Karen’s Opinion

I am ready for spring to arrive and stay. We have been teased with a few warm days here and there. I want to be able to count on warm weather and being able to put away my winter coat! May first is the official beginning of spring. I hope it delivers a beautiful, sun shiny, warm day.

This past Sunday, I attended a spring luncheon with my mother in-law. It was held at mil’s church which happens to be the church where my husband and I were married. It was fun to sit and look at the beautiful wood beams and awesome stained glass windows while listening to the speaker. After moving to the fellowship hall of the church, we enjoyed cookies and punch and visited with the other ladies at our table. The lady sitting next to me enjoys sewing as much as I do so it was fun to catch up on what projects she has been tackling.

The tables were decorated with such simple flower arrangements and table cloths that we all exclaimed how easy it must have been to make the room so beautiful. These cute little paper cups were filled with a flower and were at each of our place settings. Mil gave me her flower so now I have two to plant!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of SaferBrand. All opinions are 100% mine.

I grew up in the days when we thought it was okay to pour motor oil on the weeds in our driveway. We needed to get rid of the oil after we changed it in our car and what better way to get rid of weeds! We found out later that we were hurting our valuable resources. That oil would find its way to our rivers and streams causing the water to be polluted. Yikes!

We now know how the things we put on the ground affect our earth but I still need to find ways to kill weeds and bugs. I hate that my roses have holes in their leaves from pesky bugs. That is why I especially am glad to have discovered EndALL insect spray. This bug killer dissolves in the soil with no residual! While some organic bug sprays are expensive, EndALL is economical. That means more money to buy plants. This unique formulation of organic insecticides is easy to apply and kills bugs in all stages of life. From larvae to adult pests, this easy to use formulation works on flowers, fruits, vegetables lawn, landscape, ornamentals and houseplants.

I learn so much at the Safer®Brand website. For instance, I found this snippet about controlling garden pests:

Insects, Weeds, and Diseases–these are the unwelcome visitors to our lawns, landscapes and vegetable gardens. Traditionally these are controlled with man made chemicals that have consequences beyond controlling unwanted pests.

Nature has strategies to deal with these pests without the use of synthetic chemicals. Organic control options are ideal for the consumer who wants a beautiful lawn and garden without the risks of these man made chemicals and poisons.

We all need help in our gardens and flower beds. Safer®Brand brings you a variety of effective insecticides that are gentler on the environment! Most of them proudly display the OMRI Listed® organic seal and comply for use in organic gardening! I recommend EndALL.

This week’s question for Four Foods on Friday asks, what can you make with eggs, meat or poultry, vegetables and a starch?

When my dad served in the military, he was sent to Vietnam to fight in that conflict. While there he ate a rice dish he called Kow Pod. He tried to duplicate the recipe and we still make it in our house. My sister in-law is from Thailand and her Kow Pod is very similar to the way we make it. My dad duplicated a winner!

We fry any type of meat in a bit of oil then add vegetables like onion and tomatoes. We dump in some cooked white rice and crack an egg or two into the mixture. Stir until the eggs are cooked. Serve.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hubby and I have been discussing how the economy is affecting our shopping habits. That led me to research Recession, Recovery & Store Brands as they apply to our family.

I’m embarrassed to admit I had never been the type of shopper who clipped coupons or compared prices. I work full time and when I go to the grocery, I want to get in and get out. The economy is forcing me to take a hard look at how I can save money. Our utility bills have increased. It takes more money to fill our gas tanks. You don’t want to get me started on how much our health insurance premiums have risen over the past year. We need to save money and I have a few ideas as to how we can manage that.

We can buy the lowest grade of gasoline for our cars. I read that it doesn’t make a difference in how cars run if you put a low octane fuel in them so why pay for the most expensive gasoline?

We can cut out the extra channels we pay for on our cable bill. We can turn out lights and unplug things when we go to bed. We can clip coupons and start buying store brands at the grocery.

I recently read an article that surprised me. I discovered that:

- 8 of 10 supermarket shoppers see no improvement in the economy, and 40% say things have actually gotten worse in recent months.

- 62% of consumers plan to buy more Store Brand products like Parent’s Choice as they deal with the tough economy.

- Shoppers who identify themselves as frequent buyers of store brands are at an all-time high (57% of shoppers)

- 43% of shoppers are trying Store Brands for the first time in categories where they used to buy only national brands.
- Virtually all (97%) of shoppers who switched to a Store Brand are happy with their new choice.

*49% say their new Store Brand selections compare “very favorably”
^^ Up from 35% in June 2009

I plan to put myself in the percentage that makes better choices and buy store brands whenever possible. It is not a choice but more so a necessity.

What are you doing to save money during these trying times?

I have been wondering if I was stung by a regular bee or a sweat bee while working in my flower bed last weekend. I didn’t think sweat bees would sting but I am wondering because I felt a stinging sensation inside my glove and when I pulled the glove off, a sweat bee fell to the dirt. My hand never did swell, thank goodness.

I did some research on sweat bees and found that sweat bees are black, brown, red, or metallic green, and sometimes with yellow markings, and usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch (4-10 mm) in size. The one I saw was black and yellow and was about a 1/4 inch in size. The Wikipedia article went on to say that they will sting if squeezed or squashed against one’s flesh. Aha! Sweat bees will sting. The sting is not painful and poses no risk unless one is allergic to bee or any kind of insect sting.