Firefighter’s widow describes text messages before husband died

Mike Krumboltz, Yahoo! News 

Juliann Ashcraft, widow of Andrew Ashcraft, who was one of the 19 firefighters who died while battling the Arizona wildfire on Sunday, spoke to "Today" about the final text messages she exchanged with her husband.

Tragedy in Arizona

Yesterday, Sunday June 30th, a wild fire that was sparked by lightning on Saturday night, spread out of control through the town of Yarnell, Arizona. Yarnell is southwest of Prescott, AZ by about 35 miles. I lived in Prescott for 7 years and my son and his wife still live there. The fire overtook 19 elite firefighters from the Granite Mountain Hot Shots. All but one has perished. My heart cries out for these folks who laid their lives on the line to protect others. They gave the ultimate sacrifice in the protection of others. The average age on the hot shot crew was 22. Please keep them in your thoughts.

DIY Shower Curtain - Step By Step

This is a very simplified set of instructions to make a shower curtain. If you are making a standard size shower curtain it should measure 72" x 72" when complete. You can custom size your shower curtain (as I did) but these instructions will show you how to sew a standard shower curtain.

Sewing a shower curtain is quick and easy. This shower curtain will require 100% cotton fabric of your choice (4.75 yards) and some piping (5 yards) along with 12 grommets. You can forgo grommets if you know how to do button holes on your sewing machine.  I always suggest cotton fabric as it washes easily and irons nicely, but a blend fabric will work as well as a flat bed sheet. A flat bed sheet works well because it will have no piecing seams on the front, but piecing the shower curtain looks fine too.

Pressure Cooker Recipe - Artichokes

In this short video, I am going to show you how to clean an artichoke so that you can cook it in a pressure cooker.

Many folks look at this strange vegetable choice, see those forbidding thorns, and keep walking. Those who do stop to look at them often have no clue how to prepare them. Artichokes are a delicious and healthy vegetable, but are seasonal, so they are only available for a short time each year. Grab them up when they are available! Take care when handling them as you prepare them. The heart of the artichoke is worth the risk of a poke.

Enjoy!

First Aid Kit on a Budget

In a prior post Help I Have Fallen and I Can't Get UP I listed a comprehensive list of items to include in a first aid kit for those who live a distance from "civilization." Today I took another look around the 99 cent store again. I decided to see how many of the items on my list could be purchased at the 99 cent store or any similar dollar store. Here is a photo of today's haul and a photo of my first aid kit as it stands right now

Updates for Ease

I spent today updating some of the layout of this blog to make things easier. First, please note that "Related Posts" at the bottom of each blog update. This will help link together common ideas and related items that you may find of interest as well. Secondly, I updated and added to the links at the right of the page to items like my Facebook page, Pinterest boards, podcast feed, and other places around the net you may find interesting. Lastly, I added an email contact in the sidebar (just scroll down to locate it) in case you would like to shoot me an email.

I am considering setting up a chat room and forum area so that others can connect. Be sure to check back frequently as things around here are always a-changin'!

Tiny House Hot Tub/Swimming Pool

I think that in another life my granddaughter was a mermaid. She LOVES the water. So, being the Nona of the Year, I went and got a cheap, above ground swimming pool for my house this year so we could both enjoy the cool water during this hot summer when she comes to visit. The pool I bought was a cheap model made by Intex purchased at my local SprawlMart that was $48.00. I bought this particular model because it had a pool filter and last year my $25 model did not and it got icky super fast. At 10' in diameter and just over 1,000 gallons, it is nice to relax in after a long day.