My Walk Through Life 4/26/2018

I love animal stories. Some make me laugh, some are so touching that they make me cry. Here are some I found today.

In San Francisco, the men in blue escorted a family of geese across the Bay Bridge to make sure they made it from one end to the other. It makes for a "feel good Earth Day Story"  

Link

A 6 year old Staffordshire Terrier named Blue Dozer and a 12 year old Dachsund named OJ are bffs. Their owner loved them dearly but became homeless and had to surrender the friends to the Richmond Animal Care and Control in Virginia. 

  Not only are the two dogs best friends, but OJ relies on Blue Dozer to show him the way, as he is partially blind. They sleep together, the go out to do "their business" together, they are inseparable. The shelter was determined to keep the two together. When they posted the two on Facebook it was emphasized that they friends needed to be adopted together. It didn't take long for someone to step up and offer them their new forever home.

© Richmond Animal Care and Control

Officer McLeod of the Clewiston Police Department in Florida, earned the nickname "The Pony Whisperer" when she captured a small horse running down U.S. 27. The pony was charged with eluding the police and returned to the pasture with all the other ponies.
Link

(Disclaimer: This blog may contain affiliate links)


Shop

FREEBIES

Free sample of MakeUp Eraser

Free

SWEEPSTAKES

Win a Smart Coffee Table
Win

Win a $200 shopping spree from the Hunger Site. I love the products from this site as well as the good they do. A free/pay postage tote comes with this entry.
Win


Simple things can bring much joy to your life. Today, stop and listen to your world. Sit outside, and listen to the noises of your neighborhood. Listen to friends talking, the sound of a lawn mower in the distance, even someones television. There is something comforting about that. Comfort in belonging to a community. Listen to nature. The birds, the bees, or the farm animals, if you live in the country. Comfort in belonging to a world that you share with other living things. Listen to music, listen to the words of your family and friends, instead of watching television or staring at your phone. 
  Some other things to you can import into your life to bring joy:
  Fresh flowers. Flowers in a vase brings in color, beauty, and a lovely fragrance.
  Use soaps with your favorite fragrance. I love soap. I have honeysuckle hand soap in my kitchen, and various lovely scents I use in my bathroom. I don't care for soap that smells like they come from a public bathroom.
   We use our phone all during our waking hours. Put a wallpaper that makes you smile. I have my beautiful grandbaby on mine. 
   Use pretty dishes and cloth napkins. I love a beautifully set table. (mine has a constant jigsaw puzzle on it). I would love to have a formal dining room  that is always set like company is coming. 




I am a genealogist, researcher of families and history, and will put your photos, negatives, or slides on to a cd. Let me know if I can help you.

FROM FLYLADY.COM

Yesterday we worked on the nightstands and today we are going after the dressers! Get rid of anything that is not necessary! Instead of a pile up of cosmetics, place them in a ziplock bag and then store them in a drawer when not in use. For perfumes and colognes, toss what you no longer use and place you favorites on a pretty tray, plate or mirror. Keep this space neat and clutter free, you will love to wake up to the flat surfaces in your bedroom decluttered.

FlyLady Rebecca

My Walk Through Life 4/24/2018

The photo above is my attempt at painting. I am not an artist, but I find it relaxing. I keep going to our local paint nights in the hopes I will manage a masterpiece. Maybe I would be better at art if I started at a young age. Here are a few things for the little people to do to jump start their creativity. 

The weather is warming up, and these are good outdoor activities. These activities come from Family Fun Magazine.

Salt Art for 2 years and up:

 Needed: 1 cup of salt for each color, liquid watercolor or food coloring, ziplock bags, newspapers, clean and dry spice shakers (1 for each color), a trays for drying salt, glue stick, stiff art paper

  For each color, put 1 cup of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of liquid watercolor or 20 to 25 drops of food color in a ziplock bag. Seal each bag, removing as much air as possible. Have your child shake, beat, and knead the contents until all the salt is tinted. Pour the salt on newspaper lined trays and dry for a couple of hours, or open the bags and let the contents dry overnight. When the salt is no longer wet, pour the salt into spice shakers. 

   Give your child a glue stick and paper or a paper plate. Have your child scribble with the glue.

   Give your child the shakers of salt and show her how to sprinkle it on the paper. The salt will stick to the glue. One the glue is dried, shake of the excess salt. 

Coffee Filter Art for 2 years and up:

   Needed: newspaper or disposable tablecloth, coffee filters, washable markers, bowl of water, choice of pipette, paintbrush, or a mister.

   Cover a hard surface, such as picnic table, with newspaper or a disposable tablecloth, then lay out plain white coffee filters. Either flatten them in a book over night or tape them to the surface to make them flat. 

   Give your child washable markers and let him color on the coffee filters.

   When he is done coloring, bring out a bowl of water and let him drop some over the artwork with the pipette or paint brush, or use the mister. The colors well blend and spread to make interesting designs. You can make these into refrigerator art or sun catchers.

