A PHENOMENAL DAY

MY DAUGHTER’S JOURNEY THROUGH THE CHALLENGES OF RAISING MY “MIRACLE” GRANDSON, JACE, BORN WITH 13+ ALLERGIES . . . INCLUDING THE “DEADLY-NUT-ALLERGY”!!! Jace is 15 years old now.

Remember this photo?!

A PHENOMENAL DAY WITH A GLUTEN & NUT FREE DINNER IN SUGAR LAND, TX

http://www.facebook.com/share/v/173btSNiSR/

 A PHENOMENAL DAY  

DISCLAIMER: This is NOT how I wanted to share this. It has become more complicated than I can handle. PLEASE CLICK THE LINKS TO SEE WHAT I'M TRYING TO SHARE WITH YOU.   THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. 

Caregiving Sucks

 My “Survive Caregiver Burnout” . . . 

?Guide?

PRAY! Thank God for HIS many Blessings. Ask for HIS guidance on this care giving journey.

Go places . . . in my head or even online . . . that I would love to visit. Day dream for a few minutes, then come back to reality.

Leave the house (if possible) for at least 15 minutes EVERY DAY. If you can, stay away longer. JUST DO IT!

Set aside time to “do nothing”. This is time just for me.

Go for a walk, even in the rain, even if it’s simply around your cul-de-sac, just to get out of the house for a few minutes. It’s always refreshing just getting out of the house.

Sit on the front porch, on the patio, on the deck, or in the back yard…ALONE. Prop up on the bed in my room with the door closed. Sit in the back storage room, Mom’s not allowed in there.

Go sit quietly at the park. Or walk around the park. It’s refreshing just to be outside.

Read Inspirational Quotes, Poetry, Stories.

Listen to some favorite good-mood music.

PRAY! Be thankful for blessings large and small. 

Drive to the nearest Sonic Drive-in. Park under the canopy and place an order. Order a slush, a coke float, a hamburger, anything. Let someone “wait on you” for a change.  Merely being out of the house is invigorating.  .  

Stay in touch with friends and family. Try not to stay isolated too long. Contact someone every couple of weeks, or at least once a month. Just say hi and chat for a short while.

Do Mindfulness exercises like yoga, meditation and journaling, they can be soothing.

Online Puzzles, Games, and applications are good for emotional health.

Visit AgingCare.com online – Interact with others. It is great for interacting with people who are very supportive.

PRAY!   

Release Negativity

 3 Simple Steps to Renew Etc.

Here are 3 Simple Steps to Take to Renew, Revitalize, and Release Negative Thoughts, Behaviors, and Patterns:

First, think about a particularly challenging situation in your life. This could be related to family issues, professional struggles, or even a habit you’d like to change. 

Second, write it down. 

Third, try this exercise to release the negative charge of this issue, struggle or habit: 

Evoke a positive thought that you’ve never had before about the person or the situation. Choose something positive and true about them. For example, let’s say your boss drives you completely crazy! See if you can find one positive quality about him or her. 

Attach a positive emotion to that quality and focus this emotion towards the person or situation. Let’s say you have a difficult relationship with someone in your family.

Think about one positive quality about this person. How does this positive quality make you feel? Send this positive feeling and energy to this family member.

Exhibit a behavior you wish to see in this person. This is your chance to be the role model to a family member, a boss, a friend or even your child.

If you can practice these 3 simple steps, your mindset about the situation or the person will change. This challenge will no longer define your life and your experience with this person or situation will begin to shift. 

What are your thoughts on this topic? Have you ever experienced a negative situation? Have you ever been in contact with a negative person or persons? How did you handle it? Let us know in the comments section. We’d love to have your feedback.

COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

FDA willing to fast-track COVID-19 vaccine before end of Phase Three trials

What are your thoughts on this?

POLL: 

Would you take the trial vaccine? 

1. Yes  

2. No  

3. I'm undecided. 

4. Why or Why Not? 

Please let us know in the comments section. Also tell us why you would or would NOT  take the trial vaccine in the comments section.  

We'd love to hear all about it. I will answer there also.

Image & Title Source

Make Copyright Trademark & Other Symbols

~  (C) = Copyright . . .

 right?  ~

 

Friday Night Nonsense by ~dellgirl~

Did you know you can easily produce the copyright symbol © using your keyboard? Other symbols you can produce that are not readily available on the keyboard are ® the TradeMark symbol and £ the Pound Sign.

In order to make these symbols you must use the numeric keypad located on the right side of the keyboard. 

The numbers on the top row of your keyboard will NOT work.

First, activate the numeric keypad by pressing the "NUM LOCK" key.

