3 Fire Starters For Your Wood Stove

You’ve worked all day and all you can think about is coming home and starting a fire in the wood stove and curling up next to it with a cup of hot chocolate.

You bring in wood from the wood box only to find you ran out of newspaper to help start the fire. You forgot to buy fire starters at Home Depot last week and the last thing you want is to head out to the store.

If you have any of these things hanging around your house, you won’t have to venture out into the cold until the next day.

Believe it or not, dryer lint is an excellent fire starter. In my laundry room, I keep a plastic bag to collect it as I clean out the lint tray for the next load. When I’ve run out of newspaper, I’ve set it at the bottom of the stove (minus the bag), piled the wood like I taught my son in Cub Scouts and lit it. The only drawback to using dryer lint is the smell. I have dogs and cats and I wash their blankets once a week. The smell of burning animal hair isn’t exactly pleasant but it gets the job done. Light your favorite candle and the scent won’t stay around for long.

Do you make big meals on the weekend for your family? Well, save that bacon grease! When I’ve been in a bind for a fire starter, I take a paper towel and rub the grease that has gelled over a few days on the wood itself. Put a few paper towels along with the one covered in grease and light it up! There’s no creosote buildup in your chimney and the fire will be roaring in no time.

Speaking of greasy things, get out that bag of chips. Cut the calories! Your waistline will thank you for emptying a bag of potato or corn chips into the stove. Try it. If you set fire to corn chip, it acts just like a match. Now think of a bag of little matches going up in flames all at once.  It’s a cheap and easy way to start a fire when you need to.

It also never hurts to visit the neighbors. You can always go next door and ask them for their old newspapers or cardboard boxes that they would be recycling. I wouldn’t try just anything you have hanging around the house to start a fire however, these ways are proven to work. Always remember to stay safe when playing with fire. Stay warm, my chilly friends!

Baseball Is Still America's Game

I like football. The Super Bowl is happening tomorrow and America is pretty excited. Even my son wants to have a party. I love to watch it but nothing makes me happier or more nostalgic than an old-fashioned baseball game.

I was scrolling through Facebook and read the post on how the supermarkets are packed with shoppers stocking up on chicken wings, premade cheese and cracker trays, mini-wrapped hot dogs and ingredients for the best tasting chili that should have won at the last cook-off challenge.

Then one post stopped me.

A picture of a high school friend with his girlfriend and one of their friends smiling for the camera at Tropicana Field during a game.

Baseball.

I've always had a love for baseball. Growing up in Connecticut, my family followed the NY Mets. My father even took my brother to a game at Shea Stadium. I didn't hear about that until I was older and, let me tell you, I was some jealous.

We moved to Maine when I was 8 and we kept our love for the Mets quiet in the beginning. It's hard to make friends when you ask the first kid you see if they like the Mets.

It wasn't long before we transitioned to the Red Sox. It was just a natural progression to make. Hearing my mom years later tell me the lineup for the night's game as if she was Terry Francona opened my eyes on what big fans my parents really were. I think the most significant moment was the retiring of David Ortiz. I can still quote my mom as her eyes started to water: "Now THAT was a nice man."

What is it about baseball that digs so deep into me, into us all that, if you could, you would be Jimmy Fallon in 'Fever Pitch'?

Maybe it's from hearing my father tell stories of how growing up, dozens of children would flock to the ball fields after school. Teams would be made of 20 kids or more there were so many. Parents would know where their children were every second of the day because if you would ask them "Where's Raymond?" they would answer nonchalantly "Oh, he's at the field with the kids playing baseball. He'll be home at dark."

And he was...and so were all the other kids.

Maybe it's because we watched it on television as a family when I was young. The excitement that filled our living room from my parents as they followed every pitch was passed down to us.

Maybe it's all the movies about baseball like Angels in the Outfield, The Bad New Bears, The Rookie, Field of Dreams, Pride of the Yankees, The Sandlot, A League of Their Own...there was always a happy ending whether the main character's team won or lost. Who am I kidding? They always won.

Maybe it's because I watch the Little League World Series each year and see the hard work, sacrifice and dedication these kids make to make it that far. It breaks my heart when the other team loses but that's another lesson children learn with playing baseball: you WILL lose at something sometime in your life. Get up, brush yourself off and try again.

Maybe it's from watching my husband's family home movies of him playing ball and hearing them talk to each other like the camera was never rolling. Some words were not sufficient for children's ears and they have banned smoking in the stands since then. It was a family outing where aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, grammie and grampies all gathered to watch the local kids on a hot summer afternoon.

