It's been a while! I've been busy busy busy and none of it has to do w/ cleaning my house! LOL Recently one of Allen's brothers died and there is an ongoing murder investigation. All of Allen's family are suprisingly flip about the whole thing (he was addicted to drugs). Each brother I've talked to (which is 3 of them) all said "it happens". This attitude about their brother's death really bothers me. My uncle has been an alcholic for many years and even though he makes decisions that we don't approve of, we would still be sad if he died!

I've taken on a day-care kid. I watch him for about 10 hours a day during the week. I don't get paid as much as I'd like to, but his mom is a friend of mine and went back to work to pay off some debt. So I wanted to be able to help her out. Still, it's $125 a week and Allen and I decided that half of it could be used for me and the kids to do fun stuff during the day. So it's been nice. The boy is very sweet as well and I've had no problems w/ him (now my own children are a whole different story!).

I made a decision a few weeks ago, which has basically saved my marriage. My husband has been doing a business for a while (Teambuilders) and I really have not been gung-ho about it. Well, my mom encouraged me to go w/ him to meetings and seminars just to support him to see if that changed his attitude of late. So I set Mary Kay aside (I just don't have time to do it! LOL) and I'm now supporting my husband. It really has changed our family for the better. I means more time away from the kids (a couple nights a week), but it means more time for Allen and I to be together. So it's balancing out! We're doing really well actually. We're almost qualified to go on a leadership cruise next October!

As I type this my house is pretty disasterous! I was sick as a dog over the weekend (still am actually, but am getting a little better) so NOTHING got done. The floor is NASTY! The only thing I've kept up on are the dishes and laundry. I need to bust out my scooba! I PROMISE I'll do it tonight before we go to bed! LOL Now someone make sure I've done it tomorrow! hehehe

I hope you all had a wonderful Turkey Day and are enjoying the Christmas season. I have yet to put up my Christmas decorations because I just have not been in the mood. One of these days I'm going to HAVE to! LOL

What a day! I did a whole lotta NOTHING then I get a phone call from Allen and he was in a car accident! He fell asleep at the wheel on the 101! Thank goodness there wasn't much damage and no one was seriously hurt. But at 65 MPH neither his airbag deployed nor did his seatbelt lock. So that is kind of freaking me out. I mean why have all these safety features if we're not sure they're going to work! He was in his work car (such a blessing). I took him to the ER because he was in a lot of pain (his chest hit the stearing wheel). He had an EKG and some Xrays and they all came out ok. No broken bones, but probably some MAJOR pain tomorrow. There go our plans of getting some stuff done around the house! LOL His boss will be paying for this trip to the hospital (thank goodness), otherwise we might have been in some serious trouble! Just keep Allen in your prayers for a speedy recovery. And keep me in your prayers for some patience w/ the patient! LOL

I've been debating weather to send this out since I wanted to add some Halloween photos, but of course we have none yet! LOL But, I'll send Nov update out early so you all can see the kids in their cute costumes. Of course we don't Trick or Treat but we have a tradition of visiting friends and family in our costumes and the kids get plenty of candy that way. Our church always has a Halloween party, but I think we're boycotting it this year. I'm tired of it being on Halloween. Most of the other wards in our church have their parties on a different night so that families can do their own thing on actual Halloween. We'll probably take the kids to in-law's church Halloween party instead, which is on the Saturday before.

Cori is still loving school! She is in half day kinder. She loves her teacher. I'm planning their Halloween party (I know, I'm insane!). She's already looking forward to Christmas too. I'm giving her piano lessons and I'd like to get her into a choir or voice lessons too. She has an amazing voice! Cori is going to dress up as an Angel for Halloween this year. She already got to wear her costume to a b-day party, which she had a ton of fun at! Speaking of b-day parties, OMGosh she gets invited to a lot of them! It's a good thing I'm a savvy shopper or we'd be broke buying all these gifts! She's making LOTS of friends! Seriously, there must be some other stuff to tell everyone about, but I'm seriously running on fumes these days.

ETHAN IS POTTY TRAINED! I never thought I would see the day. But I am so doing a dance of joy here. He loves school and I'm pretty sure his teachers love him. He still has days where he's lucky he's cute and he has days where he's lucky it's illegal to beat your kids. Last week I took him into wal-mart to get his pictures done. My gosh he's a brat! He refused to smile and would only slump. It wasn't until I said "pretend I'm Miss Margret" that he would perk up (Miss Margret's his teacher). I love him to death, but OH so tired! Ethan is dressing up as Simba this year (actually it's a Nala costume I got on clearance last year at 90% off, but you can't tell the difference).

Georgia is getting so big it's frightening. She is onrier than both Cori and Ethan put together, but oh so sweet. A couple weeks ago she thought she had turned 2 (she's only 15months). She throws the best tantrums I've ever seen! It's a good thing they're still cute! She will be going as a Unicorn this year. I have no idea if she'll even be willing to put the silly costume on! LOL

Allen is still working like crazy. He's been doing a bunch of gunshows too. He's also ALMOST done fixing both the suburban and the truck. It will be so nice to get the truck out of the driveway! His calling in church is a Ward Missionary, but I don't think he gets the chance to meet up with them much. At least they never call him. The poor guy is still not sleeping well thanks to apnia. I've taken to sleeping on the couch because he SHAKES the bed while he snores! AYE AYE AYE

I am doing the same ol' same ol'. Georgia and I walk 4.5 miles 3 times a week, which is exhausting. Of course I spend most my day trying to keep the house clean. hahahahahahahaha That's a joke when I have 3 people following behind me always leaving messes in their path. I'm still teaching piano lessons and Coupon Sense classes. I'm excited to get to the end of the year to be able to tally up all my savings for the year (I think I'm up to over $5000 in savings now). My callings in church are the same. Humanitarian Committee and leading a Scrapbooking group. They keep me busy though! I started a landscaping project in the front yard, that is still on-going. My arms hurt from moving rock around.

I hope everyone had a wonderful month! Sorry I can't do personal updates to everyone. And again, no new pics this month.


