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Cool Summer Drinks

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Food, Recipe, Summer

Cool Summer Drinks

Nothing is more refreshing on a hot summer day than lingering over any liquid served to you over ice. When organizing backyard gatherings, though, how often are drinks the last item to spark your creativity? Rather than the standard iced tea and lemonade, let us put on our thinking caps and explore cool summer drinks.

I have a friend who will seek out a new concoction every year to be her signature drink for the summer. I think that is such a “cool” and brilliant idea! Come on folks, we can do that, right?

To get some inspiration you may want to explore the following websites to see what fun non-alcoholic drink might become your go-to summer beverage

Woman’s Day

The Spruce Eats

Our Food and Home

Taste of Home

Southern Living

Delish

Now after investigating these sites, what have you selected as your signature 2022 cool non-alcoholic summer drink?

Photo: Pixabay

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The Dog Days of Summer

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Calendars, Summer

The Dog Days of Summer

Has it been hot enough for you? Ask friends about the meaning of the “dog days of summer”, and they will probably respond with something along the lines of “It is when it is too hot and humid in July and August for dogs to be comfortable outside.” Well, you know what? They are wrong.

The expression originated in ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt and is tied to astronomy. It is when the star, Sirius, appears in mid-to-late summer. The “dog star”, another name for Sirius, is one of the largest stars in the Canis, the big constellation.

In Greece and Rome, the “dog days” meant sweltering days (that could drive men and dogs insane), bad luck, drought, and disease. They were referring to the twenty days before and twenty days after Sirius aligns with the Sun. These days were not only the hottest days of the year but were when bad things happened.

Egypt, in contrast, welcomed the dog days, as that signaled that the annual floods so greatly needed for their crops were on the way.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac considers the Dog Days to be the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11.

Here is how to stay cool in these dog days of summer:

  • Dress in light weight and soft colored clothing.
  • Stay hydrated.
  • Put your feet in cool water if you are not able to swim.
  • Keep your neck cool – it is the main body temperature sensor.

We may be complaining about these hot days; however, what is the alternative? Freezing in January? Well, we know those days will be coming sooner than we think. Just live in the moment. Chill, baby, chill.

Photo: Pixabay

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Happy summer reading!

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Apps, Books, Summer

Happy summer reading!

One of the best summer activities is reading, whether at the beach, on your deck, or in your air-conditioned bedroom.

How to choose what to read? Of course, you can check the bestseller lists, but for lesser-known gems, seek out your local, independent book seller for recommendations and support a local business. https://www.indiebound.org

Another great resource is a newer app, Readerly, where you can read reviews by your friends, post your own reviews, and rate books not by stars but by recommendation phrases, which offers you better insight based on your taste in books.

Happy reading!

Photo: Pixabay

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The Ultimate BBQ Planning Lists

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Cooking, Family, Food, Groceries, Summer

The Ultimate BBQ Planning Lists

Ah, summer … when “the livin’ is easy …”, who does not love cooking outdoors? Will you be hosting a barbeque for a crowd this season? There are still many weekends of beautiful weather remaining to host one. If you are planning a gathering, here are some useful sites:

  • The Barbecue Planner can calculate how much food, condiments, utensils, ice, and other materials you’ll need.

https://www.barbecueplanner.com/

Here are a couple of comprehensive checklists:

What’s more, for those days when you get the sudden urge to entertain, here are some recipes you can prepare in little time on short notice so you can spend your time with family and friends:

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/last-minute-bbq-recipes-and-party-ideas/

All this brings to mind a recent backyard barbeque that I attended where the host served the most amazing smoked barbequed ribs. It was a perfect summer day and a great time to sit back and relax with great friends. I hope you will be able to do the same given the useful – and fun – tips above. Bon appetit!

Photo: Pixabay

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What Is in Your Wallet?

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Emergency, Finances, Safety

What Is in Your Wallet?

Sounds like the tagline for the commercial for that famous company, right? Well, I mean the question to stimulate your thoughts just in case…

You see, a client of mine just had his wallet stollen. One of the first things that crosses one’s mind in that panic-stricken situation is, of course, “What did I have in my wallet?”. It is indeed an awful thing to happen to anyone. In addition to feeling violated, who has the time to deal with contacting banks, credit card companies, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and any other company that concerns the contents of your wallet?