Maybe it's from watching my stepson grow into a teenager and seeing the changes that come with moving up a level from Little League to the bigger league of junior high school. Faster pitches, faster runners, farther hits, better players.

Maybe it's from watching my own son try so hard and finally get his very first hit and hearing the cheering of the people in the stands from our team AND the away team because another little boy got his first hit.

And so many more will after him.

Baseball has always been the same. Very few things have changed since its inception. Equipment has improved, the science of hitting and pitching has been studied and implemented.

But nothing has changed the way your heart pounds when you hear the crack of the bat and you watch in anticipation on whether it's foul or fair, a single or a home run, if it sneaks past the player's glove or it's snagged and a double play dowses the chances of an advanced runner to tie the game.

Baseball. America's game. My game.

8 days until pitchers report to Florida.

But who's counting?

Why Miranda Lambert Inspries Me

In 2003, I was competing in Florida to advance to the television show, Nashville Star. The reality show featured the top twelve contestants from around the United States vying for the opportunity of a country music recording contract.


I almost made it. I was in the finals in Tampa, Florida, and, had I won, I would have had a spot in Nashville to audition for the top 12. I nearly had the chance to know Miranda Lambert before the world would get to know her.


I watched every episode that first season. I voted for Miranda Lambert each week. I was devastated when she didn't win. Even though she didn't take home the big prize, I KNEW she was going to do something. Something big. You know when they say that a person has "it"? I KNEW she had "it".


Standing in the crowd in Portland, Maine in 2007, I was just one of thousands watching the person I knew was going to be the next big artist in country music. I couldn't wait for her to come out to the stage. After the Randy Rogers Band had performed I could barely contain my excitement knowing Miranda was next.


She didn't disappoint me. I'll always remember the one moment she was playing her pink guitar. She finished the song and immediately threw it across the stage into the waiting arms of a roadie. As I watched that guitar sail from one side to another I thought to myself "I want to be her."


She was everything I was trying to be: talented, a rebel, beautiful, a show-woman. She was amazing. She commanded the stage and the audience went crazy...including me. I lost my voice I screamed so loud.


I have every album. I know every song. I sing six of her songs in my band. Each time we do, the crowd asks for more. I have seen every performance on the ACMs, the CMAs and the Grammys. I bought the US Magazine that had her wedding pictures in it.


I'm not obsessed. I'm just a huge fan.


I have been performing in bands for 25 years. Those years included shows in bars and restaurants before the smoking ban was in place. Weddings, funerals and birthday parties, sometimes for free. Radio, television and newspaper interviews informing the public of my dreams and where I was playing. Attending concerts and hoping for a chance to meet the performer. Singing on stage with country band, Alabama, when I held up a sign asking to sing with them.


In the last few years I have been trying to open for acts here in the state of Maine but have been unsuccessful. I have paid plenty of dues but nothing has panned out and I was getting pretty discouraged.


Then, two years ago I put my hat in the ring to open for a concert stadium at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion at Meadowbrook. When I got the email I thought "This is the break I have been waiting for!" They told me we would be opening for the reigning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year, Luke Bryan. The BIGGEST opportunity I had ever had. We played the Ultimate Tailgate Stage and were part of Meadowbrook history. That weekend, the concerts featuring Luke Bryan, Randy Houser and Dustin Lynch set the record for the largest attendance at the Pavilion in its 20 year history.


Last year, we got the call asking us to open on the Magic Hat Stage for Florida Georgia Line but I had to decline due to playing a wedding that had already made their deposit. I could NEVER disappoint a bride and groom. I had just said no to a bigger stage and, potentially, even bigger concert. Thankfully, we were then offered the Keith Urban show in July. It was electric! We were even able to bring one of our biggest fans along who had never been to a concert in life. To be 10 feet from Keith Urban and his guitar was simply amazing.
In June of this year, a dream I have had for the past 10 years is finally coming true.


I saw that Miranda was coming and I emailed my contact at Meadowbrook immediately and told them how much of a fan I was of her and that we didn't have that weekend booked. I said how much it would mean to me to open for the woman that, for me, changed country music in my eyes.


She inspired me to write my own music, to share my music with others, put myself out there. She inspired me to be a better artist.


And they said yes.


I literally cried.


