Try your mind at a Memory Challenge!

So, you think you have a freakishly good memory? You can even recite the entire first season of Friends? Try our ultimate memory challenge, and find out if your brain is as fit as you think.

But first, there are a few things you ought to keep in mind. Your senses capture information which is transformed into mental images. This is how your memories are formed. To train your memory you need to exercise your ability to create mental images.

Here is our helpful hint: try to form a visual image of whatever you are trying to keep in your head, and it will be more likely to stay there. Now go to the next page, and find out if you have what it takes.

Look carefully at these letters: the letters of the same color make up a word. When you have worked out the anagrams, memorize the words, using mental images as aids.

Now try answering these questions,

Don't be a cheater and look at the comments page for someone else's answers!

Sunday Lunch at Oma's

Alyssa took a liking to Dutch Hagelslag, which are chocolate sprinkles we put on the delicious chocolate cake Yvonne baked
It took a lot of determination to pick them up from the plate!

Time for a little hug

Guess who is the center of attention?

As you can see "Sunday lunch" is a lot of fun.

Get a Green Clean!

Key Cleaning Ingredients
You don’t need commercial cleaning products to get out tough stains and rust. Learn to use baking soda, bread, and other natural substances for your clean-up jobs.

Bicarbonate of soda is a mild alkaline powder that cleans china, stainless steel, fridges and freezers, ovens and plastic furniture. It can be sprinkled on a damp cloth or applied as a paste mixed with water for light scouring; or use as a solution in water when soaking china or washing surfaces.

Lemon Juice
Applied directly or added to water, the acidity of lemon juice clears tarnish on brass and copper, removes limescale, rust and stains on marble and plastic worktops, and is effective against unpleasant smells.

White Vinegar
Mixed in a solution with water or as a paste with borax and water, vinegar cleans windows, glass surfaces, ceramic tiles and wooden furniture. It can help to remove hard-water deposits from taps, toilet bowls and sinks, and works as a descaler for kettles.

Bread
Rub dirty marks on wallpaper gently with a piece of fresh white bread. This also works with Venetian blinds.

Paper
Clean grease spots on wallpaper by blotting with a clean paper towel, brown paper or blotting paper and then pressing a warm (not hot) iron over it. This also works for removing wax from fabric or carpet.

Salt
Use salt to absorb red wine spilled on carpet or fabric. Apply immediately after the accident, then brush or rinse away later.

Talcum Powder
Pour talc over a grease stain on cloth, leave overnight, brush the talc off and wash the cloth as normal.

Baby Oil
Make stainless steel appliances gleam by gently rubbing them with a cotton ball dipped in a little baby oil.

Toothpaste
Clean dirty grouting between wall tiles by rubbing with toothpaste.

Denture Cleaning Tablets
Use as a kettle descaler. Fill the kettle with cold water, add a couple of denture cleaning tablets, leave overnight, then rinse thoroughly.

Bonus: Recipes for Successful Cleaning
Raid your kitchen cupboards for two common ingredients and you can create a cleaner strong enough for almost any job around the house.

Dry Carpet Shampoo
Sprinkle baking soda generously over the carpet, leave for 15 minutes, then vacuum thoroughly.

Oven Cleaner
Mix baking soda with a little water to make a thick paste and spread over baked-on grease. Leave overnight, rub with a plastic scrubber and rinse.

Mildew Remover
Mimimize mould and remove mildew from a shower curtain by applying a paste of baking soda and lemon juice. Soak, then rinse in warm water.

Tap Descaler
Rub chrome taps with half a lemon to remove scale and scrub inside them with a toothbrush dipped in vinegar.

Our guest arrived

This week, Yvonne, Jason and the girls arrived. The girls are pretty exited. they went to every room in the house and looked at stuff here and there, wanting to play with everything at the same time.
We have had a few exiting days together, and the weather has been very cooperative, which makes it even better.
Of course the cousins had to have a play date at McDonalds

Above Alyssa is pondering the difficulties in her life!

Above, Hudson does not want to miss what's going on out there!

Anneka certainly has grown since we last saw her!

Some fun time with Opa

Tomorrow we'll all be together for "Sunday Lunch at Oma's". Pictures will be taken and shown on the blog later.

Here are a few handy tips!

Our newly painted house

Click on the picture it looks really nice we are very happy with the result

Interesting!

Who would you vote for?

Happy 5th Birthday Aila

From Opa and Oma
We love you very much!

More about Sammie

Jennifer went up on the attic to find some clothes she had stored away that used to belong to Sammie but are now just about the right size for Eliana who is two.

As Jennifer put on a pink dress on Eliana, Sammie looked her over and very excitedly exclaimed: "Oh Eliana you look beautiful in that dress!" To Jennifer she said: "Momma, don't ever get rid of that dress because I have such fond memories of it!

