Trick-Or-Treating Delivered Just In Time - 111 As Well

I know some of my neighbors are leaving town for the weekend and the Halloween Holiday, so I wanted to get the treats to them as I thought some may leave early after school so I wanted to make sure that I got to their houses tonight. 

I took a nice walk as it was a clear and warmer day than we have been having. I took them to the immediate neighbors and one of the younger boys was visiting a friend. I could see him outside playing and was going to give him one but the next neighbor took all the items I had in my box so I went home to get more treats. He was then home by the time I went to the neighbors, so I went back to their house.

It was really cute when I went to the door, he opened the door and he had one of his siblings candy necklaces on his head like a headband. It was quite funny. I wish I had taken a picture. 

I gave out about 70 containers of candy necklaces to the neighbors. I was also able to meet some new neighbors and visit with some I haven't seen in awhile due to Covid. 

 

When I was cleaning up after getting home, I was throwing away the bags from the ring pops and the little boxes that held the containers of candy necklaces. Both had 111's on them and I felt like my Heavenly Father was letting me know I was on the right path!

It was nice getting to walk, it was nice getting to visit with friends, it was nice getting to see the kids get excited about Halloween, and it was nice being able to get the treats out of the house. 

It will be weird on Halloween not opening the door, but I am glad that my cute little neighbors know I thought of them. 

Have a Happy Halloween!

Dishwasher Pods Caused My Dishwasher to Not Fill - Sticky Residue

I had an issue with my water not working when I turned on my dishwasher. It sounded funny and I checked to see what was making the noise, and that was when I noticed that the water wasn't flowing. 

I checked the float first, and noticed that it was stuck up. I tried to move it and it seemed stuck. I pulled it out and then put it back in and pushed it down and the washer inside got stuck on the top of the float support. 

I pulled off the washer and realized that there was lots of a sticky substance around the support and inside the float. I made sure that the switch inside the support was still moving and it was clicking fine. I put the float back on a few different times, and it still wasn't allowing water into the dishwasher. 

There was a bit of a build up around the basket at the bottom of the washer as well. I filled the bottom of the dishwasher with HOT water. I let it soak for about 1/2 hour. I then used a toothbrush to scrub the entire bottom of the dishwasher and the basket as well as all around the support of the float and inside the TOP of the float. 

I did NOT put water down inside the support for the float. There are electrical parts down inside that area, so be careful to NOT get water down inside that area. 

I then tried starting the washer again and there was NO hot water. The next day, NOTHING was touched from the night before, but when started, the dishwasher then started and the water was then able to work. I had just started using dishwasher pods within the two weeks before this issue started. I had similar issues with my washing machine. I believe that the "film" on the outside of the "pods" isn't breaking down completely and is causing a sticky residue almost like a glue, that causes the float to stick. 

Interestingly enough, the dishwasher soap dispenser in my Whirlpool, is exactly over the float in my machine, the plastic residue is what I believe is the problem. I made a video about my experience with my washing machine after starting to use the clothes washer pods and had a negative experience using them in the washing machine as well. 

I will make a post about my washing machine in the next few days and will share that story there. I had a repair man come for both machines and both are due to the pods. I won't be using them anymore! 

I am going to run a dishwasher cleaner through the machine. I made a post about that here. 

Have a Blessed Day!

A New Tradition For Halloween This Year - Reverse Trick-Or-Treating

Every year for Halloween, I put out a bit of candy, and then allow the kids to pick out some jewelry out of the treasure chest next to my Pirate. 

Here is a link to 2015 my first year post. 

Here is the post for 2016. 

Here is a link to 2017 post. 

Here is a link to 2018 post. 

Here is the post for 2019.

With covid causing such craziness in the world, and with my health issues, I knew I can't do the normal jewelry picking thing I have done in the past five years. I know that people will still allow their kids out, but I don't want them in my home. I figured even handing out candy can possibly be an issue as there are sometimes many groups of kids coming to the door at one time. 