Gigi Shreeve
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I washed my car windows w/ stinky water TWICE! When I filled up my gas tank a few weeks ago I went to wash my windows and stopped after about the first swipe when I realized how smelly the water was! Like the water had sat there for WEEKS! And today, at a totally different gas station, I was washing my windows and AGAIN the water STANK! It wasn't quite as bad as the first time, but EWWWWWWWWWWW! I don't want to wash my windows w/ that sludge! Now I'm getting the heebie-jeebies thinking about that standing water and mostquitos and west nile virus. There were no mosquitos, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about it!

My husband covered me up with a blanket last night because he said I "looked cold". That is quite possible the sweetest thing he has ever done for me in our entire marriage!

Today I watched FOUR extra kids along w/ all 3 of mine! Am I INSANE??? Actually, it went fine. The kids all played and basically stayed out of my hair! LOL Today was Cori's first day doing only morning kindy. She cried like her heart was broken when I picked her up at 10:30. Having the other kids over really helped! I did get the dishes done and a couple loads of laundry. ALL of my kids are asleep right now, so I better go take advantage of this time!

The dog vigilantly protected his bone, although it was dry and hard. It really offered no real nourishment to the dog. However, he brought it out and chewed on it each day, something to pass the time. It offered hours and hours of chewing pleasure to the dog until eventually it wore down. Soon thereafter, he got another bone which was just as dry and hard.Like the dog's bone, anger is hard, dry and without nourishment. Whenever we continue to gnaw upon the bones of misunderstanding, a habit grows until the harboring of a problem becomes a regular pastime. We can actually become so dependent on negative feelings that even when given an opportunity we would rather seek a replacement (to continue in anger) than a solution.

Kind of frightening, but this is the kind of thing that excites me!

