July 5, 2009

Sunburn photo by Genosfear on Flickr

This is a big outdoors weekend for most folks, and I’m betting that more than a few of you have a nasty sunburn today! I’m sorry about that! We know that using a good sunblock is your best protection against a burn, but if you’re already burned, what you need now is sunburn relief…not a lecture! These are my favorite tips for easing the pain, itching and burning, although you should be carrying a first aid kit with you if you’re venturing outside in the sun for a while. So you can also get the lowdown here on first aid kits and preventing it all together!

• Apply aloe vera gel, ideally cool gel that has been kept in the refrigerator. If you have an aloe vera plant, pluck off some leaves, squeeze out the gel and use it.

• Wet some clean towels, and place in the freezer until almost frozen, then apply gently to burned areas. Repeat as often as you wish.

• Brew a bunch of tea bags, and add the bags and the cooled tea to a tub full of tepid water. Soak.

• Add some oatmeal (uncooked!) to a tepid bath and soak for as long as you can.

• Mix a handful of baking soda into a tepid bath and soak.

• Take aspirin for the inflammation and pain (if you don’t have any problems with taking aspirin).

• After using one or more of these treatments, I’d also recommend that you sleep au naturale (nekkid) under a ceiling fan turned on high! But make sure you have it covered from somewhere like First American Home Warranty, afterall you’ll need it this summer!

Ceiling fans are the perfect alternative to HVAC systems, as they can provide you with cool air throughout the summer, as well as all year round too. Some people even suggest that they are better than air conditioning systems, but only if you have enlisted the help of a professional electrician (navigate to this website to find out more) in order to install it and make sure it functions to the highest quality. Because it would be pointless having a ceiling fan if it isn’t working as it should, and if you have a sunburn, you definitely need it to be working.

It’s my understanding that you do not want to use any creams or oils or butter on a bad blistered burn, because they can cause infection. I’ve heard about lots of other home remedies for relief from sunburn, but have not tried them and can’t personally recommend them. If you have any experience with these remedies, let me know.

• With a spray bottle, spritz apple cider vinegar on the affected areas and allow to air dry. I’ve heard this can be very cooling, but I imagine it would also be drying and irritating.

• Apply shaving cream. Again, seems cooling but potentially irritating.

• Apply Preparation H or other hemorrhoid treatments to the burn. It is said to reduce swelling and burning, similar to the claims of reducing under-eye wrinkles and puffiness.

To all of the miserable sunburn victims out there, I wish for you some relief and a good night’s sleep!

~BigSis

July 3, 2009

I know lots of you are going to be grilling for July 4th, and you’re going to need a dessert that doesn’t involved heating up the kitchen with a blazing oven, right?  Right.

When I think of a cool no-bake dessert, the first thing that comes to my mind – and makes my mouth water – is the classic Cherry Cream Cheese Pie!  When we were kids, this was our favorite.  There weren’t many leftovers with 4 kids around, but whoever got up earliest the next morning always scarfed up the remaining bit of pie for breakfast!  SisMama still makes this and we all still love it!

It looks like Paula Deen makes our Cherry Cream Cheese Pie too!  That’s one of the things we love about you Paula…you know what good is, whether it’s fancy foo-foo or not!

Cherry Cream Cheese Pie from Paula Deen

This other awesome cool pie just popped back into my head today.  I got this recipe from a boss MANY blue moons ago!  I wish my darn camera hadn’t passed away, and I’d make this and take a photo, but alas, I’m still camera-less.  I do have two notes on this recipe for you.

1. Do they still make Dream Whip?  I hope so, because this is a good pie and I’m not sure what we’d substitute for it.
2. Fresh Texas blueberries are so awesome now that I feel guilty giving you a recipe using blueberry pie filling, but I’m sure you could modify the recipe to use the fresh blues.

Now for the pie!

Banana Blueberry Pie

2 graham cracker pie crusts
3 bananas, sliced
2 packages Dream Whip
1 cup sugar
Dash of salt
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 can blueberry pie filling

Line pie crusts with banana slices.  Mix Dream Whip as directed on package.  Mix sugar and salt with cream cheese and add to prepared Dream Whip.  Pour into shells over bananas and cool until firm, about 1/2 hour.  Top with pie filling.  Keep refrigerated.

