Friday, March 6, 2026

 

WOW – It HAS been a LONG Time!

 

Hello Friends!! Unbelievable how time flies – and it truly does!  SOOO much has happened to me in the past DECADE (feels weird to write that!!) as I’m sure lots has happened to you too!

Let me see if I can give you a quick (maybe?) rundown of the past 10 years…Here goes! (Deep Breath…)

Went to the Kentucky Derby and crossed off an item on my bucket list;  Took my mom to Paris to cross off an item on her bucket list;                                                               

Saw the Chicago Cubs play and win the World Series;  

Had my 40th HS Class reunion, another reunion with some of my Radioworks radio friends plus the “All Greek NMSU” Reunion – and we ALL stilled looked great;                                                              

Lost some very important family members, namely my mom Jeana, my brother Vince and my father in law Richard. Some of my dear friends, who were also like family, got their angel wings also, a few in the last months of 2025;  

On the other end of the spectrum, I gained family members – a daughter in law, 1 great niece and 5 great nephews with the latest arriving December 2025;                                     

 Had nieces and nephews graduate college, finish the service and get married;                        

 Rode to Sturgis South Dakota for the Motorcycle rally 10 plus years now;   

Made it thru Covid – and did NOT get sick or vaccinated;                                                

Surprised a few friends for their “big” birthdays – Pat McCarthy who I’ve known since the late 1980s, Steve Summers and Jill Alsbury friends since the early1990s;  

Said Goodbye to my furry and feathered babies – Larry Bird after 30 years and my cats Lucky, Toots, Nehemiah and my dogs Justice and Gabby;                                                                     

Took the plunge and got LASIK surgery on my eyes;                                                                   

Got more visibility as the “ReTool Girl” with “Meet n Greets”, Radio and TV ads; 

Exposed my voice to a larger audience as I delved into Audiobook narration;           

Traveled with my husband around this beautiful country of ours including Hawaii, and to England, Croatia, Sweden, even cruised to the Panama Canal and the Mediterranean;                                              

 After my 10 year old jeep got flooded, I bought a new Jeep Grand Cherokee – and now am loving the “jeep duck” life;                                                                                                       

Jumped into real estate as a hands on ‘house flipper’ installing roofs, redoing bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens and everything else – should have started my own remodeling show – but now am an investor buying properties to rent long-term or Airbnb;                                    

Remodeled our OWN house inside and added a covered patio to the outside – we hired those jobs out!                                                                                                                                        

Our pets have changed – we acquired a German Shepherd/Husky named Katie Jo (she’s going to be 9 in April 2026), cats named Calamity Jane (Cali for short) - who will also turn 9 in 2026 – she’s a tortoise-shell cat with a real “tortitude”,  Gideon, a tiger-striped cat who was the only survivor of his litter,was found in a barn and Nelli Benelli, our neighbor’s white cat who decided to live with us instead of moving to southern IL.  Gideon and Nelli are the same age – terrible 2s going on 3 this year!                                                                                                                               

My voicework changed, due to Covid, and as I mentioned earlier, I am an audiobook narrator.  I’m also a Podcaster with my longtime radio friend, Tim Larson, on “Life’s 3x5s” found on most platforms...we are also writing a book together!  Another radio friend, Chris Kelley, asked me to join him as a DJ again, on his new online radio station “The Fizz Radio”.  It just kicked off this year and I am already having a blast!

WOW that list seems long and I know I left a lot off !!  But enough about me, dear reader, what have YOU been up to this past decade, hmmmm?? Fill me in!

Friday, December 5, 2014

A CLASSY Christmas Flash Mob

Hi Everyone!!  I've been away but now I'm back - and boy do I have some good things to share! This for one - the best "Flash Mob" I've seen in a LONG while!  Listen and enjoy the Sounds of the Christmas Season - from our own United States Air Force Band - you WILL be saying …WOW!!

