Storytime with Carmen and More. Formerly home of Carmen's Adventures in Parenting. Sometimes I have a lot to say. Sometimes I don't. But if I do you can bet your boots I'll say it all . . .
I can't wait to paint faces tonight and put on my witch costume! I haven't worn it out in 3 years. It's gonna be so much fun - I'll be matching with my daughters! And I am beyond stoked to paint my sons faces for the zombie look. I hope it doesn't get too chilly out there but we'll be ready for it, if it does. Can't wait!
I woke up feeling so very blessed today, because we did not lose power, no thanks to Hurricane Sandy. In fact, it's not even raining here right now. The wind was pretty vicious throughout the night.
It kept waking me up and I could hear one of the doors to the house rattle a little bit, but we made it through. In my county alone there are over 30,000 people without power and most of my little town is out, but not us. We got so lucky.
I personally feel like I owe that to a whole lot of prayer. I'm sure many prayed that lost power, too, maybe it was the luck of the draw. In any event, I feel blessed and am beyond thankful. Looking at pictures of the places hardest hit is unreal. I can't believe the damage to Atlantic City, lower Manhattan, Jersey and the snow in Virginia - this was such a crazy storm.
It looks like we'll be able to celebrate Halloween tomorrow, after all, as long as it's not raining, which = a happy Mommy and happy kids. Thank you Lord for having mercy on us.
So we have this monster storm Sandy headed our way and I don't usually get nervous about these things, I just prepare as best I can, but this time I have to say I'm a bit nervous. It's not just any storm; it's a freak storm with a Noreaster colliding with a late season Hurricane and...right before Halloween!! Oh, joy!!!
I've pretty much kissed Halloween goodbye, unless a miracle happens and the storm moves out to sea, but it doesn't look like that's happening. It's headed straight for us. I'm more worried about the possibility of losing power now, though, than I am about Halloween.
I live two hours north of NYC, so I'm close enough to the coast to be affected by Hurricane force winds and tropical storm force winds if we get them. I don't have any trees that are close enough to my house to come down on it, thankfully, but my Mom has a big tree by her house and there's a few big trees by my brothers house.
My brother also has the kind of job where he works in all types of weather; nothing keeps him home, so I'll be worried about his safety. I just hope that everyone's preparing and stays home if they're able to during the worst of it.
The biggest worries for my area will be downed trees from high winds, power outages, flooding in some areas and maybe a tornado warning. We actually had a tornado warning last year during Irene. We're not used to those things here, so that was very scary for us here in my town.
Thankfully, though, we didn't get a tornado! I prayed non-stop that night that we had a warning, right until I finally fell asleep! I was lucky enough to not lose power last year during Irene, but other areas of my town were not so lucky and lost power for close to a week or more.
I pray that doesn't happen to me this time and that we get lucky again. I just have to make sure that we have everything we need in the house in the event that the power does in fact goes out and hope for the best.
If I lose power next week, you won't see me posting for a while until power is restored, but hopefully that won't happen! I pray for the safety of all of us along the east coast, and I also pray for people's homes and businesses. Everything is in God's hands - prayers for all.
Want to save some money on Halloween makeup, or maybe you just don't like the mess of Halloween makeup, so how about using eye shadows instead? I've done this a few times over the years and the end result is just as great, but less messy.
First of all, I love painting faces and I'm good at it. I can still remember painting my 16 year old son's face for his Kindergarten alphabet parade. He was F for 'fox' and I painted his face just like a fox.
All I did was look up a picture of a fox and tried my best to paint his face just like that picture with eye shadow. I have used regular Halloween makeup too, but I realize now that I prefer eye shadow.
What made me decide to write about this is that this year I have one 'Big Daddy,' three zombies and three witches, including myself. I found a really cool witch makeup tutorial that I'll share down below that I want to try for myself. Actually, I found two that I like, but I'll tell you which one I'm going with. If you look on YouTube, you'll find a ton of great makeup tutorials for just about anything! Okay, so back to the makeup...
The only thing that I need to buy new for myself is purple lipstick. I own everything else, which = saving money. With my three zombies, I'm ordering zombie kits, fake blood and I'm gonna use eye shadow for the rest. I'll use the eye shadow first, as to not ruin my eye shadow.