Spray Painting for 18 months and up:

   Needed: dry tempura paint, water, liquid dish soap, spray bottles that the little hands can squeeze, old bedsheet

   Mix the colors: Stir together 1 cup dry tempura, 1 1/2 cups of water, and 1/2 teaspoon dish soap (to keep the nozzle from clogging). Mix well and pour into the spray bottles, making sure there are no lumps. 

   Hang the sheet over a fence or on a clothes line, or lay a large piece of paper on the ground. Show your child how to spray and create.

More fun things to do with kids:
Link
Link

(Disclaimer: This blog may contain affiliate links)

                                                                             

FREEBIES

If you do not follow my Facebook page, you may want to check into it. I post freebies as I find them.
Link

I always tell friends that if they shop at Kroger or affiliates (we have City Market) to make sure they have a current frequent shopper card. It helps save money on gas, but they also offer free items. I get an envelope in the mail frequently with free items such as peanut butter, bottled water, chocolate chips, etc. Every Friday, there is a free item offered. Also, it pays to check their coupon page frequently. They will add free item coupons there also.

May 5th is Free Comic Book Day. If you have a favorite comic book shop, find out if they are participating and collect your free comic book.
link

First it was Unicorn Snot sunscreen, now it is Horse Snot Hand Lotion. How can I refuse this free sample? 
free

One Tuesday a month, Pinchme offers you the chance to get a box of free samples. Some months are better than others, but I have gotten some fun items from them







SWEEPSTAKES

Win a $10,000 Sizzling Summer Sweepstakes
win

Win $10,000 from Ford
Win



KCGreetingCards



MAKE MONEY FROM HOME

Check out this page with a growing list of ways to make money from home.
link


FROM FLYLADY.COM

Today is the day to attack the clothes pile. Now you all know what I am talking about. This pile is either on a chair, on top of the hamper, dresser or at the foot of your bed. Set your timer for 15 minutes and grab some hangers or start folding. While you are doing this do not hang up or fold something that you hate. This is the time to let it go! If you do not love it, send it right out the door!

Visit my eBluejay store

My Walk Through Life 4/23/2018

The weather is getting warmer, finally, and it is time to think about outdoor activities, such as camping, fishing, hiking, etc. Here are some tips to help make outdoor life easier.

Store fishing rods in plastic tubing to keep them from getting tangled up.

If your hands are fishy smelling after scaling and cooking, rub them with toothpaste and then wash.

Fill a large jug with soapy water for hand washing at a camp site.

A small inflatable pool makes a great bathtub for kids.

To scrub dirty dishes and pans, use pine cones or wadded aluminum foil.

Hang a shoe bad from a low limb to hold spices, utensils, pot holders, condiments, etc

If you need your flashlight to stand up, stick it inside a roll of toilet paper. (always take toilet paper)

Homemade Bug Spray: Fill a spray bottle 1/2 full with distilled water. Add Witch Hazel to fill almost to the top. Add 30-50 drops of one or more of the following essential oils: citronella, clove, rosemary, tea tree, cedar, or lavender. Citronella is the most effective of the oils, so no matter what other oils you use, add a few drops of it. 

We never went to ball games or any other outdoor activities without taking meat tenderizer. My youngest had bad local reactions to bee and wasp stings. Make a paste with the tenderizer and water. Put the paste onto the sting and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Works wonders!

                                 Daniels Crafts and Candy

FREEBIES

Free Garnier Oat Delicacy samples
Free

Free Olay Whips Sample
Free


Cat furniture at CatsPlay.com


SWEEPSTAKES

Win a trip to Oregon wine country
Win

Win a royal diamond teacup
Win

Visit my eBluejay store

MONEY APPS

I have several bank accounts, on and offline, to help me save money, or put it away for specifics, such as my taxes, which I pay quarterly, or my travel dreams. Here are a couple apps to help you build savings...or pay taxes.

Qapital is a free app. It works with apps you may already have, such as a banking app or a fitness app, to help you put aside money based on specific rules you set up. You can tell the app to put away $5 every day that it rains, or charge yourself $5 for every time you splurge on fast food. 

Tip Yourself is a free app. Every time you go to the gym, eat a salad, open a door for someone, etc, tip yourself. You can transfer a buck or two from your bank account into your virtual tip jar. 





MAKE MONEY FROM HOME

I have cashed out on these and use them all the time

Ibotta Get money back on your normal online and offline shopping 



You Can Get Free Gift Cards For Shopping, Searching and Discovering What's Online at Swagbucks.com



FROM FLYLADY.COM

This week we are in the Master Bedroom, today I want you to spend 15 minutes under your bed! Take this time to get the things out from under the bed that you have shoved under there during a mad stash and dash through the house.

15 minutes might not be enough, but for today just try to put a dent in the stuff that you have put there. Things that just don't belong. If you don't have anything under your bed, then grab a vacuum cleaner or broom and get the dust bunnies that have been multiplying under there.

