The auction on the RVQ has closed, and the winner is Stephen with a bid of $100! Thank you so much for your generous bid on the RVQ–all the proceeds from the auction will be donated to The Oral Cancer Foundation in January! The item up for bids this week is a set of three Christmas decorations. Please go take a look and make a bid–it if for a very worthy cause.
10 For 10 Auction: Three Christmas Decorations
This is a set of three Christmas decorations. We have so many Christmas things in a “treasure box” under the bed! We have nowhere to display them, so these are up for bids. There is an International Santa representing Austria, because my maternal grandmother was from Austria.
A set of nesting Snowmen in the matryoshka style, because my maternal grandfather was from Russia.
And a gingerbread man and hearts garland, just because at some point I liked it.
I am starting the bidding for this set of Christmas Decorations at $5.00.
This item weighs 1 lb 7 oz, and is packed in a box measuring 10″X4″X6″. Shipping from zip code 36744 to California is estimated at $8.09 for parcel post.
To bid on this item, leave a comment with the dollar amount of your bid. The winner of the auction will be the person who has the highest bid when the auction ends. This auction ends on Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 11:59 Central Standard Time. If you have any questions about this item, you can email me at fabgrandma @ gmail.com.
If you’d like to spread the word about this auction and help me raise money for The Oral Cancer Foundation, please tweet about, post about it on Facebook, or write about it on your blog. I’d really appreciate it!
Another Road Trip
It seems like we just got here to Alabama, but it was time to jump in the truck and leave again. This time, we went to Georgia to visit some of our family. We drove about 100 miles through the Alabama countryside before we got to I-20:
We saw this chemical lime plant in Calera, Alabama–everything in the area was covered with a thick layer of white dust. I wouldn’t want to live nearby to that:
We made it up to I-20 for the next 100 miles. The fall colors were still hanging on to the trees up there:
We crossed the Georgia state line:
Then into the Eastern Time Zone:
and finally to our hometown:
I grew up in Douglasville–my family moved there when I was 13. I lived there until we sold our house in August of 2000. The town is nothing like it was back when I was a kid–there are so many people, so many cars, new businesses and a mall. You can’t get out of people’s way in the stores or on the road. If we didn’t have friends and family there we wouldn’t go there at all.
The first night in town, we met up with my daughter Emily, son-in-law Thomas, and grandson, Spencer at Longhorn Steakhouse. Mmmm, we used to go there about once a month. After dinner we went to the mall to walk around and look at stuff. I bought a couple of sweatshirts that I wound up taking back the next day. Emily got some bar stools for her new house that she also wound up taking back.
On Sunday, we went over to Emily’s new house:
They bought this house a few months ago–it has three bedrooms, 2 baths, a huge kitchen and dining room, front porch across the entire front of it, on six acres, with a barn, for $110,000. They got a great deal on it. Spencer loves the big yard and tire swing.
From Emily’s house, we met our daughter, Becky, at her beauty shop and got our hair cut. Then, FabGrandpa and Becky went to a movie, and Emily and I went to my mother’s house. Then, we all met up at Red Lobster for dinner–there was me and FabGrandpa, Emily, Thomas, Spencer, Becky, and our nephew Daniel and his family–Alicia, Brodie, and baby Katherin. We were so glad to see Daniel–we haven’t seen him since before Brodie was born and he is 3 now. Spencer and Brodie got along so well, and the baby was passed around and loved on by all of us!
Seems like all we did was eat eat eat, but that is not really true. We drove, ate, visited, slept, and did it all over again for four days. On Monday, we drove up to Cleveland, Georgia to visit FabGrandpa’s Mom and Dad. They live a hundred miles from Douglasville. We had a very nice visit with them–didn’t get any photos there though. We spent the night at the Days Inn in town, then went back for a second short visit before heading back to Douglasville for one last night there.
And it always surprises me that even though I lived there for so many years, went to high school there, and was the service unit director for the Girl Scouts there, I NEVER run into anyone I know anymore. Except–FabGrandpa and I went to dinner on the last night there at our favorite barbecue restaurant. It was very crowded, so we squeezed into a booth. When I sat down, the man sitting at the next table reached over and put his hand on my thigh. I was mortified and couldn’t speak for a moment!! It turned out that he was one of our friends we used to hang out with when we lived in Douglasville, and haven’t seen in 10 years.
Wednesday morning, we finally loaded up all our stuff and headed west, back to Payne Lake in Alabama. It was a whirlwind trip, four days and nights of rush rush rush–I am glad it is over and we are back home to sleep in our own beds. And the only traffic we see is this, right outside our door:
10 For 10 Auction: RVQ BBQ Grill
FabGrandpa and I love to cook out, but we really like our charcoal grill. This RVQ propane gas grill was included in the purchase of our travel trailer back in December of 2006. It has been occupying the space under our bed ever since then. It has never been taken out of the box, so it is brand new! This auction includes the complete grill, a connector hose, and a rack for attaching it to the side of your RV. This particular model is no longer made, but the RVQ that is currently for sale online retails for $179.80. I am starting the bidding on it at $25. To bid, leave a comment with the dollar amount. Comments without a dollar amount are not counted as bids in this auction. See the auction rules here. This auction is to benefit The Oral Cancer Foundation.
