• Privacy Policy
  • Thrift Store Finds
  • Fresh From The Farm
  • Craft Projects
    • Pinterest Party
    • Aprons
    • Quilting
    • Fabric
    • Sewing
    • Tutorials
    • Beads
    • Crafts
    • Jewelry
  • Shop & Support Me!
    • Shop Gluten Free on Amazon.com
    • Shop Omaha Steaks
    • Schwan’s Home Delivery on Amazon.com
    • Maryland Crabs
  • Book Shelf
    • Adult Fiction
    • Children’s Books
    • Cookbooks
    • Craft & Sewing
    • Gardening
    • Non Fiction
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Good food, good company, good advice from Grandma

  • Home
  • Contact
    • About
      • About My Header
    • Hi, PR. What can I do for you?
    • Disclosure
    • Giveaway Rules: Please Read Them
    • Privacy Policy
    • Follow Me! Social Media Links
    • Recognition & Awards
    • FabGrandchildren
  • Gluten Free
  • The House
    • Getting Pre-Approved
    • Finding The One
    • The Loan Application
    • Closing The Loan
    • Fixing It Up
    • Thrift Store Finds
    • The Yard & Garden
  • Local
  • Travel
    • Campground Reviews
    • Hotel & Motel Reviews
    • Places I Want To Go
    • Alabama
    • Arizona
      • Colorado river
      • Grand Canyon
      • North Rim
    • Arkansas
    • California
    • Colorado
    • Florida
      • Amelia Island
      • Destin
    • Georgia
      • Atlanta
      • Helen
      • Marietta
      • Savannah
      • The Golden Isles
    • Louisana
    • Maryland
    • Mexico
    • Mississippi
      • Tunica
    • Missouri
    • Nevada
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • North Carolina
    • Oklahoma
    • Pennsylvania
    • Tennessee
    • Texas
    • Utah
    • Virginia
      • Richmond
  • Health
    • Atherosclerosis
    • Chronic Pain
    • COPD
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Ostomy Life
    • PTSD
    • Rosacea
    • Skin Cancer
    • Sleep Apnea
    • Type II Diabetes
  • Recipes
    • Re-Create The Recipe
  • Gift Guides
    • 2016 Holiday Gift Guide
      • 2016 Holiday Gift Guide Sponsors
    • 2015 Holiday Gift Guide
      • 2015 Holiday Gift Guide Sponsors
    • 2014 Gift Guide
    • 2013 Holiday Table Gift Guide
      • Sponsors For Our 2013 Holiday Table Gift Guide
    • 2013 Family Gift Guide
      • 2013 Family Gift Guide Sponsors
    • 2012 Grandma’s Gift Guide
  • Fashion
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Volunteering

What Makes People Do This?

Karen · 3 Comments

volunteer on public lands
A truck load of trash

Last week Rob and Belinda (the other camphost couple here at Payne Lake) and FabGrandpa and I went over to the shooting range on the other side of the county for a clean up day. This shooting range is on Forest Service property, and has no use fee. People can just go there and shoot at targets.

Joe, the resource manager was there too, so there were a total of five of us working. We picked up FOUR truckloads of trash from this property, that was maybe 1.5 to 2 acres in size. Joe said the last time they had a clean up day there was two months ago. Now, I know that this place is probably used mostly by hunters, but what does this say about the people who live in this area? I just don’t understand why they feel like they can just trash the place. It is public land, and belongs to all of us. Shouldn’t we ALL do our best to keep it clean?

volunteer clean up day
Another truck load of trash
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Filed Under: Alabama, Volunteering Tagged With: Alabama, Volunteering, Workamping

The Gate

Karen · 4 Comments

payne lake campground
That is one heavy gate!

The forest service has temporarily closed the campground where we are volunteering while they do a timber harvest in the area. It was done for the safety of the public, who may not realize the loggers will be in there. What this means is that every time I go somewhere, whether it is to go to the entrance kiosk to perform my volunteer duties or to the grocery store, I have to move that gate.

