Travel Tuesday

Yes, I'm traveling this week. I'm in St. Louis and having a great time--or I will be when you read this. I actually wrote it on Sunday!

 It's hectic trying to see everyone--and I always look forward to the best Italian food. Or, I should say, salads. Nobody does salads better than St. Louis! And pizza--simply nothing like it anywhere--St. Louis-style pizza.

Anyway, I thought this might be a good time to share some recent travel hacks that I think are interesting.

1. I can't quite wrap my brain around this one, but the idea is that you freeze wet sponges to use as ice packs for anything you want to take on the plane that needs to be kept cold. 

It just seems to me that the sponge would thaw out pretty fast. There have been a few times when we've been renting a place and cooking. It would be nice to be able to take the leftovers home--cheese, lunchmeat, butter, etc. Maybe I ought to give it a try.

2. Now this tip is pretty genius if you ask me. Use an oven mitt to carry a hot, just used curling iron in your suitcase. 

I cannot tell you how many times I forgot my curling iron because I had it cooling on the counter before I even left home! Okay, I can tell you how many times. Two. Exactly two. When we got to our destination, I had to buy a new one--each time. 

3. Use a shower cap to hold your shoes. This is a good idea, but personally, I don't need it. I have several bags--either from shoes or purses that I use. 

And then, of course, I do wash all of my shoes when I get home from a trip. I don't care what kind they are. Recently after Italy, I washed all of them--cloth, tennis shoes, slippers and flip flops--even leather shoes. I don't put them in the dryer, just let them air dry. I rarely have shoes fall apart. It has happened a couple times, but those were already old and about ready to go anyway.

4. This is a great idea for men or women. Roll up your belts and put them in the collars of your shirts or blouses to keep them from getting crushed.

Of course, that requires you to actually have a belt. Heck, I might just have to buy some belts so I can do this. I'm beyond belts these days.

5. I'm just throwing this one in because it's a good idea. Thread your necklaces through a straw to keep them from getting tangled. 

I would do this all the time--not just for traveling--if I had any necklaces. Really, I have exactly one. The diamond that I have been wearing for years and never take off--unless I'm getting a massage. Plus, if Mindy would use this idea, she wouldn't have to bring her dad a glob of necklaces all knotted together for him to untangle. The guy can do anything. Sometimes, I think she's putting him to the test! He passes every time!

6. Pack dryer sheets in your luggage. They keep your suitcases smelling fresh and keep your clothes from smelling musty. I like this one. 

7. If you are like me, you hate to touch the remote control. That might be why I never turn on the tv while traveling. But, Butch does. That means I have to touch it to turn it off. Years ago, I used to use a baggie for the remote after reading that after testing, they discovered some unsavory things on it. I'm not even going to go there--use your imagination. Then I heard this one:

use the shower cap! You can still use it for your shoes when getting ready to leave!

8. Some hotels require that you put in the key card to get electricity which means you lose it when you leave the room--especially in Europe. Well, for those of us who need the electricity to be running to charge our devices--like portable chargers so we can charge our devices, here's a great idea:

Any card will do. Hmmm, what a great way to use the jokers from a deck of cards. I'm going to stick one in my suitcase right now! I hope I remember I did that when I need it!

9. Who knew?

You can use a glass as a speaker for your phone. I need to try it just to see if it really works.

10. Ask for a corner room when checking in. Apparently, they are bigger. Worth asking.

And now one final tip from me: get yourself some packing cubes. They are not expensive. I absolutely love them. I have a set of 4--they were around 10 bucks. But, I love this set of 8 for $20. Just be sure they have the mesh top so you can see through them. I'm tempted to get them just because they are pretty. I have pink ones, but these seem better.

One last tip: get extra charging cords for all of your devices and keep them in a ziplock bag. All you have to do is grab the bag and you are good to go. No more hunting for your computer, phone, Fitbit, or Kindle chargers at the last minute. I also keep a little speaker (thus eliminating having to use that glass), tea bags, and Equal and a few hand sanitizer wipes in there too. 

Well, just one more: always have a pashmina with you when traveling. You just never know when you'll need a little something--especially on cold planes or airports!!

And here are some stupid ideas:

1. Rub the mirror with soap to avoid steam build-up.

That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. A regular size bar would take forever--much less that mini-sized bar. Uh, how about doing it the regular way? Just open the door.

2. It's recommended that you carry instant meals in your suitcase for your hotel room so you don't have to get expensive room service. That sounds absurd. All you need are some assorted snacks. Or better yet, carry something in--pizza or a sandwich. Butch and I really like picking up cheese, salami, fruit, and a hunk of bread for a quick picnic when we're tired in the evening and don't want to go back out.

