June 6- June 11

Hello everyone, 

I had this unrealistic idea that I would blog everyday in June.  Obviously that didn't happen.  But here's what I've been up to.  

I took a supper to share with my parents at their retirement apartment.  My daughter's family also ate this meal. 

I baked a loaf of bread and some sandwich buns- and remembered to put yeast in both batches 😄

The entree was chicken salad.  I boiled and shredded one whole chicken. 

The small batch is just chicken and mayo. 

The big batch is chicken, mayo, toasted pecans, red grapes, craisins and a little celery.  It was so good!  I will be making this again.  And soon! 

There were also some grape halves and quartered tiny heirloom tomatoes to eat with the sandwiches.  

I made a big batch of chili- mostly for the freezer.  We like chili here year round though I've heard lots of people say they don't eat soup or chili in the summer.  We do both! 

My daughter found out about a small blackberry farm near us and has bought beautiful berries there twice.  

The berries are just huge, so good and have very few seeds.  

I put most of ours in the freezer for cobblers.  

We also ate plenty just fresh.

Granddaughter Elizabeth found a blackberry shaped like a heart ❤️

Huge Blackberries!  That's one berry by a regular teaspoon.  

We hope to get more in a week or so when a different variety is ready to pick.m 

As usual, I do my manicures with Impress press on nails.  I especially like this polka dot- glitter- orange combo.  

There's been a little jewelry making going on.  I have a lot of beads- passed to me when my mom downsized here crafting supplies.  

I made these 2 with Pinterest tutorials.

My son and grandson enjoy making rubber band bracelets.  

Sewing- I hemmed some suits pants for my son- but no photo. 

This stuffed cat had a tail problem- I suspect it had been swung around by its tail 😱 and was barely still attached.  

I sewed it back on - extra securely.  I also sewed up 8 cloth napkins.

Our neighborhood had its annual yard sale today.  We didn't sell anything but we did set out some discards by our front curb with FREE signs taped to them.  Everything was gone within in an hour 😄

That was easy. 

My grandson and I shopped at a few of the yard sales but nothing much interested us. We did see lots of good deals though.  I have been decluttering and organizing for several months and I just didn't see any bargains I wanted to let occupy our straightened up spaces.  

We did spend a quarter- grandson bought one of those old fashioned wood paddle toys with a rubber ball on a bouncy string.  

My husband has been gone for almost 2 weeks helping his parents after his mother needed surgery for a fall and his father came down with a bad cold.  Both are recovering and my husband returned safely home this morning.  🏡

So, that's what I've been up to!  I hope all of you are fine and getting lots done.  

Sandbox, meals to go, CVS and some thrift store finds

Hello everyone! 

Grandpa built a sandbox for our backyard.  All the grands are enjoying it, even 11 month old Jackson.  

We had a big family gathering here for Mothers Day lunch.  My husband smoked turkey and I fixed green beans in the crockpot with cole slaw, tabouli, fresh fruit and banana pudding.  I did everything ahead so it was ready to eat when we got home from church.  

Daughter in law Sheena brought an adult dot to dot workbook.  She and son Jimmy both did one.  

The numbers are teeny-tiny and I think they went up to 600 or 900 or so.  

Sheena and Jimmy enjoyed doing them but just looking close at them makes me cross-eyed.  

Where adult coloring are supposed to be relaxing, I think adult dot to dot books might just stress a person out :) 

I've been mostly cooking things off of my May menu plan. I made 2 meals to go- each was shared with my parents and my daughters family.  They are especially easy meals and very kid-friendly.  

Above is Homemade rolls, fresh fruit salad, homemade fried rice with lots of veggies, and Tyson Popcorn chicken.  

We don't eat a lot of prepared foods but we do like frozen Tyson chicken.  These 2 kinds are made with whole white meat, not chopped up and formed back together, and they taste really good.  

Below is Tyson Crispy chicken strips, strawberries and tiny potatoes cooked with whole green beans. 

CVS drug store 

I am so stocked from previous CVS shopping that we just don't need much. 

Last week, I had a 30% off email coupon good on anything not on sale.  

So I used it along with my ExtraCareBucks to get a great deal on the press on nails I like so much.  

My total was low and I saved 84%.  

But I was a wee bit sad to not get any ExtraCareBucks back even though I knew I wouldn't.  

I may go to CVS this week but I will probably wait until the new sale.  CVS sent me a $5 BeautyBucksExtraCareBucks, a $6/$30 coupon and a 20% off coupon. They sure know how to entice this bargain shopper.  

Thrift store finds 

I don't think I've been in a month or so.  Here is what I bought this morning......

2 free books for my husband 

2 picture frames for my daughter - she plans to do a photo collage wall soon

Shorts for the 3 youngest grand sons 

A skort and play shorts for one granddaughter

A brand new Disney top for another granddaughter 

3 nice pair of long pants, size 4T, for next winter.  It is really hard to find like-new long pants for little boys- they seem to always have worn knees or stains.

Columbia brand shorts for my dad and North Face shorts for my husband. 

And a bundle of needed plastic hangers.

I had a lot of comments on my last post about the Silver Dollar City skillet meal on our May Menu.  I haven't made it yet, but when I do, I will photograph and blog about it.  

That's about it from here.  My husband has had several Doctor appointments that have kept us busy, nothing serious.  The oldest grands are busy with end of school activities and summer sports. 

And we are very excited about the upcoming birth of grandchild #8, a brother to these pretty sisters.  

Enjoy May everyone, it's going fast! 

Glue on Nails -Pros, Cons, and Tips for Press On Nails

I've been using different brands of artificial nails that are glued on to my fingers since September 2015.  

I'm very happy with how they look, the low cost and the speed with how long it takes me do a full manicure.  I get lots of compliments on my cheap-o nails and several readers have asked for tips so I am happy to share.  

There are several brands of glue on nails. 

Dollar Tree has sets of 12 nails for $1.  The 12 nails are in 6 sizes.  This works great for me because the smallest 5 fit my fingers perfectly.  But everyone's hands are different and they aren't going to fit everyone the same.  

Dollar Tree nails are the lowest cost of any artificial nails that I know of.  Dollar Tree nail products are called Sassy Chic brand.  

At my Dollar Tree, these nails are popular and don't stay stocked very long so I always check for them and if I see some I like, I buy them right then.  

I try to buy 2 or more sets when I like the design so I have some spares for repairs too.  

Dollar Tree nails have to be attached with glue - my thought about glue will be below 

French Style nails with Dollar Tree nails.  

Impress nails are my other favorite.  They can be bought at Walmart, CVS, Amazon - they are a national brand and sell for $5.97-$8 a set.  

Impress have 24 to 30 nails in each set so it takes a little longer to select the right sizes for each finger.

The bigger sets allow some spares for repairs too.  

Impress nails have an adhesive attached to the back.  There is a sticker back so you just pull off the backing to reveal the adhesive and attach it to your nail.  

I have also tried Kiss brand nails and I mostly like them the same as Impress. 

I tried a brand that I don't remember which brand, that had a seperate double sided adhesive pad that went on the fingernail and then the nail was attached to that.  It may of worked great but it was too many steps for me so I just attached those nails with glue.  

Glues

there are several to choose from.  

Super Glue is the first adhesive I tried.  Super Glue does hold the nail on very securely.  To remove them was the hard part.  I had to soak my finger tips is Acetone nail polish remover until the artifical nail softened enough to scrape off. This took me at least 15 minutes of soaking.  I don't want to use so many chemicals so I don't do Super Glue and I don't recommend it (but other people do. )

Dollar Tree sells Sassy Chic nail glue, also $1.   It holds just fine but when the nail is removed, the glue turns to a thick goo on my nails that also requires Acetone soaking so I don't use it anymore either.  

Kiss, Nailene and 5 Second brands of glue are all brands I like and recommended.  They come in brush on and with a squeeze drop applicator.  Both are fine, I just prefer the brush on applicator.  