To get started, here are the top ten best things to do with plastic bags:
Give them away. Well, that makes sense, but who is going to appreciate a gift of a pile of plastic bags!? Actually, some people/places do! You can probably think of more with this jump start:
Libraries
Charity food distributors
Charity clothing distributors or stores
Daycare centers
Elementary school teachers
Farmer's market vendors
Find ways to store them? If you're going to save them, you have to store them somewhere, some way.
Crochet wreaths. Or rugs. Or angels. Or... use your imagination and plastic bags to make your own creations!
They're perfect for outdoor decorations for Halloween (or Christmas or Easter - use your imagination). They're waterproof and colorful.
Picker uppers for nasty stuff.
Keep a few (or more!) in your car for a multitude of uses. Use them to contain trash, the kids' books and crayons, snacks and other daily and road trip needs.
Carry food. As in food packed for a picnic or a potluck. (Put your container inside!) Roll a plastic bag into a small ball, or fold it over and over and put it in your pocket. When you need it, it expands to a full grocery bag sized container! Amazing magic! Seriously, use it to carry vegetables from the garden or wild foods. One reader said she never goes to the garden without a plastic bag or two in her pocket.
Stuffers. You know, for pillows and balloon types of curtains. For boxes of things when you want to mail them, too. And for decorative needlework figures and shapes.
They are waterproof containers. Use them to keep water in or to keep water out. Examples: Keep water in by carrying wet bathing suits in a plastic bag. Keep water out by keeping matches and paper products in a plastic bag when camping.
Use plastic bags to help get organized. Store things in them, make up "travel kits" for the kids, make your own daily travel kit to get through each morning more frugally.
Once you get started, you'll never look at a plain plastic bag the same. I don't know whether to call that a warning or a promise. Just don't go shopping for the purpose of accumulating more!
Uses for plastic bags
How many plastic bags do you have on hand? How about garbage sacks? Or bread and grocery bags? No matter how much we try, we wind up with an assortment of plastic bags unless we just throw them out, and what frugal person does that??
Being a frugal person with a little green bent, and a hoarder of sorts, too, I cringe when I have too many plastic bags on hand. I just have to get busy and use them up some way.
If you know more ways, email me at frugalliving.guide@about.com and let's see how many uses there really are for the lowly plastic bag.
Caution: Some are concerned that lead MAY be present in the ink/paint used on bread wrappers. I've not been able to find out, but to be sure, don't use bread sacks inside out.
I have made figures of stuffed clothing.
Some look like scarecrows, some scary for Halloween, some like cowboys in jeans, and some made like Santa Claus. Stuffed with plastic bags, they are lightweight and will not get waterlogged as the outside clothing will dry quickly. I usually give them away but always have one in my yard. They can be redressed, more bags added if needed, and will last several years even outside.
Cut bags into strips and crochet, knit, weave, or needlepoint a door mat, or a tub or shower mat.
Wear between your socks and shoes to keep your feet dry whether your shoes stay dry or not.
You can freeze food in bread sacks, it just won't keep as well as heavier plastic. If you have food you'll use up within a month, it's wasteful to use expensive freezer bags. Save those for the long term storage.
Use larger ones to line trash cans. Gladys adds: Keep a few extra in the bottom of the trashcan, so there is always another one to put in.
Use as disposable gloves for tasks that don't need fine finger use.
Cover a paint brush with plastic bags when you go for a break, or even overnight. Make sure the bag is closed tightly and your paint won't dry out on the brush.
Carry one or more with you when you go walking to pick up aluminum cans, trash or treasure.
Keep grocery bags in your car to tie around your knees in case you have to change a flat tire in your good clothes.
Many thanks to you readers for the following ideas!
If you wrinkle them up, they are good packing material when moving, sending packages, or storing Christmas stuff.
Carry a few in the diaper bag to hold soiled clothes and wet/dirty diapers.
Put dirty rags in a plastic grocery bag and tie a knot with the handles and dump in laundry bag without fear of making everything else smelly or dirty.
Put delicate (or easily dirtied) clothes you will clean later or bring to the drycleaner in grocery bag and tie a knot with the handles and dump in laundry bag without fear of having them get dirtier or smellier than they already are.
Use dark garbage bag to cover expensive stuff sitting on back seat or behind front seats in your car.
Use plastic bags instead of plastic wrap to put pizza or other food in the refrigerator.
Return them to grocery store: sometimes they give money for them (like 5 cents each).
Use them when walking your dog to clean up deposits. With your hand inside the bag, pick up the pile, then turn the bag inside out while still on your hand, tie and drop in the trash.
Sponge paint with them instead of buying an expensive sea sponge. Crumple, dip in roller pan, dab on paper, and apply randomly to the wall.
A reader bought a bed skirt at Goodwill that came with pillow shams. She didn't have extra pillows to put in them, and she didn't want to spend money for them, so she took a couple of old pillowcases, stuffed them full of plastic bags, pinned shut with safety pins, and popped into the shams. As they flatten out, she can add more bags. These are not comfortable to lay on, but for decoration, you cannot tell the difference.
Sometimes this reader takes popcorn to work as a snack. She carries it in a reused bread bag.
I use my excess plastic bags to fill draught excluders, the long snake like things you put in frount of doors to stop hot air from escaping. I make them using old fleecy tracksuit pants. Cut the leg off the pants and split it open along the seam, then cut it to the length and thickness you want. Sew it into a tube, sew up one end, and stuff it tightly with excess plastic bags and sew the other end up.
This reader's son wears cloth diapers at home, but has to use disposables at daycare. Sometimes after they get home, he has a BM in his disposable. To keep odors down, she wraps the diaper in the plastic bag the diapers came in, or in a grocery store bag. These go into the trash can. Same principle as the Diaper Genie, but less expense and waste.
Use flat bags taped to your bench as a wonderful non-stick and disposable surface on which to roll pastry (you may need to still use a little flour). You can also cover your rolling pin tightly in it. The pastry peels off like the backing on prebought pastry sheets.
More uses for plastic bags
To add to the idea of using them for soiled diapers, I hang a plastic grocery bag next to the changing table out of reach of the little ones. Wet diapers go directly in the grocery bag. Soiled diapers go into the long plastic bags the newspaper is delivered in, or produce bags from the grocery store, tied shut to minimize the odor, and then into the grocery bag. At bedtime, right before I shut off the lights, I grab the bag, and the baby's day of work goes into the trash!
Plastic bags make a good filler for craft projects that require stuffing as long as the item is not going to be used as a toy or cushion. Left over pieces of yarn and strips of plastic bags do a great job in such decorative items as Christmas ornaments that require some type of stuffing to give them shape .
This reader's niece made a lovely holiday wreath from plastic bags...
she got a wire rim from a craft store and tied each bag around the rim and then 'fluffed' them after she squeezed as many as she could onto the wire rim... then she added one large red ribbon and several bunches of holly berries. Added to by another reader: Use a wire clothes hanger for the base, just bend it into a circle, (and keep the top for hanging, if you wish - Pat). Cut plastic bags into wide strips and tie them on it, then glue ornaments to them.]
For a foot-beauty treatment apply any kind of creme or lotion to all areas of your toes and feet, then cover with a plastic bag tied loosely, then a sock over that. Wear it around the house or to bed.
One reader says that handled grocery bags make great refrigerator storage containers for large bowls of food. She just puts the bowl or pan at the bottom of the bag, pulls it up over the sides and ties it.
She also uses the same handle tie grocery bags to put raw meat or poultry in the refrigerator so they can't leak onto the shelves and cause bacteria problems.
This was sent in from Pearl Sanborn of Heart and Home: Make braided rag rugs from all those plastic grocery bags!
Cut off the bottoms and tops (handles)
Cut across the bag to make a loop (cutting across the middle)
Take 3 pieces and begin to braid
Add in strips as needed
When you have a nice braid going start at the beginning of the braid and start rolling it into the rug shape.
Use something to sew it into place - thread, fishing line, string, etc..
Make rug as large as you want it
She says - you can use these as door mats, throw rugs, put them in your garden, patio, greenhouse etc...... (they are water safe ;)
Another reader saw artists re-using plastic bags in Europe to crochet lovely clutch bags and costume accessories like bar pins, buttons, hair clutches, etc. She says -Plastic bags were cleaned, sorted according to colors and cut into thread-like pieces and wound like yarn. They would crochet this plastic thread, mixing and matching colors into useful objects like clutch bags. I saw a wall tapestry crocheted from plastic bag yarn! To create a smooth look, the artists would run an iron placed on very low setting over the finished crafts. I have in my collection of east European souvenirs a clutch bag made from the plastic bags of one of the top department stores in Bucharest.
In the Philippines, this reader saw local seamstresses recycle plastic bags this way: out of fabric remnants, they would sew tote bags, then plastic bags were carefully cut into flat panels, gathered into layers of three and used as 'batting' to give the totes waterproof quality.
Third graders in this reader's children's school use plastic bags as material to make sails of boats and ships or lion's mane or horse's tails in their arts and crafts and recycle-reuse courses.
A frugal journalist uses plastic bags from newspapers as file keeper and clipping organizer. When he clips his newspapers for stories and ideas, he encases these newsclips in the plastic sleeves, cut nicely to fit a 3-ring binder, closing with a wee bit of masking tape.
Another reader writes that her son cleans the litter box a little faster and easier, by putting the mess in the bag and taking it straight outside.
This reader's mom uses plastic bags to store sweaters, sweatshirts and other bulky things in her closet. She places the bags into large boxes in order to stack them. I do the same thing, but only to store out-of-season clothing. (Great under the bed, in the attic, etc. - keeps the clothes or what-not clean and bug-free.)
Another use for plastic grocery bags is to store flour and sugar. Tie each 5 lb sack in a grocery bag and store in a dark place. From a reader: The suggestion of using a plastic bag for a childs apron is good, but it encourages children to play with them which are a serious suffocation risk - especially if you have taught them to put one over their heads in the form of an apron!
Cut bags down the side so they lie flat, and use several in this manner as a drip sheet when painting models, fingernails, or other messy things.
More uses for plastic bags
Using white grocery bags and permanent markers, make ghost wind-socks for halloween. Sort grocery bags by color and make ghosts with white bags and Frankenstein with grey bags by drawing different facial expressions on each one. Tie string on three sides(use clear packing tape so the plastic doesn't rip)and hang in a tree or patio.
Make bows of orange and black garbage bags. Make little pumpkin and ghost pouches to stuff with leaves and hang.
A reader's daughter saves aluminum cans for recycling. She bought a large orange leaf bag with a witch design on it, so she filled it with her pop cans rather then her leaves, set it on the lawn as a decoration and after halloween, she took the whole thing to the recycle depot.
This reader saw a unique application using plastic bags - a row home with a fenced front yard where they had bent a rod of some kind and attached it on either side of their gate ...then tied plastic bag strips on the arch - with holly berries and ribbon worked in - it's lovely and waterproof, too!
Another reader says that he uses grocery bags when cleaning up after his dogs in the back yard.

