Tomorrow I’ll post some video of being on the train. Until then, this outta tide you over:
Man oh man, I hope your computer has sound.
Tomorrow I’ll post some video of being on the train. Until then, this outta tide you over:
Man oh man, I hope your computer has sound.
Back when Lloyd’s dad was in the hospital, one of the nurses was telling us a story about a patient who had back surgery, and needed to keep his wound/sutures dry when he took a shower. Someone told him to cover the area with that Glad Press-N-Seal wrap that has thousands of tiny, sticky dots on it. He did, and it worked!
Pffft – a story like that is an old wive’s tale until it’s been tested.
Hey, wait – I’m an old wife!
Test away!
Verdict? It works! Wrapped up & watertight. It doesn’t even rip the hair off your arm, which I worried mightily about once I wrapped my wrist. (Whew.)
So, train travel is incredibly inexpensive, and if you’ve got the time, it is totally, totally worth it. I bought tickets for Lloyd and I and even upgraded to the littlest sleeper car room for 3/4 of what one last-minute plane ticket would be.
I was so excited!!!! A tiny little room that would meet all my tiny-house expectations! I poured over internet videos and the Amtrak site during the whole week, endlessly imagining what the ride would be like.
So, with that said, here are photos, because these are the things I wanted to know before I got on the train.
Yes, there will be room in the ‘closet’ for your 2-liter bottle of pop. Our second train had a different closet set-up, though.
Yes, there is only one power socket. Bring an adapter if you have other things to plug in.
The room is small. Smaller than you think it is after you’ve looked at it on the website. Sitting up is very comfortable, though.
When Lloyd has a cold, he will sleep a lot.
This is idea that I’m quite proud of: If you are travelling in winter, bring along a pillowcase for each coat. You won’t have to find a place to store your coat – you can stuff the coat inside and use it as an extra pillow!
There is room all the way under the seat to store your stuff.
There is a coffee and juice station at the end of the rooms. Yay for free drinks!
So: ‘Yes’ to train travel! ‘Yes’ to the sleeper car!
by Lauren 4 Comments
I scream, you scream, we all…. ok, I’ll stop.
Last Friday my student teacher helped the preschoolers make Freezer Bag Ice Cream – the stuff where you combine milk, sugar and a flavoring in a zip-loc bag, then put that bag in a bigger bag with ice and sugar and shake away. The kids loved it, and I was a little sad I didn’t make some myself.
So, what are you favorite ice cream combinations? Myself, I like a mini Heath Blizzard, or good vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of chocolate syrup, or a scoop of rainbow sherbet.
Mmmmmmmm……. now I want ice cream……
by Lauren 4 Comments
A long time ago I made a post about Citrus Magic, the amazing orange spray that makes your bathroom smell like candy, even after unspeakable things have occurred in there. Well, sometimes unspeakable things occur outside the home, and I thought I could do something about it.
At work, the main deodorizing spray is cinnamon-scented, and while it does a fairly good job, I am beginning to associate the smell of cinnamon with poop. I’d like to try the Citrus Magic, but it’s a little pricey. Instead of taking my whole precious supply to school, I’m going to sneak some in and see if this product can take on six toddlers who are toilet-training.
I’ve had this perfume atomizer for years, and have no idea where it came from. I’ve never had a chance to use it, but now this thing finally has a noble purpose. Go, Citrus Magic!
Our health insurance has a thing going where if you track your health habits and aim to do better, they will give you money. Beth bought some cool bedroom stuff with her money last year, and Deborah told me, “Sign up. It is a no-brainer.” Well, having no brain, I signed up.
Lloyd and I are in the beginning stages. We filled out our health questionnaire, which is worth some money, and then he went to the ‘healthy eating’ part of the website and said that he would eat five servings of fruits and vegetables…. a day.
Lauren: “A day?!? Not a week?”
Lloyd: “Yes. That is totally do-able for me. Our school lunches are spectacular.”
Lauren: “Hmmmm…my bath soap says something about cucumber in it, so I guess I’m good, too.”
Lloyd: “That’s not what they mean.”
Lauren: “And my chapstick is strawberry! Don’t topical applications count?”
So, I am going to venture out and try some new veggies, because my standard fallback is canned green beans – the only vegetable I actually like. We eat a lot of green beans around here.
I decided that if we sampled one new veggie a week, that would be a healthy option, and also a guaranteed post! Up this week: Brussel sprouts, the tiny little cabbages that make you feel like a giant.
I roasted some up (not a bunch, because this was an experiment) and glazed them with a balsamic reduction and added a few dried cranberries a’la Pioneer Woman, and I have to say – they were not disgusting. They did stink up the house, though, but not as bad as the rotten garbage. (They also did not stink us up, since I bought some Beano to take ahead of time. I’m a planner.)