One of my favorite shopping sites

My Walk Through Life 4/20/2018

The movie "The Exorcist" was frightening on its own, but there were some behind the scene events that were even more scary. The movie set caught on fire, Ellen Burstyn received a permanent spinal injury when a harness jerked her too hard and she fell on her coccyx, and there are reports that many cast members had bad luck and family deaths. The most frightful of the stories coming from this movie, is that a real-life murderer was one of the extras. Paul Bateson was convicted for one murder, but may have actually been a serial killer.
   Bateson was an X-ray technician at the New York University Medical Center, where the scene of "Regan" underwent a carotid angiography procedure. Director William Friedkin wanted realism, so he used a real neuropsychiatric surgeon and his team for the movie scene. The surgeon's assistant was Paul Bateson.
   March 1979, Bateson was arrested for the murder of film critic, Addison Verrill. No motive was given for the murder, but Bateson's story was that he had picked up Verrill at a gay bar and they went to Verrill's apartment. Bateson crushed Verrill's skull with a skillet and stabbed him numerous times. 
   After his arrest, Bateson started talking about other murders he committed. He admitted that he would pick up gay men and murdered them. He chopped up their bodies, put the body parts in trash bags, and dumped them in the Hudson River. There was never any proof that Bateson was actually the serial killer the police had been looking for, so he was never tried for those murders. The bodies were so mutilated that identification was impossible, but from the clothing and tattoos, it was made positive that they were from the gay community. 
   When the director William Friedkin found out that a suspected serial killer was filmed in The Exorcist, he visited him in prison and after the interview began to direct the Al Pacino movie "Cruising" about a cop looking for a murderer targeting gay men. It is said that Batesman was an uncredited consultant for the movie.
   Paul Batesman served his time for the murder of Verrill and is living in upstate New York. 

(Disclaimer: this blog may have affiliate links)

Visit Angels Beautiful Things for unique jewelry to add to your collection.

FREEBIES

From April 21 through April 29, you can visit the National Parks for free.

Free Cosmopolitan Magazine subscription
free

Free Unicorn Snot Sunscreen. Who doesn't want that?
free

Free Apple Chips
free







SWEEPSTAKES

Win an indulgent gift from Werthers weekly, ends 10 Jun
win

Win a Hickory Farms Gift Basket
win

Win a $500 Amazon gift Card
win

Win Durango Coffee
win

Enter to win a local gift basket from me. Comment on my blog, follow my blog, like The Widows Walk on facebook and add comments, and share with friends. Ends 05/15/2018


$40 Surprise Beauty Bag worth $175, with code SURPRISEBEAUTY, valid 4/16 - 4/23.

MAKE MONEY FROM HOME

If you like to write, check out Chicken Soup for the Soul and sign up to contribute
Link

Visit my eBluejay store

My Walk Through Life 4/1/2018

On this day in 1700, English pranksters started the tradition of playing practical jokes on each other. 
  It is not sure when April Fools' Day actually began. One speculation is back in 1582 when France went from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Some were slow to get the news that the new year now started January 1 and they still celebrated during the last week of March through April 1. They became the butt of jokes. One of the pranks was putting paper fish on their backs and being referred to as "Poisson d'avril" or April fish, which symbolized an easily caught fish and a gullible person.
   The ancient Romans celebrated Hilaria at the end of March, when people dressed up in disguises. April Fools' Day is also linked with the first day of spring, when Mother Nature fooled people with the ever changing, unpredictable weather. 
   In Britain during the 18th century, April Fools' Day grew in popularity. In Scotland, it became a two day event. First day was the day of "hunting the gowk", where people were sent of phony errands. (gowk meant cuckoo bird, the symbol of a fool). The second day was Tailie Day, in which people played pranks the involved people tail ends, such as pinning "kick me signs" on them or pinning on fake animal tails. 
   Now in modern times, radio shows, newspapers, social media, and television go to great lengths to fool people. Many of my friends seem to "get engaged" on April 1st. I have seen grapes wrapped in candy paper, raspberries stuck on sticks and wrapped in Dummy sucker papers, coins glued to the sidewalk, toilet seats cover with plastic wrap, and so many more tricks.
   Some of the news reports were elaborate and fun. In 1957, the BBC had a report that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and they showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees.
   In 1996, Taco Bell, announced that they had purchased the Liberty Bell and were renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. 

   In 1992, passengers arriving in Los Angeles airport were greeted by a large sign on the top of a terminal that said "Welcome to Chicago".

HAVE FUN, AND TRUST NO ONE!

Visit my eBluejay store

FREEBIES

Free Lubriderm lotion. I signed up for the newsletter and I think I am supposed to get the lotion. We will see.
free

Free Weight Watchers Magazine subscription. It asks questions about your business. Just answer the questions and the magazine is yours. 
free


Order Homemade Graduation Cards Here