3. You can use a matchbook to file your nails.

This is stupid on a couple levels. 1. Who even carries matches anymore? 2. Where would you even get said matches? 3. Seems to me that rather than having to remember to hunt, and find a book of matches, you could simply put an emery board with your travel stuff. I have one in my "ditty" bag. Duh!

4. Talk about stupid. You are supposed to attach your keys to a charging cord so you don't forget them.

Are you kidding me? Wouldn't your phone be enough of a reminder? And what's up with that disgusting phone? Whoever took this picture---what were they thinking? What a nasty-looking phone screen! I would never take a picture with it looking like this. Well, actually that could never happen. My phone never looks like this.

5. Use the bathroom sink filled with ice to chill your drinks. How stupid! OR you could just use the ice bucket!

6. Pack a crayon for emergencies. What the...? Now this is really stupid. You are supposed to pack a crayon in your wallet: A. as a spacer to keep your cards from bending. I've never needed anything and my cards are just fine. B. you have something to write with if your pen runs dry or pencil tip breaks. How about just carrying an extra pen? Like I said, stupid!

7. It bothers me that I don't have a "7."

8. Or an "8."

9. Or a "9" or...

10. Until next time...

Me on Monday

 So, I was at the grocery store and I looked up--way up! The bottle of Thousand Island salad dressing I needed was on the top shelf---way in the back.

I looked around to see if there was someone that could help me. Nope.

Then I looked down.

Dare I step on the shelf to garner the few inches this vertically challenged girl needs? I stood there contemplating it with the little devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other. The angel said, "Don't do it Barb. The shelf could collapse and you would fall!" While the devil was saying, "Sure you can do it. Even if the shelf didn't hold, it's only lightweight croutons that will fall on you!"

Luckily, before I had to make a choice, a young feller came along. I asked him if he could reach said salad dressing for me. He did. No catastrophe ensued! But, I have to wonder, who would have won out in the battle of good and evil. I'm really not sure, but I did have my foot in the air!!

Something for Sunday

I never thought about this before, but it makes so much sense. We need to use cash as much as possible---at least for small businesses. 

Connie prefers to use cash while I just about always use a card. You know---for those points. But, there are some places where you cannot use cash. I can't exactly remember where, but Connie has encountered this several times.

Well, here's an interesting take on it all---and worth considering.

I have a $50 bill in my wallet. 

I go to a restaurant and pay for dinner with it. The restaurant owner then uses the bill to pay for the laundry. The laundry owner then uses the bill to pay the barber. The barber will then use the bill for shopping. 

After an unlimited number of uses, it still remained $50--- everyone who used it got the advantage of the full $50.

But if I come to a restaurant and pay with a credit card, the bank fees for my payment transaction charged to the seller are 3%, so around $1.50--and so that fee of $1.50 continues for each further payment transaction--owner, laundry, barber and so on. Therefore, after 30 transactions, of the initial $50, only $5 remains---meaning that the bank got $45 of the original $50 due to all the transaction fees.

We can help small businesses by paying cash. 

Imagine what each retailer is paying on a monthly basis in fees at 3% per transaction for credit card payments. If they have, for example, $50,000 in sales & 90% are by credit card, they are paying $1500 in fees in ONE Month. $18,000 in a year! That comes out of their income every month. That would go a long way to helping that small business provide for its family!

I guess, I'm going to need to start getting more cash every month---at least for those small businesses. Or better yet, maybe we need to check the dryer!

Scrapbook Saturday

1. Kid Rock. 

I'll admit it. I like Kid Rock. I like his music. I like his show. I just don't like his politics!

2. this layout is from our friends trip to Connie's place at Mexico Beach.

I designed this layout for all of us. Karolyn printed the pictures. Pam made the title.

3. I did this layout for Elizabeth's album. 

I wanted to document the friendship between Elizabeth and Analise's. Their mothers, Sandy and Amanda were friends first, so they are the next generation of friends!

4. I just had to tell the story of the hawk family we had in 2022.

I was really hoping they would come back this year, but they didn't. I'm so happy to have these pictures. I loved watching them from the sunroom--on a daily basis. 

5. This is Janet's AYM page for last month.

Where did you go on vacation? was the question to answer for our "Wonder Years" album.

Friday Funnies

Five Things Thursday

Since I'm going to St. Louis on Monday!

It's been really hot in Nashville AND St. Louis. I think I would like to try this. I think I will and let you know the results!

This makes me want to do this right now. How exciting!! I'm pretty sure I would only find a couple of nickels--wooden at that!

