Category: Cautionary Tales

Tea Tree Oil-1 Me-0

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I keep wondering why I seem to have so many random mishaps happen. Then I have an ah-ha moment and realize that I’m meant to share them all here with you. In my what will one day be a famous series a la Emily Post. Except I’ll tell you what you need to know before you even know you need to know it. Pretty clever.

So the latest mishap occurred when I decided to try out the merits of tea tree oil for a pesky scalp issue I’ve been having. (Yep full disclosure here) I purchased a bottle of must be amazing cause it’s from Whole Foods tea tree oil and was on my way.  Continue reading “Tea Tree Oil-1 Me-0” →

My Life These Days…

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Me: This tea is pretty tasty. (as I happily sipped from my tea mug)

Garett: Oh. So you finally added the tea.

Me: What??

I was drinking a mixture of coconut oil, cinnamon and hot water that was also supposed to contain Earl Grey tea. In my frazzled state, the tea bag didn’t make it into the mug. I didn’t even notice that I wasn’t actually drinking tea. It was hot, comforting and hitting the spot. Sometimes almost is close enough.

 

tea

Kitchen Tales

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I’m prepping to make a crock pot and thought I’d share a cautionary tale. Yep another one. They keep coming so I’m going to keep sharing in the hopes I’ll provide some sort of helpful advice. One of my favorite mainstays on the elimination diet was chicken breasts cooked in the crock pot with taco seasoning. Of course I couldn’t use my normal go-to taco packet seasoning as it wasn’t diet approved so I was pretty proud of myself for putting together my own. Who knew the taco seasoning packet was merely a tasty mix of cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, onion powder, salt and pepper (and probably some other weird preservatives that I definitely do not need). Pretty fool proof and no chopping required which made it an A+ recipe in my book. Continue reading “Kitchen Tales” →

Helmet Advised

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Soooo, have you guys been missing me? In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been a bit MIA. Or did you think I was on an intentional hiatus? Or possibly a vacation? Hard to tell around here I know. Consistent posting is not my strong point, but I promise this is not a case of the dog ate my homework. It’s more of a hijacked by the roller coaster of life kind of situation.

Well I guess you can decide for yourself. Rewind to last week. I was on the verge of leaving my job so life was a bit hectic. Basically, I decided to quit my salaried position in event management and take a part-time job in development at the local university. So, it was a week meant to be spent dealing with the transition and preparing for my new job.

Things were moving right along until Wednesday evening when I began to feel sick. I didn’t have time for that so I picked mind over matter and willed myself to be better. I went to sleep ok, but had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. That’s when a curve ball came hurtling my way and knocked me on my ass.

Literally. I remember feeling disoriented, nauseous and like I was about to pass out. And then I did pass out and managed to fall out of the bathroom, down the stairs and hit my head on the tile floor. Thank goodness Garett heard the thump and my subsequent moaning and came to the rescue.

Before I knew it I was bundled up in the car and we were headed to the emergency room to get my head all stitched-up. After much poking and testing, it was determined I had a run of the mill virus, was dehydrated and probably suffering from a concussion. Oh and should not be allowed to use the restroom in the middle of the night without a helmet or escort.

So the moral of the story is just when you think that life can’t get an crazier it can and will. Oh, and be careful what you wish for. If you entreat the universe to shut-up your brain and constant mind chatter it just might happen. During the recovery period my brain was strangely empty and quiet. I’m happy to report I’m feeling better every day and that my brain seems to be working. I still think the concussed excuse is legitimate for a while longer. Also, you are never too young to consider wearing a Life Alert device. Or too cool to consider a permanent helmet. Especially if you are starting to notice that “Cautionary Tales” is coming up quite frequently in life and on your blog.

The Chicken Smelt Round the World

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“It was the chicken,” he said as he walked into the room.

“Wha?” I’m halfway listening as I’m reading something very important on the internet.

“The chicken.”

He has my attention now. “What chicken?”

“The smell.”

“Huh?” Clearly I’m missing some context here.

“I just realized that the chicken was stinking-up the Woody.”

“Oh. But what chicken?”  For some reason I can’t stop imagining a live chicken running a muck in his work van. I’m confused and my forehead is doing that pucker thingie that it does when I’m perplexed and that’s why I have forehead wrinkles.

“The chicken in my lunch box.”

“Oh. That chicken. From two weeks ago? Ewwwwwwwwww.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe we thought it was mildew.”

“Well, you did leave the doors to the Woody wide open through a torrential downpour.”

“I’m just glad I got it figured out. Now I don’t have to clean the Woody today.”

“But what about the lunch box? That thing wasn’t cheap.”

“I don’t know. I guess we’ll see.”

“Were you on of those kids that always left food in your lunch box over the weekend?”

“My mom used paper bags.”

“Good to know.”

___________________________________________________________________________

Seriously guys. Don’t let this happen to you. It was the chicken smelt round the world. Or just our neighborhood. Sorry neighbors. The minute the doors of the Woody were opened the smell rushed out into the world overpowering in its terrible stench. I would never have guessed the source of the smell wasn’t mildew. I actually have a lot of experience in the field of mildew from that time that Dash got rained in and a mold infestation occurred. I’m sure you can’t wait to read about that.

So moral of the story is leaving perishable food in a lunch box in a hot car for days is not advised. Unless you really like surprises.

Tips for Smooth Smoothie Making

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So, one would think that after 21 days of making smoothies every morning I’d have it down to a science. I mean the name in itself suggests a smooth and easy process. How hard can it be?? Throw the ingredients in the Ninja, press a button and it does all the work. Well, for some reason it typically doesn’t work out that way for me.

