Make-Do Monday

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At Make-Do Mondays we discuss how we’re simplifying, downsizing, repurposing, buying used, and using what we’ve got.

It’s a carnival celebrating creative problem-solving, contentment, patience and ingenuity. To participate, share your own make-do solution in the comments or write up a Make-Do Mondays post at your blog, then return here to link via MckLinky. Enjoy others’ ideas by clicking on their link in the MckLinky list.

This week at Shari's House has been one of frustration with our Internet service.  We have mostly been offline and I have been unable to do a lot of pre-work for Make-Do Mondays.  This has been going on for over two weeks now and I have to go to School to get consistent Internet signal.  

This is why I have been late in getting Make-Do up for the last couple of weeks!  So frustrating for everyone, including me!!!

So, I am now at school and I am having trouble with connecting to MckLinky.  

Please put your link in the comments and I will try MckLinky again later.

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This past week I have been spending a lot of time with my school work. Learning everything I need to know about the Pharmacy is a challenge. 

However, I am up to this challenge!

I have not spent much time on the computer and Make-Do Monday this past week. 

I am still interested in hearing about your frugal successes! 

So please still link up and share!!

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Happy Thanksgiving to One and All

HAppY tHaNKSgivING  

 tO

evERyOnE

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Oral Communications Assignment

This is my Oral Communications Paper on
How to Handle a Hostile Audience

    There are several ways to handle hostile audiences. Knowing your audience, the environment and your material is the best way to be prepared to handle an audience that may become hostile.

    When you are the speaker, get to know your audience before your assigned speech time.  This is a great way to gauge what preconceived beliefs the audience has about you and your subject. Before your speech, mingle and introduce yourself to your audience. Ask them questions about your subject matter and ask for opinions. This will allow you to get a feel for the people you will be speaking to.  Carefully read the following statement from Abraham Lincoln decide to follow his example.  Abraham Lincoln said, "I don't like that man. I must get to know him better."
  
    A prepared speaker should have a firm knowledge of their speech material.  Know places you can suggest that people go for more information or to make comments.  Knowing your material will help you from getting lost if there are any interruptions or distractions.  If you have an intentional physical interruption, do not totally ignore it but don’t let it take over your speech.  Deal with the interruption and then continue on.  Do not try to speak over the distraction, this will only anger the audience.  Watch for ways to understand what is going on with the distraction and try to address the situation.

    Your duty as a speaker is to deliver information to the audience.  You want to focus on your audience and respond to their silent communication.  Figuring out how to best serve them as a group will enable you to present your material in a more relaxed way.

    Be open minded and listen to any comments with true intent.  Answer all questions simply and honestly.  If you do not have an answer, ask the person to allow you to find out the answer and get back with them after the speech.  Be sure to remain calm and collected at all times.  If you are verbally attacked, try to come to an understanding with the offender, but do not defend or attack back.  Only cite proven or documented examples, refrain from throwing out untested or unproven information in the hopes that this will strengthen your point of view.  This method often causes problems, proven resources and solid information will keep your speech honest.

    Use soft self humor, but show respect for your speech material and your job as a speaker.  Show your audience respect as well, through your voice and words, your body language, and the length of your speech.  If you use any of their questions or comments, be sure to give them credit for their input.

    Finally, if time allows, make yourself available after your speech to answer any lingering questions.  Again, don’t get into a debate, even if driven or baited.  You can always agree to disagree, allowing the situation to be diffused peacefully.  Still listen to all the other points of view and try to understand why these points are being expressed. 

    In the end if things get out of hand during or after your speech, always plan a contingency to make a controlled exit.  You do not want to incite a riot or have a huge argument take place.  So, plan ahead on how you would remove yourself from the stage and gracefully exit the speaking arena.



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1.    How to successfully speak to a hostile audience by Terry Paulson
    http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2005/09/05/smallb3.html

2.    Techniques for handling interruptions to your speech by Ian Griffin
    http://www.exec-comms.com/blog/2009/08/how-to-deal-with-a-hostile-audience/

3.     Seven Secrets to Handling a Hostile Audience By Larina Kase
    http://ezinearticles.com/?Seven-Secrets-to-Handling-a-Hostile-Audience&id=633337

4.    How to Deal With a Hostile Audience By Lenny Laskowski
    http://www.presentation-pointers.com/showarticle/articleid/86/

Make-Do Mondays --- Lasagna Soup for Sunday Lunch (Not: "Leftovers Again?!")

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At Make-Do Mondays we discuss how we’re simplifying, downsizing, repurposing, buying used, and using what we’ve got.

