A trip down memory lane, shopping and more about cleaning a fridge

We went to Oklahoma City on Friday to have my husbands car checked by the dealer. We also went to our son's home to get the fresh shrimp he brought back from their vacation to the Texas coast.

We ended up just a short distance from a rent house in Midwest City that we lived in from 1983-1986. We drove by and took a photo- the house was not new when we lived there and it is not in a really great neighborhood but it looks almost just like it did 30 years ago and seems to be well maintained.

Our son's wife grew up in this same neighborhood, in a house just 5 blocks from this house.  We did not know her or her family then but we all think it is neat we did live close together even though we did not know it at the time. 

We also just happened to drive by US Foods. It is a rather new store, kind of like a Sams but without the membership fee. USFoods is a wholesale food company that mainly delivers food to businesses and institutions. Back when I was a cook at a fraternity house, USFoods was my favorite distributor. 

Now, USFoods has opened just a few retail stores.  

http://usfoods.com/about-us/chef-store.html

We browsed every aisle and had fun looking at all the kitchen and restaurant equipment.  Since it was a spur of the moment visit, I didn't have a plan to buy anything but we did find a few things 

The gloves were an especially good deal, about $4 for 100 and are handy when when we do messy things like painting.

I really like balsamic vinegar and have a hard time finding it in our town, 

I expect my grandchildren will be happy to snack on the goldfish. 

We will go back, when we need to stock up. They put an ad paper in the Oklahoman newspaper every so often so I will watch for sales on things we use.

I got so many comments from you all about my fridge cleaning. 

I forgot to mention about another important part - cleaning the fridge coils and air flow spots. 

The little fridge has coils on the back that get dusty and the big fridge gets lots of dust buildup in the bottom.  If you need to clean yours, just look it over for dust. 

My husband helped with this job. He used an air compressor to blow all the dust out of the bottom of the big fridge. He also used the vacuum hose to remove the dust.

Using the compressor blows the dust all over but it is important to get it out. Once our fridge broke because the dust in the bottom clogged up the motor.  

Today-I  mowed and edged the front and back yards.  We've had plenty of rain so everything is green and growing. 

The potted garden is mostly growing 

I picked more yummy cherry tomatoes

And discovered that 3 mystery vines are actually cantaloupe!  I did not plant cantaloupe, the seeds must of been in the compost.

Another photo of the potted zinnias - just because they are pretty and happy.

This afternoon, I worked on prettying up a couple of pairs of $1 flip flops with ideas from Pinterest. 

That will be my next post - I've rambled on here long enough with way too many topics.  

At home this week.....

Thursday already?  this week has been flying by.....

We have been getting lots of rain.  I went out this morning to see if my pots of plants needed watered, they didn't, but I did find about  dozen cherry tomatoes ready to pick.  They would not all fit in my hand so I put them in my apron pockets.  

On Tuesday,  I did a little shopping.  At my favorite thrift store,  I found this back of the door rack for $4.  I had been looking at them online and they sell new for $25 or more.  This one is very sturdy and my husband will add some anchors to the top to make it secure to the door. 

I've read about Dukes mayo but have never seen it for sale in Oklahoma.  Well,  Dollar Tree sells it now, in little 8 ounce jars,  for $1.  It really is the best tasting mayo I've ever tried so I bought more.  I made pimento cheese and deviled eggs with it Saturday - 

Tuesday was a primary election day in Oklahoma.  For 2 of the races,  I liked both leading candidates.  But 2 other races,  I didn't care for any of the candidates.  At least for now,  the negative political  ads are taking a break on TV and online

the first zinnias planted are most all in bloom and just look so happy!

I've been reading a book called "all you need is less" and learned that the Downy fabric softener I have used for 30 years has some ewwwwww ingredients.  So, I bought some Mrs Meyers, both liquid and sheets, in lavender.  They smell so clean and soften the laundry just as good as the ewwww products.  

They do cost more but I don't care.  

yes  I have tried vinegar and the Diy softener made from hair conditioner in the past but was not happy with the results.  We have hard, full of lime water in Oklahoma, that famous homemade laundry soap does not work for me either.

I ended up having today free as one of my grandson's is sick so I decided to do a thorough cleaning of our 2 fridges from top to bottom, inside and outside.   I took everything out and put it in ice chests, then I removed the shelves and drawers to wash them and I sprayed down all the surfaces and wiped them until they were clean.
I also took of the papers and photos on the fronts and left nothing on the top but 2 baskets.  One basket holds washcloths to clean up grands when they are messy and the other holds zipper bags that get reused.

yes, there are a dozen ice trays.  the ice maker quit about  a month ago so I just make ice the old fashioned way.  I empty and refill every morning and it is not much effort at all.  We like lots of ice!

I sorted the condiments- all the peppers are in one door basket, 

 and salsas in one, salad dressings in another. 

trust me, both appliances needed cleaning and I am so happy they are sparkling clean, for now anyway. 

bye for now......I hope you are enjoying this first official week of summer 2014.