Ants

I'm trying something new.  I think Aunt Dawn used to kill ants successfully with it.  A mixture of sugar, water and boric acid. 

 The rain is a welcome thing, unfortunately it brought a few visitors with it.  A few ants apparently wanted a dry spot to go.   Hopefully, this concoction will take care of these uninivited guests.

Projects

The girls are going to have a project filled summer.  I'll tell you later! 
They have already decided on a few projects.  Can't wait to see what they come up with!

Thank you Lord for the rain!

No word yet - will try to call tomorrow!

Squash Chips

Take 1:  Didn't work out to well - both burned and/or soggy

Spray Pan with Cooking Spray

Slice Squash Thin

Season (used nature seasonings)

Cook at 375 for 30 minutes

This was too hot and too quick!

The pieces that were very thin burned and the one that were a little thicker didn't get crisp because I took them out by about 20 minutes

Take 2:  we shall see they are in the oven now

Pour about 1/4 cup of olive oil on cookie sheet

Pour any seasonings in the oil 

        I used dill weed, nature seasonings, onion powder and garlic salt

Mix the seasonings and oil and spread over pan

Place sliced squash on cookie sheet 

Sprinkle the tops of the squash with more seasonings

    (a good suggestion I saw was to put the squash in a large baggie with oil and seasonings and shake to coat - I would have done this if I had freezer sized baggies)

Cook at 220 for 2-3 hours until desired crispness

  (will add parmesan cheese about 15 min before done)

I hope these turn out better!

They were delicious!

Strawberries

Becca was on pinterest and came across an interesting fact.

She read that strawberries actually help whiten teeth!

Who would have thought?!?

Instructions:

1. Strawberries contain malic acid, which acts as the primary stain remover. First grab a fork or another mashing utensil and smash the strawberry into a pulp.
2. Then mix about a teaspoon of baking soda into the strawberry mash. Baking soda is also great at removing unwanted teeth stains from coffee, tea or smoking.
3. Once the mixture is ready, it should be a light pinkish color. Use your toothbrush to apply some of the mixture to your teeth.
4. Let it sit on your teeth for about five minutes, then rinse.
5. Brush your teeth thoroughly with regular toothpaste. (Note: Many toothpastes use sugars to make the paste taste better. Try to find a paste with little or no sweeteners.)
6. Floss to remove any strawberry seeds. Rinse again using hydrogen peroxide to kill off bacteria and also to whiten teeth some more.
7. Finally rinse with water one more time.

Warning: Doing this process more than once a week is not recommended as it might erode tooth enamel.

Note: This whitening process does not work on dental repairs or dentures.

Recommended Toothpaste: Arm & Hammer® Extra Whitening

from: http://guymanningham.com/2011/06/whiten-teeth-strawberries-baking-sod/

Here are a few more fun facts about stawberries!

• On average, there are 200 tiny seeds in every strawberry.
• If all the strawberries produced in California this year were laid berry to berry, they'd wrap around the world 15 times. That's enough strawberries to provide every U.S. household with 12 pint baskets.
• Eight medium-sized strawberries contain 140% of the U.S. RDA for Vitamin C. One cup of fresh strawberries provides about 88 milligrams of ascorbic acid.
• One cup of unsweetened strawberries has only 55 calories.
• In addition, strawberries are good sources of folic acid, potassium and fiber.
• Strawberries are also fat-free and low in calories.
• If you're expecting a baby, you'll be very interested in some of the new discoveries about folic acid. In fact, 8 strawberries have 20% of the folic acid you need every day.
• Fresh juice from sieved strawberry pulp has a cooling effect on feverish patients. For a cooling and purifying drink, either pour water on crushed berries or chop the berries roughly and whirl in a blender with a little water.
• As part of the 5-a-day program suggested by the American Cancer Institute, strawberries can also play a part in helping you to reduce the risk of cancer or heart disease.
• Strawberry juice combined with honey will reduce inflammation or sunburn. Rub the mixture thoroughly into the skin before rinsing off with warm water and lemon juice.

California Strawberries

• From the end of September through the end of October, strawberries are planted and harvesting occurs from mid- December through mid-July in Ventura County, CA, which produces more than 27 percent of the state's strawberries. The peak harvesting season in California runs from April through June, when up to 10 million pint baskets of strawberries are shipped daily.
• The largest producing state, California harvests 83% of the strawberries grown in the U.S. on approximately 24,500 acres. And with about 5,000 commercial acres, Florida is the second largest producing state. Ideal temperature for strawberry plants should not exceed higher than 78 degrees or lower than 55 degrees.
• Every strawberry plant is hand-picked approximately every three days. This is the time in which it takes for strawberries to complete their cycle of turning from green to white to red. There is no storage of fresh strawberries. After picking, they are rushed to coolers where huge fans extract the field heat. Then they are delivered to supermarkets across the country via refrigerated trucks.

from:  http://www.pickyourown.org/strawberryfacts.htm

 

Eggs

I've been eating more eggs recently after seeing several references for the health and dietary benefits.  They seem to satisfy my hunger well.   My preferences for breakfast are either scrambled or fried and it is best when prepared in coconut oil.  My preference for snacking is hardboiled.  The rest of the family has different tastes.  Charles likes his over-easy, and Chuck does too.  Becca is in agreement with me - pop that yolk or scramble them up!

