses. It doesn't scratch, and it cleans them easily without leaving smears or spots. I keep this one in the bathroom. Now I'm going to scrounge up another square of flannel to keep in the car. Isn't it cute in the picture how my glasses have gone all camoflauge? [This flannel is left over from shortening the sleeves on my favorite winter jammies.]

The Best Tortilla Soup

This really is the best tortilla soup I have ever had. A friend shared this with me about 15 years ago, and I added in the chicken and changed a few things. It is simple, but everyone likes it. You can freeze the leftovers, too. You wouldn't normally think of putting zucchini in a tortilla soup, but trust me, it works!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 TBSP oil

Chopped onion, optional

Garlic Granules

4 cups water

Chicken tenders or chicken breasts

(can substitute 4 chicken bouillon cubes)

15 oz. can tomato sauce

15 oz. can chopped tomatos

15 oz. or smaller can corn

3 or 4 medium zucchinis, slice in half length-wise, then cut thin slices width-wise

¼ tsp. ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown chopped onion in oil, add garlic granules at end. Pour in 4 cups water, add chicken or chicken bouillon. If using chicken, simmer with lid on until tender and cooked through. Remove from pan and dice chicken, then return to pot. Add remaining ingredients, simmer at least one hour, or until ready to eat.

Top each bowl with grated Monterey Jack cheese, a dollop of sour cream (optional) and tortilla chips.

Option: You could also add a can of drained black beans to this soup.

I have also made this in the crockpot by just throwing all the ingredients in there and turning it on low for 8 to 10 hours. It came out great!

Personalized Birthday Cards

Here's a great idea for birthday cards I got from a magazine in a doctor's office. You could get industrious and make all your birthday cards for the whole year, or at least take the pictures.

Get out your Scrabble game and spell out your message, then take a picture of it. You can send all your pictures to be developed through an online service, like walgreens.com, or print them yourself.

You can then use double-stick tape to attach the picture to the front of a blank card, or 8-1/2 by 11 card stock folded in half. OR, you can just use a Sharpie marker and make the back a postcard, stick on a stamp, and stick it in the mail.

People love these! Of course, it would work for other occasions, too.

Bonus tip: Buy an extra Scrabble game at a garage sale or thrift store so that you have enough tiles to make any message you want.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Catching Up

It's been a long time since I've posted. I'm amazed that so many of you are still checking back! Thank you! As you might have read in my last post, my mother had major surgery. Her health is rather frail to start with, but this really kicked her butt.

The day before surgery, we were expecting a major ice storm, so my sisters and I spirited mom to a hotel near the hospital. Thank the Lord we did that. The ice storm did hit, and with a vengeance. The next morning, we loaded her into the car and creeped along the icy roads until we got there. Surgery went fine, but she experienced many complications afterward, including losing her conscious mind for several days. We kept the hotel room for 6 days, and took shifts staying with her. She was climbing in and out of bed and trying to remove all her tubes.

After she got home, she needed 24/7 supervision for 2 more weeks. Thankfully, we were able to hire home health aides to stay with her, because we never would have made it without them! I'm happy to say that she is on her own now....well, as on your own as you can be in assisted living. Be warned: 50+ years of smoking is treacherous for your health. I'm so proud of her for quitting 3 months before the surgery (it was that or no surgery).

Now we are in the process of spring-cleaning and rearranging her assisted living apartment.

If I were an only child, this would have been unbearable. But my sisters and brother and I work together as a great team.

Now I'm playing catch-up with work, housecleaning, bills, budget, friends, and the list goes on and on. But I have lots of ideas for new posts. Thank you for your prayers and your patience.