Donna Lundy » General Living

In Need of Comfort Food

Donna — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:42:56 +0000

We are snowed in again. This is the third storm this winter that has affected schools and kept me trapped in the house. We have an inch on the ground with more snow predicted tonight and even more predicted next week. I wonder if the Farmer’s Almanac called for this much bad weather this winter? If I ever get out to the store again, I might just pick up a copy of the Almanac and read up on what it forecast for Tennessee.

Duck or Duct?

Donna — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:38:31 +0000

I have always wondering if it was Duck Tape or Duct Tape, so then I found this cute little blinkie! But the truth is that you can call it either name. Everyone knows what you are talking about no matter what you call it. They just know that you mean a silver tape with very sticky adhesive that comes in a large roll at hardware stores. It is used for duct work but has many other uses, including making wallets and other fun craft projects.

Scrubs for Today’s Medical Professionals

Donna — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:14:10 +0000

It is good to see that the powers above for today’s medical professions have decided to allow their personnel to wear decorative scrub medical uniforms instead of those plain white uniforms of the past. I remember as kid spending some time in the hospital, man it was so cold and sterile like, it would have been nicer if the nurses had on some of kiddie scrub sets that you see so much of with the good folks that work in pediatrics. Would have brought a tad bit of warmth to the whole ordeal.

The main thing I remember about the stay, other than the crappy food that they tried to make me eat, is my doctor had a fake lizard on his stethoscope that used to help distract his patients with while he tried to examine them. Some thing as simple as that can make a big difference to a scared, sick kid. So seeing a nurse wearing Winnie The Pooh or Mickey Mouse scrubs can certainly make a kid feel a bit less freaked out with everything going on with them and around them. They have some good affordable quality medical uniforms at http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/categories/Scrubs/Scrubs-for-Women/Original-Scrubs/.

Need a New Cell Phone

Donna — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:33:03 +0000

Getting out of the car to pay for gas, my cell phone dropped onto the concrete and busted. Doggone it! It still works, but the display part – what do you call that? – is cracked and you cannot see anything, like who is calling or how many voicemails you have. So I guess I have to get a new one.

Of course, the phone company says that my contract doesn’t allow an upgrade yet and I didn’t have insurance on it – that’s a rip off and you know it! – so it is up to me to find something on the internet or maybe “Wally’s World of Wonderous Things” and I hate shopping there, but when you want something cheap, that’s the place to go.

Water Heater

Donna — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:19:04 +0000

I’ve been taking a look at how to save some money lately. In these shaky times, I think it is important to save every penny we can! We recently received the electric bill, and that was motivation for me to start looking at ways to reduce our electricity usage, even now without the added extra expense of running a central air conditioner.

First thing I’m going to do is get a thermal insulated blanket for the water heater. Our family takes a lot of showers, and we run the dishwasher every day (yes, it is full when we run it, and we have it set on air drying!) and we do a LOT of laundry, so I think insulating the water heater better will help reduce our electricity usage. I’ve read that doing this will save 4-9% in water heating costs!

Insulating pipes

Donna — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 22:03:22 +0000

On my campaign to make our house more energy-efficient (for the environment AND our shrinking electric budget) I have decided that it is also a good idea to get pipe insulation for our hot water pipes. I’m going to have my hubby go to Home Depot and buy some pipe insulation and install it in the basement.

I’ve seen some little insulated boxes that fit over top of the outside water spigots to help protect them from freezing. I think that is a good idea, too. It would be awful to have one freeze and burst – especially during the day while we are not home to deal with an emergency like that.

I do try to conserve water and have always turned out the lights when I leave a room and other prudent habits. But I’m always on the lookout for more ideas on how to save money and also help the environment.

Awesome Fireplace

Donna — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:07:46 +0000

My house has a big problem with the fireplace – it is leaking. We can’t use it to burn wood, which I miss greatly. The chimney is deteriorating from water damage and wood rot, so it needs some serious repair work. So I’m calling for estimates and having trouble finding anyone who wants to work on it.

I love the fireplace in this picture. It’s like the fireplace in the Cracker Barrel near my house. I wish I had a working fireplace like that one in my house. It would be awesome – you would have to pry me out of the rocking chair next to it during the winter months.

We Have Opinions

Donna — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:33:46 +0000

Maybe I missed my calling as a professional critic. Although, I must say, my sister is even more critical than I am. The difference between us is how we present our opinions. I try to be soft with my approach, often telling a short story that illustrates my point.I really dislike confrontations and would much rather work toward solving a problem than getting into an argument.

My sister is more straightforward than I am, and has often been called a control freak. But I say, she doesn’t shirk from issues and that she manages to get things done. So, bravo! big sister! It takes all kinds of people to make the world go round, and my sister and I are working hard to make everyone else perfect.

Set the Clocks Back!

Donna — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 05:26:24 +0000

This year we have to set the clocks back next Sunday, which is the designated first Sunday of November. We always set the clocks back last night before bed. That way we can get the extra hour of sleep in the morning. When we do wake up we can enjoy seeing the correct time on all the clocks and we’ll be on time for anything that is time sensitive.

Happy Halloween

Donna — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:13:26 +0000

Here is to everyone having a safe and enjoyable Halloween and that they weather cooperates with all the trick or treaters that have been all year for this annual candy free for all!