He places a bag inside a 5 gallon bucket and drapes the handles over the side so it stays put. He says that with a Great Dane and and Irish Setter, it sometimes takes more than one, but at least he's not wasting them.
Make a hair scrunchie from a bag thats longer than it is wide, by cutting the bottom out and inserting a cut rubber band. Tie the rubber band back together, then pull one end of the bag deeply inside the other, and turn under the raw end.
This reader uses a plastic bag as a salad spinner. She lines a bag with a light towel or a few papertowels. Place your washed lettuce/greens inside and spin the bag around. If the bag gets wrapped too tightly, let it dangle and spin the other direction to loosen and start spinning again. Centrifugal force works like a charm!
Another reader tells us that plastic bags can be used to make balloon curtains poof out, and the outside effect is just the same as tissue. She uses the grocery store size for this. Another reader adds: I hung pouffy valances over the windows. I wanted them to be really puffed out, so I just stuffed lots of plastic grocery bags in the valances and they are beautiful. I don't worry about them losing their shape, because the plastic stays in place balled up.
A reader says that when they put away the Christmas decorations each year, she puts each string of Christmas lights in its own plastic grocery bag and ties it shut. No more tangled light strings.
This reader says when she gets a good clump of grocery store bags (both paper and plastic) she takes them to the local food/clothing bank. They are glad to get them and she knows they are re-used. Some of the clients bring the bags back for several weeks until worn out.
She also drops the bags at her local thrift shop - same principle; and since she buys some clothes there, she returns (or declines in the first place) their bags for reuse!
Another reader uses them: Put several on your hand to serve as protection from poison ivy. Just pull up the plant with the bagged hand, carefully turn bag inside out and dispose of properly. No ivy touches your hand and no poisons are used.
Another use for the plastic grocery sacks is to donate them to daycare and preschool centers. Many times they use them to send home soiled clothes.
Another reader says: I bundle and take them to the library. They especially need them for rainy days or people checking out videos. They love to see me coming with a bunch.
I use plastic bags when breading chicken, chops or coating vegetables with flour and cornmeal mixtures. I just put all of my seasoning into the bag, wet the meat or vegetables and let them sit for a while so that the flour coating is thick. Then put it into the hot fat to fry.
A reader writes this: When you take a loaf of bread out of your bread maker (or out of the oven) pop it directly into a plastic grocery bag. Leave it for about 10-15 minutes, remove it and wrap it in a towel until cool, then return it to a plastic bag for storage. this method gives you a loaf of bread with a nice, soft crust.
I keep all of my lunchmeat/cheese, sandwich bags, condiments, etc all in one bag instead of the deli drawer, of my fridge. When it is time to make a sandwich, everything I need is right there.
When working for a rather frugal vet, we placed an empty litter box inside a plastic bag, then put a scoop of cat litter in the box on top of the plastic (Just enough litter so the cat could scratch and cover). Then when we needed to clean the box, we took the bag off and tossed it in the trash, put on a new bag, a new scoop of litter, and had a clean box. At one point we used cardboard box tops from beer cases discarded from grocery stores and set them inside plastic bags for litter boxes. The bags kept the cardboard dry, and when the cat left, we threw the whole thing away.
More uses for plastic bags
I place several bags filled with meat or whatever in a large paper grocery bag to prevent freezer burn and make a list with a permanent marker on the outside of the paper bag so I will know at a glance what is inside.
When I have to work in a wet garden or other muddy site, I tie plastic grocery bags on the OUTSIDE of my shoes. The mud can't clump onto the loose plastic like it does to shoes or boots.
In the fall after I've cleaned up my fans I cover them with a grocery bag before storing in the garage.
Similar to donating to the thrift shops, my Library will give you a free plastic bag to carry tons of kid's or mom's library books home. They sell nice cloth bags for $10 or you can just use the plastic bags for free. I donate my extra bags to the library.
A reader writes: Whenever I take a casserole or other dish of cooked food to a dinner, I put the dish in a double-sack of plastic bags.

