Touch Free Trash Can

Welcome to the 21st century!
We have a new kitchen gadget.
Touch Free Trash Can by iTouchless

Photo 1: Side view of the trash can (Closed)

Photo 2: Front view of the trash can (Opened)

This is a video of me using my new touchless trash can

iTouchless trashcan opens and closes without touching the bin.

About the iTouchless Trashcan: The 13-gallon, brushed stainless steel Touchless Trashcan is a patented product that's already widely recognized in Europe. It also won the 2002 Invention Show, New Household Product Award. It is a 100 percent hands-free operated, wireless, lidded waste disposal system. The built-in Artificial Intelligent (AI) Smart-Chip knows when you need to open trash can, and it does all the openings and closings for you so you don't have to touch or step on anything.

How it Works: The Touchless Trashcan uses patented, invisible, and harmless infrared technology. Simply place your hand or debris about six inches away from the infrared sensor near the lid. It will open instantly when you approach and will close automatically in three seconds after debris has been released and your hand moves away. The lid will remain open if debris or your hand is within the 6-inch range of the infrared sensor. There are two buttons on the front to open and close the lid manually, and a easy to reach on/off switch on the back of the trashcan.

The Benefits of the Touchless Trashcan This trashcan creates a germ free, odor free, automated environment. It keeps your hands clean while you are cooking or playing with your children. It also helps prevent contamination, which reduces the threat of certain illnesses and infections. Because the trashcan turns an ordinary chore into something fun, your kids will have fun throwing the trash away for you. In addition, the Touchless Trashcan outlasts most of the step-on and hand-touch cans. If you can't touch it, you can't break it! These cans have been opened 100,000 times in laboratory tests, and they're still going strong. In fact, if you open your can 20 times a day, it can last over 10 years.

Kitchen is Painted

The white walls of the kitchen are painted.

I had taped up everything during my lunchtime on Wednesday. I started painting at 4pm and had finished the area over the pantry door, behind the frig and above the cabinets before Doug got home at 6pm.

Doug started doing some of the cutting in and we finished up painting the kitchen and breakfast nook and cleaning up by 9pm.

Whew!


Please note the birdhouses are gone and are being replaced with a new design motif of palm trees. If you know someone that would love a birdhouse or two, let me know.

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Tuesday evening, I attended The Colony Women's League social. It was an evening of what I thought would be a scary movie and popcorn night.

The movie of choice was "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". It is a quite bizarre movie with a huge following.

Rocky Horror is the first and only true audience partici-(SAY IT!)-pation movie. People yell back lines at the screen during the extended pauses between dialogue, dress up in costume and act out the film, and throw props various times during the film.

Some of the props are rice thrown at the wedding scene; toast to throw whenever a toast is proposed; flashlights for the song 'There's a Light'; newspaper to put over your head when Janet and Brad are running in the rain; etc...

The audience participation phenomenon was observed as early as the film's first run in 1975 (when it bombed during limited engagements in 7 of 8 cities), and was later re-released as a midnight movie where the audience participation really began to flourish.

And by the way, for the "gore sensitive", Rocky Horror is NOT a horror film. It is a rock-musical send-up of old science-fiction and horror films.

Jill gets a job

Congratulations Jill!

Monday, October 27th
Jill interviewed with McKesson in Conroe, Texas for a H.R. Coordinator position.
She had a total of four interviews.
10AM: Three of the interviews were on location with the HR Manager, Director of Operations, and an Asst Manager.
3PM: She then followed that up with a phone interview with the Human Resources Director later in the day.

HR Coordinator Job Description:
Responsible for providing administrative support for the human resources function including the areas of compensation/benefits, employment, employee relations and training. Maintains employee files and personnel records, processes change of status forms, compiles personnel statistics and provides information to employees on matters pertaining to personnel forms and records. May prepare special reports, such as insurance, COBRA, OSHA, manpower, etc. May screen, evaluate, and conduct reference checks on candidates, maintain requisition and advertising logs, administer benefit programs, prepare insurance reports summarizing claims and coverage, and conduct employee orientation to inform new employees of company benefits programs. $18.30/hour.

Tuesday, October 28th

Jill was offered the job and will start work part-time up until she graduates on December 19th and then she will work full-time after graduation. She will be able to work full days on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays and have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Way to go Jill! We are very proud of your accomplishments!

For more information about McKesson see the website: www.mckesson.com

Kitchen Remodel - slow start

PHOTO 1 - Before photo

PHOTO 2: Wallpaper removed in kitchen


PHOTO 3: Wallpaper removed in breakfast nook

PHOTO 4: Everything taped up.
Getting ready to spackle the area that used to be wallpapered.

PHOTO 5: Doug "knocking down" the spackle that was sprayed on the walls.

Beer Brewing - Liberty Lager II

Saturday afternoon

Doug is brewing beer today using his new wort chiller and pre-wort chiller.

The pre-wort chiller is shown in the cooler.