To ward off the pangs of regret, knowing it is too late when disaster strikes, adopt a rather simple proactive stance right now. Go get your wallet and empty out its contents onto a table. Make photocopies of the cards – front and back – on your computer or even with your phone. Keep these photocopies in a safe, secure location, i.e., a place that has easy access when in the panic of the moment, but not accessible to unwanted eyes. If you took pictures of everything on your phone, those photos should be stored in the Cloud. If you scanned them into your computer, you could easily file them away in a folder. I might also suggest keeping a hard copy of everything with your other important documents.

Steps to take if your wallet is stolen:

  • Create a list of what was in your wallet
  • Contact your local police department and file a report. This will verify that you were a victim of crime if you must prove any fraudulent accounts were opened in your name.
  • Call the following:
    • Bank – where your debit card is linked
    • Credit card companies
    • Credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion
      • Tell them your credit card has been stolen
      • Freeze your credit
      • Get credit report
    • Department of Motor Vehicles to re-issue your driver’s license
    • Health insurance provider
    • Auto insurance carrier
    • Social Security Administration (SSA) – please tell me you are not still carrying your SS card in your wallet? If so, please stop!
  • Update all your accounts with online auto payments once new debit/credit cards are replaced
  • Change passwords and if possible, start using two-factor authentication

Being prepared now with a copy of all the contents of your wallet will make the process easier when you do know what is in your wallet. If, heaven forbid, you do become a victim of theft. After all, “Better safe than sorry.”

Photo: Pixabay

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Are the Meds in Your Medicine Cabinet Older Than Your Sneakers?

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Bathroom, Cleaning, Closet, Medical, Storage

Are the Meds in Your Medicine Cabinet Older Than Your Sneakers?

Are you storing medicine in a medicine cabinet? If you answer, “Yes,” you are doing so incorrectly according to experts. It seems that bathrooms are much too humid for medications, and that can affect their efficacy. Rather, store meds in a cool and dry location, such as a closet.

Now, the next logical concern is: Are the meds in your medicine cabinet older than your sneakers? For most of us, we do not know what to keep, what to toss, and how to toss them out even properly, so they just stay put.

As a rule, toss anything that has expired, whether prescription medicine or over the counter (OTC) no matter the form: pills, ointments, or creams. This includes supplements, vitamins, and that 12-year-old extra-large bottle of Tylenol. Expired meds can be ineffective at best, toxic at worst. This applies to medications for your pets, too.

How can we safely and responsibly dispose of these items? For controlled substances, your local pharmacy, hospital, or town might have a take-back program. You can find a take-back site near you here.

You can dispose of some items in the trash, (However, use this means as a last resort), following these guidelines:

  1. Remove the drugs from their original containers and mix them with something undesirable, such as used coffee grounds, dirt, or cat litter. This makes the medicine less appealing to children and pets and unrecognizable to someone who might intentionally go through the trash looking for drugs.
  2. Put the mixture in something you can close (a re-sealable zipper storage bag, empty can, or other container) to prevent the drug from leaking or spilling out.
  3. Throw the container in the garbage.
  4. Scratch out all your personal information on the empty medicine packaging to protect your identity and privacy, or do like I do, peel the label off and shred it.
  5. Throw the packaging away.

Some medications can be flushed, but there exists a potential environmental impact in doing so as chemicals do leach into water supplies. Here’s a list of drugs that can be flushed if you have no other options for disposing of them.

In the end, if you have a question about your medicine, consult with your health care provider or pharmacist as the final arbiter in the important matter.

Check here for more information on what you should know about the disposal of unused medication.

Photo: Pixabay

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What to Pack?

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Clothes, Cruise, Travel, Vacation

What to Pack?

We recently posted some tips about packing for your vacation. Well, here are yet more tips, this time, to help you decide what to pack for a specific trip in that the summer months of travel are upon us.

Yes, as you can imagine, there is an app for help on packing. In fact, there are many, some free and others you can upgrade, paying for a premium version with more features. Here are a few free ones: Packpoint, EasyPack, and Packr. In full disclosure, we have not tried these all for ourselves, therefore, undertake your own search for the apps that best meet your needs.

For Android users, this article lists the best apps for packing.

If you travel frequently, make a “standard trip checklist”. In addition to the usual items (personal hygiene products, underwear, shirts, pants/skirts/dresses, travel docs, and phone charger, to name a few), create separate categories (sub lists) of special items to pack for different occasions. For example, you would prepare differently for a business trip (business cards and dress shoes), hiking trip (canteen, bug spray, and extra socks), a wedding (cosmetics, jewelry, and dress/suit), or a beach vacation (swimsuit, sunscreen, and sunglasses). Personally, I even have one for my frequent travel to family as we all live in separate states.