For anything scary, if you own black eye shadow or even dark grey, white, greens, and purples, then you're good to go! Red lipstick - even better!! Actually, now that I think about it...if you really want to save money, other Halloween makeup ideas include using ketchup for fake blood on clothing and using red lipstick for fake blood on skin. Zombie clothes? Take some old clothes and rip them up - very simple!
Other Random Halloween Tips
Tip #1 Another tip for Halloween night to keep kids warm if it's chilly outside is to add layers underneath their costumes that match the costume. For example, with my daughters their witch costumes are pink and black. The sleeves are more of a pink, so I'm gonna put pink sweatshirts underneath with black sweat pants or warm black leggings. You can try multiple layers of long john's - things like that. Always make sure to keep the feet warm. I'm a firm believer that if your bottom half is warm, you'll be alright.
Tip #2 Here's a tip for your pumpkins. This is something I was thinking about because I've been seeing a few rotted pumpkins around town. I had that happen when I first started carving pumpkins...a few times. This is from carving too early. I've found that it's really best to wait 1-2 weeks before Halloween to actually carve the pumpkin.
You can buy the pumpkin early, but just wait to carve it, that way it's not ruined before Halloween night! And never light it before Halloween, unless you're using a special light made for pumpkins, because candles will make it rot quicker, too.
See below for the great tutorials that I found and have a safe, fun and Happy Halloween!!!
Both of these ladies are very talented... There's also a ton of other great makeup tutorials on YouTube, so check them out! Please note that in 2021, I had to swap out the original top video that I had in this post because that YouTuber is no longer active on YouTube :( but the Spirit Halloween look I also loved and looks like something I'd try in the future!
If you love eating foods with onion in them, but hate having your eyes gush with water as they're assaulted by an onion, while you attempt to chop said onion, then this trick just might help do the trick to prevent watery eyes.
My mother actually taught me this trick years ago and it really does help. I mean, they may still water, but not as much.
I can't remember where she learned the tip from. I think that she learned it from a TV program or something; it was probably on the Today Show or something, knowing her. Ready? This is so simple and maybe you've already heard this tip, but it doesn't hurt to share for those who may not have heard of it.
Prevent watery eyes while chopping onions by following these steps:
First, you're going to fill a bowl with cold water.
Slice your onion into slices.
Rinse each slice under cold water, then place the slices into the bowl that you filled with cold water.
Let the onion slices sit in the cold water for a couple of minutes, then grab one slice at-a-time while you chop or dice them.
And that's it. The cold water really does help "tame" the onion, so to speak. You can let it sit for a minute before you begin chopping or you can just start chopping your onion. I don't usually wait. And remember that if you have a really strong onion, your eyes may still water a little.
I also try to chop quickly, lol, but not too quickly, as to not cut myself! Maybe that's why it's better to let the onion sit for a minute or two in the cold water before you begin chopping.This is the best way to avoid watery eyes when chopping onions. It really helps a lot. If you have another tip on how to avoid watery eyes while chopping onions, feel free to share below.
Ever wonder how to keep your dark clothes from fading in the laundry? So what's the big secret? Dark clothing is anything black, navy blue, or purple, etc., of course, but this method works for any piece of colored clothing that you'd like to keep like new.
There's nothing more annoying than buying new clothes and having them fade in the laundry after washing them a few times. This is frustrating unless of course, you like your clothes to have that faded look. Some things I don't mind a little faded...some.
My Trick
Well I have a trick that can keep them from fading a bit longer. I learned this trick years ago when my older sons were smaller. A few years ago I stopped doing this trick and things started to fade again. I really don't know why I stopped doing it... I think I just got so busy with life.
Okay, so on to my trick... It's very simple -- are you ready? All you do is turn the clothing inside out while washing and drying. You can turn the clothing inside out while drying only, but it's optimal to do it both while washing and drying.
Other Tips
Avoid Hot Water: Another tip is to try to avoid using hot water when washing dark clothing. I know that sometimes it's hard to do that if you have a child that is a natural born slob (like I used to be -- well, still am!) or with any child for that matter -- hey, things happen.
What I do if I have to use hot water is this -- I also use OxiClean and with OxiClean you have to use hot water in order for it to dissolve, so I dissolve the Oxi in hot water first, then I change the water over to either cold or warm. If you don't use OxiClean and want to keep clothes stain-free, which is your reason for using hot water, then try using a detergent that fights stains with cold water.
