Category: Lifestyle

Posts about things to do with the home; decor, kitchen, products I love, as well as activities, etc.

38 Things I’ve Found in a Tractor Trailer

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My husband and I detail the interiors of tractor trailers when one driver leaves, so they will be clean for the next driver.  We started doing this for the company he drives for several years ago, and we’ve seen some crazy things in them!  Some of them have been funny, but there have also been some really gross finds, as well.

Now, I have to say that not ALL trucks are bad, but the majority of trucks we’ve cleaned have been filthy.  FILTHY!  I mean, c’mon guys.  At least think of your health.  Some of them I wouldn’t even touch without my rubber gloves on.

So, here we go!  The list of things we’ve found, in no particular order.

  1. Dirt- a general layer of crud on the floors, seats, walls, dashboard, and ceiling.
  2. Cigarette tar- it runs down from the walls and ceiling when we spray cleaner on them.
  3. Coffee- no, not cups of coffee, but spills in the cup holders, on the dash, the floor, the seats, and yes, the ceiling.
  4. Lime dust- because this company hauls lime and lime slurry to various plants.
  5. BO- ok, we can’t actually SEE it, but we can smell it.  Eww!!
  6. Coins
  7. Candy/Food wrappers
  8. Earplugs- because some machinery is loud.
  9. Dirty magazines- because… well… They’re guys.
  10. Dog food- some drivers take their dogs with them.
  11. Pudding cups-  Oh my gosh!!!  This was one of the worst trucks!  I actually found a large package of smushed and leaking pudding cups…. Get this.  Under the MATTRESS!!!  I’m so not kidding.  Gross!!
  12. Dog fur
  13. Dog Poo- Yes, that was our most recent find.  Petrified dog poo, again, under the mattress.  How does that even HAPPEN???  Driver, you should be ashamed of yourself.
  14. Towels and sheets
  15. Clothes
  16. Earrings
  17. General trash
  18. Dog pee pad- in the same truck with the poo.
  19. Fleas- cause…. dogs.
  20. Mold- yes.  Mold.  How we haven’t gotten some disease is beyond me.
  21. Mushrooms-  That’s right.  Actual mushrooms growing in the corner behind the mattress.  Yeah.  Again.  How does that happen?
  22. Glasses-  I guess they couldn’t stand to look at it anymore.
  23. Various electronics- GPS’s, cords, etc.
  24. Bras and Panties-  Again.  They’re guys.
  25. Used condom wrappers- See above.  At least that’s ALL we’ve found.
  26. Unused tampons
  27. Music CD’s
  28. Screws and Screwdrivers-  I don’t know…
  29. Paper Clips
  30. Pens
  31. Shoes and Boots
  32. Keys
  33. Shampoo, Deodorant, etc
  34. Paper towels
  35. Cleaning products- Barely used, apparently.
  36. Medicine
  37. Bowl for smoking weed
  38. Cigarette butts

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That’s all I could think of, but there is probably some things I missed.  I’d have to say that the dog poo, mushrooms, and pudding cups top my list of Most Disgusting.  What do you think?  Have you ever found anything weird in a big truck?

 

 

Dr. Seuss for President!

cat in the hat photo
Photo by Casey Florig

Yes!  I wish Dr. Seuss could come back and be President!  Oh, the places we’d go!

Ever since I was very little, one of my very favorite authors has been Dr. Seuss!  Yes, even as an adult!  Not only was he whimsical and imaginative, but he was very smart and a good person.  He lived through racism, commercialism, and all sorts of other “isms”, and saw the damage that they could do.  In his art and books, he tried to teach children (although, many adults could take a lesson) tolerance and care for people and this world we live in.  I truly believe that the world would be a much better place if people read his books and tried to think like him every day!

So, now, I’d like to share a few of my favorite videos of his stories!  This first one isn’t a book, though.  It’s a biography made for kids in a style befitting Dr. Seuss himself!  I hope you enjoy these.  Please let me know what YOUR favorite is in the comments!

In Search of Dr. Seuss

The Cat in the Hat

Green Eggs and Ham AND Sneetches

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book?  And why?

 

A little Mother’s Day fun!

Mom

Happy Mother’s Day! (a little-belated 😉 )

I’m a little late getting this posted, well, because I was getting ready for and enjoying Mother’s Day!

This is Me, my grandson Jase, and my beautiful Mommy!  She is the sweetest person I know, and I inherited her whimsical spirit!  That’s why I knew she would love these cute little flowery pins.  I let her take first pick, then let the others choose the ones they liked.  We all had a very nice day at my sister’s new house, and enjoyed our time and dinner together!

pinsI made these pins for my own Mom, sister, sister-in-law, and daughters.  At least, the ones that have children!  I did, however, forget to make one for myself.  But, oh well!  You’ll have that!

They are made of polymer clay, plus a little bit of Pearlex mica powder and varnish!  I used a technique called polymer clay embroidery.  It was rather fun, actually!

Springtime Fun for Kids Roundup

 

I just love when Spring arrives!  Everything starts to turn green, the temperature gets warmer, and there is a freshness in the air!  And, like many of you, my fingers itch to get crafting for Easter and Spring decor.

