29 December, 2016

Ants

Natural Ways to get rid of ANTS



Odorous House Ants

This type of ant is attracted to sweets, and are commonly found in the kitchen. Odorous house ants will leave a chemical pheromone trail wherever they travel. I did not know this. I thought Odorous House Ants, were like Stink Ants. You know, that they smelled and left an odor. They do, just only for other ants. If you kill them, other ants will follow the odorous trail and show up in the same places. This means, the entire colony must be killed. When you see the first few ants, you can sponge them (and the surrounding area) with soapy water to eliminate the pheromone trail. Immediately work to figure out where they’re getting into your house, and begin placing homemade ant bait at the entry points.



Homemade bait for house ants

Borax will kill odorous house ants, and powdered sugar will attract them. Make a homemade bait by thoroughly mixing one part borax with 3 parts powdered sugar. Fill tiny containers (such as bottle caps) with this home-made bait and place them as close to the place where you suspect ants are entering your house. If you see trails of ants, place small containers of the mixture directly in their path. This prevents most of them from travelling all around your house if they have easy access to this sugary treat.

Have pets or kids who might get into this powdery mixture? Try this instead: mix one cup warm water with ½ cup sugar and 3 tablespoons borax. Soak it up with cotton balls and place them in shallow dishes near ant trails.) Resist the urge to kill all the ants you see. They will carry the bait back to the nest, unable to differentiate between the borax and sugar, and the borax particles will eventually kill the entire colony. The more ants that are allowed to find the bait and carry it back, the faster the colony will die off.

More tips for house ants

  • Spray vinegar near baseboards, in any cracks, and on counter tops where they may be travelling. You can allow vinegar to dry on surfaces or wipe with a clean cloth – this eliminates their chemical trail and will deter some of the stragglers. Repeat several times a day.
  • Practising good sanitation practises is one of the best ways to make your home less attractive to ants. Keep spills, crumbs, and garbage cleaned up in the kitchen.
  • Make sure all food – especially anything sweet – is stored in tightly sealed containers or zip-top bags. They will get into things like jars of honey that have drips on the side or around the lid, so sealing the jar in a zip-top bag will protect it.
  • Even if you’re using a natural ant bait, if there is a more desirable snack, like spilled soda or cookie crumbs, they will choose that over bait.


Carpenter Ants Carpenter ants are commonly found around homes in wooded areas. They don’t carry bait back to their nests, so you have to kill them at the source. This means you have to do a little detective work to find the nest(s). Don’t bother using the borax/sugar bait – they’ll just feed on it like little piggies at a trough.

They will typically live outdoors very close to the house, and eventually enter your house in search of food and water. How to find the nest Carpenter ants live in wood and tunnel through it. The best clue to look for is small piles of very fine sawdust – the remains of the wood they have chewed through. You will typically find carpenter ant nests in moist wood in foundations, decks, wood piles near your house, trees, gaps between boards, etc. If you take some time to figure out where ants are entering the house, you can usually track them back to a nest. It’s easiest if you kill all the ants in sight, then watch for new ants to appear to determine their general entry point. This may give clues to holes that need to be sealed up, rotting foundation where they’re living, or cracks under doors they’re travelling under.



Natural carpenter ant remedy The best natural remedy we have found for eradicating carpenter ants is Diatomaceous Earth (DE). DE is completely natural and organic. It is made from tiny skeletal remains of algae-like plants. DE is a lethal dust for insects. Its microscopic razor sharp edges will cut through the body of insects, drying them out and killing them. If ingested by carpenter ants, it will shred their insides. There are different types of DE, so keep in mind you must get food grade DE for pest control. (You do not want the DE that is sold for swimming pools – it has a different make-up.)

Food grade DE is completely safe to be used around kids and pets and can be sprinkled around the home and yard without posing a threat. Find food grade Diatomaceous Earth here. In order to get rid of a colony of carpenter ants, DE must be injected directly into the nest. We used a medicine dropper to squirt dry DE into cracks where we found them nesting. You can also use a gadget like this to spray it into cracks or holes. DE must be reapplied after it rains. The best advice I can give to get the most out of your DE treatments is to stay on top of it! This pesky ant species may relocate their nests and find new ways into your house. If you see a resurgence, put your detective hat back on and find that nest.