I haven’t mentioned it before, but I’m not the hugest Rachael Ray fan in the world.  I’m not hatin’, cause life’s too short for that; I’m just not lovin’.  I do have to give snaps to her for her scrumptious-looking Frozen Mojito Cake-tail. Note that I didn’t say yummo, or delish…I just said scrumptious.  This dish screams summer to me, and it’s all boozed up with rum!

Rachael Ray's Frozen Mojito Cake-tails

Enjoy your 4th of July everyone, and stay cool with a delicious no-bake dessert!

~BigSis

July 1, 2009

I like to always carry plane snacks with me so that I’m not tempted to gobble up the free honey-roasted peanuts that I don’t like that much anyway, or buy one of those uber-expensive snack packs that are full of fat, sodium and sugar.  This is my criteria for travel snacks:

• They aren’t too messy.

• They don’t spoil if they’re in your carry-on bag for a while.

• They don’t have too much sodium.  I get puffy enough already from flying!

• They keep you going until you get your next proper meal.

These are my top 5 picks for best airplane travel snacks:

• Raw unsalted walnuts or almonds: they give you protein which keeps you satisfied longer.  Chips or crackers just make you crave more chips or crackers!

• Trail mix: make your own with raw nuts and your favorite dried fruit.  I like blueberries, cranberries and cherries with raw nuts and sunflower seeds.  Scoop 1/3 cup of your mix into a snack size plastic baggie.  Be sure to measure, otherwise it’s really easy to eat way too many calories from this snack.

• Low fat string cheese: great protein, plus satisfaction from the flavor and the bit of fat you get.

• Half a whole grain bagel: either plain or spread with a little nut butter.  I like almond butter but you can use peanut butter.  The whole grains will give you steady energy and fill you up without cravings.

• Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms: I know these have sugar, and caffeine and fat!  I know, I know!  But just a few are a delicious treat and a great pick-me-up at 33,000 feet!  Plus they melt in your mouth and not in your hands!  And they come in fun colors!

Whatever your snacking preference, make sure to pack a few individually-packaged antibacterial wipes in your bag so you can clean up your hands and fold down tray before having your snack.  Who knows what kind of germs are lurking on your plane, right?

~BigSis

June 29, 2009

Happy Monday, all!  I hope you had a good weekend.  I was in a WordPress blogging conference all weekend, and oddly enough, my feline roommates didn’t get one bit of housework done while I was gone!  Not one load of laundry was done, the dishwasher still needs to be unloaded and reloaded, the bills aren’t paid, and there are hordes of dust bunnies scurrying around the wood floors.  WTF did they do all weekend?  Sleep?  Lazy buggers.

So, I spent the last two days soaking up knowledge from folks who are lots smarter than me, and very kind and generous to spend their weekend sharing what they know.  LilSis was in Chicago with the family while I was hibernating indoors with brilliant minds, and now next weekend is already July 4th.  I’m wondering…what did you do this weekend?  Do you have big plans for the summer?  Has the economy changed your plans?

I don’t have my dream trips planned for Italy or Hawaii, although I wish I did, so I’d love to live vicariously through you.  Please share your fabulous plans with me!  I know (or I think I know) that all the regular school years have ended, so your summer must be getting into full swing.

Envy by Bright_Star on Flickr

BigSis wants to know!  What are you up to this summer?  Turn me green with envy!

~BigSis

June 27, 2009

Hey, LilSis, thanks for bringing up the most important subject of sunscreen!  That was great information.  My philosophy concerning the sun is to always use a sunscreen, and wear a hat or visor and sunglasses, but still enjoy the fresh air and get a little Vitamin D from the sun.

I try to use a sunscreen on my face every day under my foundation, even if I don’t think I’ll get any sun exposure beyond what comes through my car windows.  I rotate between these two, and really like them both.  They aren’t sticky or greasy, and don’t clog my pores.

