Random Update

Last weekend was a fast trip to Dallas to pay my respects to my friend and mentor, Bo Smith. The celebration was very beautiful and very non-traditional....just like Bo was. The girls, Amy, Molly, and Sloane, did a beautiful job of orchestrating Bo's wishes. Thank you girls for such a wonderful tribute to your mom. I also got to see Smitty. There were times I really thought he knew what had happened and then times when he didn't. Alzheimer's is a mean thief of life.
On another note...the recession. It's depressing to watch the news anymore. Even though I feel pretty sure my job is secure, I still feel the need to be even more frugal than usual. I think we should all try to get back to the basics of being thrifty and not wasteful. Here are some ways (albeit small things) to shrink your spending and still have the pleasures and necessities of life.
1. Make it yourself air freshener: use an empty spray bottle (re-use it) and fill with distilled water. Add several drops of essential oil until the scent is strong enough for you. Shake and spray as you like!
2. For pennies you can use a small amount of ammonia mixed with water and it will clean everything BUT wood. I use the lemon scented ammonia. It's especially great to use on windows. If cleaning windows, use your newspaper to leave your windows streak-free. A bottle of ammonia only costs about $1.25 and makes a lot of cleaner.
3. For those of you who have carpet (all mine is gone), you can make carpet freshener by putting baking soda and a few drops of essential oil in a sealed bag for a few days. Sprinkle on the carpet, wait about 20 minutes, and vacuum up. Your carpet will smell fresh and clean!
4. Use your crock pot! It not only saves energy, but dinner is ready when you get home from work!
5. I read the other day that Americans throw away about 1/3 of their food EVERY YEAR! Eat what you have, not always what you want! Our forefathers didn't waste anything, especially food. They ate what they had. I have really worked on this concept lately and it's surprising how easy it is if you bring it to work for lunch. If that's all you have, you eat it!

To all those who have lost their jobs, or are in danger of loosing theirs, I pray for this recession to ease. Hang in there, America..things may get worse before they get better. If you know someone who has lost their job...invite them to dinner and send them home with leftovers. They will appreciate the kindness.

All for now..