There are no words! Okay, one: GORGEOUS!! And I get to see her in concert in October in Atlanta with Sandy and Greg. George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Willie Nelson and Little Big Town. I was so disappointed that I wasn't able to get George Strait, Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town tickets here in Nashville. I guess that meant I was just going to get better tickets in Atlanta. I love the line-up!!

Travel Tuesday

Not us traveling this time. 

A week ago last Saturday, Mindy was telling us that Justin's brother, Corey, his wife, Emily, and two kids, Leo and Selena were coming to visit them. One thing led to another and we offered to have them come here along with Mindy and Justin. Their condo downtown is just too small to take on a family of 4. Plus, we have the pool AND an extra car. That turned out to be a godsend since it can hold 6 people. We've always said that we kept the Enclave as a loaner. It has come in handy dozens of times.

So, Mindy and Justin moved in on Wednesday evening after a stop at the grocery store. They came stocked with all kinds of kid-friendly food: fruit, Lunchables, donuts, M&M ice cream cups, uncrustables, chocolate milk, apple juice, and mini Cokes. 

The plane was delayed---no surprise to anyone after our fiasco a couple weeks ago!! Anyway, by the time Justin left to pick them up--10:30 or so, Mindy stayed behind to go to bed. She was working the next day. They got back here around 11:30 pm. 

The next morning, I was up and out walking by 6 am. When I got back, everyone was still sleeping. Turns out they--including the kids are night owls. Corey and Emily work for Disney and have late hours.

The plan for Thursday was that while Mindy worked, Justin took the family around town and wound up at the Science Center. They got back in the afternoon and had some time in the pool before leaving to drop Mindy and Emily off for "The Chicks"---formerly known as the Dixie Chicks---concert. The plan was that while they were at the concert at Bridgestone---a very short walk from their condo--- Justin and Corey would hang out at their place. 

No sooner had they gotten down there than Emily got a text from Ticketmaster that the concert was canceled. One of the "chicks" was sick. Bummer!! Unfortunately, Butch heard it on the news shortly after they left. Soooo, they all came back here and hung out.

The next day, both Justin and Mindy had to work. So Corey and family went to the zoo for a good part of the day. Oh, did I mention that it's been really HOT here? I don't think it's as hot as Italy but very close!! Of course, being from Florida---and working at Disney---they are used to it.

That night, Emily and Corey had tickets for the George Strait concert. Justin drove them down---driving through McDonald's for the kids. Of course, besides rush hour traffic, they got caught up in the concert traffic---which is a nightmare. It took 2 hours! On the way home, the kids convinced Uncle Justin to drive them back through Mcdonald's for another happy meal! Oh, and then there was a bathroom accident somewhere along the way; with one of the kids. Turns out, that was contained in the car seat! I know Butch was feeling bad for his car! He's fanatical about his cars. 

They got back and spent the rest of the evening with Justin and Mindy chasing the kids all around the house. I just laughed! I told Justin about how our grands ran around the house all the time and my comment to Butch that I didn't remember our kids running around like that. He said, "Well, Barb, our hallway was only 6 ft. long!" Yeah, we have a lot of room to run around in this house! 

Justin and Mindy got them to settle down with a movie. They were still awake when Justin left to pick up his brother at the end of the concert. 

But, the funniest part of this too-long story is that Leo--the 6-year-old thought our house was Mindy's house and the "hotel" (condo) was Justin's house! I don't think he grasped what was really going on. And then, since Mindy was using my office for work, he thought that was Mindy's office--at one point asking her, "Aunt Mindy, can I talk to you in your office?" 

Kids! So darn funny! 

Oh, and the food--reminded me of Camp Aunt Barb. Seems like each year, I have a meltdown about the food and how picky kids are nowadays. Well, one morning, Mindy pulled out the uncrustables at breakfast. Leo turned up his nose and said, "No! It's supposed to be a purple box!" Meaning, she bought strawberry--hence a red box rather than grape in a purple box. Then, we both nearly lost it when she handed him the juice box, he took one look at it and said, "No, the hole for the straw is supposed to be on the edge, not in the middle!" But, luckily, he decided that it was okay if the straw wasn't going to be in the place he was used to!!

Justin and Mindy really got a workout chasing the kids around for a few days. And, they get to do it all over again in September. "The Chicks" concert has been re-scheduled. At least it should be cooler then!

On the way home from taking them to the airport, Justin stopped at Starbucks and brought me this:

OMGosh! I didn't know this was a "thing." I thought I was the only one that said, "Aaahhh!" after my first sip. But apparently, I'm not the only one. Justin is a sweetheart.

And that's why he's my favorite son-in-law!