I know you can’t tell by looking at it, but that thing weighs about 50 pounds! It is making my back hurt moving it. Today I have to move it six times! And every time I do, I feel like this:

Mule powered carousel

I hope they get this timber harvest finished real soon!

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Filed Under: Alabama, Volunteering Tagged With: Alabama, gate, Volunteering

13 For 10: Handmade Reversible Apron #2

Karen · 1 Comment

My online friend, Sally, donated two of her cutie cute handmade aprons for the cause!  This one is green and blue, and oh! so cute:

Green and blue reversible apron

Sally makes these aprons, and I think they are just soooo cute! And because it is reversible, you get two looks in one:

Green side

And here is a pic of the blue/green print to give you a better idea of how it looks:

Blue floral print

Bidding starts today and ends on 1/31/2011. I am starting the bid for this item at $10.  All proceeds from this auction are being donated to The Oral Cancer Foundation, a national public service, non-profit entity designed to reduce suffering and save lives through prevention, education, research, advocacy, and patient support activities. To make a bid, just leave a comment here with a dollar amount that you wish to bid. The auction winner is responsible for paying shipping from Washinton zip code 98223.

See the auction rules here.

More information here.

This auction will close on Monday, January 31, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time. The highest bidder will win. The winner will be responsible for paying postage to ship the item. 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 to benefit The Oral Cancer Foundation, and to help educate people about oral cancer, please tweet about it, post about it on Facebook, or write about it on your blog. I’d really appreciate it! and you could be saving someone’s life!

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Filed Under: Friends, Volunteering Tagged With: benefit auction, Friends, oral cancer, Volunteering

10 For 10 Auction: Stainless Steel Grand Canyon Water Bottle

Karen · 2 Comments

Me and Jim at Point Sublime

There we are at Point Sublime. To get there, you  have to take a four wheel drive vehicle about 20 miles out on one of the roughest roads I have ever been on. The view at the end is stunning! That drive was nothing compared to the months of treatments and recuperation Jim went through after being diagnosed with oral cancer in January, 2001. I am so thankful and grateful for every day we have together, because not everyone makes it to the end of that road.

I am doing this auction to bring awareness of oral cancer to as many people as I can reach. The screening for oral cancer is a simple “in the doctor’s or dentist’s office”, non-invasive proceedure. It only takes about 5 minutes. So, this year when you have your annual physical or the next time you go to have your teeth cleaned, ask your doctor or dentist to screen you for it.

The item up for bids this week is a genuine Grand Canyon National Park stainless steel water bottle:

Grand Canyon Water Bottle

This is a nice bottle, with a plastic screw in stopper that has a hole in the top for attaching to a lanyard or belt clip. It is lightweight and easy to hold on to.

Grand Canyon water bottle

Oh, and I have signed the bottom of it:

FabGrandma's signature on the bottom

I am starting the bid for this item at $5.  All proceeds from this auction are being donated to The Oral Cancer Foundation, a national public service, non-profit entity designed to reduce suffering and save lives through prevention, education, research, advocacy, and patient support activities. To make a bid, just leave a comment here with a dollar amount that you wish to bid. The auction winner is responsible for paying shipping from Alabama zip code 36744.

See the auction rules here.

More information here.

This auction will close on Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time. The highest bidder will win. The winner will be responsible for paying postage to ship the item. 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 to benefit The Oral Cancer Foundation, and to help educate people about oral cancer, please tweet about it, post about it on Facebook, or write about it on your blog. I’d really appreciate it! and you could be saving someone’s life!

There were no bids on the last three auctions,so i am leavingthose  items up for bids until someone bids on them.  Please place a bid of $5.00 to make one of these items yours:

Decorative Photo Box The Decorative Photo Box auction has closed with a bid of $5.00! thanks, Beverly!