I was pondering on what I could do this year and had a wonderful idea come into my mind. I bought a tote full of candy necklaces at Easter time for our Easter family camp out this year as we haven't gone the past three years. This year was supposed to be the big camp out with everyone coming. Then covid-19 hit. 

The camp out was canceled and I had a tote full of candy jewelry! I left it in the tote thinking we could use it for our lake camping family reunion we have every year in August. However, Covid was still causing problems and we ended up only going for one day and no nights and most of the family didn't go so I didn't take them for that. 

I had the thought after pondering that I may not be able to give out the real jewelry that I give out, but I can give out the "candy" jewelry! So I still give out my jewelry, just candy. I then thought that I wouldn't have enough for kids to come to the door and don't really want to come in contact with that many people as I am trying to stay healthy. 

I talked to one of my neighbors asking what her family is going to do, and their entire family is going to a cabin and each family is going to take a treat and activity. I thought that was fun. Since Halloween is on a weekend, I wonder if many people are going to be out of town. I asked that neighbor if it would be weird for me to deliver a treat to their home before Halloween so that I can still give a treat to my neighborhood kids, but not have to subject myself to those who come to my neighborhood just to Trick-Or-Treat. 

It isn't that I don't want to share with others, it is just the Covid thing going on. I decided to put a little note on the treats a few days in advance and then let them sit for a few days to make sure I don't come down with any symptoms, and then I can deliver them out of the tote wearing gloves and deliver them to my neighbors kids! 

I don't know what other communities are doing, but I think this is a good way to still give out treats without putting anyone at risk. I am going to turn off my lights on Halloween to discourage people coming, but since I will be dropping off treats early, my neighbors will have already gotten a treat and won't come to my house. 

I will be so happy when this health crisis is over! I am glad that I found a way to still celebrate the holiday and bring joy to my neighbors. I added some new gloves for the older girls and a few other boy items so everyone can get a treat. 

I hope you have a safe Halloween! Have a Blessed day!

Finding The Owner of a Found Journal Using Social Media

A week ago, I found a journal at a second hand store. When I see journals at thrift stores, I always check to see if there is any writing in them. 

There were about 50 pages written in this journal. I only read the first page to see if there was information that I could use to find the owner. 

There was a name in the front page. There was a date of her birth in 1926. She shared how many kids were in her family as well. 

I have many times over the years picked up family pictures, journals, or family history information at second hand stores, and tried to find the owners, or family members of the owners, using social media. 

I took a picture of the name in the front page, and included the first page where she gave her birthday and talked about her family and where they lived growing up. 

I posted those pictures on social media asking for help on all the yard sale sites to see if anyone recognized the name. 

Several people replied and someone found her obituary. They found a grand daughter listed out of state, and I found her on Facebook and reached out. I never heard back from her. I posted a bit bigger post on social media, and today I had a friend of mine say that she found another grand daughter in our state and reached out on Facebook and she shared that she was very excited that I found it and would love it. 

My friend texted me her information, and I texted back and forth with her tonight. I have the journal ready to mail. They have NO idea how the journal got to my town as no one in their family lives in my town. 

I am grateful that I could find the family of the woman that wrote the journal, and I am grateful for all the people who reached out to help me find someone related to the owner. 

It is amazing to me how often family history and personal items get donated to thrift stores. I was shopping last year when I noticed photos of one of my best friends children. I contacted my friend asking if she meant to leave the family pictures in the frames she donated. She told me it was a mistake and asked that I take the photos out of the frame. I delivered them to her at her bunko night the next month. 

It should be a lesson to us all to make sure we go through all the items we donate! 

Have a Blessed Day!

I FINISHED Pruning for the year - So HAPPY

My neighbor told me I could borrow his cool pruning tool I mention in this post, where he came and helped me prune my birch tree in about 20 minutes. 