More Tips for Getting Rid of Ants

  • Some ants like protein and grease. Mix a spoonful of peanut butter with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of borax. Using a plastic straw, tap the end into the mixture repeatedly until the straw is full of the mixture. Cut the straw into ½ inch pieces and place them next to ant trails.
  • Put a few drops of peppermint essential oil on a cotton ball and place in areas ants are crawling around. (find 100% pure essential oils here) 
  • Sprinkle cinnamon (being careful not to get it on things that will stain) near entry points. 
  • Some ants dislike baby powder. Sprinkle around perimeter of house or indoors where ants are entering your house. 
  • Rub a little Vaseline near the areas they are entering the house.


05 December, 2016

November 2016


Well November has come to an end, and what a month it has been, birthdays and funerals have littered the month.

I turned 54 and my birthday turned out great didn't start that way as on the day I only received a pair of sunnies from Tim on the day but thanks to Kathy-Lee I decided to have a birthday week and the following day I received some great gifts and then on the Friday I received even more awesome gifts from my family so by the end of the week I felt loved and wanted by all in the family. I had a great birthday lunch at my parents place on the Saturday and a great birthday lunch here with my girls on the Sunday although Natasha was a no show yet again.

The other birthday this month was Leigh her birthday is two days after mine and I think she had a great day as well.

The start of the month saw me house/dog sitting for Dave again, on the Friday and Saturday nights I had Leo with me and Sandra and her girls were there as well and it was great a really nice time was had by all of us I think. The Saturday afternoon saw our niece Kelli turn up with her dog and the boys Blain and Daemon they hung around till around 8pm. I however, was in bed really early because I got pretty drunk which is unusual for me I am not much of a drinker. Kelli was there because of fires around where she lives and she returned home when she got the all clear to go home, the rest of the time I was there on my own.

Let's move on to my parents they celebrated 56 years of marriage this year but it wasn't the best of days as that was the day my nan (mum's mum) passed away.

We all knew it was coming and only on our last visit to see nan just before she passed away mum told her it was time she went and be with pop and Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Diane and on the Saturday at around 4.40am she passed away.

Aunt Perla was with her most of the time for close to two weeks she was sleeping at the nursing home with her and it was Perla who rang Uncle Frank telling him she didn't think it would be much longer before nan passed and to go over and join her.

Nan's funeral was held on the 25th November at St Albans church at Charlestown it was well attended with most of her grandchildren and some great-grandchildren and even a couple of great-great-grandchildren.

All my girls attended and all Jeannie's children attended and Sue's youngest child Kelli attended, Kirsty of course lives in Queensland and was unable to attended and I am not sure why Heather and Vaughan were unable to attend. I know they wouldn't have felt close to nanna as they really didn't know her and I get that. I told all my girls that I didn't expect them to attend the cemetery just the church which they did.

Did I shed a tear, no I didn't, did I sob and all out cry, sure did I was really upset and Kathy and Tasha both came to give me a a hug as did Sue for that I am thankful to all of them.



27 November, 2016

Goodbye Nanna

I wrote this 5 years ago but in honour of my nan I am posting it today, as this was the day we said a farewell to nanna. Her funeral was at the same church that pop's funeral was it is the same church I was married in and all my girls where baptised as well as my granddaughter Summer.

Did I shed a tear, no I didn't, did I cry and sob sure did, after the church we went to the cemetery then back to Frank and Perla's before heading home.

There was a good turn out and I know my mum was pleased to see so many of her grandchildren there all my girls went as did all of Jeannie's children and Kelli, Sue's youngest daughter went as well. They may not have felt close to Nanna James but the went for their mothers which is the way it should be. Three or four of Uncle Ronnie's children attended I know his son Jason was unable to go.

My nan was an amazing woman she has always been known as Flo and it wasn’t until she went into the nursing home that I heard her called Florence.

My grandmother was born Florence Torrens on the 31st May 1921 in Wauchope her mother was Mary Ann Cameron and her dad was David William Torrens. She was one of 13 children her siblings where: Ethel, Irene, Trudy, Robert, William, James, Eva, Isabell, Dorrie, Mavis and Nita.

Nan was married twice her first marriage to Merve Townsend resulted in 3 children: Mavis, Ronald and Diane. On the 23rd of December 1950 in Hamilton Newcastle she married the love of her life, Ronald Francis James with whom she had a fourth child Francis.

Nan has been blessed with 15 grandchildren each of her first 3 children have had 5 children each they are as follows: Jo-Anne, Jeannie, Susan, Sandra, David, Noel, Eddie, Ashley, Shirley, Jason, Robert, Wayne, Marie, Geoffrey and Debbie.

She has many great grandchildren as well as some great great grandchildren to many for me to name here.

Unfortunately Frank and Perla have not been able to have children.

On the 17th September 1972 nan and pop was to lose a daughter with the death of Diane.