Interesting egg facts

Can’t remember if an egg is fresh or hard boiled? Just spin the egg. If it wobbles, it’s raw. If it spins easily, it’s hard boiled. A fresh egg will sink in water, a stale one will float.
Eggs contain all the essential protein, minerals and vitamins, except Vitamin C. But egg yolks are one of few foods that naturally contain Vitamin D. Eggs also contain choline, which is necessary for healthy cell membranes in the body. Choline stimulates brain development and function and helps preserving memory. Eggs also are good for your eyes because they contain lutein which helps prevents age-related cataracts and muscular degeneration. In fact, eggs contain more lutein than spinach and other green vegetables.
The color of the egg shell is not related to quality, nutrients, flavour, or cooking characteristics. White shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and white ear lobes. Brown shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes. Brown egg layers usually are slightly larger and require more food, thus brown eggs usually cost more than white eggs. An egg shell has as many as 17,000 pores over its surface.
A whole egg is about 3 tablespoons worth of liquid, the egg yolk measures about 1 tablespoon of liquid. Older hens tend to lay bigger eggs but double-yolked eggs are produced by younger hens whose egg production cycles are not yet synchronized. There are about 70 calories in an uncooked egg and 77 calories in a cooked egg.
China produces the most eggs, at about 160 billion per year. In the US, about 280 million hens produce more than 65 billion eggs per year. A hen can lay about 250 eggs per year.
Chicken are descendants of the red jungle fowl (gallus gallus spadiceus) that lives in Asia. The chicken is one of the first domestic animals, appearing in China around 1400 BC. The are some 150 chicken species and hundreds of chicken breeds.
What was first, the chicken or the egg?
Short answer: the chicken is the egg’s way of creating another egg.
According to the bible, the chicken came first. Genesis 1:20-22: So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”
Egg recall
The bacteria salmonella can be on the inside AND outside of an egg that looks normal. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has tips on how to reduce the risk of salmonella from eggs.
Egg cook book: EGGS by Michel Roux

found these facts at http://didyouknow.org/eggs/

Rivalry

We started watching the Hatfields & McCoys tonight.  It is so sad to see how bitter and hateful things became between the families.  We will probably finish the series this weekend.

I had a date with husband today at Red Lobster and enjoyed it very much.
Chuck had a good day and has been nominated for employee of the month - praying he wins it!
Becca painted a little today.

Crazy Lady

So - the girls and I went to McDonalds this morning and we had an interesting experience.  We walked up to the counter behind an older lady who was there before us.  We frequent this particular McD's for our weekly girlie time and are familiar with some of the staff.  The young lady behind the counter looked rather perplexed, and I soon found out why.  The lady in front of us was either crazy, drunk, on drugs or something, we were not exactly sure which was the case.  She was talking on and on, teasing the cashier about cookies that she was buying.  She was telling the worker, I baked these cookies, they should be free.  I'm a world class baker and I'm going to marry Troy Aikmen.  Becca, Misti and I gave each other the look - you know, that look!   Well, the cashier looked at us, with sort of glazed over eyes and a lot of desperation.  That caught this ladies eye and whoooop she spun around on a dime - immediately.  Here is where the fun begins! (not really but WOW)!   She was a 73 year old beauty (she later informed us of her age) with lots of baby blue eyeshadow to boot!  The first thing she told us was that she was going to marry Troy Aikmen, but if she didn't marry him, it would be Stan.  (Stan who, I have no clue!)  She talked very fast - somewhere in there she mentioned an Indian husband and moving up to the area, looking for a trailer and all.  I had a shirt with butterflies on it.  She actually started pointing at them and counting them...did you know that butterflies are gift from above they are actually angels of free love - or something like that!  By now the girls had stepped back by a wall - retreating fast and ready to run or call the cops I believe!  She then proceeded to tell me and every one there how beautiful they were.  You are beautiful, she is beautiful, they are beautiful, but he is not beautiful, she clarified that last fact - guess she didn't want to offend the male worker by calling him beautiful.  The poor cashier and everyone there were just looking at each other wondering if this was really happening.   Next, she proceeded to tell me how to get healthy.  Drink water and dance!   Ok - here comes the good part!   She starts telling me I should be a striptease!  She wiggles her hips and said she could do it - that is what I should do!  Not only does she say it to me, she turns to the girls and said, she should be a striptease (about me), then to the cashier and anyone in the restaurant.  She starts, yelling - She's a striptease! several times over.  I think my jaw hit the floor!  (so i went from hearing her suggestion that I should be one to -in her weird little mind - becoming one) Trying not to make it worse - another worker comes up and starts to help us - so the lady seemed to simmer down and pay for her cookies.  We got our food and headed over to the drink machines - guess who was still there - yep - the old beaut!  She giggled a little and said  - you're a striptease.  I had, had enough and let her know that she was being offensive.  What offense? - oh yes that makes me think about my Cowboys!  she said.  What do you mean offensive, I'm just fun.  I said there is nothing fun or funny about what you have done this morning, it is offensive and rude.  She left the restaurant giggling.  We got our drinks and found a table.  I went back to the counter to talk to the staff.  The young man said, did she just call you a STRIPTEASE?!?  The young cashier was still in shock from the craziness that had just occurred. It was an interesting time, that's for sure!  I don't know if she was crazy, or just plain odd!  I pray she was not ill or a missing senior.  If that was her "normal" self, it makes me a little sad.  More of her comments were about the Lord, and how we will go to heaven as soon as we die, then quoting Garth  Brooks lyrics, a little bit of hippie talk, while thinking that stripping is an honorable thing.  That is some very messed up thinking.  I will pray for her and bet you will too, after you finish having your laugh for the day!