Who says it doesn't snow in Florida

How about that the land of sun and sand and we get snow...and I thought I would have to go on vacation to see it again.

So Much For A Sunny Paradise!

Just got this from the Schools.  Thought it might make my frozen friends up North Feel a little bit better lol ...

In anticipation of freezing rain and treacherous driving conditions and upon the recommendation from the meteorologist , Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa County School Districts are cancelling school for Tuesday and Wednesday.  The safety of our students and staff is first and foremost in all decisions that are made by the school district.  If you have any questions, please call Niceville High School.

Is It Just Me?

I like millions of other like me here in the U.S. have the weight loss resolution.  I have been working on getting healthier for a while now and I have had my ups and downs.  Tell me if I'm crazy but doesn't seem like there are three times as many food commercials now then any other time of the year?  It's like all the fast food  companies and producers of junk food have all gotten together and said "Hey we have a dieting crisis here people ...we can't let these millions of consumers out from under our junk food grip!  What can we do to stop the exodus from our tasty fattening goodies to the healthy fruits and veggies they are starting to buy?   I know massive advertising. We will bombard the with images of all the things they are giving up .... every crunchy, cheesy, chewy, sweet and salty goodie on every channel all the time!  We will have them dumping those resolutions in no time at all mwahahahahahaha!!!"

Is it just me or what?

New Year ...New Windows

HOLY COW ...... Has it really been over 2 months since my last post its amazing how fast time can fly sometimes.  Well Halloween was very depressing.  Here I am in a nice neighborhood with a side walk and everything and not one trick or  treater.  I can understand why we didn't get anyone in Long Island we lived next to the railroad tracks and didn't have a side walk and the road was rather dark.  I thought for sure I would get some kiddies in cute costumes this year but sadly no.

Thanksgiving was a quiet affair.  I wanted to go up to my Dad's house but it was a little cost prohibitive with having to find dog cat and lizard care.  I've been thinking of maybe getting a used RV so we can take everyone along on vacation.  I think the money we would save in pet lodging would cover the cost.  Well its a though anyway.

Christmas was quiet too but we were together and that was very nice since last Christmas my hubby was overseas.  He was gone for a year.  You might be wondering why I never mentioned it here but telling the world that you and your kids are home alone can make you a target to crazy people.  Just like bragging about getting ready to go on vacation on Facebook can get you the attention of burglars.  

This week we had our 1 big project taken care of... something that needed professionals not a do it yourself job...(we got lots of big do it yourself projects ahead lol). No this week we had ALL the windows and the patio door replace.  Double panes and Impact resistant which is great for the bills and hurricane season!   

Here is a few shots of the old windows

With these windows you could feel the cold just rushing in!

They had a weird second frame to put in Plexiglas covers in using magnets to hold it in place.
They didn't even have all of the covers so we couldn't cover up these energy wasters.

All the wood cross pieces blocked the light and cut down on the view.

The rail on the old door was bent in places it probably wouldn't have take much to break in through it.

You could feel the difference instantly  REALLY!!!  

Before you could catch pneumonia standing next to the old ones but next to the new ones nothing!  

Isn't my new door beautiful?

New windows let in so much more light and its much easier to see out!

The best part.... I can open EVERY single window before I could only open a few of them.  A couple of them wouldn't open and several had terrible fitting screens that would let in bugs so they stayed SHUT!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Holiday Season  and have a wonderful and prosperous New Year!!!!

The Fun Of E-Bay Without Spending Money

I've been having some fun with this site for the past couple weeks.  Its called Listia and its like a combination of E-Bay and Freecycle. It's an auction site that uses credits to bid for things other people are looking to get rid of.  

 There are plenty of things to do to get free credits from watching videos, doing surveys and of course posting auctions of things that have been cluttering up your home but are in good shape and would be a shame to throw away.  Then you turn around and bid for things you want  Everything from gardening supplies and video games to clothes and sporting goods.  So far I've won three times 

This adorable green pot that I"m going to use to repot my orchid.

Stationary items that I gave to my daughter to send letters to her friends.

Vintage Jewelry (shhhh they are going to be a stocking stuffer for Christmas!)

and this collectors Christmas Carols book.  

They were all free ...even shipping and handling though you have to watch some ask for shipping costs some don't so look what your getting into before you bid.  Want to give it a try just click here:

LISTIA

Quick Pad Thai

I don't share recipes very often though I really should the right recipes can help you save a ton of money.  For instance the Hubby and I like to eat exotic fare Chinese, Thai, Indian, Greek .... so many choices so little belly space lol.  Eating out costs a fortune so when I come across a quick easy recipe for a favorite food I give it a try.  I found this recipe in a free calendar I got a the local home and garden show put out by the Iowa State University with recipes for healthy homemade meals.  This is also a great recipe if you have leftover chicken!

Quick Pad Thai:

6 oz Whole wheat thin spaghetti
2 tbls Vegetable oil, divided
24 oz Frozen vegetable mix (I used stir fry mix)
3 tbls light soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tbls Sugar
1/2 lbs boneless Chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
3 eggs
1/3 cup chopped peanuts

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Drain in colander and toss with 1 tbls oil.
2.  Defrost veg in microwave for 5 min and drain well.
3. Combine soy sauce, water, peanut butter, and sugar in a small bowl.  Stir until smooth and set aside.
4. Heat 1 tbls oil in large skillet over med high heat.  Add chicken pieces and cook until no longer pink.
5. Crack eggs into a small bowl and beat.  Add to pan with chicken and scramble until firm.  Add veg and spaghetti to the pan with chicken and heat through.
6. Add soy sauce mixture and stir to coat veg and spaghetti.
7. Put in serving bowl and sprinkle peanuts over the top.

This was so tasty that even my super picky son cleaned his plate!!!

Enjoy!

Natures Bug Control Has Paid Me A Visit

I just cleared out the weeds and planted yesterday but already one of Mother Natures insect control squad has paid me a visit!

Female Cardinal

Female Cardinal

Sorry the pictures are so grainy I took it through the screen in the window.  She would have flown away if I tried going to to take the picture.  

She is a Female Cardinal and she loves to eat bugs so I"m very happy to see her visiting my garden.

One Step At a Time

I've been working on the back yard a little at a time.  I start in the morning when it is still cool outside and work till I get too hot.  First I had to clean up all the garbage left around the back yard by the former owners.

You cant see it well and your probably thankful for that but this is a half a bag of rotting larvae infested bird seed left out in the back yard near the house.  Great way to attract rodents and bugs to your house don't ya think?

After getting rid of the garbage it was time to get rid of the weeds ...as you can see some of them were higher then the fence.  I actually had to stop after the first couple of minutes to hunt down which box had the leather work gloves.   There were weeds with stickers on them growing everywhere.

 Now I have a small garden started.  I picked up some seedlings from the local garden shop since I haven't gardened here in Florida I figured it was a great way to see what is growing right now!  I have tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet peas and the pepper plants you see there were already growing so I just left them to keep going.

The black drip hose was already there and once I figured out how to hook it up I put it into use.  I also found several spray nozzles and a sprinkler in the mass of weeds.  Nothing like some free lawn care supplies.

Now I don't really want the garden up next to the house but since the space is already here and I don't have any where else prepared I figured it was a good start.  I'll have some nice fresh veggies while I set up a more permanent home.