Next enter the sequence of numbers while holding the Alt key down.

You MUST enter the beginning zero along with the other numbers in the sequence.

Below are a few common symbols that are not found on the regular keyboard along with directions to make them using the numeric key pad.

Hold the Alt key down while entering the numbers.

Alt+number = Symbol  

Alt + 0169  = ©

Alt + 0174  = ®

Alt + 0163 = £

Alt + 0191 = ¿

Alt + 0153 = ™

Alt  + 0174 = ®

Alt + 0162 =¢

Alt + 36 = $

What are your thoughts on keyboard symbols? Do you have a favorite symbol? What is it? How do you make it? Please share in the comments section. We’d love to hear all about it.

Cell Phone DOs & DON’Ts

Some Things To Do & Some NOT To Do

A few years ago my cell phone started acting up. I could barely finish sending a text and the battery would be drained over half way. The same thing happened with regular phone calls. I could only make or receive two or three calls and the phone would beep for low battery.

I had to plug the thing in, off and on about a hundred times a day just to be able to talk on it. I completely gave up trying to text after a couple of weeks. There was so much life stuff going on, I didn’t have time to take it to the shop to have it checked out.

Finally, I did take it to my service provider and explained the problem to the salesman. He gave the phone a good going over and found nothing wrong with the phone itself.

He did find my problem to be a bad battery. He said the battery is supposed to be flat and mine was puffed, probably from too much heat. I DO keep the danged thing in my pocket all day long . . . just in case loved ones try to reach me during the day.

After several questions, the young man told me the following 3 things.

1.Don’t keep your cell phone plugged in charging all night long. It only takes an hour or two to charge.

2. Do Charge it “only” when it registers way down past half way full. Once it is fully charged, unplug it.

3. Don’t keep your cell phone in your pocket all day long. Your body heat will damage your battery.

So there you have it, some things to DO and NOT-to-DO with your cell phone.

Did you know about these DOs & DON’TS already? Have you ever had a problem with your cell phone battery? What did you do?

Click Image #1 to view source 

Things to do for Fun or Profit

Hobbies: 

Enjoy Your Hobby just for fun, or turn your hobby into a profitable business!

 

10 Categories of the Most Popular Hobbies  

Arts and Crafts – creating functional and decorative objects for purposes such as making candles, ceramic plates and executive toys, jewelry making, making porcelain figurines, glass sculpture, quilting

Collectibles - collecting art, paintings, antiques, beautiful dolls, memorabilia, scale model cars and trains, vintage wine, unique cars, stamps, old coins, plates

Outdoor Activities - gardening, photographing nature, bird watching, fishing, train and plane spotting, horse riding, biking, camping, diving, rafting, mountain climbing, treasure hunts, hiking

Culinary Activities - cooking, making fruit preserves, bread baking, baking and decorating cakes, making cookies, making dumplings and pasta, bar-b-queing meat

Dancing and Music - ballroom dancing, line dancing, hip hop dance, flamenco, belly dancing, tap dancing, karaoke singing, learning a musical instrument

Sports Activities - golf, martial arts, figure skating, skiing, sailing and rowing, gymnastics, darts and snooker, bowling

Indoor Activities - sewing, embroidery, knitting, quilting, painting and decorating, plumbing, reading and writing

Paper Crafts - making Paper-Mache crafts, origami folding paper crafts, making paper flowers, making paper lanterns, making boxes and folders, scrapbooking

Cultural Activities - theater, concerts, cinemas, eating out and dining, museums, festivals and fun, pub crawl

Travel - golf trips, fishing trips, Theatre breaks, city breaks, cruise packages, beach vacations, ski vacations

Photo of my "vacation in paradise" ... just a hop, skip, and jump down the road!

Many people, while enjoying their favorite hobby, have turned their hobby into a business and supplement their retirement income by writing books about their hobby or selling their products locally or on the internet. eBay is a good starting point.

For example, if you like to go golfing or on cruises you can write about your golf travels or the places you've visited during your cruise.    

You can also start your own classes to teach others the skills you learned from your favorite pastime. If you enjoy baking cakes or making fruit preserves, you can sell your products in your local markets.

This is a great way to earn additional retirement income while having fun.

Do you have a hobby? Did you have one as a kid? What is it? What is your favorite fun thing to do?

8 Quick Ways to Relieve Stress

Is It Possible to Relieve Stress? 

Yes! Before we go on, if your level of stress is serious, consult your physician. But, if you think you can take charge of your stress, here are a few things that can help.