Face:

• SkinCeuticals Ultimate UV Defense SPF 30 with transparent zinc oxide ($37).  This one was recommended by my dermatologist, and contains 7% transparent zinc oxide.

• Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 55 with helioplex ($16.99 for a 2-pack)

I really enjoy walking outdoors – when it isn’t 105 degrees – and occasionally sitting by the pool for a little while.  When I do, I always use a sunscreen.  I use SPF 15 on my arms and legs, and SPF 55 on my chest and any other delicate areas, reapplying often.  Like LilSis, I LOVE the Hawaiian tropic scent, so that’s why I choose this brand.  It’s a great bonus that they now have a high SPF in a spray.

Hawaiian Tropic SPF 55 Spray

Body:

• Hawaiian Tropic 15 SPF Plus All Day Waterproof Sunblock with UVB/UVA Protection (also in 45 SPF for chest)

• Hawaiian Tropic SPF 55 Ultimate Ozone Sunscreen Spray with UVB/UVA Protection

Whatever your preference, make sure to use a sunscreen – use it often – and choose one with UVA and UVB protection.  UVA rays are the ones that cause aging, and UVB rays cause burning.  You need protection from both!  So cover yourself in sunscreen, and then go out and enjoy your summer!

~BigSis

June 25, 2009

I have the curliest hair in my family.  My 3 sibs all have some wave or curl to their hair, but I got the most by far from our dad, and let me tell you that my school photos revealed what a challenge that was for me! It was brutal!  It literally makes me cringe to remember how I struggled with my hair.  I could show you photos that would scare the daylights out of you, but I’m too vain to do that.  It’s bad enough that my family has seen them.  😀

FrizzyHair by Joseph Robertson on Flickr

When the Chi flat iron came out several years ago, it literally changed my life.  I am SO not exaggerating!  Before that, blow drying my curly thick hair could take close to an hour, and then it was still too poofy!  The Chi gave me smooth, shiny, soft hair, and I’ve never gone back to the curly look.  Curls look good if you have pretty spirally curls without my frizz-o-rama.  My coworker SA has that kind of pretty curl.  Me?  Not so much.

Now I’ve found another product that makes dealing with curly hair a little bit easier.  It’s called No Frizz and comes from a company called Living Proof.  I first saw it on a TV shopping channel…I know, random.  I don’t watch those but landed on this demo while channel-surfing one time, and had to watch the whole thing to see how it came out.  They had a woman with curly hair, and applied No Frizz to half her head, and blow dried each side smooth.  Then, here’s where it gets interesting.  They took a clothes steamer and held it close to her head for several minutes!  The side without product, of course, got frizzy and big and fuzzy.  The side with the No Frizz stayed smooth!  Really?  I had to see for myself.

I ordered the No Frizz from their web site since I wouldn’t have saved any money going through the shopping channel and I got free shipping at the time (shipping is free now on orders of $48 or more).  You towel dry your hair a little, apply a quarter-size dollop and work it through well.  Then style as usual.  I follow the No Frizz with a tiny bit of the Biosilk Smoothing Balm that I usually use before drying.

Living Proof's No Frizz

I found that my hair seemed to resist frizzing even on a really humid day, but the big test was our recent trip to California for LilSis’ birthday.  We went out on the boat, and drove around in the damp wind.  Guess what?  No frizz!  After close to an hour, I got a tiny bit of poof at my front hairline, but it was very minimal.  Ordinarily, in windy sea air, I’d have a giant puffball on top of my head.  If you have curly hair, you know what I mean!

No Frizz is also available at Sephora, I’ve since discovered, which would save the shipping costs but you’d have to pay tax.  There are several different formulas, but the Living Proof web site’s diagnostic tool will help you choose the one that is right for you.  I will tell you that this product is fairly pricey; at least to me.  The 4 ounce bottle I bought was $24, but it has lasted me about 3 months already and I still have some product left.  I shampoo at least every other day.

I would definitely recommend that you curly or frizzy haired girls give this a try!  I use it every shampoo and will repurchase it for sure!

~BigSis

June 23, 2009

The world lost a sweet young woman on Friday.  I don’t really know what to say, other than the fact that I’m so shell-shocked and stunned that I can’t think about anything else.

