Thursday, April 30, 2009

So much time!

An odd complaint. And one I try to keep quiet since my poor husband has recently lost all of his time to various responsibilities and assignments. So I rejoice in my good fortune and present to you the various ways in which I have broadened my horizons:

1) Homemade Laundry Detergent-

This simple and cost effective recipe is from Katydidandkid.blogspot.com

1 Cup grated Fels-Naptha soap
1/2 Cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 Cup 20 Mule Team Borax

You can get all of the ingredients at your grocery store. But, I suggest getting the Borax at Walmart where it is significantly less expensive. I also suggest doubling the recipe. Four cups isn't a lot to store and you benefit from making it half as often and from only dirtying one measuring cup. You only need 2 T for a regular load. I had an old plastic measuring spoon that I stuck in my detergent as a scoop.



2) Homemade Granola (Mmmm)

This is some seriously tasty stuff and it is seriously easy to make. I got the recipe from providentliving.org

6 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit
1 cup coconut
1 cup nuts, chopped
1/3 cup sesame seeds

Mix all ingredients except raisins. Stir in and coat thoroughly with: 1/2 cup oil, 1/3 cup honey, 2 tsp. vanilla. Spread on cookie sheet and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Add raisins or other dried fruit and bake 5 more minutes.



3) "Couponing"

This was recommended to me by my sister-in-law, and then again by a friend of my mom's. So, over the last week I decided to get started. It is amazing how much money you can save, especially on things that you will always have to buy more of (buy it when you can get the deal, and then have it on hand). I got all of this:



Regular prices on everything add up to $170.23. But, with discounts, coupons, rewards, and rebates, I got everything for $54.49! The following items were all free. The items on the left were free after discount and coupon, and the items on the right were free after rebate:

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Sun, Sun, Go Away


This last week, when Emma, Evelyn, and Laurel were in town, we had lovely weather in St. Louis. I was sick all week. Which is no fun, but at least I have solved two of my most recent medical mysteries. Diagnosis: sun.

You may remember that I spent the week before my wedding popping steroid pills and fretting over the itchy rash on the backs of my hands. I thought (as suggested by my doctor) it was contact dermatitis from some sort of dust I picked up while moving. It reminded me of the itchy rash I got on the backs of my hands three years ago after my wilderness horseback riding date with Dave Marriott. I thought (as suggested by my doctor) it was poison ivy transferred to me from the horse. Again, I have an itchy rash on the back of my hand. Perplexed, I sought an internet diagnosis...and found the following:

"A sun allergy is an immune system reaction to sunlight, most often, an itchy red rash. The most common locations include the "V" of the neck, the back of the hands, the outside surface of the arms and the lower legs...

"[Among] the most common types of sun allergy [is]:

  • Polymorphous light eruption (PMLE) � PMLE, which usually appears as an itchy rash on sun-exposed skin, is the second most common sun-related skin problem seen by doctors, after common sunburn. It occurs in an estimated 10% to 15% of the U.S. population, affecting people of all races and ethnic backgrounds. Women are affected by PMLE more often than men, and symptoms typically begin during young adult life. In temperate climates, PMLE is usually rare in the winter, but common during the spring and summer months. In many cases, the PMLE rash returns every spring, immediately after the person begins spending more time outside. As spring turns into summer, repeated sun exposure may cause the person to become less sensitive to sunlight, and the PMLE rash either may disappear totally or gradually become less severe. Although the effects of this desensitization process, called "hardening," usually last through the end of the summer, the PMLE rash often returns at full intensity the following spring." [from Aetna's InteliHealth.com, emphasis added]
Unfortunately, it doesn't stop with the springtime hand rash. I also experience headache, dizziness, and lightheadedness when I spend too much time (sometimes it only takes 10 minutes) in direct sunlight. This has been a chronic and frustrating condition for me for the last few years. This week I decided that it is definately sun related. It was the first time this spring I had spent any time in the sun. I went twice to the zoo, once on a long walk, and once to the botanical gardens). Each time resulted in the old "I want to die and feel like I'm gonna black out and sometimes do blackout just long enough to run into the wall and make my headache worse" cocktail of symptoms. This aspect of my personal photosensitivity has less internet evidence, but I am still determined I am right:

"Symptoms vary, depending on the specific type of sun allergy:
  • PMLE � ...In addition, there may be one to two hours of chills, headache, nausea and malaise (a general sick feeling)..." [from Aetna's InteliHealth.com]
"Sun-Drunk is the state of general wooziness that happens when one steps into the shade after excessive sun exposure." [from Urbandictionary.com]

"In addition, there is a syndrome known as “sun drunk” which affects some children who suffer from a sun allergy. In some cases, a child may come in from playing outside and stumble, lose balance, or otherwise display suggestions that something is just not right; hence, causing the term “drunk.” Many come in with glazed eyes and sometimes fall asleep quickly. Once out of the sun, given time to “recover,” (sometimes as soon as 30 minutes), there may not be any other lasting effects." [from Articlealley.com]

I am not a child and and it also takes me much longer than 30 minutes to recover, but other than that it seems like a pretty accurate description of my ailment.

The point is, I AM in fact allergic to the sun.

The other point is, if you want to spend a dark and dismal day at Six-Flags, I am SO there!

p.s. Scroll down. You don't want to miss my restaurant.com post.

Awesome Deal!!!

Go to restaurant.com

You will see a description of their current promotion, $25 restaurant gift cards for $10. This is a good deal, but I can make it irresistible.

Enter your zip code.

A list of local fare will come up. Read through and find ones that look interesting to you. Then on the check out page, you can enter the following promotional code: LUCKY

This gives you 80% off the $10 price.

What did I tell you? 25 dollar gift cards for $2.00=irresistable!

[I bought 12]

Sunday, April 12, 2009

I've been...cooking?

That's right. I spent all week going back and forth to the grocery store and trying out random recipes.

I think I am experiencing a minor identity crisis. My work seems to be feast or famine (currently famine). But I'm not willing to get a menial, work-for-peanuts job just because things are slow. I love what I do and I like the freedom of being otherwise uncommitted so I can accept work when it comes. But, sometimes that leaves me with quite a bit of free time. Which begs the question, "What should I do?" The only things I ever thought I would do are work and be a mom, neither of which seem to be in the cards right now.

In an attempt to answer questions like, "Who am I?" and "What do I do," I've been brainstorming ways I can productively use my time. Cooking seemed like a good idea. I'm not a good cook, and I haven't done a lot of cooking, but I could be a good cook, and I could do a lot of cooking. And since Mark has been working late a lot, I thought it would be nice if I took over some of the meal preparation. If you know me at all, you know that I can do great things with eggs and pasta, but that's about it. (I can't even make decent cookies.) But I am trying to turn a new leaf. All I need is a little practice, right? I think I can do it. Last night I made these Butterscotch Bars. And they were delicious! I'm convinced it's a good omen.

If anyone has any beginner-dinner ideas, I'd love to hear them...