Wednesday, December 31, 2008

You could have heard a pin drop ... Thank You Davkal

You could have heard a pin drop    


When in England , at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush.

He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.'
         
You could have heard a pin drop.  
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of theFrench engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done?  He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?'

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carri ers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'
        
You could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
       
A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries.

Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.' He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?'
Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'
        
You could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        
AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...
       
Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane.  At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on. 'You have been to France before, monsieur?' the customs officer asked sarcastically.  Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously. 'Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.'

The American said,  "'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it.

"Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France !' stated the customs officer.

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, "'Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.'


You could have heard a pin drop.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Making a new friend



Hello.


I gots a pet ! Can I keep him?


Can I tell you a secret?


I'm lost and I miss my mommy.


I'm cold and scared. Do you think my mommy misses me?


You're a good friend to have. So warm and loving.

Did you know - household tips




Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to
pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it.

(think I might get one stringy doing it this way)



Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. 
 If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

(I wish I had known this long ago then I wouldn't have so many frozen bananas waiting for me to whip up a loaf or two of banana bread)

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.
It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

(Anything to make my cheese last longer !)

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
 Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
(I never new that. Wondered why I got some green peppers I didn't like as much)


Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.
It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.
            (So I can drain the pan and not have to rinse the meat?)



To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of
 spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.  

(not as light and fluffy as adding water, but even regular milk is good)

For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed.   Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies.
 Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

(Pleaaaase don't give me any ideas !! lol)


Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste
of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

(mmmmm garlic ... and I'll try to not breathe on you lol)


Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper.
Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!!  Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!

(Not another one ! And I've been so good staying away from the chocolate)

Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm.
This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

(I don't do leftover pizza's, but I'll try this on the kid)


Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.
(ohhhh anything to not have KP duty when I'm done lol)


When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.
(Might make up for the mint brownies and snickers apple dessert lol)


To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water.
The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

(if I put a cup of water in my microwave, where exactly would I put the biscuits/muffins? It's not that big !!)


Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go, cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.
(knew there was a reason I didn't have a green thumb ... no wet newspapers!)


Broken Glass 
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

(wet paper towels works great too and covers more area quicker than cotton balls or q-tips)


No More Mosquitoes 
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket.
It will keep the mosquitoes away.

(it'll keep them away from my feet and ankles too?)



To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.
(squirrels gotta eat toooooo)

Flexible vacuum 
To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

(ohhhhh I gotta try this one !)

Reducing Static Cling 
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... ta da! .. Static is gone.

(but what about those days when my hair is full of static and driving me crazy?)

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

(cooooooooooool)


Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!
(I like this idea ! Anybody up for a shopping trip? lol)


If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.

(If you're anything like me, you'll come across that sealed envelope in a couple weeks time lol)



Conditioner
Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth.
It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.
(finally! a use for them)



Goodbye Fruit Flies 
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

(If I have fruit flies, something needed to go to the trash sooner)

Get Rid of Ants
Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them.
It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! 

(I sure hope my cat doesn't decide to get a taste for cornmeal lol)




INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS 

Using dryer sheets will eventually kill your heating unit !
Cleaning the lint screen after each load is a good thing, definitely and a must do.
But ! The dryer sheets have a waxy feel to it when you take it out of the box, right? It's what helps soften your clothes, reduce static cling, and leave them with that fresh scent.
But, the wax on the sheets will create a film on your lint screen as well. You won't see it and you might not even feel that the screen is getting a wax build up on it. And could possibly cause your house to burn down if it doesn't kill the heating unit first !!
Do this experiment. Take out your lint screen (and yes, remove the lint sitting there lol) and take it over to the sink. Run some water over it. Is the water running through the mesh or is it puddling?
With hot water, soap, and a nail brush or old toothbrush, clean your screen until the water runs through and doesn't puddle. Dry and replace back into your dryer.
And do this at least once every six months and your dryer will last longer and have less heating issues. And will save you money on your electric bill as well.

(and being that I'm one of 6 apartments in this building, could explain why sometimes the dryer doesn't seem as hot ? I'll have to pay more attention to the lint screen, even if I do use a liquid softener more than sheets, but who knows what the others use)

Friday, December 26, 2008

Scattergories

SCATTERGORIES. ...it's harder than it looks!   

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things.. nothing made up!   

Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

*************

1. What is your name ? Patti

2. A boy's name. Paul

3. A 4 letter word. park

4. A girl's name. Paula

5. An Occupation. prison guard

6. A colour. purple

7. Something you wear. Pj's

8. A beverage. pop

9. Something you eat. popcorn

10. Something found in a bathroom. (a) pouffy

11. A place. Paris

12. Reason for being late. phone call

13. Something you shout. (ohhh) Poop !

14. A song. Pretty Blue Eyes - Eric Clapton

15. A movie.  Pay It Forward

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas my friends ...





A very Merry Christmas my Friends and may all your dreams come true in 2009 !!

*hugsssssssssssss*

Thursday, December 11, 2008

You can call me Al

Had one of those days where I was very quiet with myself. Feeling a little melancholy and wanting a bit of nostalgia for some of those better days.

Not a whole lot seemed to be happening on the world wide web so I signed into YouTube to find some songs to match my mood.

Well??? I found this instead. The song and video always makes me chuckle.

Enjoy, if you choose to take on this adventure I present to you ....


Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Forgive the interruption folks ..........

Something odd happened recently and I just had to laugh. Hope you do as well.
It all started way back at the beginning of time when a young lady discovered a new thing and embraced it with a passion and there was no looking back .....




Thursday, December 4, 2008

Christmas Tree ? (snagged from snowburst - thanks lol)

You Should  Have a White Christmas Tree
For you, the holidays represent joy and spirituality.
The true meaning of Christmas is important to you - even if you're not religious.

The holidays are a time of reflection for you.
You like to spend time thinking about what's important in life.

Your white tree would look great with: Bright, bold ornaments

You should spend Christmas Eve watching: The Nativity Story

What you should bake for Santa: Sugar cookies - served up with a tall glass of milk


Now I don't know about this silly thing lol.

Granted. At the moment I do have a white christmas tree. But only because I had moved into this idiot apartment with no room for nuthin' and couldn't put up my 7 ft Blue Spruce tree.

I do feel Christmas is too commercialized. Drives me crazy.  It's all about the stores making it or breaking it at Christmas so we just have to 'spend spend spend'. You might say I'm a bit of a scrooge at the moment, but only to a point. I will still shop for my son and family and good friends, but I really can't see going into debt for it. I spend what I can afford and my son comes first.
And some people have forgotten about the meaning of this particular time. Whatever it means to your religion or view about it.
I spend 364 days of the year thinking about what is important to me, why should it being Christmas be different?
When it came to my Blue Spruce and the house we lived in at the time, I loved decorating the tree and all over the house. But big bold ornaments?? Not on your life.
My little 3 ft white tree that I've had for the past 9 christmas's has a single colour string of lights. The small balls are one colour. A couple small cartoonish-type characters for my sons sake. And lots of candles around the place.
I never did the 'leave something out for Santa and the reindeer' thing with my son.
So other than guessing what colour tree I have at the moment, it's a bit off lol

The truth comes out .... (snagged from Raj with Thanks)

A far more accurate account of the events of that fateful morning...

Baby bear goes downstairs, sits in his small chair at the table.

He looks into his small bowl. It is empty. 'Who's been eating my porridge?' he squeaks.

 

Daddy Bear arrives at the big table and sits in his big chair. He looks into his big bowl and it is also empty. 'Who's been eating my porridge?!?' he roars.

 

Mummy Bear puts her head through the serving hatch from the kitchen and yells, 'For God's sake, how many times do I have to go through this with you idiots'?

It was Mummy Bear who got up first.

It was Mummy Bear who woke everyone in the house.

It was Mummy Bear who made the coffee.

It was Mummy Bear who unloaded the dishwasher from last night and put everything away.

It was Mummy Bear who swept the floor in the kitchen.

It was Mummy Bear who went out in the cold early morning air to fetch The newspaper and croissants.

It was Mummy Bear who set the damn table.

 

It was Mummy Bear who walked the bloody dog, cleaned the cat's litter tray, gave them their food, and refilled their water.

 

And now that you've decided to drag your sorry bear-asses downstairs and grace Mummy Bear with your grumpy presence, listen carefully, because I'm only going to say this once....

 

'I HAVEN'T MADE THE F***ING PORRIDGE YET!!!'