3 Gluten Free Cookbooks The Gluten Free Cookbooks auction has closed with a bid of $20.00! Thanks, Ali!

4 Art Cards The 4 Art Cards auction has closed with a bid of $5.00. Thanks, Cindy!

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Filed Under: General, Volunteering Tagged With: auction, benefit auction, oral cancer, Volunteering

10 For 10 Auction: Lot of 3 Gluten Free Cookbooks

Karen · 1 Comment

UPDATE: This auction item has closed with a bid of $20! thanks Ali!

The auction for this item ended on December 26 with no bids.  I am leaving it open until the first bid of $5.00 is received.  All proceeds of this auction are to benefit The Oral Cancer Foundation.

Gluten Free Cookbooks

While FabGrandpa does not have a gluten intolerance or celiac, he does eat mostly gluten free because I do, and I am the cook. He has been so supportive of my efforts, even when I was first learning how to cook with different grains. He will be the first to tell you that there is not much he will not eat, but there have been days when he has said, “Once is enough”.

These three books were among the first ones I bought, and were all very helpful to me in the learning process of re-learning how to cook.  The first one is The No-Gluten Diet by Kimberly A. Tessmer, R.D., L.D.  It retailed for $12.95

The No-Gluten Diet

Next is The Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Fast & Healthy by Bette Hagman, retail $18.00

The Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Fast & Healthy

And last is The Gluten Free Diet by Shelley Case, retail $23.20

Gluten Free Diet by Shelley Case

These three books are all in great condition, and have very good information on the gluten free diet, and plenty of delicious recipes. To bid on this item, leave a comment with a dollar amount indication the amount you want to bid. Comments without dollar amounts are not considered to be bids.  The opening bid for this lot of books is $5.00.  You can bid in 1 cent increments. Thank you for taking a look!  The proceeds from this auction will be donated to The Oral Cancer Foundation in January, in celebration of my husband, Jim Eidson’s 10 years of survival of oral cancer, and in honor of Michael H. Yeaw, who lost his battle.  Read more about The Oral Cancer Foundation here.

 

This auction will close on Saturday, December 26, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time. The highest bidder will win. The winner will be responsible for paying postage to ship the item. 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 to benefit The Oral Cancer Foundation, and to help educate people about oral cancer, please tweet about it, post about it on Facebook, or write about it on your blog. I’d really appreciate it! and you could be saving someone’s life!

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Filed Under: Volunteering Tagged With: auction, Gluten Free, oral cancer, Volunteering

Ah, The Perks Of Volunteering!

Karen · 5 Comments

Payne Lake

This is our second season volunteering at Payne Lake Campground. Payne Lake is in the Talledega National Forest, south of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We liked it so much last year that we decided to come back. The forest service really knows how to make us volunteers feel welcome and appreciated!

Our campsite at Payne Lake

Our duties here include staffing the entrance station on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. There are two camphost spots, one on each side of the lake, so we agreed with the other couple that we would staff the booth all day every other weekend. During the week, we drive around the campground a couple of times a day, doing the site checks, and checking the bathrooms to make sure they are stocked with toilet paper, and that the heaters are working.

Payne Lake is gorgeous!

We also pick up litter and clean out the fire rings on the campsites. Theyask for a total of 32 hours a week of work. We don’t have to do anything that is really hard, and we don’t have to clean any bathrooms. It really is a good volunteer gig.

Me, Fabgrandpa, and Joe, the resource manager (our boss)

In exchange for the work that we do, we are given a full hook up campsite, propane, and satellite internet service. (Verizon Mi-fi also gets a good signal here) They have also put a washer and dryer and a small freezer in the maintenance shop on the property for us to use. AND, several times during the winter, someone comes by and puts venison in the freezer for us to eat. Last year, they gave us some very nice jackets with a “Forest Service Volunteer” patch on them.   Then when it was time to leave last year, they had a cook out and gave us more presents!

Forest Service Christmas Luncheon

Today they had a Christmas luncheon at the work center. It was a very nice party with lots of food, and time to talk and get to know many of the forest service employees. They were all so nice!

