New Arrival.............Nikko!

Meet Nikko!  He's a 10 week old Shih Tzu who has now taken up residence at our home.  He loves to play and he's a quick learner.   We've only had him since 9/22/2010, but already he's an intricate part of the family.

Pantry Paradise

My pantry was "out of control".....stuff stacked (sometimes) everywhere and not necessarily in order.  But, heck it was a pantry off the kitchen with stored groceries, it wasn't on display for all to see.  Then one day as I was relaxing in front of the TV, I heard a "pop...bang".  I looked around and didn't see anything.  Got up, walked into the kitchen and everything looked fine.  Huh!  must have been outside.  Very strange!

But, a couple days later as I'm preparing dinner I open the pantry to get......OMG!  A can of mandarin oranges exploded.  Everywhere!  What a mess!  I just bought that can, so I knew it wasn't old.  Must have been defective or something.  Well, I proceeded to clean up the mess when I realized it was everywhere and it was a sticky mess.  I did a so-so job and knew that a major cleaning of the pantry was in my future. 

Well, the future arrived.  And for the past couple days....I emptied, I washed, I lined, I sorted and I stacked.  The end result........was worth it.  Now I love my pantry again and I can't wait to cook with all the "treasures" I found hidden in the mess.

A Weighty Issue

Long story short........the past several years have been an up hill battle with a few more pounds to lug around.  Finding out the thyroid was the issue and having Hashimoto's Disease meant that no matter how little I ate or how much I exercised....the weight was here to stay.  Depressing!  And that's putting it mildly.  I could always exercise and diet and lose the excess pounds.  Not anymore. 

On June 8th, with my friend Lynda at my side and the blessings of my new doctor, Dr. Tibbetts, I began my HCG Diet journey.  The protocol is challenging because it is very restrictive.  But, I'm appoaching the end of my 3 week protocol and will enter maintenance this weekend........18 pounds lighter.  Yup!  That's what I said....18 pounds! 

It has made a remarkable difference, not just in me.  Jim has lost 27 pounds doing the HCG Diet. 

This is by far the most challenging plan to follow, but the most rewarding. 

Soupy Soap

A friend recently told me she was making her own laundry detergent.   Times are tough and she was doing whatever she could to save pennies.  Now I've got to tell you....this sounded pretty bizarre.  I mean how much difference can there be?

So, being a skeptic, I decided to check it out for myself.  I checked several websites offering recipes.  And what....only 3 ingredients!  Now really, could this actually work.  So, I said what the heck.  On Memorial Day weekend, my sister Laura and I decided to give it a go.  I had already purchased the 3 ingredients to the tune of $10.31.  Now, mind you, we only used a small portion of the products to brew 2 gallons of what looked like a gooey mess. 

The next day, we gave it a try.  It worked!  And it worked very well.  When I made the comparison to the batch I made vs. the cost of my normal detergent............oh my gosh!  I was averaging $0.25 per load of my detergent to.............are you ready for this..............$0.018 of the homemade version.  That's right .... it's not a typo it was less than 2 cents per load. 

The clothes come out clean and fresh smelling.  They are even softer to the touch, because the soap rinses clean.  It is just amazing to me....because I'm not a very domestic person.  But for this kind of savings, I can make soap.

Now, I'm on to making window cleaner, fabric refresher and furniture polish.

The Heritage Continues

I have been working on my family tree for years.  But in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult, as I've lost touch with so many family members.  As the older generation has passed and the next scattered from one end of the country to the other, it has proven to be a challenge at best to keep in touch.  Now, thanks to Facebook, I've been able to reconnect with family members that I've not seen in 20 - 30 years.  It's just awesome!  So, the legacy continues as we all work together to fill in the spaces on the tree to preserve our heritage.  To the Costanza Clan............thanks!!!

My New Passion

It's not that I have a lot of time, just that I have some.  Three great gals and I have founded a new non-profit organization called Women With Willpower.  It's been so exciting and so humbling.  It is an infant and we're working hard to get this off the ground.  The community of Lake Havasu City has been so warm and receptive.  The fundraising stage has proven to be a real test of stamina and imagination, but I know we will prevail.  We are only 6 months old, but we've got 39 great ladies on board working with us to make this happen.   It is a true joy to see it all come together.

Visit us at http://www.womenwithwillpower.org/

 

A Visit Home

A visit home earned me the opportunity to see my family.  My special treat was meeting my new great nephew, Darby and playing with his "big" brother, Brody. 

And I got a rare moment with my great niece, Lillyanna, to pick dandelions!