Line Dry: During the warmer months of the year try line drying your dark clothing if you're able to.
You can use the inside out trick with anything dark, or any other piece of colored clothing to keep it looking like new a little longer. Dark t-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, pastels, anything! It really works great. Give it a try and let me know if it works for you too. :D
Carne Guisada is sort of like a Puerto Rican beef stew and it is sooo good!! Give it a try and I guarantee you'll fall in love...
Carne Guisada - My Way
Prep Time: The only prepping that you really need to do is peeling and cutting the potatoes but that can be done while the stew beef is cooking.
Cook Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Servings: 8-10 (Depending on portion size - my 2 teenage sons had large portions and there was still enough for 6 of us. If they had smaller portions, this could feed 10 easily.
Ingredients:
2 pounds of stew beef 1 - 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup of Goya Sofrito Sauce 1 packet of Goya Sazon
1 tbsp. of Goya Adobo 1/2 tsp. Dried Oregeno
salt to taste 3 cups of potatoes
2 cups of baby carrots 2 cups of green beans or peas
3 tbsp. of corn starch 1 cup of water
Carne Guisada Directions:
1.) In a large pot, combine tomato sauce, sofrito sauce, sazon, adobo, oregeno and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Add stew beef and cook until evenly browned. Next, add enough water to cover the stew beef, cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 1 hour.
2.) Add peeled and cubed potatoes, baby carrots and green beans or peas. Cover again and simmer for another 30 minutes. 3.) Mix 3 tbsp. of corn starch with 1 cup of cold water. Stir until mixed evenly. Slowly add the mixture to your stew and stir while simmering on low heat just until thickened. (This won't take long.)
Tips: Serve with dinner rolls, white rice, a nice salad, etc. I like to cook white rice while this is cooking. I cook 2 cups of medium-grained white rice while the stew is cooking towards the end of cooking time that way the rice is finished when the stew is finished. Then I put a little rice on each plate and top it with the stew. I also do this with chili. :) It's very good and filling. This is a very simple, quick and healthy dinner.
Next up on my wish list is a self cleaning litter box! With all of the things that I have to do around the house, the cat box is a real time waster for me. Not to mention that I love my kitties, but detest the litter box.
I need something quick and easy, and have always wanted to try one of the self cleaning litter boxes. Again, I'm going with something that has good reviews, but is also within my budget.
Two of the Best Self Cleaning Litter Boxes that I Found
I was browsing on Amazon at the different types, and so far, it's a tie between the Omega Paw Self Cleaning Litter Box and the Tidy Cats Breeze Litter Box. I was leaning towards the Omega litter box, until now. I just checked out the Tidy Cat box, so now I'm not sure which one I'll pick.
The one I decided not to get, because it's too pricey for me and because I wasn't too happy with some of the reviews, is the ScoopFree Self-Cleaning Litter Box. That box doesn't look like something a kitty would want to go into, lol. And that's pretty much what a few reviewers commented on. Their cats went else where. I don't want that...
Why They're the Best
The way that the Omega box works is that the kitty goes in and does it's "business." Then when you're ready to clean up, you roll the box to it's side and the waste goes into a little compartment that you empty. No scooper involved! I like that it has a dome; I have three cats and they're used to a dome.
Now that I checked out the Tidy Cat box, I'm not sure what to pick, because I like everything about this box, except that it has no dome. I don't know if my cats will use it without a dome. I love that it has odor control. When kitty pees, the pee passes through the litter into an odor controlling compartment.
According to one reviewer who goes in depth about this box, the compartment consists of a urine absorbing pad that you change as needed. You take the tray out, toss the pad into the garbage, place a new pad and slide the tray back in. The litter is dustless and because it's pellets, kitty doesn't track much litter. On the other hand, people say you get a "poo" smell because kitty can't cover it's poo.
Final Thoughts
I think I'll probably go with the Omega cat box when the time comes. In any event, I can't wait to own a self cleaning litter box!! How pathetic to get so excited over a litter box! Well, it's not the litter box that excites me; it's the "making my life just a little bit easier" part that's exciting. Mama also wants a dish washer before Christmas. I'll have to blog about that one next time... :D
Well I knocked one thing off of my Wish List recently! I finally got one of my dream baby gates (a secure baby gate) and installed it today.
As I explained before about my reasons for wanting this baby gate my girls are 2-1/2 years old and they are not ready to go upstairs by themselves, etc.
