Happy Veterans Day!

Wednesday, November 11th, is Veterans Day. Thank a Veteran.

Thanks Dad!


I wish I'd had the courage to join the military.

Inspired by Chrissy's Favorite Things...

I read Chrissy's post of her favorite things and I was inspired to post a few of my own.  I hope you don't mind Chrissy.  By the way, those Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners are on my grocery list!

So here we go.  These are just a few of my favorite things:

 

Ah yes, a Michigan staple.  Vernors.  The only thing I ever remember seeing my Gramma Leroux drink.  Though she prefers the diet  variety and I am partial to the original.  I love it when I'm sick, when I'm well and just pretty much all the time.  My favorite way to enjoy this tasty treat is in a Boston Cooler.

 

Yum.  My Dad used to blend them up for us when I was a kid and they are my absolute favorite.    Though picture shows it as a float we always put the ice cream and the vernors in a blender.  It was so yummy and creamy and yet still fizzy from the ginger ale.  Oh, just looking at that makes me want one.  Too bad no one around her believes that Vernors and Vanilla ice cream should be mixed.  Maybe when I'm home. HINTHINTDADHINTHINT.

My true love.  Post-it Notes.  3M was thinking of me when they created these little darlings.  I do believe this was a habit picked up by the EWO.  I love them.  I use them for marking my check book, notes for Johnny (The dogs need their water jug filled.), reminders, lists, bookmarks.  I could keep going on and on about them but they are one of my favorite things, ever.

 

I will never bake cookies without parchment paper again.  Not only do they not stick but clean up is so easy.  The cookies seem to bake better.  The bottoms don't burn as easily or get overly crisp.  I don't know where it was for the first 25 years of my life but I'll a changed woman.  The idea of baking cookies and only having to wipe down the cookie sheets afterward is fabulous.  Plus, if you are like me and you bake a double batch, you don't have to worry about cleaning off the melted chocolate and cookie mess between batches.  You just throw out the old sheet, recover, scoop and bake.  It's genius!

 

Ok, this little beauty might not seem like much.  It's amazing.  I was introduced to this product by one of the tattoo artists that I went to out here in Arizona.  (Sorry, Dad.)  And I've never had a tattoo heal faster or better.  But that's not the only reason that I love this stuff.  I use it for my hands and feet because Arizona is really, really dry which is the obvious use.  My favorite purpose for Aquaphor is actually as a lip balm.  I have the worlds WORST chapped lips.  I drink water all the time and I have tried every type of lip balm out there.  I've spent between $2 and $30 on individual products and none have worked better than this.  A pharmacist that use to float down to the Vista told me about it.  They even make these hand travel size ones that you can squeeze right on to your chapped lips.  It doesn't list it as a use on the product just yet but it is on the box!  I never knew!  But I love it!

So that's it for a few of my current favorite products.  Thanks for the idea Chrissy!  What are some other great products out there?

Halloween in the Vista

This year for Halloween we decided to stop by the Jorge and Michelle's to see Nito all dressed up for his first Halloween. While we were there our friends Mindy and Chris came by with their sons, Jaxon and Cooper. Shortly after they arrived Patti and Will stopped by with their boys, Wesley and Wyatt. I completely forgot to post the photos to facebook, my blog or email them to Michelle! Yikes! It was a lot of fun to see them all dressed up and excited for one of my favorite holidays.

Pumpkin pie with cool whip. Yum. I love this time of year if only for the pumpkin pie with cool whip. But it has to be cool whip. Don't try and trick me with that real whip cream or tell me that cool whip is gross because it's "oil". Frankly, I love cool whip and I don't care who knows it. I also only like cold pumpkin pie. Lucky for me, John also likes cold pumpkin pie with cool whip. So this time of year we occasionally partake in the pumpkin pie goodness. Yum. I should make a pumpkin pie. I made the mini ones but I don't think those count.

I'm slowly breaking through this cold. Yesterday was pretty rough but I spent it napping on the couch and doing a whole lot of nothing. Jhayne was kind enough to set up coverage for my shift. She said she knew that I wouldn't take the day for myself because there is no one to work. So she and Stephanie split it and allowed me to stay home. I needed that day of rest. I went back to work today and ended up staying an extra two hours. It was a rough day but we made it through. I'm feeling better but I wonder if it's because of the cold medicine that's pumping through my system. My head actually doesn't feel like it's exploding but I still have that feeling of an ice pick to the ear drum. I don't know why I lack an immune system but we are trying to find that out.

Less than 3 weeks till we head to Michigan. We're going to be home for Thanksgiving, my 10 year high school reunion, My Dad's birthday and my brother Daniel's birthday (though Daniel won't be there!). We're just missing Katie Bean's birthday on the 5th. Yikes. Too many winter birthdays. Then Alex's, Erick's, Eoghan's, Sean's, and EWO's all before the middle of February. I'm looking forward to being home and seeing old friends and visiting with family. I'm not looking forward to the cold Michigan weather. Fingers crossed there is no snow.

Guess who's sick. Again.  Oh, yep, it's me.  My allergies have been worse and I was hoping that was all that was going on.  PCP switched me to the generic for Zyrtec and it's been working wonders. Then today I told John that I felt that throat itch that usually proceeds a cold or sinus infection for me.  The next step would be itching ears and being dizzy.  Here it is, just a few hours later, and the ears are itching and I'm so light headed and dizzy.  I doubled up on the vitamin C.  Let's hope this thing runs it's course and fast.  I have tomorrow off so I'll be studying for my certification test and relaxing.  Sadly I have to work all weekend and with our short staff it's impossible to call off.  Supposedly we are training three techs right now and "things are going to change" but I doubt that's going to happen. 

I'm looking forward to my week in Michigan.  I can't wait to see friends and family and also to just get away for a little while.  Not have to worry about work or anything really.  Just time to do what we want, when we want. 

I'm watching Helen's dog, Maggie, while she's on vacation in Vegas.  Her brother is getting married this weekend.  Helen is a newlywed, new homeowner, just started a new job and got a new puppy.  She was having trouble setting up care for her dog while she was gone so I offered to take her in for a few days.  She's been here since Tuesday night and she goes home on Sunday.  She's a hyper little puppy.  Maybe it's because it's been over 5 years since we've had a puppy in the home.  Either that or I'm getting old and our dogs are really lazy compared to this pup.  Maggie is a Saint Bernard/American Bulldog Mix.  She's only a few months old and as big as Maddie Lou.  She wants all attention on her all the time.  It's exhausting.  I've dealt with multiple dogs before and it wasn't as crazy as this one little pup.  I'm trying to teach her some manners, at least for while she is here.  Sad thing is I'd take her again in a heartbeat.  John on the other hand?  Not so much.