The Control Journal saved me!

The week before Christmas, my DH Randy became deathly ill. What started out as a cold-like flu morphed horribly into a very bad case of pneumonia, though I didn't know it at the time. When Randy asked to see a doctor, I knew then he was very sick. I took him to Solantic and they called an ambulance!

I had minutes to make the necessary phone calls, grab up our roomie, and drive to the hospital. I knew better than to break speed laws, much as I wanted to. While at the house picking up our roomie, I also quickly packed a few necessities for my husband's comfort. Then, I remembered one thing I'd need-- my Control Journal.

In my Control Journal was many of the things that kept me organized and --as the name implied-- in control. While our roomie drove us to the hospital, I updated the journal and made a few notes to myself as to who to call. The emergency section wasn't as filled out as I'd like, but you live and learn. That minor problem has been corrected.

As my husband was transferred from the ER of one hospital to a bed in another hospital and finally the ICU, my Control Journal and my FlyLady routines kept me from chaos both at home and while sitting at my DH's side. Now my DH is recovering, yet my house is clean and my sink is shiny.

I highly recommend the Control Journals. There's one for almost everyone and every need-- the housewife, the student, the teacher, the working woman, the financial problems, losing weight (called Body Clutter), and even one just for keeping control during the holidays.

www.flylady.net/images/OCJ.pdf is my personal control journal choice because I work at home, but if you Google "FlyLady Control Journal" you'll find a nice selection. You can also go to http://www.flylady.net/ to see and learn how to finally love yourself (FLY) and gain control over CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome.) You'll be glad you did.

Lena Austin
http://www.lenaaustin.com/
http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com/

Make Your Own Mocha Coffee

In this day and age, a penny saved is worth doing. This recipe came from FlyLady.net, and I give FlyLady full credit for this wonderful recipe. If you are disorganized, cluttered, and stressed trying to do it all, then FlyLady.net is for you. Everyone praises me for being so "together" and I again credit FlyLady's system. So, here's FlyLady's recipe for saving yourself that daily cost of a mocha coffee:

Making your own Café Mocha does several things.


1. Saves Money


2. Saves Time


3. Saves the Environment when you use your own travel mug.


4. Warms you up on a cold day


5. Best of all; You feel loved


That is five good reasons for a cup of something warm and wonderful.


Here is my recipe.

Café Mocha

You will need a:


box of good powdered milk,


a jar (8 oz) of instant coffee (decaf or regular)


Nestles Quik chocolate milk powder.






I take the jar of coffee and pour it into a mixing bowl. Then I use it as the measuring cup, because this is a proportional recipe and the jar is the guide. Then I add two jars of the chocolate milk powder (16 oz) and three jars of powdered milk (24 oz). Stir with a spoon. If you use a less expensive/coarser powdered milk, you can put all of it into a food processor or blender and mix it better. I have even used the Hazelnut instant coffee and it is great too.

To Use: Scoop out 1/4 of a cup for each mug (mix with 1 cup of hot water) you make.




I keep the Mocha Mix in a glass canister with the 1/4 cup scoop in it. It also makes a great Holiday Gift! I did purchase some really fancy chocolate milk mix once and it didn't taste as well Nestles. LOL

This is a great no cook recipe for a gift! Put in a glass jar with a pretty mug lined with plastic wrap, add directions, a measuring spoon and a bow and you have a nice little gift.

We have a great mug that keeps your café mocha hot. You know how we


forget to drink it after we make it. You don't have to travel to use a


travel mug to keep your mocha hot. It is good for those of us who get


sidetracked!


http://www.flylady.net/pages/FlyShop_purple_mug.asp

Lena here. I keep a box of dry milk powder around. It's amazing how you can stretch an expensive gallon of milk into two gallons by making up a gallon of dry, then mixing the two. You cut the fat and carbs as well! The nice part is, I can cook with the milk I make with the dry powder in emergencies.