1. Learn to have a sense of humor. Google “Funny Jokes” images

2. Take a walk in the fresh air (in your back yard or down the driveway works).

 3. Try dance, creative movement, or exercise for 15 minutes.

4. Eat Chocolate in moderation or open a candy bar and just smell it.

5. Relaxation and deep breathing exercises provide immediate relief.

6. Take a seven minute mini-vacation in your mind. Re-visit photos of fun family vacations...remember the good times!

7. Talk to friends, family, or a pastor/priest about your feelings.  

8. Aroma therapy works wonders.

Find your inner peace - - learn how to relieve your stress by finding what works best for you.

Let us know your favorite ways to de-stress in the comments section.

What Am I Doing Here, Why Am I Still Alive?

Have You Ever Asked Yourself That Question?

 My daughter, Jordyn.

Right now, I’m so tickled I’m about to pop-wide-open! I’m grinning from ear-to-ear, laughing out LOUD…all by myself over here in my little corner of Houston. Would you like to know why? Oh good, I was hoping you’d say yes.

My daughter, Jace’s mommy, Jordyn, has written and published a book. Not just any old book, mind you. She’s written a spine-tingling, mesmerizing, page-turner BOOK!

Don’t let me start blabbering like a nincompoop, let me just get to the good part.

Jordyn’s Book

Seize Your Purpose NOW! By Jordyn Lorenz 

Jordyn Lorenz’s Seize Your Purpose NOW! grabbed my attention like a magnet and pulled me in faster than greased lightning! Her words in the opening paragraph, “There HAS to be MORE to life”, struck me like a magic arrow. I am hooked, spellbound, and anxious to find out what Jordyn has to say. 

I can’t stop, I have to know more. Page after page, I continue to read as Jordyn describes our life struggles in plain language that everyday people can understand. She shares her challenges and how she resolved them.

She ends each chapter with recommendations and strategies to help us navigate and solve our own unique problems and/or improve our circumstances.

Thanks to Jordyn Lorenz’s, Seize Your Purpose NOW! I can begin my own Journey to my Purpose. I will begin by identifying what is keeping me down and make a list of these challenges. I learned that my next step is to accept it and get on with life.

Jordyn has written this must-read step-by-step guide for those of us who want to or need to move forward. I recommend it for anyone ready to take the next step and make positive changes in your life.

There you have it, my testimonial for my daughter, Jordyn’s, book.

What are your thoughts on finding your purpose in life? Have you found yours? What was your childhood dream? Are you living it NOW? Tell us in the comments section, we’d love to hear all about it.

You can Purchase Jordyn’s BOOK HERE.

Join Jordyn to get inspired to live out your dreams HERE.

I LOVE - K-SWISS Classic Sneakers

K-SWISS 

Women's The Classic Lite T Lace-Up Fashion Sneaker: 

A Product Review

 Sitting at the beauty shop...waiting... looking down at my feet...

  

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these sneakers!

My grown baby son bought these sneakers for me as an “I-love-you, ma” gift several years ago. They are my "go-to" shoes for casual dress up times. They are perfect for dressing a cut above the everyday attire. I wear them whenever I want to look classy but casual.

There are so many things to love about these sneakers, I can't say it all here. Below are just a few of the things I love most.

-They are strong sturdy sneakers with a firm solid rubber sole. The description says synthetic sole, but it looks and feels like rubber to me. Anyway, I like whatever it is. 

-They don’t bend, buckle, and crinkle, they’re solid. But, they are not uncomfortable. They feel nice on your feet, unlike many other sneakers I have tried in the past.

-They are lightweight, not heavy or cumbersome at all.

-They are made of a high quality material and are well put together. After five years of use they look as good as the day I got them. There’s no reveling threads, nothing has come apart or broken loose. Like I said, they’re still in perfect condition.

-The color continues to be (almost) as blue as the day I received them. Mine are navy blue. They have not faded or lost their color, and I have washed them many times.

My photo

-They are easy to care for. I toss mine in the washer on a cold water wash. Then I set them out to air-dry. I have only dried them in the clothes dryer a time or two when I was in a hurry.     

-They are a good fit, very comfortable on your feet. I have worn these all day long many times and my feet felt fine at the end of the day, no hurting or tiredness.

-The sizing is good. I normally wear a size 8 (D) wide shoe. If a shoe does not run in WIDE, I need an 8 ½ or a 9 because of my wide foot. My K-Swiss are a size 8 ½ and the fit is perfect. My feet don’t slip or slide inside the shoe. Nor is it too tight or binding in any way.

I recommend these for looking good and for comfort.

Have you heard of K-Swiss Sneakers before? Have you ever owned K-Swiss Sneakers? Do you know anyone who has K-Sneakers? What are your thoughts about K-Swiss Sneakers? 