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Meat-free meals in your slow cooker

I think everyone's in the routine now that school is back in session - meaning there's less time for you to get dinner ready when you get home from work!  If you're looking for a way to save some money, eat a little healthier by have one or two meat-free meals each week plus get dinner on the table in a short amount of time-then I've got something for you!  Use your slow-cooker, crockpot or whatever you call it and try these
meat-free ideas found on the website www.splendidtable.org.  I do use my crockpot already for oatmeal (great for those rushed mornings!) and I'm anxious to try the enchiladas! I'll let you know how it turns out!



Friday, September 19, 2014

Ya gotta love Quinoa Cakes!

So I've been doing a LOT of canning, freezing and ... eating lately!  Some healthy, some not so healthy!  One of my favorite grains is Quinoa (KEEN-wah).  If you've never tried it before, give it a try today - use it in place of rice or pasta.  In fact here's a great recipe for Quinoa Cakes a healthy, vegetarian version of salmon cakes.  I think you'll be hooked on Quinoa once you try it!  Enjoy!



Quinoa Cakes

Friday, September 12, 2014

Make your OWN Pumpkin spice Coffee!



.

Ok it's hard to say this - let alone TYPE it - but Fall is almost here!  And in my book, that means all-things-PUMPKIN!!  While I'm not a big coffee drinker anymore, I do enjoy a good latte.  My girlfriend Robin loves pumpkin spice coffee and came up with a super recipe that you can make yourself!  PLUS it's NOT loaded with sugar! (she doesn't like sweet coffee - but if you do,
 here is the recipe..   Here's the modified recipe:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t cinnamon
dash of ground cloves

 Robin says she put the mixture in a mason jar, shook it up and then put it in the fridge - tastes even better the next day I'm told!  Can't wait to try it!

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Can you REALLY feed your entire family on $5 - YES!

I gotta tell you, I'm ALWAYS looking for ways to "stretch a buck" these days...aren't we all?!  I was watching "Today" and they told how you can feed your entire family on $5 and have some really yummy food - like Black bean & corn enchiladas, roasted chicken and more!  Check it out and save some $$!!

Erin Chase, Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb go over cheap meals on the TODAY show in New York, on Sept. 11, 2014.

Monday, August 18, 2014

13 Foods That Last Forever

A friend of mine was moving and had to clean out his pantry - believe it or not he threw away a few items he could have kept FOREVER!  Take a peek at this list - it might surprise you! Let me know if you would eat any of these foods after, say 5 years!!

Thursday, August 14, 2014

My Sturgis Adventure! All I could say was - WOW!


 
WOW!  What a trip -8 days. 9 hours. 2442 miles. We love our biker friends: When it rains you put on rain gear. When it hails you pull over. When it's sunny you bask in it. When its windy you lean. You help someone in need and you always enjoy the ride! I have never been to the Black Hills of South Dakota before and it is beautiful! We stayed in Custer but rode to, through and around Hill City, Keystone, Deadwood, Lead, Rapid City, Sturgis and everywhere inbetween!  We saw the beautiful Custer State Park with the wild buffalo (those animals are HUGE), the 4 Presidents on Mount Rushmore, the stone carving memorial of Chief Crazy Horse that is still under construction, met the owner of the 'Buglin Bull' restaurant who has the same name as my husband...and saw bikes of every kind and color!  Hope you enjoy the attached photos...to quote my husband Brian, Life Is Good!

 Welcome to Sturgis!!

Our riding friends! 
 

  

 
Brian Boyer, the owner of the Restaurant 'Buglin Bull' in Custer South Dakota.

 If you look REAL Hard you'll see Mt. Rushmore over my shoulder!


 Bison - real, wild buffalo!! They are HUGE!


 You meet all kinds at the Harley Rally!  This guy's been here awhile at the Hitching Post!

 Celebrities of all kinds are here - even the Budweiser Clydesdales!

 Abe and I having a talk about Illinois presidents....
 Gotta get the rain gear on...don't you just love my purple outfit!  I felt like a little plum!


Security! Who let those girls in our picture?! The Full Throttle bar has a little bit of everything!


YAY! Home at last!
 


Wednesday, July 30, 2014

The "Hottest" movie trailer out there - Fifty Shades of Grey!