It’s a carnival celebrating creative problem-solving, contentment, patience and ingenuity. To participate, share your own make-do solution in the comments or write up a Make-Do Mondays post at your blog, then return here to link via MckLinky. Enjoy others’ ideas by clicking on their link in the MckLinky list.


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This past week I have been spending a lot of time with my school work. Learning everything I need to know about the Pharmacy is a challenge. 

However, I am up to this challenge!

I have not spent much time on the computer and Make-Do Monday this past week. 

I am still interested in hearing about your frugal successes! 

So please still link up and share!!

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' 
Make-Do Mondays with Shari


Saturday night we had Lasagna for dinner and thankfully we had leftovers as well.  So on Sunday it was time for lunch and I wanted to do something a bit different with the leftover lasagna.  


So I took a saucepan and placed it on the stove, I poured one can of chicken broth in the pan.  It was about a 13 to 15 oz sized can.  Then I added another can of water to the pan.  

As the broth water was heating up, I cut the now cold lasagna into bite sized dices.  Then I dumped them into the pan.  

I let the 'soup' heat up and did not add anything else- such as seasonings.  
When it was thoroughly heated through, I ladled it into bowl and topped each bowl with a pinch of pizza blend grated cheese.  
(That is what I had on hand.)   

And served it up to my hungry teens.  They both loved it!  Success was had.  


It was a frugal use of leftovers and it did not seem like leftovers because it was a whole new dish.  We all loved it and I will be making Lasagna Soup again!!!


Most of the time when we have lasagna, we don't have enough leftover to make another meal.  So I can see myself putting a Freezer Ziplock Bag in my freezer to gather the smaller lasagna leftovers together in.  
And after a couple of lasagna meals I will surely have enough to make soup again.



I imagine this would work with leftover taco fixings, any pasta dish, casserole, etc.  I would evaluate my ingredients and decide whether to add broth, water or milk to make a delicious soup.


Thanks for reading and thanks for sharing!!!



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Make-Do Dishwasher Sign - Dirty or Clean?

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At Make-Do Mondays we discuss how we’re simplifying, downsizing, repurposing, buying used, and using what we’ve got.

It’s a carnival celebrating creative problem-solving, contentment, patience and ingenuity. To participate, share your own make-do solution in the comments or write up a Make-Do Mondays post at your blog, then return here to link via MckLinky. Enjoy others’ ideas by clicking on their link in the MckLinky list.

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Make-Do Mondays with Shari

So even though we have only 4 people in our family, I always hear, "is the dishwasher clean?"  

I wonder why that is?  

If I open the dishwasher I can immediately tell if the dishes are clean, well almost always immediately.  But for some reason my family seems to think that they should ask me first and then look for themselves after I answer.  I think they should look for themselves and then ask if they can't figure it out on their own.  

I have been trying for ages to get this changed, but then it isn't a life threatening thing so I probably will live with it because it isn't worth spending time on.  (For me that is, and on most days, I have more important things to worry about, teach them about, etc.  They will discover they can figure this out on their own in good time.  It is just one of those mini-gripes.)


So I finally came up with a solution several years back.  (Yes, I see we need a new one, but maybe some day I will get to it!)  I took a magnet from a business card that I didn't need.  I used to get them on the Yellow Pages phonebooks.  Sometime they come in the mail. I have seen them in some stores, doctor offices and other places.  

So I took one I wasn't using and took a piece of paper and wrote 'Dirty'  and   'Clean'  on the paper and then glued it to the Magnet.  Then I placed it on the Dishwasher.  

Now the rule is to switch the direction of the magnet when the dishwasher is turned on for it's cycle.  Then when it is cleaned out, turn it back to say 'Dirty'.  

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Make-Do: 2 Ways to Use Grass Beach Mats Plus Tips

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At Make-Do Mondays we discuss how we’re simplifying, downsizing, repurposing, buying used, and using what we’ve got.

It’s a carnival celebrating creative problem-solving, contentment, patience and ingenuity. To participate, share your own make-do solution in the comments or write up a Make-Do Mondays post at your blog, then return here to link via MckLinky. Enjoy others’ ideas by clicking on their link in the MckLinky list.

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Make-Do Mondays with Shari

I fondly remember my old college days on the beaches of Hawaii.  What an awesome experience!  That was back in the fall of 1983.  By the spring of 1984 I was across the world living in Norway, serving an LDS mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.   But back to the beaches............


I wish I was beaching it now during my new college days ahead, but it is not to be!!!


