I forgot to use my garbage disposal to get rid of some rotting strawberries and the next day when I opened my trash can, a SWARM of fruit flies emerged. I tried to kill them with a fly swatter, but with that many it wasn't making a dent. So, I checked Pinterest and saw this solution:
I didn't have a mason jar or parchment paper, so I used a juice glass. I also used cling wrap, a pen to make holes, apple cider vinegar, and two drops of Dawn dish soap.
My attempt
My results?
12 hours later: 2 fruit flies
24 hours later: 17 fruit flies
2 days later 40ish fruit flies
3.5 days later 44 fruit flies
Now only a few more icky bugs to go!
StrengthsQuest has been really popular for the last roughly five years. I first took it at my last job. I'd since forgotten what my top five strengths were and recently, for a class I looked up my strengths. It has been really interesting to re-access these after five years. All I feel are still accurate.
StrengthsQuest helps you to know yourself better and it can help you understand what's important to others and essentially how they operate, thus helping you work together better.
My top 5 strengths are: Responsibility, Harmony, Belief, Consistency, and Connectedness. After reading the descriptions for each, I realized how well they do represent me. Also, these happen to be similar qualities to those that I look for in friends. I was initially surprised to see harmony in my top 5. Previously, I hadn't reflected on how important harmony really was to me, but I hate do drama, so it does makes sense.
Here's info on StrengthsQuest. It does cost to complete the accessment, though not too much. What are your strengths?
By now, you know I love movies. I saw terrific previews for McFarland, USA and knew I had to see it. We all love movies where the underdog wins. Plus, it's about a Mexican community which I identify with as a Mexican.
The only big name star in the movie, was the polarizing Kevin Costner. I love his voice and movies. The movie is based on a true story; my favorite! Costner plays hot-headed football coach, Jim White whose temper gets him fired...a lot!. Yet, again his family of four has to move to another town for work, McFarland, California. There he helps coach football and teaches science and P.E. His hot-head gets him fired from football. His family struggles to get used to a new town. As he drives, he sees high school students run really fast. There, he gets the idea to form a cross country team. Valente Rodriguez, from the George Lopez show, plays the funny principal who okays Jim starting a cross country team. His first recruit is a boy he protected on the football team which got both of them kicked off. That boy helps him recruit more, including the three Diaz brothers, including slow Danny. Danny, Coach White explains will be the teams anchor.
The hard working kids get up at literally the crack of dawn to help their families pick fruits and vegetables in the fields, go to school, run, then help in the fields again. White wakes up one morning and helps in the field all day to see what their lives are really like. He gives the boys hope that with cross country they can go to college.
Focusing on cross country causes Coach White to miss his daughter's birthday. With the help of his new friends and the Mexican community, he gives her a Quinceañera. This celebrates her becoming a woman.
His team loses it's first competition, but learns from it and trains to do better. All their hard work pays off and they qualify for state finals, despite many ups and downs along the way. The team grows to respect Coach White. They end up winning state with the support of their community. All the boys end up going to college. Coach White leads several more cross country state titles before retiring. Most of the guys on his first team, live and work in that same community, most even teaching at local schools. They continue to run with the cross country team to stay connected. My friends and parents really liked it. A bonus is the fun Mexican music throughout the movie. Pretty sweet story! Check it out.
The summer after our beloved, Franky died, my mom felt it was time to think about getting a puppy. I didn't want a puppy, it felt disloyal to Franky. So there we were traveling around the 4th of July weekend to rural Hanover, KS. It was a small, farming town. I wasn't sure about this whole puppy thing. Then I saw all the glorious golden retriever puppies come out from under the porch. They were so cute. We started picking up puppies and trying to decide which to pick. We knew we wanted a male. My mom said she'd found "the puppy," a sweet-faced puppy that became our Max. I told her she could say that all she wanted until she picked up the sweet puppy I was holding. When I picked him up, he cuddled me and I was a goner. His sad tail sloped down. Mom held him and announced we'd be getting two puppies! Riley had won her over. So we paid the fees and waited until we could bring them home, weeks later when they were weaned. We were so nervous. Two puppies is a large undertaking.
The trip home with the puppies was fun and they slept most of the way. They were so cute! We were excited! We knew our lives were about to be flipped inside out and that's about what happened.
Riley always looked so serious with his expressive eyes. If you tried to get him out from under the bed, he'd growl and snap. He had giant ears and paws, that he's now grown into.
Max was all over the place, happily exploring. Max always wanted to escape their kitchen enclosure. He had such bright eyes. Some things never change.
They brought smiles, laughter, and joy back into our family!
I just finished reading, The Other Wes Moore. I have long loved reading, especially between my MBA classes. I like to read fiction and also biographies. In a way, The Other Wes Moore is a biography. It follows the similar lives of two African American boys during the same era and living in same city. They come from similar single mother homes. The book follows their upbringing and what made the difference in each of their lives. They end up in very different places.
One ended up with a life sentence in prison for murder. The other went to military school, became a decorated veteran, a Rhodes Scholar, a White House Fellow, and a businessman. It was interesting to see their similarities and when each came to a fork in the road that helped change the rest of their lives. The choices we make each day define the lives we live. The fate of the imprisoned Wes Moore made the other Wes Moore wonder how their fates could've been so different with such similar backgrounds. So, he struck up a friendship with the imprisoned Wes Moore to find out what made the difference.
Some of their differences, as I saw it were 1) ones mom raised her kids alone while the other moved in with her parents for help and 2) one had more kids and one focused on working more to provide for her kids, and 3) one mom talked to their son about his bad behavior and one realized talking wasn't helping and sent him to military school.
Have you read it? Did anything stand out to you about it? This book is timely with all the things going on in our world like the incidents in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, Maryland. Read it and gain another perspective. Knowledge is power.
To learn more about the book, click here.
Here's an excellent YouTube video my friend, the highly successful speaker and writer, Patrick Combs shared about the book: #veryinsightful #maketherightchoice #begratefulfortoughlove
It takes place mainly in California, following a series on earthquakes there and at the Hoover Dam in Nevada (scary part). As the movie name suggests, the earthquakes essentially fall along the lines of the San Andreas fault.
I will admit that the Rock lives through things no one else would. Maybe that's why he's the Rock ;) He also has an easy time getting out of challenging situations...oh wow, there just happens to be a plane he can steal. How is the boat not clogged by the tons of building materials in the water? I guess, it's a super boat built to not fail the Rock...
This movie does keep you on the edge of your seat. I laughed and nearly cried, but despite all the unreal things that happened it makes you cheer them on. I'm still a Rock fan. More importantly, I would see it again.