Our forest service truck

Oh, and did I mention that they give us this nice truck to drive while we are on forest service business? Classy! There is a golf cart, too.  Because we have business we need to take care of next winter in Georgia, we have already confirmed our volunteer job at a Georgia State Park.  That means that Joe is looking for someone to replace us next winter. So, if anyone is interested in taking this spot, we’ll be leaving around April 10 to head back west for the summer. He needs someone during the summer, too.

beautiful

Payne Lake Recreation Area has two campgrounds–one on the west side (which is the one we ae assigned to) and one on the east side. The West Side Campground has 18 campsites, 8 of which have electric and water, and 10 that have just water connections. The East Side Campground has 35 primitive sites. There is a day use area, a nature trail, a boat ramp, and a dump station. There aren’t many campers during the week, but on weekends during hunting season, it is full much of the time. You don’t take any money–the visitors fill out their own passes and drop the money in a pipe safe. We are here pretty much to prevent theft and vandalism in the area.

East Side Camphost site

If you’d like more info, you can email me at fabgrandma @ gmail.com and I can send you Joe’s phone number and email address.

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Filed Under: Alabama, Volunteering, Workamping Tagged With: Alabama, Life on the road, Volunteering

10 For 10 Auction: Set of 4 Art Cards

Karen · 3 Comments

UPDATE: 1/23/2011:  This item closed with a bid of $5.00! Thanks Cindy!

The auction for this item ended on December 18 with no bids.  I am leaving it open until the first bid of $5.00 is received.  All proceed of this auction are to benefit The Oral Cancer Foundation.

At one of the first workamping jobs we had, we met an amazing guy named Chet Mazza. Chet’s career job was taking photographs of jets while flying through the air. After his retirment, he worked at campgrounds while traveling in an RV with his wife. His photography was beautiful!  FabGrandpa and I had many wonder evenings with Chet and Ellie. One night, while sitting around the campfire, we swapped our handiwork–he took several bars of my home made soap, and we got a handful of his notecards made with is beautiful photographs.

Jim workamping at Stone Mountain, Georgia

Each notecard is numbered by the artist, and has been stored in a plastic sleeve.  The auction to benefit The Oral Cancer Foundation this week includes 4 of these beautiful cards. I am not setting an opening bid for these, as I have no idea where to start with them.

Four beautiful art note cards, numbered by the artist
Flowers on State Street 40/03
Cows on Parade 54/17
Pumpkin Patch Canby, OR 34C/08
Pumpkin Patch, Canby, OR 34A/12

To bid on this item, leave a comment with a dollar amount. Comments without dollar amounts are not considered to be bids.  You can bid in 1 cent increments. Thank you for taking a look!  The proceeds from this auction will be donated to The Oral Cancer Foundation in January, in celebration of my husband, Jim Eidson’s 10 years of survival of oral cancer, and in honor of Michael H. Yeaw, who lost his battle.

See the auction rules here.

More information here.

This auction will close on Saturday, December 18, 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 to benefit The Oral Cancer Foundation, and to help educate people about oral cancer, please tweet about it, post about it on Facebook, or write about it on your blog. I’d really appreciate it! and you could be saving someone’s life!

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Filed Under: Life on the road, Volunteering Tagged With: 10 for 10, auction, oral cancer, Volunteering

Can I Get A Woooo Hooo?!

Karen · 3 Comments

I have been sick for almost a week and sleeping most of the day. I have gotten up long enough to take my medicine, do only the most necessary tasks, then back to bed. Finally, I am feeling better. Strep throat is no fun.

I have so many things I have wanted to write about, so this first post is going to be about some good things that have made me say  Wooo Hooo! lately.

Friends

First, our friends, Lynda and Charlie were here for not long enough, only two days, but while they were here, I showed Lynda my rash, that YES, unfortunately has come back and was still itching. I knew if anyone would know what the heck it was, it would be her. And sure enough, she did. She took one look, and said, “Kid, that’s ground itch.” Now, I had never heard of that, but looked it up, and it does sound like what I have been experiencing.  And the first doctor I went to in Flagstaff prescribed something that is recommended to cure it, so he was paying attention when I went to him in April. Lynda said to paint it with clear nail polish. So, I painted the area with nail polish and it has cleared up some. Talk about old fashioned remedies! but, by gosh, WOOOO HOOOO! it is helping me.

