Finding Your Passion (Getting motivated)

by Irene // February 2, 2015 // 3 Comments

My sister, Sandy, and I have had discussions about this question: “What words do you hate?”. We both agreed that Polish words describing certain body parts and pretentious French words, such as croissant (pronounced kwah-sahn, rather than, kruh-sahnt), were definitely high up on our list.

Another word I’m not fond of is “passion”. It’s over-used. Not to mention that I feel embarrassed, because, at my age, I haven’t yet found mine, let alone followed it.

Saturday morning I decided to attend an informal class on decorating heart cookies at Anchor Church. I don’t bake often. I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. I went to be in the company of church ladies. Well, what a surprise! I enjoyed the experience and was pleased with the results of my first attempts.

After this little class, I can’t say that I found my passion, but I did feel a bit more motivated and inspired.

Here are my conclusions:
• Passion doesn’t exist naturally waiting to be found. It’s an effect of what you do.
• We shouldn’t measure ourselves against others (Don’t think that your passions aren’t as good as another’s passions).
• Avoid distraction, anger and procrastination because these are ways of avoiding the fear of discomfort and the fear of failure.
• Try new things. Step out of your comfort zone. Make things. Build. Learn new skills. Welcome new adventures. Make new friends.
• Have an “I’ll try it!” attitude.
• If there’s even a flicker of interest, pursue it.
• Don’t push yourself to the impossible “perfect”.

If you’ve kept up with our posts, you already know that I love apps. And, there’s an app that coincides with this post. It’s called “Curious”. This free app is for the “lifelong learner” that teaches you everything from how to train a dog to how to flirt in Italian.

So, I’m limiting the word “passion” in my vocabulary. I’ve decided it does not give my life purpose. I will focus on small triumphs and appreciate the little scraps of joy that I experience every day.

Weird and Funny Apps

by Irene // January 28, 2015 // 4 Comments

I am in awe of technology today, especially apps. My financial planner told me about an app that deposits money into the account of someone currently incarcerated. Not only do you fatten the jailbird’s wallet, you can send emails, chat with “video visitation” and give the gift of music. It’s called “JPay”. Cute, right? But that got me thinking about other apps that are, let’s say, odd.

Confession—A Roman Catholic App

I gotta tell you, this one excited me. Avoiding the confessional to confess my evil-doing directly to God was very appealing. Upon researching, I found that you still need a priest (sigh).

On the positive side:

A password maintains the seal of confession.
The 10 commandments and prayers are at your fingertips (in case you need a refresher).
You can add your own sins if they’re not listed in the list of relevant sins, (using “OMG”?).

On the negative side:

The app is $1.99
Is this post irreverent and considered a sin?

Bowel Mover Lite

Bowel Mover Lite tracks your poop. Yep, you heard me right. It’s like a poo log (oh, that’s funny). Your personal goal defaults to “sausage soft”. To reach this goal, the app tracks the number of bowel movements and the texture (I wonder if “milk duds” is a choice). It also lets you take photos and make notes (I’m not sure what kind of notes you would take). Finally, this app provides a graph so you can analyze your poo-poo habits like a financial planner analyzes the growth of mutual funds.

Free at the App Store.

Disclaimer: For those who experience digestive woes and would probably benefit from this app, my deepest apology.

Instant Buttons

This app provides over 200 funny sounds many of which I don’t recognize. What is “Ya Tu Sabe”, “Wololo”or “Stelio Kontos”? No worries. There are plenty of sounds we older people can use with aplomb:

“Doorbell”: when a phone conversation drones on and on.
“Censor Beep”: when anything offends.
“Cookie Monster”: at the next potluck.
“Crickets”: when an answer just isn’t coming.
“Cuckoo”: self explanatory.
“Hump Day”: every Wednesday.
“Nailed It” at your next performance evaluation.
“Pirate” use on “Talk Like a Pirate Day”.
“Psycho” self explanatory.
“Punch” again, self explanatory.
“Shut Up” and another that’s self explanatory.
Twilight Zone when things are just, well, weird.

I also enjoyed “Whip”, “Drama”, “Drumroll”, “Kiss”, “Looney Tunes”, “Nein”, “Ooooh”, “Rocky”, and “Tada”!

Annoy-A-Teen

That immature attitude of getting even with teens gets the royal treatment with this app. No more wasting energy singing and dancing in front of them (and worse, their friends). Take that already half-irritated teen to the fullest with a sound that drives them crazier, (while your older-than-dirt ears can’t hear a thing). Added bonus: you can go undercover and hide your phone in your pocket and they’ll never know what hit them!