ANYWAY..............................

I love these mats.  They are inexpensive and practical.  They can be rinsed off with water and kept clean.  They are thick.  They are durable under certain circumstances.  They handle water and sand well.  They fold up for storage and smell like the beach or islands, well I threw that in because they do have a unique smell and it does remind me of home at the beach.


I have several of these mats that I got/get from the Thrift Store/(DI).  They come in handy for many things.  Picnic blanket. Putting on the ground for fixing the car or changing the tire.  Ground cover for sleeping out under the stars, just to name a few things.



Here are a couple of ways that I have used them most recently.  

First is as a bedroom window darkener.  You see when Hubby was working nights, the daylight was very bright in our bedroom.  So I picked up a couple of mats to tuck up over the curtain rod for the bedroom to help darken it a bit.  Hubby didn't have a problem with the lightness, but I felt like it was a nice thing to do for him.  I think he appreciated it.


 The second way was as a picnic table covering.  It was nice on our table.  And it looked good too.  It was easy to clean, even when we got mustard and ketchup on it.  The sticky marshmallow came off too, when I used very hot water.  And I didn't have to throw it in the laundry.  I didn't even hang it up to dry, it dried in place on the table.  

It was really awesome.  I do realize we were blessed with calm, no winds days.  So I did not have to 'make-do' any anchors for it.  But a few rocks would have done it, along with the water jug.

I want to note a few other tips here to remind me of how fun camping for us can be.  

First we must have an Igloo water cooler filled with ice and then ice cold water to make the ice last as long as possible.  

  We keep it under the shade of the Easyup Canopy and even put a nice very wet beach towel over it to keep it cold when needed.  

  Then of course the personal use water bottle.  It is covered with a cotton/blend sock.  I keep it wet and the evaporation cools the water in the bottle.  Can't beat that when you are 'out and about' the mountains!  

  Then you see my fire tongs, I can't live without them.  My bbq/fire oven mitts are also invaluable again the fire's heat.  I also try to have the meat/food thermometer on the table so there is no excuse for not checking the food cooking over the coals and fire.  

   I always have a small basket on the table for odds-n-ends, easy carrying to and from the trailer.

   We have a small container of baby wipes, the wipes have been cut in half to make them last longer.

    Sometimes I keep a washcloth out by the table hanging up for spills, dishes, or anything we need a rag for. 

  I have some kind of bacon grease holder, here- it is a bottle with a tight lid.  

  I also have some firestarters made from empty TP rolls and dryer lint.  And a box of matches of course.  

If you look in the two last photos of the camping table you will see almost everything mentioned here.  I don't see the rag............ must be in use somewhere!

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CrockPot Pork Chops in Applesauce

OK, this was written a week or more ago.  Then I stuck it in my drafts and forgot about it.  So I am now bringing it out and linking it to Food on Fridays.  
     So in case you really care, just remember that when I write times and hours, etc., it was for that day, not today or yesterday!!  What a weirdie I am...............!!!  But I am having fun!!

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So, it was not dinner time....... yet.  However I had just responded on Facebook to my friend who lives in the Netherlands, and so I had to start thinking of what's for dinner.  (Many of you know Mub, my friend from the Netherlands.  You can find her here Visit Mub.)

She had Facebooked:

My Friend... "is making fake fried rice for dinner."

I wrote: 

Me...  "sounds so good. I am not thinking of dinner yet, maybe in 4 hours. Then I will have an hour to get it on the table. Or should I think about it now and use my crockpot?

Thanks for making me think."   

I posted this 7 hours ago, so around 1 pm my time.

And then I reposted my main thought and I got all kinds of support for 'what's for dinner' from family and friends.

"I am not thinking of dinner yet, maybe in 4 hours. Then I will have an hour to get it on the table. Or should I think about it now and use my crockpot?"

(Friend)*Go for the crockpot!! That makes you feel so free come dinner time!

(Angel)*i say the CROCKPOT MOM!

(sister)*We have a super fun sweet and sour crock pot recipie if you want to try that one some time.

  

ME: *I put a layer of applesauce on the bottom of the crock, then sliced some really thin white onion, only amounting to about 2 Tablespoons worth and sprinkled them over the applesauce. Then I put 3 pork chops (1.3 pounds worth, they are pretty big) in the pot and ground some pepper, salt and dried lemon on the top of the meat. Now they are on high and should be done in 3 or so hours. I would have used sliced apples, but no apples could be sacrificed for an experimental meal. Hence the applesauce, we had left overs in the fridge.