The actual wort chiller is shown on the kitchen counter.










He is making a recipe he had last year: Liberty Lager.

Liberty Lager II
Late Extract Method
2 Lb. Alexanders Pale Malt Extract
2cups Munton's Extra Light DME
2 oz Mt. Hood Hops 5.2 %
1 oz Liberty Hops 4.5 %
1 oz Liberty Hops 4.5 %
4 Lb Alexanders Pale Malt Extract
1 Whirlfock Tab
2 oz Liberty Hops 4.5 %

Ding-Dong

Friday evening, our neighbors apparantly came over to visit. We had been in the bathroom discussing the sealer situation.

The reason I know this, is the neighbors called us when they got home and told us they had been over and left a surprise at our front door. We didn't even hear the doorbell.

Doug investigated further and it appears our downstairs door chime was never wired into the electricity so we were only ever hearing the upstairs door chime when the door bell rang.

So we went to Home Depot, got a new door bell as the light up feature on the old one was not working.

Now we have a new doorbell and will not miss any visitors. Hmm...I wonder how many other times we have not heard the doorbell and missed some company????

FYI... The surprise at the front door was a Yankee Candle (Autumn Wreath scent) and Thank You card from the Mayfields. Kathy had called me one day last week sounding very sick and asked if I had some "flu symptom" relief medicine. I did not...but offered to go to Walmart and get something for her. This was a thank you for being neighborly :-)

Celebrate "20"

HAPPY

'20' th

BIRTHDAY

JACKIE!

Pirate Days

Saturday October 18th & Sunday October 19th - I volunteered at Pirate Days of The Colony.

I was one of a few volunteers from The Colony Women's League who worked the Lakeside Arts Foundation booth. We assisted the community build Kaleidoscapes. We made sure the kids wore special gloves so they would not get injured handling the glass. We also helped ease the glass down between the panes so that it would not shatter with the force of falling. We managed the entire weekend without any injures and broken glass!!!!

The Kaleidoscape project symbolizes the fabric of our community, with all of our diversity, uniting to create a beautiful space to live and play in. Each panel was uniquely constructed by the community stopping by the booth to drop a piece of recycled stained glass in the structures. In total 9 panes were filled during the two day event!

Each panel is constructed of a metal frame, set in stone, holding 2 panes of tempered or laminated clear glass. When the panel is full of colored glass pieces, the top is sealed shut, creating a one-of-a-kind work of art.

Lakeside Arts Foundation envisions these works of art placed at the main entrances to the city, within our city parks, and eventually placed around town in various prominent locations. Themes and foundation materials are to be determined depending on the area chosen to enhance and complement the surroundings.

These unique and aesthetically pleasing works of art will serve to promote tourism and provide a unique identity to our city. Art has been proven to stimulate economic activity and benefits the business community in addition to enhancing the quality of life for our residents.

Tomato Progress

The tomato plants have been transplanted to larger pots.

They are shown here, enjoying some of the Texas fall sun.

They are not growing "too" fast, but I still hope to enjoy some fresh homegrown tomatoes this winter.

Master Bath Remodel - Day 26

Saturday, October 18th
Day 26

Photo 1:Doug is starting the grouting process for the shower wall tile.

Photo 2: Doug is inspecting his grouting work
Photo 3: The shower tile, grouted.
Photo 4: The shower wall tile and bench, grouted.
Photo 5: Up close view of the grouted bench.

Tomato Plants

TOMATO PLANTS

I checked my tomato plants when I returned from Iowa and they were all growing sideways, being limited by the dome over the top of them.

I've removed the dome and they have "somewhat" straightened out.

Will probably need to transplant them to a larger container later this week.

Patriotic Duty

Today is the last day to register to vote
and I'm proudly displaying my candidates sign in my front yard.

Why vote fro John McCain / Sarah Palin?
The biggest issues for me are the taxes, energy, and healthcare.

Later this month, I will take training through the Denton County Elections Board and become an election clerk. Early voting starts October 20th and Election Day is November 4th.
Get out and Vote!

TAXES
I agree with the platform to keep taxes low, especially for small businesses
I also support the decreasing of the corporate tax from 35% to 25%, to allow American businesses to keep jobs in America and not look for cheap labor in other countries. My company currently does this and we have as large a work force outside the country as inside the country.
I also support the McCain platform to ban taxes on the internet and cell phone usage.
(This could be a huge cost in my house, if this is approved the way Obama wants to increase taxes)

Energy
I agree we need to expand our domestic oil drilling and expand the use of natural gas also supplied here in the good old USA.
We need to reform our transportation system so that we do not need to depend on foreign oil by improving battery technology for hybrid/electric cars and making a more rapid and complete switch to flexible fuel vehicles.