Melon Meter

Stop wasting your money buying unripe melons! Using this app is easy. Place the microphone side of your phone on the melon, press the red button and thump like a heart on crack until the app indicates that you stop. It will then tell you if the melon is ready to eat. There are a couple of drawbacks. The app only works on medium and large melons (moan) and the cost is $1.99.

Sometime in the near future I plan on researching these apps:

Hex My Ex
Toothbrush Fitness
Amazing Girlfriend Manager
Gym Shamer (get in shape or get shamed)

Get any of these apps for your iPhone or iPad in the Apple App Store

Skirt Refashion (Making a One-of-a-Kind Scarf)

by Sandy // January 24, 2015 // 3 Comments

I’ve always been artistic, but I never really thought of myself as ‘creative.’ When I moved to Kentucky some 8 years ago, I met some of the best, most creative and talented friends that I’d met my entire life. Meeting friends that excel at everything is a little daunting. It made me want to observe rather then participate. Here, though, you can’t just observe. They won’t let you.

Our friends, Gary and Regina, have an art studio across the street. You’ll find one or both of them at the Nolin River Art Studio most days (and nights) painting, sketching, making beautiful things, teaching, and inspiring others. You’ll find me there (and other friends) many nights, too.

The first time I made a duplicate of one of Regina’s pieces (a felt hat), I felt awkward; almost embarrassed for “copying”. Regina laughed and put me at ease. She said that I couldn’t copy. I could only “be inspired” by her piece. There would always be differences; something “uniquely mine” about it.

Somehow, her statement gave me permission. Permission to make something that someone else had done; to not have to be totally original. Permission to explore and see things a little differently. Permission to make mistakes. So, now, I create.

Regina has her own style (which we all admire, but only she can pull off ). She loves bangles and necklaces…and plaid.

We love refashioning: using something we have (out-of-fashion or too big or small to wear now) to make something new. So, when I wanted to make a gift for her, the decision was easy: a skirt refashion that became a unique, fashionable scarf. Did I mention it was plaid?

It was super easy and only took about 5 hours to complete.

I started with an old, red plaid, out-of-fashion and too-small-for-me skirt.

STEP 1: Cut the Skirt into Strips

This particular skirt had fringe on the sides, so my cuts were made horizontally (so the fringe would be on both ends of the finished scarf). You can cut strips in any direction you choose if fringe is not a consideration.

I also cut strips in two different widths and lengths because I wanted both layers visible (width) and the top layer to be more ruffled (length). I cut 2 strips for the top layer about 3″ wide and 2 strips for the bottom layer about 5″ wide.

STEP 2: Sew the strips together

Sew the strips together to make one long 3″ wide strip and one long 5″ wide strip. (To sew strips together, put the right sides together matching the edges that will be sewn. Pin and sew. Press the seam open.)

STEP 3: Baste a hem on all edges

Using a needle and different coloured thread (so it can be seen easily), quickly baste a hem on all raw edges. I prefer to iron my hem first, and I double-fold to prevent unravelling.

(To make a double-fold, fold in the edge approximately 1/4″ and press. Then fold again and press. Basting will be easier.)

STEP 4: Sew the hems

Sew the hems in place, then remove the basting threads.

STEP 5: Baste the center

Baste down the center of each strip using different coloured thread.

STEP 6: Ruffle the strips

Hold one end of the basted thread firmly and with the other hand, pull the strips of material towards the held end, creating a ruffle. Ruffle the second strip.

STEP 7: Sew the ruffled strips together

Lay the narrow strip centered over the wider strip and pin in place. Make sure the fronts of both strips are facing forward. Sew them together and remove the pins and basting thread.

The scarf is complete and ready to wear.

Regina makes the scarf look fabulous.

Do you have clothes you no longer wear? Don’t get rid of them! Refashion them. Be inspired… create!

What’s that smell? Oh, it’s you! (Prevent Old Lady Smell)

by Irene // January 20, 2015 // 2 Comments


	Aunt Nellie came for a visit yesterday.
	Oh? How is Smelly Nellie?
	Good….. good. But…..
	But what?
	Well, last night, I was lying on the couch, watching The Bachelor…
	OMG!!! Do you BELIEVE he kept that boozed-up chick?
	I would have gotten rid of her first. What does he see in her? She probably yacked all over the floor right after she took his rose!
	Did you see what the other girl did after the rose ceremony? Unbelievable!
	No, I missed that! (sob)
	What???
	Well, I was lying on the couch, watching …and I kept SMELLING this stench.
	Did you fluff?
	NO!
	Did Eddie fluff?
	NO!
	You’re going to blame the dog, aren’t you?
	<laughs> Yeah, like you farting in Hallmark stores, then walking away so I have to deal with all the dirty looks.
	<laughs> That was YOU!
	Naaaaah! So, I kept getting this whiff of that icky smell….. and I remembered. Aunt Nellie was sitting right where my head was. I mean, that was hours ago! Are smells solid??
	Not unless she dropped a log…
	Worse!!! She’s now decided to go commando!!!! Soooooo… I jumped up, scrubbed the cushion then took a shower, and by that time, The Bachelor was over! (sob)

