LK's Grab Bag

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Tuesday, December 23:

I am away this week, but those stadium stairs at SBCC are still there! Go give ’em some love for me. This holiday finds me in a blanket of white, ready to strap on some snowshoes and run around in nature.

I love this season, as it has grown into an opportunity to celebrate joy, friendship, laughter, peace and giving, regardless of beliefs or practices. It is the human race at its very best.  So when you feel all that love from those around you, know that you are worth a great deal to many. Take care of yourself. Eat right. Exercise. De-stress. Do it for yourself, and all those who love you. 🙂

Tuesday Help Tip:

I just found this site, which we could have all probably used quite a bit in the last few weeks… but better later than never! When I shop for something online, there’s always a nagging feeling that if I looked just a little longer, I’d find it cheaper. This site is a godsend…. I’m not certain it guarantees the absolute cheapest price, but it is a good start. Just enter the name of the item you are looking for, cut and paste the site where you found it, and what the price is, and in a few seconds they search the web, trying to find you a lower price:

Beat My Price

Tuesday Cosmetics Clean Up:

Many are asking for suggestions, and I know I am a little slow in coming forth with things, but I usually need to try something for weeks before I recommend it. The following, however, I can recommend after only a few days. You can use the Jane Iredale website (click on the pic and it will take you there) to find retailers near you (I would call and ask them what products they have in stock, as they do not all carry the whole line). It gets great reviews, works REALLY well, and rates a very nice 1:

JANE IREDALE ACTIVE LIGHT CONCEALER $25

In addition, I must say that I really do like the mascara below, available at Lazy Acres or online. HOWEVER, the first 5-7 applications were not great… a little sparse and dry. After that, it started to go on much thicker. It rates a 3. (I am hoping for better in the future):

HONEYBEE GARDENS TRULY NATURAL MASCARA $10

Tuesday Green Clean:

Big sis Shelley G. sent this in…. I can hear Carolyn M. drawing the “Little House on the Prairie” references now…. BUT… let’s think about this…. I’m getting the distinct impression that we have been brain washed into buying products to clean our home because we have been made to feel: A) afraid (we’re not eradicating dangerous bacteria!), or B) inadequate (we’re not using the right products, which are not getting our homes clean!). When you realize that these manufacturers are shipping huge bottles of mostly water around the country for us to buy, it starts to seem pretty silly. So… humor me… check out this link…

Women and Environment

Tuesday Amazing Moment:

Keeping it in the family, middle sis Tally D. sent this to me…. it’s actually hard to believe:

WILLARD WIGAN

Tuesday Nutrition Bite:

This nut break from Real Age:

Straight out of the can, peanuts are one amazing health food. But you may get more antioxidants if you buy them in the shell and do this: boil ’em. 

In a recent study, peanuts boiled in their shells had a significantly higher concentration of disease-fighting phytochemicals — more than their raw, roasted, or oiled counterparts.

Nutrition in a Nutshell

The hulls of peanuts are loaded with polyphenols, and the skins are packed with flavonoids. Researchers suspect that boiling peanuts in their shells releases these heart-healthy antioxidant compounds into the water, and the amped-up water is in turn absorbed by the nuts. The result? One powerfully healthy peanut.

(Use this tool to find out what other foods are packed with flavonoids.) 

How to Do It

This isn’t a newfangled food idea. In the South, boiled peanuts are part of the culinary heritage, though raw or not-quite-mature peanuts are traditionally used. Cover the peanuts with salted water in a large stockpot. Simmer until the peanuts inside the shell are soft — anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. (Now, find out how regularly eating peanuts may actually help you lose weight.) 

If you’ve got high blood pressure, try this low-sodium peanut treat instead.

Tuesday Brain Game: 

Check this one out : Counterfeit

Tuesday Funny Stuff:

Shelley G. also sent this in… a more understandable version of the U.S. financial quagmire:

Forest Gump Explains the Mortgage Mess

 Mortgage Backed Securities are like boxes of chocolates. Criminals on Wall Street stole a few chocolates from the boxes and replaced them with turds. Their criminal buddies at Standard & Poor rated these boxes AAA Investment Grade chocolates. These boxes were then sold all over the world to investors. Eventually somebody bites into a turd and discovers the crime. Suddenly nobody trusts American chocolates anymore worldwide.

 Congress now wants the American taxpayers to buy up and hold all these boxes of turd-infested chocolates for $700 billion dollars until the market for turds returns to normal. Meanwhile, the Wall Street criminals who stole all the good chocolates are not being investigated, arrested, or indicted.


Mama always said: ‘Sniff the chocolates first, Forrest’.


Quote of the day from a fund manager:

 “This is worse than a divorce… I’ve lost half of my net worth and I still have my wife..”



The bailout, a different perspective.

 Back in 1990, the Federal Government seized the Mustang Ranch brothel in Nevada for tax evasion and, as required by law, tried to run it. They failed and it closed. Now we are trusting the economy of our country to a pack of nit-wits in Congress who couldn’t make money running a whore house and selling booze?  Plus GM, Ford, and Chrysler wants Congress to reward them for making cars that no one wants to buy!  Run, Forrest, run!