Center the dish in the bottom; twist the handles and then tie firmly with a twisty or tie the handles together firmly. This keeps drippings off of your car floors or seat and keeps foods clean in transport. You also have a handle to carry them to the hostess.
This reader says: I use them in my van as trash collectors. I loop the bag handles around the seat armrests in the front. Recently I've also put one in the rear of the van which has captains seats. Each time I need to gas up the van, I can throw the whole bag away.
From another reader: I use them to put leaky containers inside (plastic bottles which don't have a tight seal - I use to transport liquids to work). Once I get there I just toss the bag and wipe off the bottle/container. Saves work and made use of those free bags.
This reader says: I got tired of finding all kinds of little toys laying around my 4 year olds room and my house so I bought a big storage box and divided her toys into bags: McDonald toys in one, plastic food in another, plastic dishes in another, toy animals in another, etc. and put them into the plastic storage box. Now she is allowed to have 2 bags of toys out at one time and has to put the toys back in the bags and into the storage box before she can get any more toys out. It has cut down on pick up time and stepping on toys all the time.
This readers says: I use them to create activity kits. I always keep a bag with scraps of fabrics, needles, thread and scissors for impromptu quilting. You can also make rainy day kid activity kits with crayons, paper, glue sticks, etc. These are great for the I'm bored blues or even on road trips. Another reader adds: My son is learning how to cook, so I will assemble all of the ingredients for a simple snack or meal and bag them up. It keeps everything together for him and the babysitter. He really looks forward to checking out the fridge to see what new cooking challenge is each afternoon.
My grownup daughters and I pass magazines, refund items, clothes and whatever between us. Each of us place these items in used plastic bags to be picked up by the owner when she comes to our homes.
Use freezer bags to store foods cooked in advance such as hot dogs - buns and all - the same goes for hamburgers - just use a microwave to warm them up!
Use them with your vacuum cleaner to make your own frugal "shrink and store" bags instead of paying major bucks for the kind with the valve built in. Just fold your blankets, sweaters, whatever neatly and set them in a plastic bag. Twist it around the hose of your vacuum cleaner and suck the air out! To seal, just slide the twisted bag off the hose while twisting it tighter, then fold it over and tape it down. Be careful not to rip the bag!
Another reader says: I use them with either short stakes or a round of low fencing to protect my early transplants. First I put them over the plants to protect from sun, wind, and at night cold, with a couple of slits in the top (the top contracts with the cold and expands with heat to ventilate the young plant.) Then as the plant grows I cut the top of the bag off. By now there should be no frost but the plastic still acts as a wind break. Later I pull it down the stakes, or take it off completely.
I also grab one when I step into the garden; much easier to stuff a few bags in your pocket and pull one out to fill with beets, another with carrots, or some lettuce, oh, and lovely onions. Friends have a non-returnable container in which to take their fresh produce home!
Another use is to cut a bag into strips to hold vines and canes and other plants in place, just don't tie them too tightly.
A cup of sand/dirt in the bottom makes a great impromptu horseshoe pitching or toss toy for the yard.
I made a princess costume for my daughter for Halloween. Rather than buy a crinoline or spend money to make one, I cut a length of elastic. I strung lots of plastic bags by the handles onto it. They were the perfect length. You couldn't tell the difference, and it made the wonderful "swishing" noise when she walked.
More uses for plastic bags
Plastic bags with handles can be used for aprons for small children's arts and crafts projects. Cut each one across the bottom, pop the bag over the child's head with arms through holes--handles up as straps. If straps are too long and bag goes too far down the front of clothing, pull handles up and tie into a knot to make it fit better.
This reader says: I recently had a pile of brush that I needed to bundle up for garbage day. I couldn't find any string to tie it up, but eventually ran across our pile of plastic grocery bags and thought of a roll of plastic I had recently seen at the hardware store that could be used as twine. I took the bags and cut/ripped them in half as if I'd taken each handle and pulled the bag apart. I now had two pieces, each with a handle on one end.
I poked a hole at the other end where the 'v' is on the bottom of the bag. I now had a piece with a hole either end. The pieces can then be pulled through a loop of one of the other pieces and looped back though itself. By combining several pieces I had a surprisingly long, strong, and cheap rope which I used to tie up my brush pile for the garbage man.
Take a walk with one, it's amazing what you can find. I found fresh rosemary clippings, pecans and walnuts in the street close to where I live. What a bargain price, they were all free !
When you are using a special hair treatment that needs leaving in for longer than five minutes, tie a plastic bag around your wet hair and fasten the excess above your forehead with a twist tie or rubber band.
Inevitably when children go on camps, water activites are part of the fun. Here is an old hiker's secret. Prevent saturated backpack contents by placing everything inside a garbage-size bag, tying with a twist-tie and THEN placing it inside the pack. Even if the pack falls in a lake, your clothes should stay reasonably dry!
Thicker, vinyl-ish plastic bags make great packs for long-time storage of old notebooks, magazines, artwork, deeds etc. They are "acid free" and keep out paper-eating insects such as silverfish. Colorcode them and/or label them with an oil-based marker, then stick in the desired stack of paper, fold the top over twice, and seal right across with heavy stickytape.
Big black garbage bags make excellent disposable raincoats for camping when you sut arm holes and a head hole in the sides and bottom. Compact, light to carry in your pack and useful!
You can also cut thicker bags to be flat, and use them to cover books or recipe cards so that they are wipe-down when you are cooking(use a clear bag for a recipe card).
Plastic bags are useful for crushing biscuits to make crumbs, eg for cheesecake, or for beating meat to tenderise it. Place in a bag, tie or hold the open end, and bash away! No mess, no fuss!
Or, if you have a dough such as playdough that you are working food colouring though, food colour stains laminated or plastic benchtops so put the dough inside the bag, add a few drops of colour, tie the bag and knead away. Throw away the bag when finished, or use it to store playdough and keep it moist. Easy!
I save my plastic bags and scoop the used cat litter and deposits in litter into a bag every day. This way I can use the litter longer and get the mess out of the house. I keep an old plastic litter pail to put filled plastic bags into, then throw them out on garbage day. No smell, no mess. Another reader adds: I use an automated cat litter pan which scoops by itself and dumps into a disposable plastic container. I line the container with a plastic grocery bag and tuck the ends under and out of the way. When it's is full I pull up the handles, lift the bag, tie the handles together and toss into the garbage can.
Cut a bottom corner off heavier plastic bags and use to squeeze icing, cookie dough, etc through.
Use recycled bags to take your pop cans and bottles to the recycling depot.
Tuck a plastic bag under your bike seat, then if it gets wet in the rain while you're shopping or whatever, pull the bag out, slip it over the wet seat, and ride off in comfort!
Line your backpack inside with a plastic bag on wet days.
Food pantries need bags, both plastic and paper to pack the food that they give away free. Donate your spare bags and get to know your local food pantry.
Use them for shower caps. Find one that fits, or use a larger one and tie it around your head, rolling a cuff to keep it in place better.
In the car I keep a bag on the floor under the driver's seat. Sometimes I want to separate what I buy, such as toys for the grandkids or personal items.
I store plastic grocery bags by hanging one on the inside of a small pantry. I used a short carpet staple for each handle to attach it to the door. The staple keeps the open end of the bag close to the door so that it doesn't flop around as much as when they're hung on hooks. I then nip a small hole on the bottom (I did it on a corner), and stuff it with the bags I want to keep.

It’s been said that the best gift the Democrats could give to the Republicans would be to select Hillary Clinton to be their presidential candidate. NOTHING could galvanize Middle America like the fear of having Hillary as president of the United States and Bill entertaining himself as First Side-kick.

Roger

Worse than you thought & worth remembering and this came from a Democrat

Dear Mr. Ex President Clinton:

I recently saw a bumper sticker that said, "Thank me, I voted for Clinton-Gore." So, I sat down and reflected on that, and I am sending my "Thank you" for what you have done, specifically:

1. Thank you for introducing us to Jennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, Monica Lewinsky, Dolly Kyle Browning, Kathleen Willey, and Juanita Broderick. Did I leave anyone out?

2. Thank you for teaching my 8 year old about oral sex. I had really planned to wait until he was a little older to discuss it with him, but now he knows more about it than I did as a senior in college.

3. Thank you for showing us that sexual harassment in the work place (especially the White House) and on the job is OK, and all you have to know is what the meaning of "it" is. It really is great to know that certain sexual acts are not sex, and one person may have sex while the other one does NOT have sex.