My doorways are uneven, so wooden baby gates and plastic baby gates are not sturdy enough. The girls take them right down.
My main concern has been keeping them from getting upstairs and I would also like to keep them out of the kitchen for a little while longer.
My Baby Gate of Choice is...
I wanted the safest baby gate that mounts to the wall but also one that was within my budget, so I bought the Summer Infant Secure-Entry Metal Gate. This gate screws into the wall securely and it's tall! He, he, the little Rugrats won't be getting past this gate! I was so excited to install this thing.
I had a couple of issues but am very happy with my purchase thus far. I'll give a run down of the installation process. First of all, after putting together many things in my life and following directions I have learned to really absorb the instructions before beginning. Because no matter how hard you try sometimes you have to redo something. And, man, do I hate that... Even after reading the instructions very carefully and studying them, along with studying the pictures, I had to redo a couple of things in the past.
It comes with a temporary foot support that you use while installing that way you can be sure that the gate is even with the wall. Because of the wood trim at the bottom of the wall I had to bring the gate up just a little higher. I attached the bottom portion to the wood trim, but higher up on the trim. Then I wasn't able to use the permanent foot stopper that stays on the gate to support it in case anyone tries climbing on it, because I needed to use the second panel; it comes with two.
You can still use the foot stopper with the second panel as long as it extends long enough. My doorway was wide enough where I needed the second panel, but where it didn't extend out to add the foot stopper and that's okay. It's on there good. When installing this kind of gate you have to make sure that you secure it to a stud in the wall.
The instructions say that they are for mounting the gate to wood and that if you need to mount it to another surface that you should use the wall anchors provided. This is really a no-brainer. I've had experience in the past with trying to hang heavy things on the wall in an area that had, lets just say, some sheet rock. And whatever it is that you're trying to hang on the wall will eventually come out and you're left with a hole in the wall to patch and repair.
So the best way to avoid this is to use anchors or to look for a stud. Luckily my doorway seems to be solid steel underneath the sheet rock - I "think." I have a stud finder but it had no battery, so I just knocked on the wall to make sure there were no hollow areas. The entire thing was solid. My last issue was with the latch, which was the final step of installation.
When All is Said and Done
The screws that come with the gate are really not long enough for the latch. I used them for now, but I can definitely see them eventually coming out and becoming a problem, so I'm going to buy longer screws and fix it another time. The gate is high and there's no way to just open the gate. I thought there would be a way to do that.
I'm 5'3 and I just barely make it over carefully. The last thing you want to do is put weight on it by trying to get over the thing. There is a way of unscrewing the spindles on the top and bottom to let the gate swing open to get through.
See, this is not a problem to me because I'm just happy to know that my girls are safe and can no longer take the gate down. I'll unscrew the spindles or climb over it - no problem for me. I feel like a weight has been lifted from me, ha. I got so much done today now that I don't have to keep fixing the gate!! I LOVE this thing and want one more for the kitchen, then I'll be even happier! :D
If you have no clue what a "stud" is then click here to learn what a stud is and how to locate one in your wall!
I was really hoping to start adding recipes again tonight but I'm not feeling up to it. I have too much stress on my mind and am about to crawl into bed for the night.
Just thought that since I opened my mouth earlier and said that I was going to add a recipe that I might as well leave a note saying that I changed my mind. Procrastinating much? Yes, I think so. :D
I finally got myself a new cell phone, so now I can take pictures again. I haven't had one since December of last year and I really need one for the work I'm going to be doing, so I bought one. Plus, there have been times where I wished I had one; emergency type situations.
So I'm happy and now I can start adding recipes again. In fact, I have one from last night that I'd like to add tonight. Chicken Casserole; so yummy and so easy. It was my first time making this recipe and I tweaked it a little.
Next time, I'll tweak it some more. I found it on my favorite recipe site allrecipes.com. I've been a member there since 2004. That recipe required sour cream and I forgot to buy it, so I Googled the casserole recipe, ended up on Campbell's website and realized that the recipe I had was sort of originating from a Campbell's recipe anyway.
Campbell's didn't call for sour cream, so I used the ingredients from both recipes, minus the sour cream and added some ingredients of my own. Next time, I'd like to add the sour cream to see how it tastes, some more seasonings and maybe some chicken broth. It was still delicious though. I'll be eating left overs for lunch...😁