Since I haven’t asked her family’s permission to talk about this, I’ll call this precious young woman “Joy” because that’s what she was.  Joy wasn’t just a kind, caring, Christian woman.  She was truly leveraging her life for God.  She had an impactful ministry with a few other incredible women, and she had just released her first book.  Joy was speaking to and reaching and touching tens of thousands of people at a time with her story.  In the face of devastating personal loss, she had not crumbled and allowed it to destroy her life, but had clung to her faith and allowed God to use that loss for good.  Joy was making a difference.  In so many ways.  Even though she was so young.

I met Joy through my church at a women’s bible study.  She was one of those people who win you over immediately.  She had a huge smile that seemed to come from her heart, and not just from her teeth; you know what I mean?  She had a warmth about her that drew people to her.  She drew other women to her, and you know how big of a deal that is.

After that bible study ended, I didn’t see Joy again until a few months ago when I saw her in a short segment on the weekend news.  I recognized her right away, since there aren’t too many people around with that smile and that kind of enthusiasm.

I didn’t see Joy or hear of her again until I was flipping through the Sunday paper last weekend, and saw her obituary.  I must have read it a dozen times.  What happened?  How could this be?

I’m just so confused about this.  Like I was last year when one of the worship leaders at my church died suddenly; also a very young woman.  I know that I do not have the capacity to understand God’s ways.  I know that.  But still I try to make sense of things in my own head when heartbreaking losses occur.

What I don’t comprehend is why God would allow someone to get a horrible painful illness when they are living their lives for Him, and are reaching so many other people for Him.  But yet, He lets evil people go on their merry way, la dee dah.   He lets me go on my merry way, for cryin out loud, with all of my sins and shortcomings.  I’m still dealing with some of the same old crap and sin that I’ve been dealing with my whole life.  Why not take me and leave Joy to do His work?  She was doing it, and doing it marvelously.  With passion and spirit.  But she was sidetracked with this illness out of the blue in March, and now she’s gone.  And it’s only June.

I know that Joy is with God now and she isn’t asking questions.  I’m the one with questions.  I’m the one who is so sad for all of Joy’s family and friends, and all of the people who won’t get to hear her speak again.  All of the young women who won’t benefit from her encouragement and her example.

I’m not mad at God, and I honestly don’t question God.  I trust Him and I know that His ways are perfect.  And He knows I don’t mean to be disrespectful; sometimes I’d just like to understand a tiny little bit.  Maybe I’ll ask Him about this when I see Him, or maybe I won’t even think about it because I’ll be too busy worshipping.  Like Joy is right now.

~BigSis

June 21, 2009

Happy Father’s Day, everyone.  As we’ve mentioned before, we lost our dad on January 21, 2007, so this is our third Father’s Day without him here.  The other day, I was thinking about another approaching Father’s Day, and started remembering some of D’s favorite foods and what we would have if he was with us now.  I made a list of some of his favorites that came to my mind, and wanted to share some really good recipes for them.

• Lemon Meringue Pie – Grandma’s Lemon Meringue Pie from AllRecipes sounds great, and got excellent reviews.  D liked his lemon pie very “puckery” and so do we all!

• Banana Pudding – this recipe for Old Fashioned Banana Pudding from RecipeZaar sounds very similar to the way we’ve always made it since we were kids.  Homemade vanilla pudding, vanilla wafers, sliced bananas, and NO meringue, no cream cheese, no Eagle Brand!  Not that there is anything wrong with any of those ingredients; we just choose not to include them in our nana puddin.

• Chicken Fried Steak from Toby Keith’s “I Love This Bar” in Las Vegas – we found this recipe a while back, and now we can’t put our hands on it.  Cook’s Illustrated has a recipe that sounds really yummy, but you can only see it if you have a membership as I do.  BTW, I love their site, and this is the only web site I pay for access to, except for Consumer Reports.  But if you don’t want to pay for recipes, you could check out Alton Brown’s Chicken Fried Steak.  Alton seems to know what he’s doing, so I imagine his version is good even if he’s not Texan.  😀

• Sardine-Mustard-Onion Sandwich – no recipe needed!  We all have our unusual favorite combinations, right?  This was one of D’s.