4. Thank you for reintroducing the concept of impeachment to a new generation and demonstrating that the ridiculous plot of the movie "Wag the Dog" could be plausible after all.

5. Thanks for making Jimmy Carter look competent, Gerald Ford look graceful, Richard Nixon look honest, Lyndon Johnson look truthful, and John Kennedy look moral.

6. Thank you for the 73 House and Senate witnesses who have pled the 5th Amendment and 17 witnesses who have fled the country to avoid testifying about Democratic campaign fund raising.

7. Thank you, for the 19 charges, 8 convictions, and 4 imprisonment's from the Whitewater "mess" and the 55 criminal charges and 32 criminal convictions (so far) in the other " Clinton " scandals.

8. Thanks also for reducing our military by half, "gutting" much of our foreign policy, and flying all over the world on "vacations" carefully disguised as necessary trips.

9 Thank you, also, for "finding" millions of dollars (I really didn't need it in the first place, and I can't think of a more deserving group of recipients for my hard-earned tax dollars) for all of your globe-trotting. I understand you, the family and your cronies have logged in more time aboard Air Force One than any other administration.

10. Now that you've left the White House, thanks for the 140 pardons of convicted felons and indicted felons-in-exile. We will love to have them rejoin society. (Not to mention the scores you pardoned while Governor of Arkansas)

11. Thanks also for removing the White House silverware. I'm sure that Laura Bush didn't like the pattern anyway. Also, enjoy the housewarming gifts you've received from your "friends."

12. Thanks to you and your staff in the West Wing of the White House for vandalizing and destroying government property on the way out. I also appreciate removing all of that excess weight ( China , silverware, linen, towels, ash trays, soap, pens, magnetic compass, flight manuals, etc.) out of Air Force 1. The weight savings means burning less fuel, thus less tax dollars spent on jet fuel. Thank you!

13. And finally, please ensure that Hillary enjoys the $8 million dollar advance for her "tell-all" book and you, Bill, the $10 million advance for your memoirs. Who says crime doesn't pay!

14. The last and most important point - thank you for forcing Israel to let Mohammed Atta go free. Terrorist pilot Mohammed Atta blew up a bus in Israel in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and imprisoned him. As part of the Oslo agreement with the Palestinians in 1993, Israel had to agree to release so-called "political prisoners". However, the Israelis would not release any with blood on their hands. The American President at the time, Bill Clinton, and his Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, "insisted" that all prisoners be released. Thus Mohammed Atta was freed and eventually thanked the US by flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center . This was reported by many of the American TV networks at the time that the terrorists were first identified. It was censored in the US from all later reports. Why shouldn't Americans know the real truth?

What a guy!!

SINCERELY, A US Citizen
PS: Please pass along a special thank you to Al Gore for "inventing" the Internet, without which I would not be able to send this wonderful, factual e-mail.

AND THE REST OF THE STORY: Hillary Rodham Clinton, as a New York State Senator, now comes under the "Congressional Retirement and Staffing Plan", which means that even if she never gets reelected, she STILL receives her Congressional salary AND Free health care until she dies. (Would it not be nice if all Americans were pension eligible after only 6 years?)

If Bill outlives her, he then inherits HER salary until HE dies. He is already getting his Presidential salary AND free health care until he dies. If Hillary outlives Bill, she also gets HIS salary until she dies. Guess who pays for that?

WE DO!

It's common knowledge that in order for her to establish NY residency, they purchased a million dollar-plus house in upscale Chappaqua , New York . Makes sense. They are entitled to Secret Service protection for life. Still makes sense. Here is where it becomes interesting. Their mortgage payments hover at around $10,000 per month. BUT, an extra residence HAD to be built within the acreage to house the Secret Service agents.

The Clintons charge the Federal government $10,000 monthly rent for the use of that extra residence, which is just about equal to their mortgage payment. This means that we, the taxpayers, are paying the Clinton 's salary, mortgage, transportation, safety and security, as well as the salaries for their 12 man staff -- and, this is all perfectly legal!

When she runs for President, will you vote for her?

did a lot today and yet if you came over you'd never be able to tell! I did dishes, laundry, vacuumed the baseboards, scooba-ed the floor. I am tired! Allen is in Santa Fe this week.

I had a nice b-day yesterday. Allen brought me flowers (SHOCKING!) and took the kids to the dollar store to buy me gifts. Cori got me a horendous figurine (so ugly it's beautiful) and Ethan got me a bag of hair ties. They picked them out themselves and I'll cherrish them forever!

Today is my birthday. I've never gone and done some of the freebies you can get. Last year I SWORE I would and here it is 11:30 and I didn't! grrrrrr It would help if the world would stop turning on this oh special a day so that I wouldn't have to keep doing housework and run the kids around! LOL

We just got back from our vacation. It's the first time since Cori was a baby that we spent a WEEK away from home! We went to Allen's family's ranch down in the Elgin/Sanoita area. The weather was just beautiful! It rained nearly everyday, but I wasn't about to complain considering the hot weather I left AND came back to!
The kids had a blast playing w/ their cousins during the first weekend, which was the family reunion part. They played in the mud, shot bee bee guns (w/ help from their daddy), played w/ bugs, rode in sandrails, and just got good and dirty in general. They LOVED playing in the rain! They almost didn't make it to the end of the week though! They were tired of just playing w/ each other.

Allen and I went shopping down in Sierra Vista and found some AMAZING deals at their wal-mart! There were like 20 clearance racks through-out the store! There was more clearance in that one wal-mart than I have EVER seen at all the wal-marts in Phx combined! I know it's weird to be so excited about clearance, but for those of you who know me really well know that I was in absolute heaven! I got the kids shorts and swimsuits for next summer for under $3 EACH!

Allen and I took a trip down to Nogalas for some cross the border shopping. And I tell you, I am so over shopping in Nogalas. It was the Tuesday right after the holiday and we were about the only white people there. So just about every step we took we had people trying to sell us stuff (which I know is normal, but since we were the only customers in all of Nogalas we had A LOT of salespeople around us!). I wasn't able to browse much on my own since I had people shoving stuff in my face. Thankfully I had Allen there to talk to people in Spanish so I could look around on my own a little bit. We got the girl's matching dresses. So cute! The digital isn't working, so I don't have a picture to send you, but they look like matching Senoritas! We got all the kids maraca's, which we were hoping Ethan would be into, but he didn't really even care about them! LOL I got a beautiful Tiger Eye bracelet as well. Allen didn't find what he was looking for though.