	Can’t she smell herself?
	I think people get used to their own smell. Like, the time I had to tell that guy at work he needed to shower more and wear deodorant because the other people in the office complained about their eyes burning from his stench.
	I know! I had to have that talk with a file clerk about leaving her farm boots at home because she smelled like cow pies….I wish I had some pie…pie would be good right about now….
	I would know if I smelled…
	Maybe… I read somewhere that by age 70, you lose 75% of your sense of smell. So do the math. We’ve probably lost 50% of our smell!
	Well that explains a lot!
	What?
	Why older women bathe in perfume.
	It seems like I’m always on an elevator with one of those women. I don’t mind the smell of Emeraude or Shalimar, but not when they’re doused in it.
	Or it’s gotten old and the smell is weird…like a combination of church incense and bourbon. I think they don’t realize it and put it on anyway.
	And their sense of smell sucks.

	Remember that time at that hardware store? What was the name of it? It’s not around any more…
	Forest City!
	Yes! Forest City. Remember? At the register? I thought fertilizer was stacked nearby. It nearly brought me to my knees. Then you told me it was a guy in line. I didn’t believe you. It didn’t smell human.
	<laughs> I remember! I thought I’d pee my pants laughing. You were always soooooo naïve

	Remember Mom? She’d overdo it in the garden on a hot day. She’d sweat puddles, then stumble into the house looking like she just had a fight with a toddler and collapse on my couch!
	What is with them and stinking up our couches?
	Who knows? I do know I cleaned my couch a lot in the summer! She also experienced night sweats. In the morning, a whole mess of pajamas would be hanging on the bedpost to dry. Her (stubborn) position was “if there were no butterscotch pudding stains, they were still good to go." No amount of rolling my eyes or making gagging sounds would change her mind.
	I don’t get night sweats. In fact, I don’t sweat much at all…well, maybe when I’m fighting for my life in RuneScape. I understand the sweat, but what made Mrs. Kraut smell like a urinal?
	That’s becaus she was happy! She was laughing all the time!
	Well, now I know I don’t stink…. I’m always miserable.
	Haven’t you noticed? The older you get, the harder it is to hold it. It gets to a point where all you have to do is sneeze or laugh, and you pee a tiny bit.
	Oh great. Now I have to start Kegeling again?
	Yep. We get to Kegel again for a new reason!
	The old reason lasted all of 3 months, and then I lost interest.
	Can you picture Mom cross-eyed at the dinner table? “Mom, are you Kegaling?”
	Eddie and I are going to get new glasses.
	Oh? Are you going to order them on that website?
	I think so. All the girls at the bank love theirs.
	Remember Mrs. Keller? My 5^th grade teacher? I want glasses like she had.
	I don’t remember her glasses, but I remember her house had that pee-yew factor.

	It smelled like….my basement? Or like Aunt Helen’s attic? It was always so dark in there. And the dust! It was everywhere. Apparently those glasses didn’t help.
	Her house definitely had a funky smell.
	Well, I hope I save someone that awkward conversation with me…you’ll tell me if I start stinking?
	Uh, yeah. Sure.

Heads up to all of you on the wrong side of 40|

Ageing may make gas worse, because as we get older we do not produce digestive juices, such as saliva, as efficiently.
Homes of the elderly tend to be stuffy or musty because windows aren’t open very often. As we age, we lose the ability to regulate our body’s temperature, resulting in always feeling cold. This lack of fresh air is the cause of stuffiness.
The elderly sometimes become dizzy, find it difficult to bend, kneel or stoop, so it becomes more difficult to keep their homes clean. The air smells stale due to dust, mold and mildew that accumulate.
As we get older, we don’t move as fast and rarely work up a sweat. It becomes easier to get another day out of already worn clothing than doing laundry. One study showed that we shed far more dirt and oil onto our clothes than we do in the shower–so to smell clean, keep your clothes clean.
An older adult’s sense of smell isn’t as sharp as it used to be. They don’t smell anything and have no clue that anyone is reacting to it.
Dry mouth is an affliction of old age and the cause of bad breath. And dentures retain odors if they aren’t replaced when they should be.
As we age, we stop feeling thirsty due to our pituitaries. Food, drink and medications become concentrated and those odors come out through the pores. Dry skin sheds skin cells, which have a musty odor. Urine also becomes more concentrated resulting in a stronger odor.
Common to older adults is urge incontinence. This is an urgent need to urinate resulting in the loss of urine on the way to the bathroom.

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