Is Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn Safe?

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I’ve been reading about a disease called “popcorn lung” recently. It has been the subject of lawsuits by hundreds of workers at food factories where they use chemicals for the butter flavoring on microwave popcorn. The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association even issued a statement this week recommending reduction of diacetyl “to the extent possible” in flavorings they make. Diacetyl is approved for use in flavors by the federal Food and Drug Administration. But I don’t care what they say, if hundreds of workers are having problems then that sends up a red flag. Even though companies are planning to discontinue using it over the next year, I’m concerned about all the workers and all the consumers. We like air popped popcorn with extra virgin olive oil the best, so we rarely eat microwave popcorn. Maybe more people will start using air poppers again.  Click here to read more.


“Kitschy”

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Recently I was talking to my daughter and her sister-in-law who is college age.   So they use this word “kitschy” and I didn’t know what it meant.  They said it meant retro or vintage.  We looked online and it can also mean bad art.  But most people probably use it to mean vintage.  We looked at some “kitschy” pictures of things which were definitely retro or vintage.  And the funny thing is that I can remember seeing things like that when I was a little girl.  Only they weren’t old…they were the new things back then.  🙂

Busy, Hectic Week

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This past week has been so busy and hectic at times. Those of you involved in getting kids ready to go back to school can relate, I’m sure. There are school supplies to buy, forms to fill out and numerous other things to do. We also have a friend who’s had some problems, and we’ve been helping out this past week and weekend. That’s taken a lot of time. So when I looked at the date of my last post just a minute ago, I was surprised to see that it had been five days since I’d written a post. I had good intentions to write several posts over the weekend and read other blogsites, but my good intentions were lost in the hectic times of the week. This is a new week, so hopefully I’ll be able to write more now. 🙂

“Frontier Texas” in the New York Times

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If you’re traveling west in Texas on I-20, make sure you stop in Abilene and visit Frontier Texas for a great educational experience. It made the New York Times recently. We heard about it a couple of years ago and decided to stop and check it out. I thought it would probably be the average historical type of museum. But I was mistaken. It is not your average museum. I was impressed and highly recommend it. I don’t want to tell you too much…I want you to experience the state-of-the-art technology yourself.

Iced Tea – Southern Style

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Here’s an easy way to make good, southern style iced tea:

Boil 2 cups water (I use the microwave)

Then put in 3 family style tea bags and let steep 5-15 minutes depending on personal taste (I prefer 5 minutes)

Don’t squeeze the tea bags into the water – remove them from the tea

Add sweetener while tea is hot, either 1 cup sugar (or more to taste) or sweetener of your choice. (I like to use Stevia.)

Add 1/4 tsp baking soda to keep tea from tasting bitter

Pour tea into gallon container and fill with water, then chill. If you’re going to pour warm tea over ice, then only fill the gallon container half  to two-thirds of the way.

Enjoy!! 🙂

Modesty & Style – Funky & Fun Clothes

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When our daughter was in high school, we would go shopping at the mall and go to just about every store (that a teenager would wear clothes from) until we found the longest mini-skirt.  Skirts and dresses were really short during that time.  But after looking in several stores, we would always find something that was suitable.  Clothes can still be in style, fun or funky and yet be modest at the same time.

 

How To Clean No-Wax Floors

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Before we got our no-wax floor, I use to clean with Lysol.   One of the men who installed our no-wax floor said not to use Lysol anymore.  That would dull the finish.  He said one of the best things to use is white vinegar.  So I pour 1/2 cup white vinegar in my mop water.  And it does a great job.  The only thing is that you don’t have that clean Lysol smell, but the floor looks great and the shine is still there after several years.

I’m back! :)

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I haven’t written much this past week (due to being in “grandma heaven” – LOL), but I’m back home now and plan to be writing daily. And now that it’s the time of year when school starts, some of you are probably super busy with all the things involved in getting ready for school. Hope things aren’t too crazy!

A Very Special Time

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I have been in “grandma heaven” this week, helping with our new grandbaby. I went to stay with our daughter and son-in-law for a few days to help out with the baby and things around the house, cook, etc. Although our daughter is on maternity leave, she still needed to contact a few clients and catch up on voicemail and work email.  She was able to do this from  home.

I loved being able to sit on the couch, holding “Baby J.”  I enjoyed watching him, HGTV, and our daughter as she worked at her computer and made business calls. I thought about how nearly 26 years ago I sat in my grandparent’s rocker which we had in our nursery. Years ago I sat rocking our daughter as a newborn, watching her tiny features and listening to her precious little sounds that only newborns make.  I wondered back then what she would be like when she grew up.

This week I sat holding her newborn baby. Those 26 years have passed in a flash, and now I know that she is such a wonderful new mother, as well as a great wife. And I’m so proud of her! (and my husband is too!) And so I wondered, as I sat watching Baby J’s tiny features and listening to his precious little sounds that only newborns make, what will he be like when he grows up? It was a very special time for sure!

Share Your Favorite Vacation Spot

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Where is your absolutely most favorite place you’ve ever been on a vacation?   Please leave a comment below and share.

My favorite is almost a tie between Hawaii and Colorado.  We’ve been to four of the Hawaiian islands and they’re absolutely gorgeous, but Colorado wins out every time.  I have a passion about being up in the Rocky Mountains.  It is so beautiful up there, especially in early summer and early fall.  I love the drive from Salida up to Leadville and on up to Rocky Mountain National Park.  Leadville, Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon, Silverthorne, and Estes Park are our favorite towns.  Rocky Mountain National Park is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.

We used to go on family vacations there when I was a child, so I fell in love with the Rocky Mountains at an early age. I even went to summer camp there once when I was in high school. Throughout my life, I have visited there maybe a dozen times. The awesome majesty of the mountains reminds me of the awesome power and majesty of God. There’s nothing like being up high and looking out over the mountain tops.