We're glad to be back and getting into the swing of things though. Thankfully we were able to wash all of our dirty laundry while we were at the ranch, so I didn't come home w/ twice as much housework as usual!

Since being back I've become a klutz! A couple nights ago I banged my face on Ethan's bed and got a big fat lip! Yesterday Ethan spilled some orange juice and I slipped on it HARD. I banged my head and and maybe broke my big toe. My entire left side aches from landing on it (although it's the first time in my life I've been grateful for a little extra padding in my hips!). Then later Ethan threw a toy in the air and it hit me in the head! Are you seeing a pattern here....Ethan! So I'm a little beat up!

Other than that we are all doing well. I'm sorry I don't have pictures from our vacation. The only pics we took were w/ a film camera! Hope you are all having a great month!

Hey all! I wish I had time to update everyone individually, but life is crazy! School started August 14th. I am so tired! This school schedule is awesome and SUCKY all at the same time! Cori goes all day Kinder and is doing well. She was very tired at first, but has started to adjust to the long day. Ethan is at the same school as Cori, in the morning for preschool. He loves his teachers and talks about them constantly! He only goes Mon-Thurs and he's always disapointed on Friday when I don't take him to school! I volunteer in the kids' classrooms on Mondays which has been fun the last couple weeks. I'm supposed to have a little time in the morning while the C&E are gone to play w/ Georgia, but SHE SLEEPS THE WHOLE TIME! So I'm a little disapointed by that. She is just so sweet and I love spending time with her.

Did I mention I am tired? I should be napping now instead of typing this, but I'm not. I'm still teaching Coupon $ense classes. They are going well. Our family is gearing up for a big holiday season of donating! Our stockpile is crazy as usual! I am also selling Mary Kay cosmetics now and have really enjoyed it so far. I have been neglecting my skin for so long and now my face feels so nice!

Allen is working a lot......still.........nothing new.......can you tell how excited I am about this?

This is a short horrible update! Sorry, but I just don't have it in me! LOL

Ode To Wish Bone Raspberry Hazelnut Vinagarette Dressing

I like salads. I've always liked salads. Any kind of salad really. But it was about the vegetables. I really love veggies! Dressing was not a big thing to me. I use whatever we get free (or SUPER SUPER cheap) w/ coupons. Usually something light and see-through. Well a while ago I was able to get some wish bone dressing for 25cents each and happened to pick up the RHV. OMGosh I cannot describe to you HOW MUCH I like this stuff. I ate salad like 3 times everyday just so I could eat this dressing! I ran out of the dressing today and as the last drop squeezed out a really disturbing thought crossed my mind. I though "I wonder if I could put water in the bottle and drink it". I'm considering paying full price for this dressing! Sad, very sad. And kinda scary! It's time to walk away from the dressing!

I took Cori to do a research study today. It was another toy study. She did one not too long ago and got a big Cinderella doll and $20. Today she got a neat polly pocket jewelry making set and $15, which she promptly spent on a computer at twice as nice. She saved money for her tithe and savings, so I can't complain. I just wish I knew how to teach her better money management! I don't want her growing up like me! We were at Twice as Nice trying to get some more credit out of the clothes I had in my trunk. I got about $10, which was enough to buy Cori an outfit and Ethan a couple of nice shirts. It's nice to be able to get them clothes this way! Today was Allen's last day working for Camp Sky-Y and he and I went up there for the end of the year party. The weather was SO NICE in Prescott! Allen fought me tooth and nail when I told him I wanted to go to the party. That made me want to go even more because he was being so secrative about it. It's not that I don't trust him, but he wouldn't give me any info about where he was going to be and how late he'd be out (I need SOMETHING to tell the cops if I have to file a missing persons report! LOL). Thankfully my mom was very supportive and took the kids so I could go w/ him. We had a nice time walking around the camp. We plan on going back for family camp next year.

Todya I put out a bunch of stuff for a donation truck. I forgot about it last night (duh) so I wasn't able to get one of the heavier items out to the curb. Thank goodness the Suburban is running again and Allen can just take it down to DI later. I decluttered a bunch of clothes from closets and boxes and seperated them into winter and summer clothes. I took the winter stuff to Kid to Kid to get some credit (plus some of the bigger baby items the Georgie is no longer using like her Johnny Jumper). Was able to get Cori and Ethan a pair of shoes for school and Cori a book for her leappad w/ my credit! I really like Kid to Kid better than Other Mothers or any other 2nd hand store I've been to. It's very clean and organized and the manager is SO NICE. After they went through all my stuff they seperated my stuff into two different boxes. One box of stuff that they wouldn't take because it was soiled and one box that they would happily take in a month or two when the store was cleared out a little more. Makes it very easy for me to keep that one box and get rid of the other crap! Then we went to Basha's. The kids played in the Cubhouse while I organized my coupons a little more and then got some of the free stuff this week! I really love Basha's and that Cub House. Makes for a sane mommy! LOL Now the baby is w/ my mom and the other two are sleeping. We're waiting for daddy to get home so we can go to the Diamondbacks game. We have FREE 6th row tickets, near first base and a free parking pass! My aunt has several sets of season tickets, so she usually gives us tickets for at least 10 games, but not usually the BEST SEATS! We usually sit a little further up! I'm really looking forward to it! I love baseball and my kids love any live sporting event! LOL

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We're home from the game! OMGosh it was good! AZ was playing the Houston Astros. Allen is not a sports fan so he made us leave after the 7th inning (actually I'm surprised he sat that long!). AZ was up 14 to 10 when we left! It was a very exciting game! Ethan got a t-shirt! They were throwing them and one landed in his seat. The man behind us tried to take it from him! When Allen took it the man then complained that he wasn't able to have the shirt! WHO ON EARTH would take a shirt from a kid??????????????? Dummy! Our seats were better than I thought. A little higher up, but closer to homeplate than 1st! Many foul balls came in our direction!