I wanted to prune my back tall tree and didn't have the best luck with the heavy Gorilla brand ladder as it is so heavy to move and carrying the heavy reciprocating saw on the ladder on the extension is a bit stressful. 

I went and borrowed it and grabbed the extra battery but I guess one of the batteries isn't as new. I used the first battery and was really surprised at how long the battery lasted. I was able to do a few branches left on the birch that needed trimming as there were so many branches down when he did it we couldn't move the ladder to get those few last branches that needed to come down. 

I also have a huge pine tree in the neighbors yard that I have to prune back each year as it encroaches on the sidewalk and more than once I have walked into a branch talking to my children, so I pruned back a little of it, but my neighbors that rent the house weren't home and are a bit particular about that tree, so I left it alone until I heard back through text if they wanted me to prune it up higher so the taller people walking for trick or treating next week don't walk into a face of prickly pine needles. 

I went in the back and took down lots of branches and was so happy at how easy that tool made it! I was able to take down some dead branches, some uneven branches, and then put in the new battery after hearing back from the neighbors that they were "OK" with me taking a bit more off the large pine. 

The second battery didn't last long so I was only able to get some of the sidewalk area done but it was enough that people won't be getting stuck in the eye walking on the sidewalk. The pine doesn't look great but before my neighbor passed away, he pruned that tree faithfully every year and it had a beautiful shape. Not so much anymore. It has started to grow towards the sun and has weird out growing branches at the top. I returned my neighbors tool with two dead batteries but I washed up the tool before returning it as it was full of sawdust. 

I had piles all over the back yard and front yard and it took one of my neighbors large can and more than one of my cans to put just the pine trimmings in and I hardly did any trimming on that tree! I filled another with trimmings from the front birch tree and then Princess Four and I went to work on the back yard mess. 

In the midst of this I had an issue with my dishwasher and the repair man can after work and so we didn't get into the back yard until after 9 p.m. 

I was worried that it would rain on the clippings and made it hard to clean up as the weather was turning really cold as we worked. I couldn't cut anything due to the time, but we were able to just stack all the bigger branches for me to cut in the morning, and we took down all the branches and bundled them up and filled the cans. 

I couldn't believe how much I cut off after having so much taken off last year, but that tree grows quickly as the wood pile can attest! Most of my wood pile is from that tree being pruned over the years! 

I love the shade I get from that tree and want to keep it as long as possible, but don't want to have it hanging over the house as it has split so many times. So, I was able to use that tool to prune the branches going straight up, and form the others into a nice looking share for the tree. I needed to take some growth off over the plum tree so it would get some sun. 

We were out there working until 1 a.m. again! but we didn't want to have it snow with all those branches and twigs down as it is hard to get them up in the frozen mess and the leaves get soggy and it is awful to deal with, so we just pushed through and were able to get it done.

The next day, I was able to cut down the last of the thicker branches and finish up! I am so happy with how it looks and that I was able to pruned everything in the yard in one year. Sometimes, it takes me fall and spring to get the back and front trees done. It feels so good to have it finished for the winter. 

We finished just in time as the weather turned cold and we had snow flurries throughout the day! I turned my furnace on for the first time this year! 

Have a blessed day!

Pruning at Night - I Seem to Be Forming a Habit

Princess Four and I celebrated her upcoming job interview as I shared in yesterdays post. However, after our dinner, I went out and started pruning the back yard. I wanted to finish the few smaller pruning jobs.

I keep forgetting to take pictures before I start pruning. I had clipped off a few long branches off the back roses and then remembered to take a picture of before and after. I am not sure why my back roses grow so much better than my front roses, but it may be that they get more or less water than the front roses.

I pruned the shrubs and lilac bushes, the cherry tree, and the back roses. 

We were out of garbage cans as we only had one partial left, so we ended up using garbage bags for the shrubs. We bundled the longer branches, and I had no place to put the rose clippings as they have large thorns and would have ripped a bag. We made a pile that we could just put into a can once the garbage was dumped. 