I get to see her in concert again. I get to be on the Magic Hat Stage singing my heart out in hopes she'll be in her bus listening to what we do. I get to watch and learn from the woman I have come to admire.


I've worked so hard to be where I am today. 100 shows a year for the past 3 years keeps me not only busy but away from my family. I'm lucky to have a family that loves and understands that music is my passion. I'm fortunate enough to have 4 band members that work their magic at each and every show that I can also call my friends. I am blessed to have fans that come to our shows, follow us from place to place and buy our music, our tshirts and support us.


Miranda has inspired me to write music and record my songs in hopes that someday she might be one of the artists that records one. At my age, it's unlikely I'll ever make the big time singing but I still have the hopes of hearing one of my songs on the radio. She's inspired me to take chances. She has inspired me to put my heart in my songs and wear it on my sleeve.


And that's exactly what I'm doing.


If you'd like to take a listen to my songs you can find them on Reverbnation or at our Facebook page.

Paid To Shop At Walmart

You have to admit it: Walmart DOES have good deals and families with little money to spend are more apt to shop at one of its many locations that seem to be within a short distance from their home. While filling my cart in central Maine a year ago, I proceeded to the checkout and started making conversation with the cashier. She noticed I was buying a national brand cat food and she asked me 

“Did you know they have this brand cheaper at another store?”

That’s right. The employee had told me that I basically should have been shopping at the store down the street to get a lower price and save myself money. Sort of.

She went on to tell me that she had been saving money with the Walmart Savings Catcher App for about six months and had already saved $30. She said I should consider downloading the app to my phone and start saving that day. The app compares the prices on the items I purchased to the same ones in the different stores in my local area to see if they are being offered for a lower price. When they find a lower price, they notify you and give you the amount on a reloadable gift card on the app that you can access on your phone.

No traveling necessary. And, it’s FREE!

It sounded too good to be true but I told her I would look into it. After putting away the groceries and, with the kids help, this mom was able to download the app onto my phone. They also showed me how to scan the receipt, too.

Here’s what you do:

Go to Playstore on your device.

Search Walmart and you’ll see its pretty blue and yellow symbol.

Install it on your smartphone.

Scan your Walmart receipt.

It’s THAT easy!

Three days after doing this I received a notification on my phone saying a lower price had been caught.

The first shopping trip I saved $3.17.

Now, each time I shop at Walmart I scan the receipt into my phone and in a few days it lets me know if they have found a lower price. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.

To date I have saved over $120!

When you are checking out, you can bring up the app on your phone and use your savings to pay for your groceries. There were a few weeks where money had become extremely tight. When I needed bread and milk and just couldn’t count enough change from the car console, I was lucky enough to have that money sitting in the account to pay.

You can also use the money on the gift card to buy things from their website. I used some of mine this year to buy a few Christmas presents on Black Friday. The deals were so good but I didn’t want to have to wait in line at 10:30pm Thanksgiving night in order to save money. Because I had the app, I didn’t have to get up early or set foot in the store on that crazy day.

If you don't have a smartphone, you can go to their website and make an account there as well!

It’s simple and easy to use. My son likes to scan the receipts into my phone as we are leaving the parking lot. It makes him feel like he is helping. When you get the notification on your phone that you saved money, it’s a good feeling.

For a busy mom like myself, it is a time and money saver and it can be for you, too! Take the first step now and download it to your phone today.

An Open Letter to Thompson Square

Dear Keifer and Shawna,

Oh, how my husband and I love your music. We love the way you look at each other when you sing, the way the words you’ve written seem to mirror our lives and the way your love is growing through your family. Cooper is a sweet little boy. Just look at the video you made with him for “You Make It Look So Good”. We all fell in love with that little boy right away. It’s obvious you put him first.

And that’s what my husband, Chad, and I are doing tonight…putting our kids first.

You see, tonight you play a free concert in Lewiston. When we heard about it we were so excited! We were going to go and sing our hearts out to ever song loudly. Ok, maybe I would be singing loudly. Chad would be quietly appreciating the concert and my efforts. Our song is ‘Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not?” and I walked down the aisle to it. We sing the song together at our gigs. When the song comes on the radio, the listeners here in Maine instantly think of us and it warms our hearts when they tell us so.

We first met you 2 years ago the day after we were married thanks to my good friend Bob (who was actually my boss at the time). He had won meet and greet passes for you at the Taste of Country Music Festival and he gave them to us as a wedding present. Our honeymoon was in Nashville so we took the scenic route and was able to make your concert and the meet and greet.