Well, my day went from sucky to I-just-should-have-stayed-in-bed bad! I have fallen down twice! I could have hurt myself pretty badly so I guess I got lucky, but I'm feeling kind of bruised. We were late this AM for swim and I ran out of swim diapers. I had to drag all my kids to wal-mart for milk and swim diapers. It took me 15 minutes to get a screaming Ethan off one of the D@*% toys on the way out the door. Ethan went down screanming for a nap and came up screaming from it. I talked to my mom about 6 times today and each time I managed to come away feeling like crap. I hit my neighbors car backing out of the driveway, no damage thank heavens, but I feel terrible about it! And to top it all off I very nearly got a ticket for parking a quater inch of my tires on the sidewalk in front of my mom's house. I think the cop saw the I'm-going-to-kill-myself look on my face (either that or didn't want to deal with a lady with 3 cranky kids) because he looked at me like I had 3 eyes, mumbled a warning, and took off kind of quickly. Did I mention Allen is out of town ALL WEEK?


BUT the silver lining is I found out my best friend is moving back home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bono asks: What can we do to make poverty history?

Gigi answers: Instead of spending $800 on a new pair of sunglasses why don't you put your money where your mouth is!

Well we had fun at the Circus today! I was disapointed in how small it was. We won't be going back again until Georgia is older so she can experience it at least once. The kids had a blast, which is the important part, but for the price of tickets and all the crap we bought it just was not worth it. I was sad not to see the fancy show horses, larger elephants, and tigers. I felt like the cat and dog show was the main attraction which was kind of rediculous! Oh and the strongest man in the world needed a spray on tan! YUCK! I had more fun watching my kids' reactions to the circus than the actual circus! LOL

We had to stop at Sister's office before the circus and we found a lost, thirsty, bloody dog. It was a lab. It took us some time to get him situated. Then mom's car wouldn't start! So we took Sister's car to the circus.

4th of July

The kids and I spent the day at a friends house swimming. We always get up on the roof of our back porch and watch the fireworks at GCC. I am such a FREAK when it come to heights that it takes me about 5 minutes to get up the ladder. But of course I had to walk each kid up the ladder which was the most frightening! I don't trust Allen to do it because he can be an @$$ and goof off just to scare me. I'm not willing to risk my kids lives because he's a jerk! But once we were up the ladder (I think it took more than 10 minutes!) it was really nice!

Have you started your Christmas shopping? I know, I know it's a little early but I shop through-out the year to make life less stressful around the holidays PLUS I want to find THE BEST deals out there. I also make a lot of gifts so that takes some time as well.

I have Cori's Christmas from "Santa" and from mom&dad all taken care of. It was all stuff off of freecycle so I didn't have to spend any money (except gas I guess). "Santa" is giving her a great decorative fuzzy blue chair. http://www.claires.com/product.asp?name=prod&color=black&rcid=31&id=2443&scid=40 It's similar to this one in the link but it's star shaped and has two matching pillows. M&D are giving her an easy bake oven! Only thing left will be a back-pack filled with underwear, socks, and other neccessities and of course her stocking!

I've gotten Ethan a couple neat cars that I've found on sale here or there. Not sure what "santa" will give him. Santa gives the biggest gifts around here! I have NO IDEA what to do for Georgia!

I need to nail down what I'm making for the grandparents (usually something scrapbook related).

So how early do YOU start thinking about Christmas??? And what do you do to make your holidays less stressful?

June Family Update

Can you tell I've been busy? Here it is, the last day of June, and I'm just NOW getting our family update out! Oh well, at least I've done it and I can say I've successfully kept my New Years resolution for 6 months. That's some kind of record! We just got back from getting family pictures done. That was some kind of feat! The pictures are not as cute as I would have liked but we just could not get all the kids to smile at the same time! Oh well, I guess it shows the "real" them!

Allen has been working a lot of hours because summer is his busy time. He's still looking for a new job (so if you know of any let me know!). He is still tired all the time. He got a machine to sleep with that is supposed to help him breath but it does not work right and he hasn't called the Dr to get it fixed. Very irritating for the person who has to sleep in the same room with him!

I'm doing the same ol' things. I'm still teaching Coupon$ense classes and just recently signed an instructor under me. Our stockpile of food, cleaning supplies, and hygiene products is RIDICULOUS! I just recently got a Scooba, which is a robotic mopper that is the sister the the Roomba. I LOVE IT! If something ever happens to Allen I'm going to marry it! It has absolutely saved me! I'm planning a piano recital for the end of July and I'm really looking forward to it. I will have 4 of my students playing in it!

Cori has been in Summer School this month and is absolutely doing awesome. They had a performance last night that was Patriotic themed. She's been singing God Bless America and Yankee Doodle all month. She has this incredible vibrato that I've never heard before in a 5YO! I think she takes after me! We'll be singing duets soon I'm sure!

Ethan did swim lessons and is doing so well! He's developed a little bit of a fear of the water, which he never had before but he'll get over that soon. He's a little fish so having fear is probably safer for the dare devil. Ethan is still doing Speech Therapy and just recently started Occupational Therapy. I love this boy to death but he is driving me crazy! I'm having a lot of issues with him that have to do with his sensory disorder which just compound his bad behavior. The thing that makes me most angry, is when we're in public he is the sweetest most polite boy. He thanks people for EVERYTHING. At home he pretty much screams at me all day. We've been doing a lot of time out. I'm working on it one day at a time. I just hope he lives to see 4.

Georgia is still the sweetest thing in the planet! I can't believe she's already 11 months! She is so bright! She FINALLY got one tooth and is working on another. She copies sounds so well it sounds like she's talking. She's like a little parrot! She is so expressive with body language as well. She's able to tell me what she needs by a look or a point. It's amazing! She's a chunky little thing but she's smaller than the other two were at this age. She's got more hair than Cori did too, so that's a good sign! My mom is always saying how much she reminds her of me when I was a baby.

I heard the song Imagine by John Lennon today and although I've heard it many times this is the first time the words really hit me! What was John Lennon thinking???? Basically his song is saying imagine having NOTHING to live for! Can you imagine the suicide rate??

Imagine

Imagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today...
Imagine there's no countries,
It isnt hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,
Imagine all the peopleliving life in peace...
Imagine no possesions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say Im a dreamer,
but Im not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.