Healthcare
I support the McCain's idea of portability of healthcare,
health insurance following you from job to job.
Other healthcare reform ideas I'm very interested in are: reforming the medicare/medicaid payment system (there's lots of opportunity there - I see many payment mistakes made that cause the consumer to pay more).
I also would like to see medications made available to the consumer at a more affordable price.
Canada and Mexico have proved you can get medications at a reduced amount.
Even Walmart now offers many 350 common maintenance drugs at $4/month or $10/90 days but if you use insurance at Walmart you'll pay the higher tiered copay/deductible amount.
That is not right!

Test Results

I received my colonoscopy test results in the mail:

This letter is to provide you with follow-up regarding the pathology results from your recent colonoscopy.

Once an individual has undergone colonoscopy, a recommendation is made regarding when the next colonoscopy should be scheduled based on the type of polyp removed, the kind of polyp removed, the number of polyps removed, how adequately prepped the colon was and the individual's personal and family history of colon cancer.

You had two polyps removed at the time of your colonoscopy, both were adenomatous. This type of polyp is considered to be precancerous, meaning that it had the potential to progress to cancer, had it been left in.

Adenomas of the colon are quite prevalent. They are found commonly at the time of a colonoscopy. They are removed because of their tendency to become malignant and to lead to colon cancer.

I recommend that you undergo a colonoscopy again in three years.

Sincerely,

Grace Vanesko, M.D.

Texas Digestive Disease Consultants.

Tribute to Granny

Granny passed away this morning after a short illness.
She will be missed by all that knew her.
We remember however, she loved Our Lord and is with Him now.

If Granny's body and health had held up as well as her spirit and her spirituality
...she would have lived forever!
She handled her physical limitations with the way she had coped with every hardship
in her life.....with dignity, grace, and a very deep inner-strength.

One thing she did, without a doubt, is leave an incredible impression on the women in her life.
Her strength, sense of self, and strong moral values run deep.
While she was a tough woman on the outside, she was full of passion beneath.
I feel thankful to have known her as I did and I miss her dearly.

I wonder how many hearts she touched in her eighty-nine years of life?

We all will miss her very much!

"God be with you till we meet again"

Services will be Thursday afternoon in Fonda, Iowa.

Cream Puff Dessert

This recipe was for today's church potluck.
They served the same food at each table. I signed up to bring a dessert.
Below is the recipe I was asked to make. It was easy and delicious!

Cream Puff Dessert

1 cup water

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup flour

4 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk

1 - 8 ounce pkg of cream cheese, softened at room temp.
3 - 3.5 ounce packages of vanilla instant pudding mix
1 - 12 ounce carton cool whip or other frozen topping (thawed)
Topping: shaved chocolate, chocolate or caramel syrup, or any other garnish of your choice.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease or spray a jellyroll pan (10 1/2 inches x 15 inches dimension)
2. In a saucepan, over high heat, bring water and margarine to a boil. Reduce heat.
3. Stir in flour until mixture forms a ball.
4. Remove from heat. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition until mixture is smooth.
5. Spread mixture evenly over bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Surface of the pastry will be uneven. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

6. In large bowl, with an electric mixer set on low speed, gradually blend milk into cream cheese, beat until smooth. Then add pudding mix. Beat on low until slightly thickened. Pour over crust and spread to cover.
7. Spread thawed cool whip over top.
8. Sprinkle with chocolate curls or drizzle with your choice of syrup.
Refrigerate until serving time. To serve cut into 15 pieces.
Enjoy!!!!

This is my pastry crust after baking for 25 minutes.
This is a photo of the custard layer, after the pastry layer had cooled.
This is a photo, just before leaving for church this morning.

Nintendo Wii

I had bought a Nintendo Wii about a month ago. It finally came in last Friday.
Doug and I have enjoyed a few evening last week, challenging each other to bowling, tennis and golf.

I have yet to get the hang of the baseball game. Doug keeps telling me "Nathan could do it". I respond and say "Yeah, but he plays the real thing too!"

I'll keep practicing...I might be able to take on Nathan in the future...just not this week!

Master Bath Remodel - Day 25

The shower tile "INSTALLATION" is complete!

Photo 1: The soap dish is in stalled and held in place with blue tape.
Photo 2: The short wall is tiled and held in place with blue tape.
Photo 3: The completed shower with trim pieces installed around the perimeter.
Photo 4: The soap dish FINAL.
Photo 5: The bench FINAL

Doug will grout the wall tile and seal the tile when he returns from Amsterdam.

Prayers for Granny

Prayers are being requested for our Granny Murphy.

She has been in the hospital in Storm Lake for several days with pneumonia and congestive heart failure. She has continued to be in I.C.U.

Medical information will be limited on this blog to protect the privacy of our dear "Granny"

We appreciate the periodic updates from the family and hang on to every positive word we can.

Granny is 89 years old and a very strong woman with a great love of her children and grand children. We wished we could be there at this time but we send our thoughts and prayers to her via email almost every day through the hospital patient email system. Lyla is reading them to her and I hope she finds comfort in knowing that she has a great deal of family that loves her.

Please add her to your prayer chain and also lift up her three children during this time.