A call from Samantha

This past week as we checked our voice-mail, we had a call from our Granddaughter Samantha (Our son Paul and wife Jennifer's little girl who live in North Carolina). She sounded very exited but we could not make out what she was saying except "and she looks just like me and her name is the same as mine!"
Since it was too late to return her call I'd decided to call her in the morning, but she beat me to it.

"Hi Oma this is Sammie", followed by a long exited story, bit by bit I realized what she was saying, actually, asking!
Paul had given her a subscription of a magazine "The American Girl", so that she would receive her own mail once a month. In it they have pictures of dolls, very special dolls. They are pre-teen characters from various periods of American history. She comes with a story book, DVD and what have you. Very interesting I might add, but of course it drives little girls insane!

She had seen a doll with the name Samantha, dark long hair and a cute face and indeed she looked like our Samantha.
Her request was: "Oma could you buy that for me for my 7th birthday (in Aug.)? I quickly went to Google where I found the doll for $100.00 plus, added outfits all from that time period, $25.00 plus. Of course I told her that these were very expensive and asked, does Momma know you are calling me? Then I heard Jennifer in the background, no Sammie no, don't ask Oma!

When Daddy came home from work they discussed the fact that she had called me. What she told them was: "But Oma loves to spoil me!"

Yes I sure do, but it costs us already $1200.00 to go down there in September. On top of that we have six more grandchildren. Mind you, with her being so far away, she has missed out on a lot in the past. Beside Paul and Jennifer, we are the most important people in her life. Therefore, it is NOT out of my mind yet.
Children do not have the value of money. But neither do a lot of grown-ups. But as I get older I have become a lot more lenient. I always ask my self:

"How do I want my Grandchildren to remember me?"

Our Garden

Today has been raining and I am very happy it did. We sure needed it at least the flowers and the grass did! When it is sunny you will find me outdoors. I like to share a few pictures. Because of the rain I was able to do some more carpet cleaning downstairs. I was not looking forward to it because that involves moving the beds and furniture. But I got a few rooms done and already it is almost dry. I am very happy with my new steam cleaner that's for sure. When you rent one you have to pretty well do everything in one day. Now I just do a few rooms at the time.

Okay here are a few pictures I took over the weekend

Guess who has a Birthday?

Yes..... born on Canada day!
44 years ago.
Being the first one, we had to practice!
Regardless off that, we can say!
Ron we are proud of you!
Happy Birthday!

Love your green lawn? Read this!

Build Up the Low Yellow Spots

The makers and sellers of pest and fungus treatments would love you to believe that every yellow or dead spot is the result of a sinister invader that can be eliminated with frequent use of their expensive products. But some yellow spots are simply the result of low spots in your lawn, especially if they appear after heavy rain. Grass can suffocate or rot in standing water. Try spreading a layer of compost over the yellow spot to raise it up to the level of the surrounding ground. Within a week or two, new grass will likely sprout to fill the patch.

Quit Bagging Grass Trimmings

If you have the kind of mower that shreds grass and drops it right back onto the lawn, you can reduce the recommended amount of lawn fertilizer by at least a third—and possibly even half. The salespeople at your garden center would tear their hair out if they knew you were onto this secret, but a mulching mower will save you having to spread pounds and pounds of chemical fertilizer every year.

Treat Your Lawn to a Healthy Tonic

You don’t have to pay big bucks to the fertilizer makers to spruce up your lawn with a shot of healthy nutrients. Many homeowners have had great success with homemade lawn “tonics” made from simple products that might already be on your pantry shelves. The recipes vary, but most share these common ingredients:

• 1 can non-light beer
• 1 can non-diet soda pop
• 1 cup ammonia
• 1 cup liquid dish soap
• 1 cup molasses or corn syrup
• 1/2 cup mouthwash

What do these ingredients have to do with promoting a healthy lawn? The beer, soda, and molasses stimulate beneficial microbes. The ammonia is a source of nitrates, the main ingredient in most fertilizers. The soap helps spread the solution evenly and bind it to the blades of grass. And the alcohol in mouthwash deters some pests. Mix these ingredients in the reservoir of a 38- or 76-litre hose-end sprayer, and apply it to your lawn every three weeks or so. Water well after application. Your lawn will be lusher and need less water, and the big oil companies that supply the raw materials for many fertilizers will have lost another customer.

Deter Lawn-Damaging Raccoons

If you wake up in the morning to discover small round holes in your lawn or even large patches of turf mysteriously rolled up, it is probably the work of raccoons or skunks, who visit at night and dig in search of worms, grubs, or other insects that live in your lawn. They are especially likely to show up after a rain, when the water forces their prey close to the surface. Some pest control experts would have you believe that the only viable solutions to this problem are expensive ones: installing a secure or electrified fence, setting out traps, or undertaking an elaborate grub-elimination program with toxic insecticides. But the solution is quite simple. Just go to the store and buy a couple of boxes of moth crystals and sprinkle them over your lawn. This will help persuade the raccoons, who have very sensitive noses, to dine elsewhere. Also, to avoid attracting them, make sure your garbage cans can’t be knocked over and have lids that are securely closed.