Thursday's This and That Posts

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to  protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used  less material, but along with that, it served as a  potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes  half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming  oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood  stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ' old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

REMEMBER:

 Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.

Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don’t think I ever caught anything from an apron.   

·         Snacks: Pack plenty of snacks that are easily passed around and eaten in the car or plane. With pre-sliced apples and baby carrots, there is no need to just eat junk food either. You might want to purchase special treats that the kids have never had before. Make sure to pack paper towels and hand wipes.

My favorite day to go shopping is on "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving. I can usually get all of my Christmas shopping done on this day. I love the excitement that you can feel in the air and of course the fantastic deals. Nothing can clear your head better than standing outside in the cold winter air at 4 AM waiting for the doors to open. If you are thinking about shopping on this day here are a few tips to help you survive Black Friday.

• Make your gift list and review your holiday budget. If you want more information on creating a holiday budget look here.
• On Thanksgiving day, while the men are watching football, lay out all of the ads that came in the paper. If you don't get delivery you can pick up the paper at any gas station or grocery store.
• Search for the best deals on the gifts you want and circle them or better yet, write it down and list the price and what store it's at.
• Make a plan. Determine what store you want to go to first paying attention to the times they open.
• I highly recommend getting a group together to go shopping. Divide and conquer. Have one person stand in the checkout line while the others do the shopping. Assign one person to go to electronics, another to toys, and another to clothing, etc.
• Carry as little with you as possible. Take an ID and one credit card and a little cash and just put it your front pocket. The last thing you want is having your wallet stolen or misplacing your purse.
• Be prepared to wait in long lines. That's why I recommend having someone wait in line while another does the shopping. Last year the line at Kohls was 2 hours long when my sister and I finally got in line. We didn't want to wait so we stashed our goodies under a table and came back an hour later when the lines were less.
• Wal-mart price matches so if they carry a item that is advertised for less at another store and you don't want to drive all over to get your gifts, just take in the ad with the price and they will honor it.
• Most Wal-mart stores are open 24 hours so you can get there in plenty of time. However, the sale items are wrapped in paper or plastic until the designated time. So, I go around and gather my price match items and then position myself by the pallet that has my number one item on it and wait.
• Never ever leave your cart unattended. I made the mistake of turning my back on my cart for a minute and when I turned around I realized someone had taken one of the items out that was sold out. My daughter did not get her Cinderella Barbie that year.
• Please be courteous of others and use good manners.
• Have fun!

I will not be shopping on Black Friday this year because my husband is working that morning so please go out and seize the day for me. If you have any other tips please share them.

 

Barack Obama’s plan is more aggressive providing coverage for everyone and because of this it is going to cost more than John McCain’s plan. Obama wants to create a new national health plan that all Americans can get whether they have pre-existing conditions or not.  People who do not qualify for Medicaid or CHIP will receive federal subsidies to help pay for the coverage. He wants to create a Health Insurance Exchange where existing insurance companies could offer benefits similar to the new health plan. This Health Insurance Exchange also makes it so insurance companies cannot charge higher premiums based on someone’s health status.

I heard McCain say that if Employers don’t provide health coverage would pay a fee. According to this article he is correct.  This is what it says, “Employers who do not offer or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of health insurance coverage for their employees would be required to contribute a percentage of their payroll toward the cost of the new national health plan.” However, it does not say how much the fee would be.

Some other key components of Obama’s plan are:

·         All children are required to have health insurance

·         A small business health tax credit of up to 50% of premiums paid by an employer on behalf of workers.

·         Expansion of the current programs CHIP and Medicaid.

·         Flexibility for states to continue in their efforts of health system reform.

McCain’s plan wants to put the power in the hands of the patients instead of the government. He wants to do this by attacking the current federal tax code for insurance companies. McCain’s plan wants to repeal tax exclusions that employers currently receive for providing coverage to their workers. He will then replace those exclusions with direct refundable tax credits of $2500 for individuals and $5000 for families to help offset the cost of getting their own insurance. Employer sponsored coverage is still available and this tax credit could be used to help pay for the employee expense of the coverage. Some argue that the removal of the tax break would force companies to no longer provide coverage for employees. While this may be true in some cases most large companies will want to continue providing coverage to be competitive in the job market.

Some other key components of McCain’s plan:

·         A nonprofit corporation will work through insurers to cover those who have been denied coverage in the past.

·         Reduce prescription drug costs through reimportation of drugs and faster introduction of generics. Today, companies cannot introduce generics until 7 years after the name brand has been out to ensure the lead company makes a chunk of money.

·         Expand health savings accounts

·         Emphasize prevention of chronic illnesses.

·         Promote coordination of care

·         Speed adoption of health information technology

·         Enact tort reforms to protect physicians who follow clinical guidelines and adhere to safety protocols.

So, McCain plan prefers insurance based coverage while Obama’s plan relies on a government insurance plan as well as private insurance. There are some similarities between the two. They both want coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and chronic illness. They both seem to promote a national insurance market where people could purchase insurance across the state lines to ensure the best rate and coverage. A study by the University of Minnesota found that if there was and open market, at least 25% of the uninsured would be able to afford coverage.

Neither candidate has given great detail as to how they plan on carrying out their different plans. There are pros and cons to both plans.  One thing is for sure, healthcare in America has got to improve. So, this November, go out and vote for the candidate you believe will get this country back on the right path for its citizens.

1. Get a Clipboard and make sure it is dust free.                   
2. Paint a base coat of paint on the clipboard if you are not covering the entire board. Keep in mind that most of the board will be covered so you only need to paint the portion that won't be.

   
3. Apply decorative paper, wallpaer, photos, etc. to the front of the board using a decoupage medium like Mod Podge. Use the edge of a popsicle stick to press against board to remove any air bubbles. Make sure it dries completely. Flip over Board and apply paper to back if you would like.
4. Once it has dried completely you can layer with more paper and embellish. Once you have applied all the paper you wish then put a couple of layers of Mod Podge over the paper to seal it.                                     FrontBack       
5. Once it is completely dry you are finished. I like to tie ribbon to the metal clip to add a finishing touch.                                         

Front  

Back

1. Create an emergency plan for your family. The US Department of Homeland Security has created a downloadable one here. It may be hard to make local phone calls so have an out of state emergency contact. Know the emergency plans for your schools and work places.
2. Create a 72-hour kit for each member of your family. To view a list of items to include go here.
3. Make copies of drivers licenses, passports, insurance policies, birth certificates, marriage certificate, any important documents you need to help facilitate getting things back in order. Keep these copies in your kit. (I want to keep a CD with photos I don't want to lose in my kit)

Make sure your kit can be transported easily inc ase you have to walk. Back Packs are excellent containers. Once you have your kit together be sure to store it in a location that is easy to access with short notice.