Here is what the RVQ website says about this grill:
- Only gas grill of its kind, exclusively designed for campers and RV enthusiasts.
- Easily attaches to your camper or RV with a unique bracket system, unlike bulky camp stoves or grills that take up space on your picnic table
- Connects to your RV or camper’s “on board” propane gas source with a quick-connect fitting. No need to lug around a bunch of extra propane cylinders for your grill
- Comes with its own carrying case for convenient storage. Let it cool off, clean it up, then pack it up and store it away
- 100% porcelain for easy cleaning
- Dimensions: 22.5″ x 14″ x 8.5″.
It says the grill weighs 24.8 pounds, but it seems heavier than that when we pick up the box, so there may be some fire bricks in there too. I don’t know because we haven’t looked. I only opened the box to put the connector hose in it.
I estimated the shipping charges based on a 35 pound weight, with a package measuring 19”X28”X10”, from zip code 36744. Here are the high end shipping charge estimates from the big 3 shippers:
UPS up to $41.24
USPS up to $38.61
FEDEX up to $40.52
Shipping charges are estimated based on shipping from Alabama to California, which is the farthest zones for UPS, FED EX, and the post office. Shipping prices start around $16 and go up, so keep that in mind when you bid on this heavy item.
If you want to check on shipping prices for yourself, using your own zip code, here are the dimensions of the package: 19” X 28” X 10” and weight is approximately 35 pounds with the hose and rack.
This auction will close on Saturday, November 27, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time. The highest bidder will win. If you have any questions about this item, email me at fabgrandma @ gmail.com
If you’d like to spread the word about this auction and help me raise money for The Oral Cancer Foundation, please tweet about, post about it on Facebook, or write about it on your blog. I’d really appreciate it!
10 Years A Survivor!
As you may already know, FabGrandpa had squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, an oral cancer, back in 2001. In January of 2011, he will be a 10 Year Survivor! Because I am so thankful that he made it through the treatment and has been cancer free for 10 years, I am going to be holding an auction to raise money for The Oral Cancer Foundation.
FabGrandpa has been after me for quite some time to chuck some of the weight we I have accumulated in our RV by getting rid of stuff. I can’t think of a better way to do it than this—he gets happy because I am sending things out the door, I get to raise money for a cause I believe in, and ALL of Y’ALL win because you are now more aware of oral cancers and how to get screened for them. Here are some facts about Oral Cancer:
1. Mouth cancer will be newly diagnosed in about 100 new individuals each day in the US alone
2. A person dies from oral cancer every hour of every day
3. When found at early stages of development, oral cancers have an 80 to 90 % survival rate
4. Of those 36,000 newly diagnosed individuals, only slightly more than half will be alive in 5 years
Oral Cancers are serious business! FabGrandpa and I have been very lucky—his cancer was found quite early because it was on the front part of his tongue and was very visible. He went to the dentist one day for some routine dental work, and was told to go to an oral surgeon immediately for a biopsy. My friend Donna’s husband, Michael H. Yeaw, wasn’t as lucky though.
Donna writes:
“My husband Michael was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma the winter of 2001. He noticed an innocuous swollen lymph node in his neck. No pain, just the swelling. In many cases this is the first sign of head neck cancer and unfortunately the cancer is usually well advanced by then. After it didn’t decrease in size, his surgeon opted to remove it. Cancer of the tonsils…and so our three year journey began.
Surgery followed by radiation gave us two years of remission before it recurred again. Most recurrences of head neck cancer occur in the first two years. The odds were against us. The diagnosis was inoperable, terminal.
Mike continued to live life to the fullest, even taking his only long distance motorcycle trip. http://www.ridemyown.com/articles/personal/froggy_notsogreattrip.shtml
He fought a good fight all the way, always maintaining a positive attitude and reminding me that life is for the living. That is what I continue to do in his honor.
You can read our whole story and see photos of the radiation, feeding tube and prosthetic device he had to use at http://www.myprimeyears.com/hnc/ourjourney1.shtml”
And here is the information about the auction:
1. I’ll be listing an item a week for 10 weeks for my 10 Auctions For 10 Years Of Survival fundraiser for The Oral Cancer Foundation. Each item will be posted here on my blog with a post title of “10 For 10” and the name of the item along with pictures and a description of the item up for bids. Please note, most of these items are gently used, with the exception of the RVQ bbq grill that has never been out of the box, and the backpack that I made.
2. You can bid on the item featured that week by leaving a comment with a dollar amount you are willing to pay for the item.
3. Each item auction will be open for one week. At the end of the week, the highest bidder will be the winner of the item.
4. The winner will pay shipping from Alabama zip code 36744. The auction will be open to international bidders because whoever the winner is will be responsible for the shipping charges to them from me.
5. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to The Oral Cancer Foundation in January, 2011 to commemorate FabGrandpa’s, James M. Eidson, 10 years of survival, and in honor of Michael H. Yeaw.