On the 4th November 2010 she lost pop.

She spent her last days in a nursing home I feel that it is a shame that more of her family did not visit her, mostly she received visits from Frank and his wife Perla and her daughter Mavis and granddaughter Jo-Anne.

I have always been close to my nan and feel blessed to be her grandchild she has always been a person to open her heart and home to all that needed her.

As a child I remember Christmas morning after getting our presents we would pile in the car and go to nan & pop's place for Christmas lunch, nan would had been up for hours cooking and you could smell the food when you arrived it was always a hot cooked lunch.

As a teenager I spent a lot of time with my nan, I use to go and help her clean a dental surgery in town 3 days a week and I remember spending other times at their house, I had my own room there.

During the last couple of weeks of her life my Aunt Perla was with her most of the day and all night leaving in the morning to go home shower, eat and head back. The night/morning she passed away both Frank and Perla were with her she died at around 4.40am on the 19th November 2016.


We will miss you nan, but you are at peace and with pop, Ronnie and Diane now.







31 October, 2016

October


Hello all well October has come to an end with my baby brother turning 38, seems only yesterday that I was changing his nappy and helping mum take care of him and my baby sister Sandra who turned 39 a couple of weeks back. To be honest I remember spending more time with Sandra as a baby then Dave, I use to take Sandra into my room while I listen to very loud music and when I would just sit in my room and read. Sandy also would come and get into bed with me during the night or first thing of a morning.

October also saw my dad turn 74 and my sister Sue turn 48 damn we are all aging but getting older is ok it is better then being dead and not getting any older.

Tim has been annoying the hell out of me at times recently with all the complaining about how much money I spend on gifts for the family at Christmas and birthdays he keeps going on about cutting back and not giving gifts to my nieces and nephews, now I only give to the young ones not the nieces and nephews who are all grown. I am talking about Dave's children and Sandra's daughters who are very young they are the ones I buy for.

I buy a lot of gifts from clearance lines and online from Groupon or My Deal sites and I also get some gifts from Chrisco or Hamper King which I pay off during the year and Tim goes on and on about what I buy from them as well although last year I didn't order much at all so he should be happy but that said he will complain when or if I have to ask him for money to get stuff it will be why do we really have to haven't you spent enough and we can't afford it.

This month also saw Natasha move out of our home after a fight with he dad, she is now renting a place about 5.10 minutes from us I hope she is happier, I think she will be and I hope Blain is happier and that it is just him and his mum that is what Blain wants.

Tim and I will be going away in the caravan in a couple of weeks this time we are going to Port Macquarie again for only two nights.

At the end of the week I am going my brother's place to dog/house sit for him while they go away for week.


Today is Halloween but not for me as I don't do Halloween, my daughters and grandchildren do but that is ok for me it was not a thing when I was a child or even when my daughters were children to me it is not an Australian thing it is something the stores here have adopted to make more money. 

06 October, 2016

September 2016


Hello everyone here I am doing a post for September and yes I know it is October but what the hell, let me tell you about September of course there were birthdays during the month Kathy-Lee had a birthday as did Hayley and Denni and of course it was mine and Tim's wedding anniversary we did nothing as Tim had to work.

Although at the end of the month Tim and I managed to get away in our caravan for the first time, we went to Foster for 3 nights and it was great although at one point Tim complained about how much he had to open his wallet as being the first time we went away we realised there was a lot of things that we needed that we didn't have, such a a jug, toasted sandwich maker a toaster oven and a bunch of little things as well. The main thing was a small television that was $199 and $19 for rabbit ears.

Just before we left Tim had problems starting his motorbike and bought a new battery for it but when we got home we realised that wasn't the problem as it still won't start so it has to be towed to Inskip at Toronto to be looked at, he rang the NRMA and put the bike on his roadside assist and paid the extra to have it towed but there has been nothing but dramas and many phone calls to the NRMA about the bike.

The first day they turned up too late in the afternoon so had to be reschedule for the following morning, to top it off the NRMA will not come onto the property to pick up the tow so Tim had to push the bike up the driveway and he left it at the top of the driveway overnight this I was worried about but Tim said it was locked and should be ok.

Well yesterday when the towie arrived he at first backed the tow-truck down the driveway to pick up the keys and then he tried to unlock it with the key to the screen-door and then when I said it was the wrong key and I thought it was one of the large keys he said no they would not go into the lock so Tim and I thought he was an idiot.