Today, though, I’m going to put together some fun crafts and ideas for the kids!  They will help get their little spirits in the Springtime mood, and make a fun afternoon for you to spend together!  I look forward to doing some of these with my own grandkids!

By Alessandra over at asparklylifeforme.com

Alessandra at A Sparkly Life for Me had a very original idea that lots of children will go “roaring” mad for!  Who says it HAS to be a bunny?  I say this idea is grrrreat!  Click the image to go to her post and see all her images and a list of items she used, so you can create your own unique pre-historic Easter!

By Brandy at gluesticksblog.com

This is just so clever!  This fun craft will allow you to give the kids flowers they can plant over and over again!  So simple!  Go check out Brandy’s post by clicking the image above!

By Liza at viewsfromtheville.com

Now, I just have to say that Liza has the cutest critters I have seen so far this Spring!  And they are a perfect do-something-together craft for little fingers!  Click on the image to go to Views From the Ville and find out how you can make your own!

By Angie at thecountrychiccottage.net

Oh my goodness!  How I love this idea!  Angie over at The Country Chic Cottage has a seriously cute craft that the kiddos will flip for!  Coloring AND glue??  I mean, what’s not to love??  LOL  Click the image to find out exactly how they made theirs!

By Lisa at mythoughtsideasandramblings.com

Well, you may or may not want the kids helping with this one, but if you don’t, it will be one heck of a Mom Win when you pull them out!!!  These bunny butt cupcakes have got to be my favorite!  Lisa nailed it!  Click the image to go to her site and learn how to make them for your little Easter bunnies!

Which of these fun ideas is YOUR favorite?  Do you have one you’d like to share?  Go ahead and post it in the comments section!  Now… Get Hopping!!!

“B” is for Batman Birthday!

clayton batman cake
This is Clayton (and Batman)!  He turned 3 this weekend!  They had a little party for him at McDonald’s, and his Aunt Sammy made him a Batman cake!  He was super excited about it!  Especially when Batman was holding the candles.  Although, that didn’t last long, as Batman decided the moment after this photo was a good time to take a leap off the cake.  LOL  Don’t worry.  No superheros were harmed in the making of this birthday party!  😉

I think Clayton had a good time!  He got lots of presents, and had a great time playing with the other kids!  He got really excited to see that he got several puzzles and bubbles!

He spent the night with us a few days before his party, and this was his favorite activity!  I think he’s going to be my little artist!  He loves to draw or color or something like that when he’s here!  He made three masterpieces while he was at it.  So, aside from puzzles for his birthday, as requested, we also got him a set of watercolors and some nice paper to paint with at home!  I can’t wait to see what beautiful creations he comes up with!

 

 

 

 

Mama Wisdom 001- Be Who Ya Wanna Be

 

Welcome to the first installment of Mama Wisdom.  This is going to be little bits of information that I’ve figured out the hard way, and want to share with my daughters (and others) in the hopes that they will not have to make the same mistakes I’ve made, or suffer through hardships and pain.

Today’s topic is about self-esteem.  I have had very low self-esteem most of my life, and I can easily look back now and see it as a very big portion of why I made some of the mistakes I’ve made over the years.  For instance, I never got very much attention from boys in school, so after I graduated, I jumped at the very first guy to act like he liked me.  And I married him about a year later.  I saw signs before we married that said he was possessive and possibly violent, but I twisted them around in my head to be him showing how much he loved me.

Things only got worse after we got married, and I ended up living with horrible physical and mental abuse for four years.  I didn’t tell anyone for quite some time, because I was so embarrassed that I’d made such a big mistake.  And with the psychological abuse, I came to believe I couldn’t get away and things could never get better for me.  But I was wrong.

It’s very hard to see past a situation like that when you’re stuck right down in the middle of it, but things CAN change.  Not just circumstances, but people, too.  It doesn’t have to be a story like mine.  There are any number of scenarios that could be written down here.  And maybe you were abused, or maybe you were the one doing something wrong, but that’s just who you are NOW.  Today.  You can be any way you want to be TOMORROW.  It’s true!

What kind of person do you WANT to be?  Do you want to be strong?  Do you want to be fearless?  Do you want to be a better mother or an upstanding citizen?  Then do it!  There’s nothing stopping you, but you!

Let’s say you want to be a better mom.  Imagine someone you know that you would like to be like.  And tomorrow, pretend!  Yes, pretend to be that other mom.  Ask yourself, what would she do in this situation?  And then, the next tomorrow, do the same thing.  After a while, you’ll realize, that you ARE that better mother now, too!

I’m not saying it’s going to be easy.  Change can be very hard sometimes.  But you just take it one day to the next.  Take it one HOUR to the next, if you have to.  But BE who you WANT to be!  And BELIEVE that you deserve to be that, because EVERYONE deserves to live their dreams.  Even so-called “bad” people.  All those amazing people we look up to and aspire to be like, have all done “bad” things from time to time, but they did better TOMORROW!  And so can YOU!

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This post is Linked up at:

A Fresh Start on a Budget

 

Sincerely, Paula