GREETINGS!

NEW YEAR'S BLESSING ARE WAITING

FOR SENIOR LADIES IN 2019!!

CHRISTMAS GREETING!

IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT!

I'll admit my zeal for

Christmas decorating

had waned. My sons

had moved out and I

have no grandchildren.

I was shopping on Black

Friday a  few years ago.

I saw a 6 ft lighted

Christmas tree marked

down to $7.00. I thought

this must be a mistake!

This was an offer I couldn't

refuse. I rushed to the 

register with last marked 

down tree.  I got home 

with my tree and realized 

that I had no ornaments

to go on this tree. I had

donated all of them to a 

Thrift Store.

My recent Christmas 

decorations were a wreath 

on my doors.

I have a tip for Empty 

Nesters and Seniors 

living alone. Decorate a

tree for your own pleasure.

I could afford to splurge 

on Christmas since I'm retired and my children

were grown and gone!! 

I could spend 

money collecting expensive

ornaments and other 

Christmas tree accessories.

I have always loved 

theme Christmas trees. 

There is a garden nursery

nearby that displays

beautiful themed Christmas

trees. I even saw a sock

monkey themed tree

one year. 

Here are some images 

of Christmas theme trees

that I'm using for 

inspiration:

https://www.samsclub.com

https://www.elledecor.com

https://christmas.snydle.com

HANDSOME DUO!

Amazon.com



I have learned to enjoy new types of music as I have gotten older. In my younger days, I enjoyed R&B and contemporary jazz music.  In later years, I listened to mostly Gospel music.

I used to be a faithful Oprah Show watcher. She featured Andrea Bocelli on one of her Christmas shows. He only sang for a few minutes but I was blown away by his amazing voice. I had never listened to opera or understood the  Italian 
language.  I immediately went to the music store 
and bought Sacred Arias.
I played this CD several times a day. I have
bought other CD's by him since that time.  Sacred Arias is still my favorite 
and it still gives me goosebumps.

I saw Andrea Bocelli's interview with Gayle King
last week. Andrea and his son Matteo sang their new
song, Fall on Me. This was definitely a "Wow"
moment! I'll be online this week looking to see if their is CD available.


**PLEASE EXCUSE SYSTEM PROBLEMS WITH FONT TODAY


Andera & Matteo Bocelli:

FAVE ANDREA BOCELLI 
SONG FROM 
SACRED ARIAS CD:

SENIOR LADY GARDENER, II

https://www.teleflora.com



The fall season is here.
I know I'll have to do something soon with this huge planter full of snake plants. Snake plants are tropical plants and can't tolerate winter frost.

I did keep some snake plants in my greenhouse one year.They were doing ok until the nighttime temp dropped to 20 degrees! They looked like green wet noodles! 

I had some snake plant cuttings in shallow containers under my 
white bench. Well, I was 
so wrong! The containers were hit 
by strong wind gusts. 
I found them flipped upside down, in the middle of my porch. This mess stained my beige print outdoor rug.  I scooped up the mess and placed it in a grocery bag. 

I placed it behind my outdoor furniture.  
I planned to throw the
whole mess out later. This week I was sweeping my porch. 
I found the forgotten bag full of cuttings. I decided
to open up the bag. I was  expecting to see wet soggy cuttings. To my surprise,
the cuttings had survived.  They had plenty of tiny roots on them!  

I can't explain why the cuttings grew roots in 

a grocery bag. 

In the beginning, these cuttings may have gotten too much

direct sunlight. 

I sat on my porch yesterday

and placed all of these cuttings in recycled coffee mugs from

the thrift store.  I plan on giving these snake plants

as gifts, if they look healthy when the Christmas holiday arrives.

LYDIA'S BEST KEPT SECRETS: WELLNESS PRODUCTS

https://wall.alphacoders.com


I retired from banking industry 6 years ago. I have enjoy having time to rummage in thrift stores. I also have time to visit dollar and discount stores during the week when most people are at work.  Some of the discount stores have closeout

products and clothes they obtained from 

expensive department stores.  The brand 

name tags have been cut or they have a 

black mark on them.  Those fantastic 

bargains are out there waiting for me. 

I hope the information I shared below 

is helpful for bargain hunters.

I have been using a fantastic antiseptic

oil for the skin for the last 5 years. This

oil is called melaleuca or tea tree

oil. I use it when I get insect bites and 

acne.  I have also seen it added to 

shampoo and toothpaste. Pure tea tree

oil is strong and a little bit goes a 

long way. I used to order it online. 

A small bottle was $15.00. Well, it 

became popular so now a small bottle

is available at my local pharmacy 

for around $10.00. I was amazed when

I found a small bottle of tea tree oil at 

discount store for $5.00!

https://www.walmart.com

I had suffered a back strain several years 

ago. I went to a chiropractor and he gave 

me “Biofreeze” gel. This stuff is great 

because it temporarily numbs your pain. 

Using this gel allowed me to do my some 

household chores without experiencing 

severe pain.  I discovered that Walgreens 

and CVS have similar gel or cream under another name.

