Spread the Joy of Christmas to Kids!

I am a volunteer for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), a non-profit organization for Wilson County.  I am hoping to make several of the children I work with have a merry Christmas in spite of all

the transitions going on in their families. These children in the program are like all children, small for just a blink of an eye. I hope their memories of Christmas are joyous ones and we can all make that happen by being cognizant of those in need. 

I am asking for donations of gift cards for $20 to Amazon, Walmart or Shein. Shein gift cards can be purchased on line also. Please, if you want to give more, put it on two cards as I want to be able to spread it among all the kids, the foster parents and the parents that I work with. 

Please take the time this holiday season to give to children in your community that need assistance. It instills in these children hope and joy for a brighter tomorrow.  

*If possible, please get these to me no later than Friday, Dec. 6^th .   Comment section below has my address or email me at vgliatti@gmail.com  Happy Holidays! 

 

 

Healthcare and Cancer

 One of the hardest things about conversations about healthcare is experiences I have had. I worked at the American Cancer Society at a time when the Affordable Care Act was not in place. Too many times we were on the receiving end of people diagnosed without the ability to pay. If their insurance switched, cancer was listed as a pre-existing condition that was therefore, not covered.  It was so depressing to hear some of these stories, in particular children and young Americans who would not have a chance to live out their lives. 

The estimates of cancer treatment vary but usually are in the vicinity of $150,000. Who has that kind of money around? Over about 25% of those without insurance died from cancer during that time.  Do the math; that is a heck of a lot of Americans. Do we really want to be a country that lets people die of treatable diseases? 

I do agree there need to be some major modifications to the current plan. For e.g. my husband, after working since he was 14 and retiring around 65, could not afford the premium on the plan. I understand giving breaks to low income folks but someone who has worked and paid into healthcare and taxes his entire life (and a former vet) should have the option of being able to reasonably  pay for affordable healthcare under the Affordable Health Care Act.

Here is a number to look at and consider. If you have nausea from chemo, which most patients do, the preferred drug to take for treating it (and now even used for flu) is Zofran. Even less cost is the generic ondansetron. You can buy 30 entire pills for just $1,210.32.   Can you afford it and if so, can you look the other way to those who can’t?

Cooking Made Easy

 

 

How many of you have a bookmark for saving great recipes you see? I think you know what’s coming if you know how my mind works. Do you actually go back through the bookmarks from time to time and make the recipes that you’ve saved?

If you’re anything like me, it seems like such a useful tool, but seldom do I go back to them.  With my best friend Google, all I have to do is run a search for anything I make.  Even if it’s a vague as asking Google "What I can make with 1 ingredient or with stale bread or that's non-spicy?" The screen populates my feed like bunnies in mating season! 

Perhaps a better choice for you is to ask for one of the many brands of smart speaker devices that have a screen and put it in your kitchen! Christmas is coming and you know, you are so hard to buy for!  With this in the kitchen, you become Julia Child overnight, what’s not to like about that?!

Face it

 

I am speaking for women in America that are over the age of __.  I’m going to leave that blank, its subjective anyways. Let’s just say if you’re a woman who shows the signs of aging in your face, you are not alone.  Every cosmetic manufacture knows it and capitalizes on it!

I want to know if you’re falling for the hype that you can put this on your face and over time look 10 years younger?  Now there is no doubt your face/skin can look healthier but really take years off?  That’s like saying that my thin fine hair will change overnight if I use volume shampoo. It’s been 10 years and I’m still waiting for that to happen.  Has your face aged reading this, if so, sorry!