Retail Therapy

Oops! I gave Miss A/C a high five too quickly. I didn't use my a/c the day she was here, but the next day was really warm. I suddenly realized something was wrong, and when I checked, I found I was only getting air - not cold air. I called and fortunately was told I'd be added to the call list, thought it might be after 5:00 before he arrived. 

The problem was simple. Somehow a wire coming out of the switch was moved, and evidently being bent caused the a/c to refuse to start. He only had to move the wire, and all was well. Just to be sure, he said he'd order a new switch and install it at no charge. 

My first thought was, "No more girls for me." The more I thought about it, the more I realized this could have happened to anyone. She had run all her tests and said all was good. If she had actually started the a/c, she would have realized all was not good. We all make mistakes, and hopefully learn from them. I'd planned to tell them "no girls" in the fall when they service my furnace, but I've changed my mind.

This is the best kitchen hacks YouTube I've ever seen, and will probably use most of them. Click Here. I tried the spaghetti trick, the sheet pan cover, the towel for the dishwasher, and the potato masher. Thumbs up all four.

My kitchen hack: I found I'd put something on the stove, get busy doing something in the other room, and burn whatever I was cooking. Now I leave a bracelet by the stove, put it on when I put something to cook, and it bugs me, as I'm not used to wearing a bracelet. Good! a reminder of why it's there.

I love YouTube. Click Here. Short and very cute.

No more slimy cucumbers

Pickle them right away before they go bad, and they're good in salads, as a side dish, or on sandwiches. They don't taste like pickles; they taste like cucumbers. I always add onions, because I like them as much as the cucumbers. Recipe follows.

Put the cucumbers and onions in a wide mouth jar.

Mix the marinade and pour over. It might not cover the veggies completely, but not to worry.

Put the jar in the refrigerator overnight, and by morning, the veggies will soften and be completely covered.

You might want to dump everything into a covered glass bowl to mix it up, or just mix and return to the jar. The other option is to mix it before adding the marinade.

CUCUMBERS AND ONIONS

2 cucumbers
2 small onions, cut in half vertically
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
 
Slice cucumbers and onions into a large bowl. Separate onion pieces so they’re in strings.
 
Mix other ingredients well to dissolve sugar and pour over.
 
If there’s not enough liquid to cover the cucumbers and onions, it’s not a problem. They will soften and sink.
 
Cover and refrigerate.
 
Will keep for several days.

Here's a cool 5S lunch for a hot summer day

Soup - Strawberry

Salad - Macaroni

Sandwich - Chicken salad on croissants

Sweet - Apple Pudding with Whipped Cream

Something Else - Sliced tomatoes, potato chips, mango-tangerine iced tea

Yes, I know faux flowers are out, but what's a girl to do when she can't find the right color? Besides, fresh flowers are really expensive. I know you're not supposed to use candles during daylight, but I do that as well. My table - I'll do what I want. Snack sets might be out, but I think they're making a comeback.

Apple Pudding was a new recipe I tried from one of those fund-raiser cookbooks. Not a keeper. The ingredient measurements were off, and so was the baking time. Made edible by adding whipped cream and a sprinkle of Linda's cake spice.

I simply must stop watching YouTube. I just did this table so I could discard the dishes. I happened onto a YT channel which made me remember all the fun I had thrifting and doing tables, etc. So I went on a spree.

Instead of discarding, I added. These are the new dishes I found at Dollar Tree, and by the way, they should change the name to $1.50 Tree. I bought only four dinner plates, four salad plates, and two bowls. I could just imagine these bowls heaped with strawberries.

I also bought three food containers to use for card projects. I'm tired of seeing things stacked on my kitchen counter.

I was having so much fun shopping, I headed to my (used to be) favorite thrift store in Nixa. They've raised the prices, and they're using the holiday room as an upscale boutique now. Boo! 

I spent only $8. I bought some 3-ring binders and a monthly accordion file.  I always buy the nice ones with inside pockets, because I fill them up with my blabbering and Someday Isle (I'll)  projects. A real bargain at 50 cents and some come with dividers. The file was $1.

The books had a sign 10 for $1. You know I don't need books, but I guess reading the past couple of weeks has put me in the mood. I saw a couple I might like at that great price. Imagine my surprise when she charged me $1 each. If you want 10 for $1, you have to buy 10. Guess I was supposed to grab eight more and then throw them away if I didn't want to read them. They must be really desperate to get rid of books.

This got only 3.4 stars on Amazon and 3.0 on Goodreads, so I'll probably like it. It works for movies. Bad reviews - love it; raves - hate it.

I didn't realize this is part of a series. Oh, well.

My best find was a Bento box for $2. Here it is at Amazon for $17.81. Click Here Mine is missing the plastic fork and spoon plus the little cup, but so what. It's even this color.

Then I stopped at Nixa Hardware to check out their ground covers. Oh, my! Look what I bought for $22.56.

16 plants

44 little plants

10 plants

I came back and emptied my trunk and went to Walmart for groceries where I bought 8 pepper plants for $2 and a Mandeville for $4. I have no idea of the color.

Did you see the Flag Day parade? It says AI generated; I hope at least part of it is real. It's a perfect parade for our 250th birthday. Click Here.

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO PLANT SOMETHING

CHECK THE SALES IN THE GARDEN DEPARTMENT AT WALMART

RADISHES ARE QUICK TO SPROUT

GETTING HOT - STAY HYDRATED

A LITTLE SUN IS REALLY GOOD FOR YOU

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE