community, Family

The Queens College iTones at Atlas Park Mall

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Last week I took my mom to the Atlas Park Mall  in Glendale to see a free outdoor show.  The featured group   performing that night were The Queen College iTones, a fabulous acapella group that my niece is a part of. After the music show there is a free outdoor movie too.  Great summer family fun!!

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We got there early and were able to sit in the front row, enjoying a summer night of music. That’s my mom in the best seat in the house 🙂

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We got there early enough to walk around the mall (lots of great shops and restaurants) and still had time to listen while the group made a sound check.

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My niece had a solo and my sister played guitar and sang harmony  for her.

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It was a beautiful evening filled with beautiful people and music. A great way to say good-bye to summer.

recipe

Baked Salmon – Home Style

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Baked Salmon

Preheat  oven  450 degrees F.
12 ounce salmon fillet, cut into 3-4 pieces
*
Mix together in large bowl:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup vinegar
salt/pepper
handful chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons capers (optional)
*
Marinate  salmon in the bowl with olive/vinegar mixture for 2 minutes. Place salmon on a baking dish.  Pour remaining seasoning mixture around the salmon. Bake  about 12 to 15 minutes.   Serve with a salad and crusty bread. Enjoy!
Did You Know, Family

Germs Are Sneaking In The Kitchen

Kitchen cleaning is something I do just about everyday.  Wiping down the counters and rinse out the sink after every meal.  Germs have no business or place in my kitchen.  Spritz wipe, Spritz wipe, then toss the towel out and I am done.

Then I had to go and read about the  sneaky places germs like to hide.  Germs hide?  Really!  Germs, I read, seem to  make it a point to hide from all the cleaning that is done in the kitchen.  

“In a study conducted by the NSF, 36 percent of kitchen items tested contained E. coli; 36 percent contained salmonella; 14 percent were contaminated with listeria; and 100 percent of the items harbored yeast and mold—43 percent at levels high enough to be a serious concern.”

Oh, My!  Dialing 1.800. BLEACH!  YUCK!

The following are some of the places germs  like to hide in or on.

11 sneaky places germs are hiding in your kitchen - Refrigerator drawersRefrigerator Drawers –  We all know how your refrigerator can get nasty dirty.  I am always wiping it down.  Still cannot understand how it gets so messy but it does.  However, the refrigerator drawers tend to stay a little cleaner, and now I am learning they can be contaminated with salmonella, listeria, yeast and mold.  Cleaning away those germs is easy just wash with warm soapy water and rinse away.

Kitchen Sink- Now this I can understand why germs hang out here.  Everything goes down the kitchen sink.  To clean the germs out of the sink you disinfect with a solution of water and bleach. Every Day!  Hope this solution doesn’t hurt my stainless steel sink.

 

Can Opener – Now this is another deadly germ carrier.  This little gadget needs to be cleaned  in the dishwasher after every use.  If you don’t have a dishwasher then clean with warm soap and water.  Remember after every use.

Rubber Spatula – If spatula comes apart take it apart and wash in dishwasher or by hand in good old fashion warm soapy water.  If it does not come apart, wash the same, but make sure you pay attention to the areas that meet.  Food can creep into the groove.

 

 

Salt and Pepper Shakers – Yup, these can be really grossly germ infected.  You would need to wipe them down with a disinfectant every time used.  Why I hate to using salt an pepper shakers in restaurant…

 

Knife Block –  Clean the set periodically to prevent  yeast and mold from thriving. You will also need to remove the knives, turn the knife block over to remove any loose debris, and then clean the knife block in hot soapy water using a small brush in each of the slots.

Last but not least are those nasty sponges.  Clean you sponge by microwaving it frequently.  Nuke them germs right out of that sponge.  Now don’t forget your dish towels and rags.  Change and wash them regularly.

Yes, germs are hiding in the most interesting places.  Germs are sneaky but they can never out sneak a spritz and a wipe.

Family

Precious Moments Down Under The Bed

How precious are those moments that turn into more than just a simple moment.  get-attachment (12)

Take for example a sleep over with my grand children. Sleep overs usually happen when their parents need to go out and the children are not apart of the evening.  So they just come to my house and we get to spend the whole night together.  Then in the morning they hang out till their parents are ready for them to return.

But on  this particular sleep over morning, Sophie took out her  jewelry kit.  A kit with all different beads and strings to make whatever type of jewelry she would want to have.get-attachment (9)

Oh, Great!  I thought.  Now this would keep them busy all morning and  they would not  run around the house, and we would not have to hear Christian whine about wanting his mommy.  get-attachment (7)

I really thought jewelry making was  a good idea.  Hey, they would make jewelry until it was time for them to go home.  Hooray!get-attachment (8)

Sophie is very interested in this bead necklace, bracelet making thing.  Serious as any jewelry maker would be about her beads and strings.   All was going along  just dandy.  UNTIL!

Until the beads started falling  and rolling under the bed.

“Pick up those beads,” I shouted, “You are losing them.”

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They both  crawled under the bed to pick up the tiny beads. Then they both realized, under the bed is more fun then  on top of the bed .

It was at this moment that I realized this is going to be a different type of sleep over morning.  Christian and Sophie throw down the pillows and began to enjoy their under the bed experience.get-attachment (4)

There was no talking them out from under the bed.  This play time won out.  Beads became history and left under the bed.

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Pictures are not upside down.  See when you are under the bed you take upside down pictures.  get-attachment (1) Sophie,  letting her head hang out and her tongue accidentally rolled out.  Guess that is what happens when you are hanging out under the bed.

Yes, this sleep over morning turned out to be  a precious morning experience with these two.   In a matter of moments they both went from quiet  jewelry making to  under the  bed time.

I suppose you might be wondering if any thing came from those beads and strings.   Well, yes.get-attachment (3)

They managed to make a necklace for me, Grandma,  before they both fell under the bed.