These brands are in the $5 a bottle range and can be purchased at drugstores, beauty stores, Amazon.  

Applying nails

The first few times I used glue on nails, it took at least 30 minutes because I wasn't sure how to match them, etc.  

Now, I can do a full manicure in less than 5.  In fact yesterday, I put on a new set in the car while my husband drove us to church. 

First, remove any polish on your nails and clip the nails short.  

Then file the ends.  Some nail users say to also lightly file your nail surface to rough them up a bit to give the glue something to hold on to.  My natural nails are so thin,  I don't dare file my surface.

Take care of your cuticles however you like. 

Then clean your nails with alcohol or remover or the moistened pad that comes with some nail sets.  

Natural nails need to clean and oil free for the adhesive to hold. 

Now, look at the nails you purchased and match up the artificial nail to each finger.  I lay them all out on the table top, in the order of my fingers.  

Then adhere them, either with the peel off back or with whatever glue you choose.

Once you put on a nail, hold it in place with your other hand with gentle firm pressure for at least 5 - 10 seconds.  Then move on to the next one.  I start with my pinkies and do both thumbs last.

A manicure usually lasts me 5-7 days.  Some bloggers say theirs last 2-3 weeks.

The biggest enemy of a glue on manicure are water and not letting the manicure set for at least an hour.  This is especially true for the nails like Impress with the adhesive sticker back.

When I do a manicure, I prefer to do it at the end of the day, AFTER  I'm through  cleaning and after a shower and hair washing.  Once the nails are on, I sit and do nothing to put any stress on the nails and I also give them all more squeezes and then I usually go to bed.  

I do take showers and wash my hair again but not right after putting on a fresh nail set.  

I still do a lot of housework but if I am doing something messy, I usually wear gloves.  

Repairs

Sometimes a nail pops off for no reason.  I usually know when it happens and I can just brush on some glue and reattach it.  It the nail is lost or damaged,  I just glue on a spare one from the same set.  

Sometimes a nail breaks.  If possible, I go ahead and remove the broken nail.  But sometimes, I just glue an identical nail right on top of it.  I did this last week when I ended up with a notch missing from one nail.  That repair lasted until I did a new manicure.

To make repairs convenient, I keep the spare nails from my current set and a bottle of brush on glue in a sandwich bag in my purse.  I also keep a spare bottle of nail glue in the kitchen.  

Removing nails

After about 5-7 days, the nail glue starts to dry or get brittle or something, anyway it just starts to turn loose.  When I can tell the nails are getting loose, I use the end of an orange stick to GENTLY go under an edge that is loose.  The artifical nail will usually pop off easily.  Don't force a removal,  I never have but I'm sure if it was forced, you could pull off your natural nail with the artificial nail.  

If they don't come off easily,  I soak my tips in remover.  It usually just takes a minute or two for the glue to loosen enough to release the nail.  

When all the artifical nails are removed,  occasionally  I need to use some polish remover to finish removing the glue but usually I can just lightly buff with a nail buffer to finish cleaning my nail.  

I had solar artifical nails put on at a salon for over a year. They were very strong and looked pretty but they were expensive,  $40-$50 every 2-3 weeks as I live in an expensive college town.  I was also concerned about the lamp used to set the polish.  Several times I had a mild sunburn after salon manicures.  

Time wise- it took at least an hour, maybe longer. 

And the worst was all the drama at the salon -

I am very happy with glue on artifical nails.  They are cute, easily fit in our budget, don't require a big time investment and use a minimal amount of chemicals.  

Glue on nails do require more tending to than salon nails but I'm OK with that.  

  

What my nails look like right now - Impress nails from CVS

I really enjoy having fun nails from time to time.  

If you are interested in press on nails, I hope I answered any questions.  

These are just my opinions and thoughts- I have not been paid or sponsored by any nail company.

The last 10 days or so.......

We pick up grandson JJ one day a week at his preschool.  One of his classmates had a birthday and the classmate brought these super cute Super Hero capes for everyone.  JJ was so happy with his and he wore it continually.