• Schlotzsky’s Pastrami Sandwich on Dark Pumpernickel – we love this sandwich place, and I’m really sorry that you can’t find them all over the country.  One of the special things about them is their bread.  Here’s a copycat recipe for Schlotzsky’s bread, although I haven’t tried it yet.

• Keurig Coffee – the best coffeemaker, hands down!  Get yourself some Green Mountain K-Cups, and prepare to enjoy a wonderful coffee experience.

• Red Beans with Ham and Cornbread – Paula Deen should know how to make pinto beans, right?  She has a Slow Cooker Pinto Bean recipe that sounds pretty simple.  Lots of recipes use tomatoes, kidney beans, bay leaf, roasted garlic, etc. but we were never that fancy!  We also didn’t pre-soak our beans. All of the ingredients went into the pot, and they simmered for hours til tender.   I think this recipe for cornbread from Hillbilly Housewife sounds great!  It uses buttermilk and a cast iron skillet, so it’s off to a promising start.

• Sunday morning breakfast with eggs, biscuits and bacon – who doesn’t love the smell of this meal cooking, not to mention getting to eat it?  It maybe one of my favorite smells ever.

• Potato Salad – we’ll give you our family recipe in another post. It’s a good one!  It originally came from SisMama’s dad, who was a magnificent cook with a fiery German personality!

• LilSis’ Brisket – LilSis will share her recipe in a separate post too.

Most of all, D loved to eat anything that SisMama made.  If you are fortunate enough to still have your dad, make one of his favorite foods for Father’s Day!

~BigSis

June 20, 2009

Be there or be square!

Hey, all you cyber-sisters and brothers!  Are you going to the BlogWorld Expo in Las Vegas in October?  BigSis and LilSis will be there with bells on, and we would LOVE to meet you there!

Here’s the scoopage that you need to know right now:

• The Blogging Conference is October 16-17.  The New Media Pre-Conference is the 15th, if that’s your thing.

• The early bird discount for registration expires on July 1st so you have just a few days to get your act together.  The early bird rate for the 2 days is $300.  It will go up to $395 on July 1st, and then $495 on September 14th, so it’s definitely worth it to get your plans made now.

• Hotel information is out too, so check out the 3 hotels with special rates.

• The 2009 schedule is still being finalized, but peruse the 2008 Conference Schedule if you’d like to get an inkling of what could be in store for us this year.

We’ll talk more about this as the weeks go on, but we are really really excited about this!  If you’re planning to be there, please let us know!  How fun would it be to get to meet up with folks we’ve only talked to through our blogs?!

~BigSis

June 18, 2009

Hey LilSis, great job on the breakfast potato cake.  Way to represent BigSisLilSis on the Potato Ho Down!  I’d take off the bacon, but there’s just one thing I would add to it, and that’s a big splash of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce!  I am the Spicy Condiment Queen, so you had to know I’d like some spice-o-rama on my taters.

I’m still obsessing over Vivi’s Carnival Mustard – in fact I just bought my second jar since I first wrote about it – and I gobbled up that jar of Joe T Garcia’s Salsa Picante in record time, so I might as well disclose my obsessive love for Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.  Daddy loved it, I love it, and now we have Big T into it.  I put this stuff on and in everything…hummus, deviled eggs, soup, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, blackeyed peas, sandwiches, tofu, edamame, guacamole, anything except eggs. I’m weird like that.  I don’t like ketchup or salsa or anything spicy on my scrambled eggs.  It’s just wrong.  Scrambled eggs are supposed to be creamy and buttery, not fiery.

So do I, Grandma! So do I!

Anyway!  I used to buy Tabasco sauce, but now it just seems hot with no depth of flavor.  Frank’s is a little hot, but not nearly as lethal as Tabasco, and it has tons and tons of amazing flavor.  Frank’s web site has some great spicy recipes that use it, so check them out for some inspiration, but all you really need to know is put it on everything!  Including LilSis’ potato cake!

~BigSis