6. I will accept payment via Paypal, or by money order or personal check. Checks must clear the bank before I ship the item.
7. To see what will be up for auction, click here.
If you’d like to help me out by publicizing my auction, you can tweet it, post about it on your blog, or post it on Facebook. There won’t be any prize for doing that, but it WILL share the awareness of Oral Cancer and could just save someone’s life!
For more information on Oral Cancer:
Association of Cancer Online Resources
Love Is A Journey—Couples Facing Cancer
National Cancer Institute
American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Ask for an oral cancer screening
A Video of an Oral Cancer Screening
If you’ve read this far, and would like to receive a button or a sticker to promote Oral Cancer Awareness, I have 20 buttons and 30 stickers, and I will send them out to the first 50 people who ask for them. Just email me at fabgrandma @ gmail.com to get yours.
Want to make a donation? Any amount will be accepted though the paypal button here:
Personal Pantry Report: Gluten Free Recipes: Enchiladas, Chicken Stew, and Fruit Cobbler
In the last few days, I have been chipping away at that pantry! I have made good progress, too. On Monday, I made some enchiladas with some ground venison that the forest ranger brought us. That used up a can of enchilada sauce, a can of refried beans, a package of corn tortillas, and some cheese that was in the freezer. Not to mention that it was quite tasty!
Today, I decided to make a chicken stew.
I have never made a chicken stew before–I always make chicken and dumplings or chicken and rice, but I had some okra and a can of tomatoes that needed to be gone, so, here is the recipe I threw together:
1 whole chicken, cut in pieces
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 lb frozen sliced okra
1 can chicken broth
2 potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Put the olive oil in a dutch oven. When it is heated up, add the onions, celery and garlic, and saute’ until onions are clear. Add all the rest of the ingredients, along with enough water to cover the chicken pieces by 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to low and let simmer for 2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.
I served this with some cornbread made with a Mixes From The Heartland Gluten Free Cornbread mix. The whole thing used up a can of tomatoes, a can of chicken broth, some frozen okra, and the bag of cornbread mix–5 things gone!
For dessert today, I made a gluten free cobbler ( those who are not gluten free can make this using a cup of self rising flour instead of the gluten free baking mix):
1 1/4 cups Pamelas’s Baking Mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups water or milk
3/4 of a stick of butter or margarine
1 32 oz can of gluten free pie filling
1 32 oz can pineapple chunks, drained
1 tsp cinnamon
Put the butter in an 8″X8″ casserole dish. Put the dish in the microwave and melt the butter. Mix together the baking mix, sugar, cinnamon, and water with a wisk. Pour into the casserole dish on top of the butter. Do not stir. Pour the pie filling and the pineapple chunks into a bowl, stir to mix well, then pour over the batter in the casserole dish. Do not stir. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes.
So, counting the dessert, I used up a total of 7 things today! That is a pretty good pantry cleaning day!
Oh, The Cuteness!
While we were on our way from Arizona to Alabama, I was buying these embroidered patches, and I told you I had a plan for them. Then my daughter asked me if I could make her a backpack. I have two backpack patterns, and this one was really the best one, but it wasn’t exactly what she wanted.
So, I fiddled around with it and came up with this:
It has a big zippered pocket on the outside, and a handy pocket on the inside:
And look at that cute little patch on the back! It’s a travel trailer, imagine that!
The straps are adjustable, but on the next one, I need to make them a little bit longer. If Emily doesn’t want this one, I’ll be putting in my Etsy store for $25 plus shipping.
More Stuff Out Of The Pantry: Meatless Gluten Free Lasagna Recipe
Yesterday, I decided to make the Gluten Free Spinach Lasagna that my friend and co-worker, Nancy, gave me the recipe for a couple of months ago. This version of lasagna is so easy to make, and has a twist–a dash of cinnamon! The cinnamon makes all the difference in the world. And even though I made it with gluten free noodles, FabGrandpa kept saying, “Boy, this stuff is delicious, honey!”
Here is Nancy’s recipe:
Gluten Free Spinach Lasagna
In a large bowl, combine:
1 10 oz box thawed chopped spinach
1 lb cottage cheese
2 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
The rest of the ingredients:
1 lb grated mozzarella cheese
2 large cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 box gluten free lasagna noodles
Bring a large pot of water to boiling, and add 3 or 4 of the lasagna noodles. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.
In a lasagna pan or large casserole dish, layer 1/3 of the tomato sauce, 3 or 4 of the uncooked lasagna noodles, 1/2 of the spinach mixture, 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the parmesan cheese. Repeat with another layer of tomato sauce, uncooked noodles, the rest of the spinach mixture, and 1/3 of the cheeses. Place the cooked noodles on top, then layer with the rest of the tomato sauce and cheeses.
Cover with foil, and cook in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes.
The lasagna used up a box of noodles, and two cans of tomato sauce that have been hiding in the pantry, plus a package of frozen spinach and a bag of cheese from the freezer. Today for dinner, I made some salmon patties, english peas, and mashed potatoes, using up another two cans of stuff. I think I am on my way!
How are you doing on your own Personal Pantry Challenge?