These lists are invaluable especially if you need to pack in a hurry and do not want to forget your basic, day-to-day items. I know a few friends who even keep a toiletry bag packed and ready for any trip to save time when it comes to packing. Why not set one of these up for yourself as you are writing your own lists? You will be so happy the next time you venture from home.

Wherever you decide to journey, at least now you can perhaps more strategically plan what to bring – and what not! – for that trip. Speaking of which, remember that old rule of thumb: take out half of what you pack. You will never wear everything, and you will need to save some room for all those nifty souvenirs.

Bon voyage!

Photo: Pixabay

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Unique, Personal Gift Ideas for Your Favorite Graduate

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Children, College, Education, Gifts

Unique, Personal Gift Ideas for Your Favorite Graduate

Tis the season of high school graduations. The issue often is, what gift to buy for your favorite graduate? One needs to think beyond the college insignia sweatshirt. We used to depend on the old standbys: Wallets? No, today’s grads do not carry cash or credit cards; they likely pay by cell phone. Briefcases? Seriously? Watch? Buy one only if it is an Apple watch. Perhaps a new laptop case instead? Planner/calendars? Well, there is an app for that.

You may consider a personalized item such as a quilt made of old favorite t-shirts. Perhaps a scrapbook or photo album? Having a customized book created using the graduate’s name as a character in a classic novel?

What about a jar full of messages from family, friends, and those that matter the most?

This is a list of websites for custom magazine covers featuring your graduate:

Poster My Wall

National Photo Lab

Your Cover

For the graduate who is undecided about the future, these sites offer journals and decks of cards that inspire thought, mindfulness, creativity, and conversation:

Letter for My Future Self

Chronical Books

Table Topics

Mindfulness Cards

Lastly, here is one for the graduate destined to shatter the glass ceiling.

I am sure that you may find other unique gifts. My hope is that these ideas will inspire you to find a gift that fits your unique graduate!

Photo: Pixabay

 

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Declutter Your Brain

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Apps, Self Care

Declutter Your Brain

Memorial Day … the unofficial start of summer. A tough academic year is nearly behind students and families, and it is time to “break out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” as the old song lyrics remind us. Vacation planning fever is about to hit, and perhaps the beach is calling for us.

What better time to think about unwinding and centering ourselves? My readers know that I usually blog ways to declutter your home, office, and life, yet this seems like an opportune time to consider a different kind of “cleaning up” entirely.

I am writing now, offering a chance to take time to clear the baffles of one’s mind. In fact, do you, yourself, in addition to your home, office, and life, also declutter your brain? Yes, your brain. It may just be the ticket if you have nonstop chatter going on in your head: what you need to do, what you should have said, or what will you make for dinner, among so many other niggling concerns. Does all that annoy you? Make you tense? Well, if so, we all might consider learning new ways to clear it, to turn off, to give our minds a rest from all the strife and stress that our own personal lives, the pandemic, and recent tragic domestic events have exacted on us.

Why not “gift yourself” these days by taking a few minutes each day to calm your brain with meditation and help improve both your physical and mental health?

If you have never meditated before, here are some resources to get started:

Mayo Clinic – Meditation: A Simple, Fast Way to Reduce Stress

Silence Mind – Simple Mediation for Beginners – 3 Most Easy Techniques

Wikihow – How to Meditate for Beginners

YouTube – How to Meditate: 6 Easy Tips for Beginne

Or simply install the Calm app on your phone or tablet

What better way to begin your summer than with a clear, refreshed mind? Start working on it now so that your vacation this year can be spent on pure fun and R and R instead of … well … worrying!

Photo: Pixabay.com

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Less (Stuff) is More (Time)

Posted on by Dawn Link Posted in Downsizing, Gifts, Holidays, Home

Less (Stuff) is More (Time)

I would like to share with you an article from the Washington Post which extols about the need to buy less stuff.

For my last birthday, I was delighted that my friends gave me flowers, gift cards, and balloons—nothing that needed storage, batteries, recharging, maintenance, dusting, or repair. When you are fresh out of school and just starting out, accumulating stuff is what you do: you need to furnish your first apartment and buy clothes for work, for example. But as we age, the stuff gets to be a burden: things break, get dirty, take up space. The less we have, the simpler our life.

Try to encourage people in your life that give you gifts to share with you more experiences and items that are consumed, rather than just more stuff for you to find a home.

Photo: Pixaby.com

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