Recycling: "CAN" You Get It Right?

Guest Writer:  Ruth Morse

When our county decided to start accepting recyclables way back when, I was naive.
I thought it would save money!

WRONG!!

In order to collect the various recyclables, our garbage hauler (GH) had to add a second, totally different kind of truck, plus people* to people* it.

*I almost said guys to man it.  Am I outdated or what?

That meant our quarterly garbage bill went up, not down.

Oh well, the savings would surely show up somewhere down the line.  RIGHT?
The fees for regular garbage at the landfill would be less and the savings would be passed down to the little people.  RIGHT?

WRONG!!

At first there were rumors that only clear plastic garbage bags could be sold in stores, so that the RPs (the Recycle Police) could visually check what was in your regular garbage to make sure you were complying with the voluntary recycling......

Sunday Satchel: Jennifer

I missed last week's Sunday Satchel, but this one more than makes up for it.  This one's a doosie.
May I present, the creme' de la creme of the Hoarder's Purse that once carried two Venti Starbucks beverages inside, today's Sunday Satchel, the Satchel of Jen:

And by the way, those are some fab sheets, Jen, I love that color.

What I've always admired about Jen's purses is the condiment section. That has come in very handy at times. Without further adieu, the contents:

• Krispy Kreme donut coupons
• Blackberry Jam
• 2 sets of keys
• Powder (I don't want to know)
• Mints (obviously)
• Hershey kisses
• Catsup
• Tartar sauce
• Church bulletin
• Recipe
• Ripleys tickets
• Doctors receipt
• Legal pad
• Safety Pins
• Lighter
• Eyeliner
• Eyeshadow
• Pens
• Bits of trash

Thanks, Jen!  PS.  Is that a lipstick kiss stain on the dr. receipt?

Flashback Friday

Today's Flashback goes back just a little ways..... to a previous post.... but a goodie.  See the original here for the comments or just continue reading...

We were late opening the pool this year due to an overabundance of problems as well as a busy schedule. So when we finally got it open, the kids became kids again.

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I was reading my book at pool's edge.....

Cupcake: Take 8

We were able to review two flavors this week for the ongoing Cupcake Taste Tests.

Smores & Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Smores:

When I unveiled the Smores Cupcake and pulled it out, Eva yelled, "I just can't resist that teddy graham!"  And she popped it into her mouth....

Mystery Books Guide

I've been receiving emails from this organization that alert me each month to all the new mysteries being released.  I immediately go reserve them at my local library and devour upon receipt.  

This site's email is particularly helpful because it lists not only the book title and author, but also the name of the main character in the series -- usually the detective -- which helps jog my memory as to whether or not I like that series when I am unable to recall the author's name.

Today I've decided to share this awesome site with you in case you enjoy mysteries as much as I do.

Enjoy!

Monkey Bread: Tasty Tuesday

Blogging Butter has started the fabulous Tasty Tuesdays.  Be sure to check it out, bake some goodies or post your own great recipe!


This week I'm posting my recipe for "Monkey Bread," also called "Bubble Bread."  You can't imagine how easy and how good this is, I've become well known for it.

1 pkg. frozen bread rolls (24)

Grease and flour bundt pan.
Dump rolls into pan and spread evenly out....

Sunday Satchel: The View Ladies

Oprah Winfrey just jumped all over my idea Blogging Butter's idea about the whole "what's in your pocketbook reveals who you are" theory behind our Sunday Satchel posts.  We are such trendsetters!

Oprah had the ladies from The View on her show and asked them each to reveal what's in their pocketbook - or as we lovingly call - satchel. 

Barbara Walters went first and pulled out an O Magazine.

Then she pulled out Donald Rumsfeld's book "Known and Unknown" . . . 

Expedition 24: Life In Space NASA Video

Click here for the series I've written on Doug's trip to the ISS.

Flashback Friday: Tall Paul and Cousin Brenda

My cousin Brenda and my second cousin Paul were born five weeks apart and went through school together in the same class.  Paul was quite short, always the shortest kid in the class until he hit 15.  During his 15th Summer, he shot up to 6' and went from being the shortest kid in his class in May to being the tallest in Sept.

While Paul was short, my mother nicknamed him Tall Paul and it stuck....

Cupcake: Take 7

This sorry lookin' thing, my lovelies, is called a Lemon Cheesecake cupcake.  Tall icing looks pretty and all, but spreading it over the entire cupcake surface tastes much better.  It is better to taste good than to look good, dahling.

My trusty side-kick met me at Starbucks and we tasted this baby together.....

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides

Johnny Depp, Penlope Cruz
Release Date:  May 20, 2011
Director:  Rob Marshall

Yep, new director, you read that correct.   Gore Verbinski, director of the previous three Pirates movies was unable to do this one, so Rob Marshall was called in, which, I think, might be a good thing.  Pirates 2 and 3 were such a let-down that I would hesitate to see number 4, except for two things:  1.  a new director (which probably wasn't the problem with #'s 2 and 3 though) and 2.  an acknowledgement by writers, actors and producers that 2 and 3 were let-downs.  

Johnny Depp spoke to Ian Nathan of Empire magazine, published in the Feb. '11 edition, "The thing with Pirates 4, I felt like we owed it to the people.. You know?  Pirates 2 and 3 became quite.... sub-plotty.  The mathematics of it.  All these people went to see them two or three times" (hello) "just to figure out what was happening.  This one is a little closer in tone to the first:  more characgter driven... more subject-driven... It has a freshness... Less mathematics."

Music to your ears?....

Tasty Tuesday

Oh hai!  Blogging Butter has started the fabulous Tasty Tuesdays.  Be sure to check it out, bake some goodies or post your own great recipe!