(brother in Texas)*I don't know why you insist on talking about food on here!! You're making me soooo hungry!!! When should Catcher and I be there for dinner? :) 

(sister)*yum that sound so good too. I will have to try that next week!

(Hubby)*says Shari doesn't know what it will taste like , she has had failures before so maybe hold off on coming.

ME: *I do like to just make it up as I go. Most of the time things are edible, so we don't waste much food in testing. But some things will never be tried again, or even tried to be improved. I will post how it faired later.

(brother in Texas)*Awww we were just walking out to the car too!!!! Oh well maybe next time.

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"So the crockpot dinner did go well. We ended up having the pork from the crockpot, it was fork tender, yum! So on the plate was a pork chop, corn, applesauce and mashed potatoes. I thought it was good. Angel liked the pork, Pilot liked it and so... did Hubby. I guess it was a winner! Hurray........"

 Here is my crockpot with a cup or two of applesauce on the bottom.  
Then a few very thin slices of white onion, maybe 7 or eight paper thin slices and finally the very thick pork chops.  

 I also ground some fresh pepper and salt on them.  I have a grinder with salt, pepper and dried lemon in a grinder too, and I used some of that.  I think next time, I will use lemon pepper or pour tablespoon of lemon juice over them.

Then I put the crock on HIGH and let it cook for about 4.5 hours.  It started to smell really good after about an hour and the onions were the first smell to start to waif throughout the house. 

Why the pork chops:

    I have two packages of pork chops that are 4 pounds each and there are 9 chops in each.  Boneless thick chops with very little fat, if any and we got them for $1.90 a pound from Sam's club and still had 4 days to use them.  They were on special because the sell by date was coming. 

So I only used 3 chops for the four of us and that worked fine.  Each chop is about 7 ounces in the raw state, Angel and I split a chop and the boys each had their own.  Not bad.  They are used to more, but we need to re-think our eating habits and fill up on veggies!  So we begin cutting down on our meat consumption....................

So I am going to get 3 meals out of this package and 3 out of the second package too.  That means for less than $16 we are getting 6 large pork chop meals- that is $2.70 a meal for the meat.  Not too bad, well for really good meat it isn't bad at all. - that's $.70 a person for meat.  You really can't cry about that!

Well the meat has been cooking a couple of hours and it is looking really good and the house smells like mom's cooking dinner.  That is such a good thing!  Mom cooking dinner!  Nice..........

  

Dinner- (the meat in the crockpot) was finally done. So then it was what to eat with it?  

I should have done peas or beans- get some green in the meal.  But I made some other choices for tonight.  Here is the finished product.  Pork chop, corn, mashed potatoes, and applesauce.

I did have some small portions on my place, but I had already started to eat when I remembered to take a photo.  
But at least I remembered to take the photo.  
Too bad I forgot to take one of the finished product in the crockpot or the plates from Pilot, Angel and Hubby.

I hope to get back into the habit of taking photos!  It's tough when I don't have the photos I need for my posts!!

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Return to Ann's Blog for the Food on Fridays carnival and find more posts that might be anything remotely related to food.

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 Please join me for Make-Do Mondays.

We love to hear ideas about how you are making do and being frugal in your daily lives.

Shari

Practically Perfect Life

Make-Do Mondays

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Make-Do Air Ribbon and Bead Organizer

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At Make-Do Mondays we discuss how we’re simplifying, downsizing, repurposing, buying used, and using what we’ve got.

It’s a carnival celebrating creative problem-solving, contentment, patience and ingenuity. To participate, share your own make-do solution in the comments or write up a Make-Do Mondays post at your blog, then return here to link via MckLinky. Enjoy others’ ideas by clicking on their link in the MckLinky list.

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Make-Do Mondays with Shari

So I made bookmarks and I realized that I really needed to organize my bookmark making supplies.  So here is what I was able to come up with by using things I already had in the house.




The first thing I did was find

an unsharpened pencil and put all the spools of ribbon on it.  Then I put the pencil in a small basket, you can see it in the photo.  I stuck the pencil in between the holes of my plastic basket.


Then the basket was ready.  All I had to do was put in the beads, scissors, rings and my bookmark station was all ready.  Of course I can make other dangly things like the tops of pens/pencils and more.  

But the main thing is  I now have an organized station.  Oh, and this is not anywhere close to all the beads I have, it is just a sampling.  I can add beads as I need.  I also have a few more spools of ribbon, but they have not found their way here yet.  All in good time!!!

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Make-Do Mondays

with Shari

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