Princess Four was a gem and helped me rake up the clippings and bag some of them. She then got a call from her best friend and was telling her about her job updates. I worked on the finishes and hauled it all out to the curb.

I was so happy to get those trees and shrubs pruned as I really want the yard done for the winter. I always seem to have a list of things in the yard that I don't finish each fall. I have gotten more done this October than I usually do. I have tried to get one tree done a day. I did have a bad day this week when I didn't get much done, but for the most part, I have kept to that schedule. 

As we work each afternoon and evening, its been getting colder each night. It feels like fall for sure and I will miss the warm dry days we have been enjoying. As I worked, it felt so good to see the yard looking better each day. I wish I could get more done each day, but I am giving gratitude that I am able to get so much done when in past years, I haven't been able to. 

I appreciate Princess Four's help getting my yard looking good! I think it will be somewhat lonely when she leaves as I have gotten used to having someone around. It is going to be weird living along again. 

Have a blessed day!

Things Are Looking Bright For Princess Four - Prayers Are Good

Princess Four graduated college from a very well known business school with a near perfect GPA. Since then, she applied for many jobs. She interviewed and was offered two full time positions, but in the end, she didn't feel they were where she would be helping others and wanted to find joy in her work. 

She liked the people she would be working with, but just felt that they weren't the right "fit" as she really wants to do something to "help" others. 

Being a nurse, I can understand that desire to help others in a career choice as it brings me joy to see others feeling better and healing. 

She has been looking for jobs maybe in marketing, outreach, or at a university. Having been an ambassador for one university, and an outreach person at another, she has always enjoyed that work. 

Someone sent her a job listing at the university business school where she just graduated. When she saw the job posting, she felt that the job would tick all the boxes for a job she would enjoy and give her the opportunity to help others.  

For one, she just graduated from that same university, and not only that, she graduated form the business school at that university! She LOVES that school! She transferred there from a Jr. College after getting her associates degree and serving as a missionary in Japan. 

She loves people! She would be SO good at that job and particularly at that school because she just graduated and can relate to anyone that would be applying or interested in attending because she went through all the same things herself! 

So, with some advice from one of the professors who helped her organize a "transfer student club" at the school while she was attending, he suggested she apply and gave her some tips on perhaps upping her odds at getting an interview and hopefully landing the job! 

Her sisters were super helpful at editing her resume and Princess Two is in HR at a different university, so she was able to help her with her cover letter suggesting things that catch her eye when they are hiring. 

Today, she found out that she has an interview for the position! She is SO excited and this would be her dream job! I think she and the job are a perfect FIT! 

I bought sushi and ice cream to celebrate, and our friend James who makes the sushi gave her a sushi roll for free! I also got her a gift card and a cute saying for her new office that says, "When God closes one door, He opens another" and filled a gift bag with snacks that she enjoys when she travels. She would have to move back to where she just moved home from. Last week, she finally just moved all her stuff home from her sisters garage and another sisters back room! ha ha. 

However, I think it was a good thing, as she wants to cut down on her belongings and having them stored and three different places, she couldn't go through and organize everything. So, it is a good thing to finally have them all home where she can sort and organize to be ready for when she gets the job! I have to talk like she is getting the job as I know she would be SO good at this job! 

I gave her all the treats and gifts, and we enjoyed a wonderful meal of sushi! I am so proud of her and pray she does well at the interview and will get the job! Keep her in your prayers! 

I'll let you know next week or so if she gets the job! I may be taking a road trip helping her move in the next few weeks! Lets hope so! 

Have a blessed day!

How to Cut Watermelon FAST and UNIFORM in the Size Cubes or Chunks You Choose in 1 Minute

I have always cut my watermelon and other melons very fast being a single mom of five. Here is a link to the post I made on that a few years back. 