I buy gels and creams called “Freeze It”, 

“Max Freeze”, and "Stop Pain.”  These

gels are now available in roll on which 

works best for me. The gel has menthol

smell which vanishes after it dries.

https://www.walmart.com

Arnica herb comes in a gel and cream 

which is also great for back and muscle

strains. I buy this from a local health food

store and it's not expensive. It doesn't 

have a strong smell. Here is a link that 

offers details about this herb:

 

http://www.arnicare.com

I found website years ago which gave 

recipe for making your own pain reliever 

cream. I forgot to bookmark this site and 

I can't find it anymore. The recipe was 

simple and memorized it. I have tweaked

it and I always keep a batch on hand.

My recipe is: 

Store brand white baby lotion and ground 

red cayenne pepper. I wear gloves and 

add pepper to the lotion until it turns pink. 

I store this DIY pain reliever in a recycled 

jar. This cream can make me feel hot

so I use it when staying home in air 

conditioning or during winter months. 

I started using sulfate/paraban free 

shampoo when I stopped perming my 

hair. Ten years ago I ordered it from 

Puritan's Pride. This is an excellent 

company to order herbal supplements

and other wellness products. They always 

have BOGO specials. Here is a link if you 

want to check them out:

https://www.puritan.com

Beauty supply stores and pharmacies

in my area offer sulfate and paraben 

free shampoo now. I wait for a sale

since it can cost average price of $6.00.

Medical Disclaimer. The information on this site is not intended 

or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through on my blog is for general information purposes only.

HOLIDAY GREETING!

https://www.holidaycardsapp.com

THE CHOCOLATE FIX!

www.kingarthurflour.com



I am retired but my son still works. 
He loves to cook and sometimes 
he'll  treat me to one of his meals. 
I usually get to enjoy one of his
meals once a week.  

He loves creating new recipes. 
He knows that I am a chocolate
lover. I don't mind being his taste
taster; especially, with chocolate. 
My local grocery store had dark 
chocolate brownie mix on a closeout
sale for 65 cents. I bought all that was 
left on the shelf. This was a once
in a lifetime bargain! He asked could
he experiment with one of the 
boxes of brownies. Of course,  this chocolate consumer said,  "Sure!"



Here is his chocolate creation:

BROWNIE SMORES BARS



CRUST:


3 packs graham crackers, crushed
1 stick butter, melted



In large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs with butter. 
Press evenly in 9x12 baking dish. Set aside.


BROWNIES


Prepare family size dark brownie mix according to directions on the box.
Spoon brownie batter over graham crust. Carefully spread it evenly with a spatula.


TOPPING


Sprinkle small marshmallows over entire surface of the brownies.


Bake  350 degrees for 20 minutes or
until edges pull away from sides. 
Can also put toothpick  in center of brownies to see if it comes out clean.
Marshmallow topping should be light brown.

Cool completely before cutting into bars with sharp knife. He sprayed knife with non-stick cooking spray.



TIPS:

* CAN INCREASE MELTED BUTTER TO
1 1/2 STICKS IF WANT FIRMER CRUST.

*CRUST CAN BE PREBAKED 8 MINUTES. 

*SUGAR NOT ADDED TO CRUST  SINCE THIS IS A RICH DESSERT.

*CAN BAKE BROWNIES 'TIL DONE, 
THEN BROWN MARSHMALLOWS  UNDER BROILER.

*MILK CHOCOLATE BROWNIE MIX CAN BE USED ALSO.

SENIOR LADY MENTAL NOTES!

www.everydayhealth.com



I'll admit that I had to stop being in denial.  My memory was not what it used to be.  Since I retired, I was no longer stressing out over bank accounts and meeting loss mitigation loans deadlines. I was glad I was out of this stressful environment. 
The problem now is, staying mentally stimulated to ward off severe short-term 
memory loss.  

Some age-related memory loss is normal. 
I found this out when my friends and I had a discussion about silly mistakes
we have made since we retired. 

Now I know why my mother balks
at people moving her things around. 
I understand why looking at old TV
shows is no longer boring. Seeking
the familiar is comforting.

I had to establish a routine and make
rules for myself to avoid making tragic mistakes. I want to be independent
and live alone for several years. I want
my grown children to continue to respect me and let me handle my own business!!

Here are some of the methods I use to maintain my sanity and keep good financial records:


Place my monthly bill pay dates on my
cell phone and desktop computer calendars. I get an alert when bills are due. Most computers have a calendar. 
The calendar below can be downloaded 
if necessary.

https://incompetech.com



Make a BILL PAYMENTS RECEPT log
on computer Notepad or Wordpad. 
Each time I make an online payment 
I note it on this log.  I add name of company, date,  and confirmation number. This prevents me from 
forgetting to make payments & show 
who I have already paid.  This comes in handy if I need to dispute payment problem with a company. The log shown below can be downloaded if desired.

http://popisgrzegorz.com



Order bank checks with duplicate copy. 
It was too easy to forget to write outstanding checks down on the 
separate check register. I keep checkbook in secure location since bank account details on duplicate/ carbonless checks.
These type of checks are helpful when time to files taxes too. 
My bank doesn't keep bank statements online for 12 months. 

The Basics of Duplicate Checks

https://www.thebalance.com



Write down dates that you loan money
to your children, relatives, & friends on 
a calendar. I buy the school teacher style calendar from Dollar Store. Note loan amount and date paid loan in full. The calendar below can be downloaded if desired.

https://www.calendarlabs.com