Lint: Save Money & Recycle

Guest Writer:  Ruth Morse

I have a couple of very important questions.  These are not profound, earth shattering questions.  The answers won't help bring world peace.  They won't find a cure for a catastrophic illness.
But this particular subject BUGS ME!  And I offer some helpful hints  on how to recycle your lint, many different things you can do with it.

Are you ready for the questions?  Here we go....

Question #1:  Where does all that lint in the dryer come from??

Not-So-NewlyWed Game

Come over here today to see how we celebrated Valentine's Day and find out all the secrets behind 4 great marriages.

Love & Respect, Book Review

Love & Respect.  The love she most desires, the respect he desperately needs.
By Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
Thomas Nelson Publishers

"How can I get my husband to love me as much as I love him?"

This was the most common question Dr. Eggerichs encountered as a pastor.  He fumbled around with it for a few years until he had his "Aha!" moment in '98 when a fresh reading of Ephesians 5:33 pinpointed the Love & Respect connection, the simple secret to a better marriage.  God commands a man to love his wife, but commands a woman to respect her husband.  And it's right there, plain as day:  Love & Respect.....

Cupcake: Take 6

May I introduce the

Caramel Apple Cupcake.

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In this our 6th Cupcake Review, my loyal sidekick and I. . .

Commercial Space Flights

As NASA retires its shuttle fleet, they are reaching out to help develop commercial transportation services to the International Space Station (ISS).  Rapid Transit is a must for growth in any largely populated areas -- Atlanta's got MARTA; NY, MTA; Boston, BTA; Charlotte, CATS, and now NASA has COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation Services). 
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In December 2010, the first commercial spacecraft of COTS, "The Dragon" returned to the US from a low-Earth orbit where it had traveled over 17,000 mph for about three hours.  SpaceX is the company behind the Dragon and has spent close to $400 million to reach the launch pad first.....

Migraine Headache, the anatomy thereof

I feel as though I am conducting a science experiment on myself.  As if I pulled up a chair and, with pencil and clipboard, my other self began a consultation.

I drove 45 miles in giggling near-hysteria because I was going to Barnes and Noble to just sit and read, for nothing but enjoyment.  As soon as I entered the store, I got that old kaleidoscopic vision in my right eye which signals the onset of a migraine.

I peered closely at the magazines, really?  Is my vision really abnormal?  I peered closely at the sales counter and the parking lot through the foggy windows.  This can't be happening...

TN: Chattanooga, The Delta Queen

I did time in Chattanooga, once upon a time, a long, long time ago.  I did 9 months in the '82/'83 Winter, a blusstery, wet winter that left me believing it always rains in Chattanooga.  While I "did time," I wasn't incarcerated as you might think, it was a prison of different sorts, in a dismal, dirty and often mean city, but when I returned to Chattanooga 28 years later, I found that she had grown up and what a beauty she had become!

It was like the high school reunion where the girl that was so gawky, weird, stinky, ugly, mean or whatever has evolved and become a stunning, gracious beauty, the belle of the ball and I just really can't believe my eyes.  I have to wonder:  How did this happen?

With my one night in Chattanooga, I made the fantastically lucky decision to stay on the Delta Queen.  The Delta Queen is an old steamboat with a lot of history and a few ghosts.  The Delta Queen isn't for anyone, it's quirky, old, rickety, a little musty, and doesn't offer a lot of physical comforts or five-star services.  My room, a berth, had a twin bunk bed, tiny bathroom, no tv, not many electrical outlets (2).  It did have free wifi and was not only facing the Tennessee River, but actually ON the river.  I sat outside my room and watched the sunset, then came back out to watch the sunrise much later.

Sunday Satchel: Ann

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My new friend, Ann, who shall remain anonymous for the sake of this post, dumped her purse into this big bag while we were at a conference so that she could re-org. for the evening.

Mmmmm hmmmm.  I jumped on that.

I enlisted Ann for my new Sunday Satchel posts.

She wanted me to explain that this isn't normal, this massive collection was due to a week long conference.  (does that explain items in there from last year?)

Flashback Friday: Uncle Moose

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Really, just saying "Uncle Moose" will conjure many Flashbacks for any readers who knew him, he was a unique person and is very much missed.  Uncle Moose had a gruff exterior with a tender heart hidden beneath, a heart especially tender for "Lovie" there next to him.
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Uncle Moose would travel to town to purchase his overalls from our nearby retailer.  On his last visit we sat out on the front porch for an hour or so, me on my swing David Williams built, he on the Adirondak chairs my brother built.  When the chit-chat dwindled, we all began to stand up.  The second Uncle Moose leaned forward in his chair, our cat shot out from under him and disappeared around the house.  All that time, he had been sitting on our cat. 
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Uncle Moose was a builder.  My father, his brother, an IBM engineer.  When we had trouble around the house, Uncle Moose & Uncle Bill would often come work on it and soon the Moose/Uncle Bill combination became known as the Charlie Brown Water Company. 

My Gigantic Pencil

If I could, I would carry my gigantic pencil around with me.  In a gigantic pencil bag filled with gigantic Sharpies, big, bold colors with that addictive Sharpie scent to be sniffed repeatedly.
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A five year old was holding my big, gigantic pencil the last time I saw it.  With a tiny golf scoring pencil in one hand and the gigantic pencil in the other, she smield up at me, offering them in open palms, "Which one would you rather use, Pookie?"  Mmmm, she gets it.

Gross National Happiness (GNH)

"In Bhutan, the concept of Gross National Happiness shapes the policy arena. All new policies have to have a GNH assessment, similar to environmental impact assessments common in other countries."
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~ The Economist Jan. 11 issue