However, awhile back, I figured out a way to make the slices uniform and by widening or shortening the cuts, I found that I could cut the watermelon into any size squares, cubes, or chunks that are uniform and look good within just minutes. 

I cut the watermelon into four sections, then slice on both edges on an angle. Depending on how many angled slices you make on each side of the wedge, and then how close you make the slices from the top point of the wedge to the bottom of wedge, determines how many pieces and how large the pieces will be. 

In less than 20 cuts per section, (The amount of cuts depends on how larger or small you want the cubes or chunks to be) you can have it in the bowl. Once you have the side angled slices cut, then the top to the bottom, I slice between the rind and fruit.

Be careful to not cut yourself while cutting at an angle as sometimes the knife goes through the bottom on the opposite side so don't hold the melon while cutting on an angle. I hold it on the ends. 

To pour the cut melon into a bowl, I squeeze both ends of the melon and push the cut melon into a bowl. I find that the pushing on the edges gives you a bit more control how the melon goes into the bowl rather than falling outside the bowl.

The video shows me cutting the watermelon and even talking and explaining, I cut half the watermelon during the video so you will see how quickly you can cut the watermelon when not talking and explaining. ;-) 

Have a blessed day!

Pruning for 9 Hours Today - I am EXHAUSTED

I have gotten most of the trees in the yard pruned. I have the  cherry tree left, some roses, shrubs, lilacs, and the big back tree.

Today, I wanted to get the front birch tree done. I haven't pruned any branches on it for a few years. I usually just prune the branches that I can touch from the ground. However, I wanted to prune them much higher as the plants below are not getting sun as the branches have gotten large. 

I pulled out my extension ladder and reciprocating saw and was up the ladder cutting. I couldn't get the extension ladder solid enough to dare climb up as high as I wanted, so opted to keep it folded. I guess I looked precarious on the ladder with my heavy saw, as one of my neighbors came over with the COOLEST tool! 

He brought over a chainsaw on an extension handle that goes up about 15 feet. He did in 20 minutes or less what would have taken me hours, and I probably wouldn't have been able to reach as high on my ladder with my heavy saw.

He said I could borrow his tool to use on the back tall tree! I was so grateful for him sharing that tool as I had never seen one. I was SO impressed with how quickly it worked. He told me that the tool was about $200 so I won't be buying one as I really don't need one as I keep my trees shorter, but I am grateful that he will allow me to borrow his tool. 

He went home after the 20 minutes or so he was here, and I then started cutting down the branches that we dropped. I couldn't believe how long it took me to bread down all those branches! Princess Four was on a date and then an activity, but when she arrived home, she spent over two hours helping me continue to clean up the branches. 

We ended up filling all the garbage cans and bundling four bunches of branches. We finished and cleaned up and got in the house about 1 a.m. I had no idea how late it was because my phone was dead. I was working by flashlight and had no idea how late it had gotten. 

It looks so much better! I do want to take off a few of the lower branches on the front, but needed to remove the branches we dropped to be able to get a ladder under them. They are smaller and won't take long to drop. 

I think all my hard work on the yard this year will pay off for many years! Of course I will have to prune the fruit trees yearly, but the landscaping and larger trees should last for a few years! 

Have a Blessed Day!

Life and Horsehair Nematomorpha Parasite in Human UPDATE - Herbs Tried 9-20

I made a video recently on how I am doing with my weight loss and about herbs I have tried over the past few months to try and get rid of the parasite. 

I have been a bit stressed and not sleeping well. The parasites have been getting worse. My bladder has been having issues, and I can feel a larger worm whipping around in the bladder and burrowing in and out. It is a large parasite. I can feel sometimes when it is half in and half out. 

I am having more sharp pains in different parts of my body as more parasites get larger. I had  one wake me burrowing out of the eye causing the "lightning bolt" shooting across my eye and woke me up. 