Oh my!!  If you've read the book then you know it's "steamy"...but that's nothing - check out the movie trailer for the hottest book around - Fifty Shades of Grey .  Valentine's Day 2015 can't come soon enough for me! ;)

Monday, July 28, 2014

Best Things to Buy in AUGUST

Well, it's about that time again - Back to School Shopping!  There's lots of deals and bargains to be had now. For instance anything to do with dorms - Linens, appliances, laptops, towels, organizers, plastic storage all on sale.....don't forget about clothes, specifically SUMMER clothes with the BIG discounts! Click Here for more August Deals and Bargains.




Wednesday, July 23, 2014

6 Things we can do to be MORE Productive!

 Ever feel like you're just not getting enough done? Maybe you - like me - need a little help in figuring out HOW to get motivated!  Check out these simple things that Highly Productive People Do Every Day.

I know I can incorporate these into my daily life - watch out world, you're gonna be amazed at how much I am going to accomplish!


Friday, July 18, 2014

The Ultimate Shopping list of Super Foods!

 If you're trying to lose weight, you know to stay away from the processed foods and load up on the "super foods"...but just what ARE those foods?  I know Almonds are on that list along with Quinoa, Aramatha, Lentils and Apples -  but if you want to know what else you should be eating (and buying) check out the 50 Superfoods - The Ultimate Shopping List..thanks to the site Skinnyms.com!  Oh and you'll find some great recipes too!!



50 Superfoods- The Ultimate Shopping List

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Lorde is now "big time" as Weird Al "mocks' her song "Royals".



Love this!  You know you've made it big when you get mocked by Weird Al Yankovic! Watch this funny parody of "Royals" by Lorde.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Can't sleep? Eat Carbs at night!

I've always been a light sleeper while my hubby can sleep thru anything!  When I read this article I thought I found the cure to my Sleep problems!  Eating carbs at nite!  Just not tooo late at nite!  Pizza, pasta - This is right up my alley....so guess what I'm gonna try tonite?!
Dish of macaroni and cheese,

Friday, July 11, 2014

I didn't know I could Freeze THAT!!!

I got a new chest freezer last year and have loved filling it up with goodies!  During baking season I knew I could freeze butter and nuts but I had no idea I could freeze eggs!  Take a look at some other foods you didn't know you could freeze!  So now when that great deal comes along, you can just buy it and freeze it!

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

10 surprising household uses for Lemons

I told you earlier about a great idea for mosquito repellant using LIMES and cloves (if you missed it check on my earlier blog post.) but here are some rather suprising household uses for Lemons!  I knew about using lemons on cutting boards and to clean copper pots - I also put the used lemon in my garbage disposal - but I didn't know about the cleaning of metal jewelry or dealing with cats or the other uses!  Guess I'll be stocking up on those lemons as well as the limes!

Did you knew you could use lemons for all these household tasks?

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

I pass my title of "Motor Mouth" to THIS woman!



Ok now I KNOW I don't talk this fast - I can now pass my title of "Motor Mouth" to her!!

How Much Water is Actually Good For You

I always hear that I don't drink enough water - that you should drink 6-8 glasses of water a day....coffee, tea and soda don't count towards that amount either so how much Water do you Actually need? 
Well according to this article,  Dr. Travis Kidner says 2-3 liters of water every day because we LOSE that much every day!!!  That's a lot of water!

Saturday, July 5, 2014

There IS a way to fold that tricky fitted sheet!

Whenever I do laundry there's always ONE item that confounds me every time!! The Fitted sheet!! I never know how to fold it correctly so that it fits in the drawer - I've tried LOTS of different ways except this one!

 How Did I Not Know This?   Gotta tell you Jill Cooper from Livingonadime.com made it super easy - take a look for yourself...you'll never have problems again!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

23 Patriotic Foods You Must Try This 4th of July

What are your plans for the 4th of July weekend?  If they include cookouts or parties then here are
23 Patriotic Foods You Must Try This 4th of July!  And don't forget the Watermelon!!  Happy Birthday America!