The capes were made so nice and were a completely no-sew project.  They were cut out of felt for the cape and the circle and star ironed on with a fusible.

The closure was Velcro attached with fabric glue and it held just fine.

I still like doing my manicures at home with press on nails. 

I found these cute sets over the weekend at Dollar Tree.  They need a glue to hold them on but I don't like Dollar Tree glue.  

I wore the black and white polka dot set first.  

Then today, I switched to another Dollar Tree set, a French manicure look with a tiny silver stripe.  

I also like the Impress brand nails that have adhesive already on them.

We haven't done much shopping but my husband got these USMC goodies and a few other things when his favorite Marine store was having a moving sale.

He paid $6.50 for this mug and shirt.

As usual, I cooked a lot. 

Silver dollar pancakes and oven baked bacon cooked when grandsons Gavin and Braeden were here. They requested bacon AND sausage but I think one meat at a time is plenty.

I cooked extra pancakes to freeze for future breakfasts.  

Sandwich buns - I make a batch of them just about every week 

My Texas brother was visiting and we all met up at my parents retirement home.  Pizza was delivered for the main course and I took Cheese Squares and some dip and fresh vegetables cut up. Both dishes were empty when I came home.

I have mostly  loosely been following the Trim Healthy Mama plan as I try to lose some weight and not need blood pressure medicine anymore. 

These next 3 are Trim Healthy Mama approved recipes.  You can find them on my Pinterest under "eating my way" 

These are some sausage cheese balls I found on Pinterest that were delicious and a keeper.

This is a recipe called Dirt E Rice by the Coers family.  I really like this and my son in law is crazy about it.  

Below is Egg Roll in a Bowl.  

I've been making this Taco Seasoning from allrecipes.com for more than 10 years.  This a batch for my daughter.

We are having spring like weather even though it is still winter.

My husband, JJ and I enjoyed a picnic lunch in our backyard.  It's especially nice to eat outside this time of year as the pesky flying insects aren't around yet.  

Oklahoma is home to many many bugs, ick! 

Then, my husband put 2 chickens on his rotisserie.  

His grilled food is so good and his chicken is my favorite. 

I added some green beans, homemade rolls and fresh strawberries.

Then we packed it all in a big ThirtyOneGifts tote and took it to my parents for supper.

It is a simple plain menu but when I cook for a group, especially for 4 generations with different food preferences and dietary needs, basic food just suits us all best.  

Believe it or not, I haven't been to CVS since I last blogged.  

We've also been busy doing some more cleaning and organizing at home.  

I've done a little sewing but nothing I photographed.  

That's about it!  Nothing crazy exciting but I prefer it that way.  

This month

Hello everyone.  

I thought you all might like to see our Seven.  We were all together for lunch yesterday to celebrate my mother in law's 80th birthday.  

Life is good here, to say the least.  

One family group photo from the birthday party - it was at the clubhouse of our aunt's retirement home and was a very nice setting for a gathering. 

In the photo are my in laws, my husband and me, our 7 adult children&spouses and the 7 grands.  

My to do list and manicure from last week.....I haven't made my list for this week yet. 

The nails are Impress press on nails, with a sticker type adhesive and I really like them. 

My brother's tradition is to make fresh wreaths for us- here is this year's.  He decorates them different each year and they are always so nice. 

One of the pleasures of retirement- Grandpa and the grandchildren sharing lots of time together.  

CVS

I didn't go last week but I went yesterday. 

I used 4 $2 Tide coupons that were in a Sunday paper a few weeks ago and a $5 ECB. 

4 Tide detergent pod packs were $2.76 and I got back $5 ECB.  

Days are busy here and we have yet to find a routine with husband being retired but I think that will be happen after all the busyness of December.  

Would you all believe I have not bought or wrapped a single gift nor have I rounded up any stocking stuffers? And it takes a lot of stuffers for the 20 or so stockings that will here.  

So, this will be last blog post for 2015.  I hope to keep reading blogs and I plan to be back blogging in January.  

Merry Christmas everyone !