So when Tim gets home from work yesterday afternoon he tired to unlock the bike but it wouldn't unlock now he thinks that someone tried to steal the bike the night before and last night when the NRMA was trying to unlock the bike they broke the key in the lock all in all he was in a foul mood over it and I told him I understood but please don't have a tone with me not my fault.



So today he has arranged for a locksmith to come and look at the bike this afternoon so we will see what happens, at the moment I have no car and tomorrow I guess I will have to drive him to work in the morning before going shopping and over to the Royal to see the diabetic doctor, which I would rather not do as he goes on about my weight and having weight loss surgery which I don't want to do.

08 August, 2016

July and August

Well we are into the first week of August so I am doing a recap of July, as well as a August post because I forgot to do a July post why I don't know I just did.

Anyway July saw Tim and I going to Tasmania for a short break, and it was cold as all shit there, not that shit is cold it is hot in fact or at least warm as it comes from a nice warm body just saying.

July also saw my sister Jeannie have another birthday, as did my bro in-law Ed and niece Tina, although when Jeannie had her birthday I was in Tassie so she only got her present last week this is because when I came home I forgot to take her present with me to breakfast on the Friday

I also saw the specialist about my tremor, he told me it was a functional tremor and that it is caused by stress and that nothing much can be done except learning how to control my stress levels. He did say he would have a chat to the movement disorders doctors to see if they agreed with him. Have to say this made me annoyed as I do not think stress is the cause of the tremor there must be another cause, as for relaxation techniques I have learnt a few over the years and I do the breathing technique most days and it does help if the hand is shaking a lot and I am feeling somewhat tense but it doesn't stop it, it only settles it a little.

I still get the tremor in my leg it happens in both legs but mostly the left leg this is not something that others can see though, my brother Dave asked me yesterday if I always know my hand is shaking and the answer to that is no I don't many times I am unaware of the shaking as it shakes most of the time now days.

The last few weeks has seen me wearing my hearing aids pretty much every day now, I even wore them when I went shopping last Friday that is the first time I have done that for years.

Now onto the start of August this has seen three birthdays already with Kayla then Tom and Landon, yesterday at mum & dad's we had a birthday cake for Landon, his mum Michelle bought the cake and what a large cake it was far too big but it was a nice cake I brought home some for the boys and myself oh and Natasha as well.

I have also sent an email to Dr Murray about Leo I am wondering if there is some kinda anger management he can try to help him control his temp, she has said that we will discuss it when we see her and that maybe he will have to see a psychologist. I would like something done as I am worried about him, when he gets angry he throws things around and he is very augmentative when he is upset and can't get that he shouldn't back chat and argue with his elders.


Well that is it for this post........................ 

26 June, 2016

June 2016


Hello June or should that read goodbye June since June is all but over, I know my bad as per usual. I think I will do these posts at the end of the month instead of at the start of a month.

Anyway what happened in June well mum, dad, me and Tim went on a cruise to Fiji and it was bloody wonderful, we all had a great time the weather was lovely not too hot but it was a bit cool on the ship inside outside near the pool it was not just warm but hot but not overly hot or that humid all in all the weather was good.

Mum and dad did get off the ship a few times, and had a good time mum even went ashore at Port Denarau via tender, a tender is a small boat that takes you from the ship to the port or island where the ship is unable to dock. I think at first mum was worried about how she would get on and off the tender but when she gave it a try she was ok and didn't really have that much trouble getting on and off, she had trouble though getting on and off the bus for our sightseeing tour at Suva but then so did I it wasn't the easiest bus to get on and off.

Dave and Leigh drove us to White Bay to get on the ship for the cruise and picked us up again at Circular Quay when we returned home after the cruise for this we all were so grateful. I bought Leigh a sarong to say thank you, and I know that mum also bought her a sarong to say thank you, Leigh has the figure to wear a sarong unlike me I am far to big to wear one. Hell one wouldn't even go around my body.

When I returned home from the cruise I picked Leo up from school that afternoon and he was so excited to see me and then papa he gave me lots of hugs and kisses and told me over and over how much he loved me and how much he missed me. I missed all my grandchildren so much and often on the cruise I would see a child who would remind me of one of my grandchildren.

I also returned home to find that the photos I had removed from the walls that Natasha was going to replace in a better order for me were and still are not back on the wall as I write this and I am somewhat annoyed that they are not back on the walls as it is not something I can do easy. I have asked Tim and Natasha to replace them and they say they will but who knows when. Natasha said she wanted the walls painted before they went back up but I don't care about that I really don't care if the walls are painted or not.


Also this month Jessica aka my special girl turned 27 and she was annoyed that we were not home for her birthday but it isn't like she is a child or anything.