I have also been waking with them in my throat and have a terrible time lately with them burrowing out of my nose and sinus as I have been treating a tooth infection with nasal spray natural antibiotics and holding and swishing Colloidal Silver and Thieves oil in my mouth and through my teeth. It forces them out of my nose and into my eyes and out of my ears. 

I have had the worst sleep of my life for the past few weeks. I have some issues due to a fall where my hands and legs are numb regularly and especially when sleeping, I wake every few minutes with numb body parts and have to shake and move them. 

I have also been waking myself not breathing when I end up on my back. It has been happening more and more since the numb arms situation. 

I have been having restless leg, parasite burrowing pain in my hips, and wake up all night long flipping and flopping. The worst part is, I have been having hot flashes and wake up very sweaty and then push off the blankets, then wake up freezing as the moisture then gets cold, and it takes me time to get warm enough to go back to sleep. 

I am not sure what to do. The tooth infection causes pain if I bite down or bump my tooth as well so there are about ten reasons why I can't sleep at night. With that, I have gained back 5-8 lbs that I lost earlier in the year. 

I have started to wake early after only a few hours sleep and then even though I am tired, I am having a hard time getting back to sleep, so I am surviving on only a few hours sleep a night. 

I pray that I can figure out a cure to the parasites and am trying to find someone to help with the numb arms. You can watch the video for things I have tried on the parasites in the past few months. 

Have a blessed day!

Helping The Neighbors Pick Apples - Makes Me Love My Apple Trees

When I got up today, I was planning on finishing the pruning in my yard. I finished the last front medium size tree in the front last night. Princess Four was a gem and helped me finish bundling the branches as all our cans were full. 

I have few smaller trees, the bigger trees, the lilac trees, and the shrubs left and I figured I could finish all those today but the biggest tree. I was all ready to go but when I looked out my kitchen window, I could see my back neighbors picking the apples off their tree one at a time using a 14 foot "fruit picker" pole and basket.

I asked Princess Four if she would be willing to help pick the neighbors fruit. She said she would be willing and so we ran a few errands and stopped on our way home. The neighbors were thrilled that we would help them. They are older and so we got the ladder out and I put Princess Four on it and I held the base and the box as she picked all the higher up apples on their trees. 

I took some pictures of them using their apple picker earlier in the day as they would pick one and two would fall to the ground. It made me grateful for the way I prune my trees as I never have to use a ladder. Princess Four was a trooper and it started getting cold but she kept going until they had no containers left to fill. 

For the most part, we picked all the good apples we could reach for them. They shared that the wife had fallen off the ladder a few years back. The husband isn't able to do a ladder either so I know we were a blessing helping them get that fruit off the trees as it is supposed to freeze tonight. 

Because they have some health issues, we kept on our masks just to be safe. I tried not to talk much as it was a bit hard with the mask. 

They were super cute together. One would point out where there was a big apple way up in the top of the tree and the other would get the 14 foot fruit picker and pick the trees at the top of the tree. There was a problem as he would pull one off and two would fall and he picked right over us and one hit me square on the chest! I was super glad I didn't get hit in the fact but I think I may end up having a round bruise on my chest. 

I suggested that he may pick those not above us! ha ha. He was good after that to not pick those above us. He told me earlier that he had one hit him square on the top of his head!

We were able to get most of them off and we offered to help haul them into the garage but they have a yard cart on their ATV that they said they were going to use to haul them all into the garage so we headed home. We took four of their red apples home and Princess Four said it was super sweet. I will have one tomorrow. 

They offered us some of the apples, but I am done with fruit and dehydrating this year. I don't want to spend time on that as I have so much to do. 

I offered to take a few pictures of them and they came out really cute! I texted them and she sent me a "thank you" text for our help. 

I can't say that I got anything off my "to do" list, but I was SO happy to be able to do something to help the neighbors. Princess Four was a saint climbing into all those branches. It really made me grateful for my trees! It was a good day! 

Have a blessed Day!