Camp hosting at Unicoi State Park

We had been talking about looking for a volunteer position in Oregon for next winter, but we have also been talking about buying a little house in Georgia. After talking with several lenders, we have come to the conclusion that if we are going to buy a house in Georgia, we’re gonna have to BE in Georgia for a little while to pull it off. So, we started looking for a winter volunteer spot in Georgia, and last week we confirmed with the volunteer co-ordinator at Unicoi State Park. We’re going to be there from November 30, 2011, through April 10, 2012.  And before we head up into the mountains in the north of Georgia, we’ll be spending the month of November at an RV park in west Georgia near our daughters. So, there ya go, another WOOOO HOOOO! Actually three of them, one for BEING in Georgia, one for BEING NEAR our kids, and one for having our volunteer spot BOOKED for next winter already!

Hair combs

I have always loved hair combs–not the kind you use to comb your hair, the decorative kind you put in your hair to be pretty. It may be because I always admired the way they looked in my Aunt Ada’s hair,but, my hair is thin, and combs have never stayed in. A couple of weeks ago, I found this cute little hair gadget at the grocery store. It has two combs that are attached to each other with elastic strands. You put them in and they sort of pull on each other to keep them in place. I am LOVING them. They look so pretty to me.

New hair combs

When we went to Georgia the last time, we were in Best Buy, so I decided to upgrade my phone on my “new every two”  with Verizon. So, I picked out just a regular cellphone. It was a decent phone while we were in civilization, but the farther out in the country we went, the less signal it had. By the time we got to the trailer, I had no signal at all. My old phone would at least make a call here. So, the next week, we went to Tuscaloosa and tried to return the phone. Because I didn’t have my old phone with me for them to reactivate, I couldn’t do it.  So, a week later, we went back up there and took the phone back. I told the guy at Best Buy that that phone wouldn’t get a signal if I was sitting under the tower!  After that transaction was completed, we went over to the Verizon store, where I got a Droid X!

My new love!

I never thought I would be the person who had one of these things. All I ever wanted my phone to do was make a phone call, period. But I have to say, this thing is great! I can get my emails, Facebook stuff, look things up on the internet, play games, and on and on and on. I walked out of the store not even knowing how to make it make a phone call!  It took me about a day to figure things out, but Wow! This thing will even get me on the internet with my laptop through a USB connection! And, if I wanted to pay an extra $20 a month, it can be a 3G wireless hotspot! WOOOO HOOO! to that!

Mi-Fi router

While I was at it, I upgraded my Wireless Aircard to a MI-Fi. This little thing is about as big as a credit card, and lets us both get on the internet at the same time! And,even when the phone doesn’t get a signal, this does. I am so amazed by it! I was sitting in the woods, in the middle of nowhere, updating my status on Facebook. Now THAT is connected! WOOO HOOO!

That’s about it for now. What Woooo Hoooo moment have you had lately?

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
0 Shares

Filed Under: General, Georgia, Volunteering Tagged With: Friends, Georgia, hair, internet, itching, phone, Volunteering

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Food Advertising by logo

Become A Fab Follower: Sign Up To Follow Me By Email

Subscribe to my e-mail list

* indicates required

…

Amazon Gift Cards

Target
Food Advertising by logo

Fabgrandma Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

My Most Popular Posts

Search Fabgrandma

Get Inexpensive Bi-focals! Mine were under $50!

Amazon Deals!

My Wish List--Buy Me Something, You Know You Want To!

Read All My Old Posts!

Chat Line Numbers - Find someone interesting to chat with.
AffordablePapers.com
- get your essay written for cheap.
logo
Food Advertisements by
1c133552ef6eaa93ed0182b8f2a55296-332

© 2021 · FAB GRANDMA · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Find Your Influence
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.