I’ve decided that maybe I need some written reminders posted by the Ninja to help me out. Maybe the problem is I’m not awake yet. It’s typically one of the first things I do, because I wake-up hungry most of the time (awesome) and need something in my belly ASAP. So that my belly will quit yelling at me, so I can take my vitamins and so that I can drink my green tea. Vitamins and caffeine on an empty stomach are not a good scene. Andddd I can’t have eggs right now thanks to this elimination diet so smoothies it is.

The first roadblock I often hit is getting the ingredients in the blender without making a mess. As in I am really clumsy and somehow spill whatever is supposed to go into the blender all over the kitchen. When it’s blueberries and you are running late for work even better. It’s amazing how those suckers roll under everything, leaving a trail of vibrant purple in their wake and squished blueberries under my feet. Fun times.

The next problem is that when I do manage to finally get everything situated in the blender, I realize I’ve forgotten to put the blade in. I get to dump everything back out that I just worked so hard to get in so that I can put the blade in. As you can imagine that it’s own mini adventure. At this point, I’m ready to call it day.

I continue on, refusing to be daunted and too far in at this point to pull the plug. I breathe a sigh of relief that I am finally ready for the easy part where I press a button and let it go. I flip the switch and it’s making a weird noise and smells like the engine might be burning. Oh right. It’s still on the single serve setting and I’m using a pitcher. Minor adjustment, easy fix and I’m back in business.

The Ninja is finally working now, chewing the blueberries and kale into a frothy mix that I have definitely earned and spraying it out onto the counter and walls. Wait one of those things is not supposed to be happening. Yep, I did it again. I didn’t check to make sure the pitcher lid was closed hence the smoothie murals now decorating the kitchen.

Will I ever learn? Can I ever be trusted to make a smoothie without making a mess? Is there something wrong with me???

Cautionary Tales-Adventures in Cleaning

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Since sharing is caring, I thought I’d share a cautionary tale. I know it might seem strange taking advice from me, but I’m usually pretty spot on when it comes to what NOT to do in life. I’ve gained a lot of experience by routinely doing the wrong thing.

I wanted to try cleaning with vinegar and water, but I didn’t have an empty spray bottle. I did, however; have a spray bottle on hand that was halfway filled with J.R. Watkins Natural All-Purpose Cleaner. I didn’t want to waste my bought on clearance at Target natural cleaner, so I poured it into a glass and sat it by the sink. Garett commented that maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. Well, what if cleaning with vinegar and water wasn’t such a good idea and I needed a back-up cleaner? Plus it’d be wasteful to throw it out.

Fast forward to early the next morning. Blurry-eyed and parched I stumbled into the kitchen for some water. Ah-Ha! Perched next to the sink was a glass of water. Yessssssss, score. I grabbed the glass like it was a lifeline (there may have been some adult beverages consumed at our house the night before), and threw it back. And then immediately spit it out. I’d been punked. By myself. The “water” was the J.R. Watkins cleaner that I’d strategically placed there yesterday. And it was awful. There was nothing natural tasting about that nightmare in my mouth.

Thoughts flew through my head. Ahhhhh, my throat is on fire. I could be dying. Oh shut-up you didn’t even drink that much and it’s natural. Natural products should be safe for consumption. Right??!! Oh crap. I don’t know. This is the worst taste ever. I should brush my teeth. Accckkkk that didn’t help. I’ll eat something. Ugh is it possible it’s getting worse??!! What now?? Why didn’t I listen to Garett?? Ok, think. What to do when one drinks cleaning solution? 

A few minutes later, I was on the phone with poison control. And it wasn’t embarrassing at all explaining that I was a 30 year old woman, nope not a kid, that accidentally drank all purpose cleaner. I was told that I should be fine, to take it easy, the after taste would probably fade at some point and given a lecture on the safe storage of cleaning products. I’m pretty sure that was a one and done kinda situation, but I guess you never know. Just to be safe the J.R. Watkins bottle now holds a mix of water and vinegar. Safety first!

 

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow…

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Winter is Here!

After an unseasonably mild winter, the past few days of snow have been a rude awakening that yes it is indeed February in Central Oregon. It certainly improves the landscape as everything looks better covered in snow, but it also makes life a bit more interesting. I have to remember to wake up a little earlier, to drive a little slower and to step carefully cause it’s icy! My usual morning routine of rushing out the door, hopping in the car and jetting off to work isn’t so successful in this weather. I know, I’ve tried it. And ended-up flat on my back after hitting an ice patch and skidding down our stairs. Or driving with my head out the window because I forgot to warm-up my car and my windows are covered in a sheet of ice. So while I bemoan the fact that we don’t have a garage and I have to clear my car of snow and ice in the morning, it comes with the territory. In fact, I’m kind of starting to enjoy tromping around gracefully gliding through the snow while banishing ice and snow from my car with my trusty scraper. I’m virtually the picture of serenity. I definitely never stomp around angrily muttering to myself and waving my scraper wildly. That’d just be crazy.

This Is Consuming My Life…

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So yesterday was a lazy day full of eating, lounging in PJ’s and reading The Hunger Games. There has been a lot of buzz about this book as the movie is coming-out soon. I’ve had some friends recently read it so I decided to give it a go. And proceeded to become completely engrossed in this tale of a futuristic society that hosts “Hunger Games” where human tributes are sent to battle it out to the death. Kind of like the show Survivor but with much more at stake. Sounds a bit strange but it sucks you in and before you know it you’re up until 1 am on a school night. When that happens and you’d rather keep reading then get a good night’s sleep you know it is good. So I finished the book in the wee hours last night but my little addiction isn’t over. It’s a trilogy…!!!! And with my Kindle making it sooo easy (almost too easy!) to download the second book, Catching Fire, I think it might be another long night!