Things To Do In Houston

Things To Do In Houston This Weekend

January 11, 2020 – January 13, 2020

 Without wasting your precious time, here are a few Interesting Things to Do & Places to visit in Houston, Texas.

FREE Car Wash

The Market at Sawyer Yards

Saturday, January 11, 2020 | 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

 It's Free!

Free Crafts for Kids

Saturday, January 11, 2020  - 11 am - 3 pm 

There you have it, a few things to do in Houston tomorrow, January 11, 2020. What are your plans for the weekend? What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend? Will you spend it with family, with friends, or alone? 

Happy Friday Night to You Blog Friends!  

Click Images to View Source & Details

My Central Heating System Died

Don’t be fooled by the small size of this little heater.

My Photo

A few years ago my central heating system died. When the young repairman informed me that it would cost an arm-and-a-leg to repair the central unit, I sadly sent him on his way and said I would get back to him.

The door had barely closed behind him when my mind went into overdrive. No way was I going to pay that much to have the central unit repaired! I quickly decided to go old-school and give space heaters a try.

The Lasko 1500-Watt Portable Electric Digital Ceramic Tower Heater with Remote Control features 2 heat settings… to the rescue. I chose this Portable Electric Ceramic Heater and the rest is history. I Love it!

What’s to like about this heater, you ask?

I like the adjustable, programmable thermostat of this heater. That means that maintaining the best possible comfort level is just a push button away. This heater itself is easy to use and has easy to use digital controls and digital display. It has 2 heat settings: high heat and low heat. It also has a Nonslip Base.

Don’t be fooled by the size of this little heater. This bad boy is awesome! It IS small, but this little doozie is powerful. It heats up a space fast. It has your room warming up at lightning speed. This one is the TOP reasons this little heater is so amazing.

The other TOP reason this heater is so great is that it oscillates. The fact that it turns from side to side as it heats a room makes it a winner in my book. That way, it heats a larger area of the room … faster.

Another reason I like the oscillating feature is that if there’s more than one person in the room, each one can receive direct heat at some point during the heater’s rotation. They don’t need to be sitting right next to each other to benefit from some direct heat.

Oh, wait! There’s more. THE number one, TOP, BEST reason to love this heater is the remote control. I can point the remote towards the heater from any point in a room, press a button, and the heater is on instantly. I don’t have to get up and turn it on.

I can even reach my hand from under the covers in my COLD bedroom, grab the remote control, point it, and turn the heater on. After staying in bed a while longer, I can get up to a nice warm room.

Life doesn’t get much better than that!

I definitely recommend this heater. I’m not getting paid for this review. I’m not reviewing this as an affiliate for any company. And, I definitely did not get this heater FREE. I paid for it out of my meager monthly income.

There you have it, my personal review of The Lasko 1500-Watt Portable Electric Digital Ceramic Tower Heater with Remote Control features 2 heat settings.

Have you ever used Lasko products? Do you know about this heater? What are your thoughts about it?

Nothing NEW Under The Sun

There Is Nothing NEW Under The Sun

If you think it…rest assured that someone else somewhere has thought the same thought. If you have a mind blowing “light-bulb-moment” and dream up an amazing new idea, just know that it has been dreamed-up before. If you write it, many others have written about it also. 

Did you know? There is nothing new under the sun.

With that in mind, let’s address plagiarism which is more prevalent today because of ease of access via the internet. One simply needs to search for a topic and search engines quickly return thousands of results.  The problem of plagiarism enters the picture when one person copies those results and uses them for their own purposes.

How do we avoid plagiarism?  

In order to avoid plagiarism, write your story or article from your head, not from research gathered from the internet. Chances are, you will find some of the same ideas you have, but your ideas will be in your own words. Still, it’s a slippery slope.

When you DO use information gathered searching the internet, you must credit your source. Indicate where you got the information from. If you fail to credit your source, you are guilty of plagiarism.

So, your job is to present your ideas in a way that is completely different from any information you gather through your research.

There is nothing new under the sun. But, no two people talk exactly alike, and they definitely do not write in the same writing style and voice. Write your pieces in your own unique style and voice. 

Click image to view source 

How do YOU write your articles? Do you write first? Do you research first? What is your article writing technique?

4th of July Events in Houston

UPDATE: 7-3-2019

CITGO FREEDOM OVER TEXAS

Thursday, July 4, 2019

4th of July Celebration at Bayou Bend 

Thursday, July 4, 2019: Noon–5 p.m.

July 4: Kidpendence Day

Event time: July 4, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

(Please note:  Museum open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on July 4, 2019).

INDEPENDENCE DAY FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR

Thursday, July 4 from 7 - 11 PM

Wishing You a Wonderful 4th of July!