You remembered us that day. We had tweeted you a video of us singing two months earlier and when you saw us Shawna said “Oh, you’re the two from the video! You just got married!”

We were stunned.

How could two such popular and busy entertainers remember a couple like that?

After we had our picture taken with you and you signed our wedding invitation we thought life couldn’t get any better than that.

But it has.

You see, when we married, we came home and blended two families. Chad has his son, Bradley, and his daughter, Jayden. I have my son, Anderson. And they all get along. ALMOST everyday. Every family has a few hiccups, right?

Because we’re a family it means putting yourself second and the kids first. And tonight is one of those times.

Tonight, Chad has to go in early for work so he needs to be asleep around 7pm. He drives truck and works an hour away from home. We’re lucky, though, because he’s home every night. Not many truck drivers can say that.

Tonight, Anderson has his very first soccer practice from 5-6. After that, I get home and make a quick dinner for the family before Chad heads to bed.

Tonight, we miss your concert.

And that’s ok. We know you’ll be back to Maine again. You have many fans here and two of your biggest will be at home making sure homework is done, library books are up to date, spelling words are memorized, showers are taken, ice cream is consumed, teeth are brushed and 3 children are tucked into bed.

Children come first with us, too.

So thank you for entertaining the thousands (and there will be thousands there) tonight with your wonderful music.  And the next time you sing your first #1 single, we hope you’ll think of a couple in Clinton, Maine, that follow you, your family and your music and wish you all the best.

Here’s To Being Here…in Maine.

Sincerely,

Sharon R. Hood

Time...and the Little We Have Left

Growing up, you think nothing of time. Where it’s gone, when it’s coming or that exact moment: it doesn’t even cross your mind.

When you get older, it starts to take shape in the form of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Deadlines, alarm clocks and scheduling are ways we manage the time we have.

When you get to a certain age it takes the form of baby, present age and old age.

Today I am dealing with old age.

Not MY old age. Heck, I’m 41 and I still feel 20 and, in some cases, am still mistaken for it. Must be in the genes. My mother who will be 73 this year is Italian and has virtually no wrinkles. That’s a part of her I take after: good skin that ages and tans well. I guess you can say the height, too, as I am only 4’11”. My grandmothers would say I get that from them, too. She’s also pretty crafty and is good with a needle and thread. Me too. Just thinking about these things makes me realize all the sorts of things we do alike.

What I take after my dad in is my love of numbers, music and the ability to make things. I remember having math contests with him trying to solve math problems in our heads and see who got the right answer first. We still do that. Dad could build anything. I’m pretty good with a hammer and nail. I aced woodshop in school. Working with my hands has always been fun for me. Music, well, he excelled at that, too.  He once took my face in his hands and said I had something he didn’t have and that was ‘IT”. You know, the “IT” that it takes to make it one day. I’ll never forget that day. One of the three days in my life I’ve seen my father cry.

What I don’t take after from my parents is a habit they have. They smoke. At least my mom still does. My dad quit about a month ago. He’ll be 80 this year and he stopped a month ago.

My dad quit just before a hospital scare. He was having a hard time breathing. He couldn’t catch his breath and had to visit the VA hospital where he spent a week. He actually stopped smoking a few days before that because he was having a hard time breathing then. Now he is home and using oxygen every night. He has an oxygen monitor for his finger he uses everyday just to check his level. It comforts him to see anything above 90.

I am watching my parents slowly deteriorate. They’re not that old: almost 73 and 80. For residents of Maine, a person living into their 70s and 80s is not an uncommon thing. They grew up here, worked the land and I still see some in their 90s working out in their gardens, tilling up their lands for the summer crops and hay season.

My parents, however, were born in Connecticut in the city and moved here 33 years ago. It’s a funny story, actually. My parents decided to move to Maine because we had relatives here. The way they said they would remember how to get to their new home everyday was to live off the same number exit they lived off of on I-95 in Connecticut and that was Exit 35. So there we lived. They were always hard workers. My dad worked for McLean Trucking and my mom was a housekeeper. I can still fold a fitted sheet like she taught me.  When they finished working for the week, the weekends were always filled with projects. Mom always said “You’re father doesn’t know how to slow down.”

We enjoyed life. I grew up and graduated from Lawrence High School with honors. I have had very few different jobs but they have all lasted a long time. I am now a medical biller for the Maine Veterans' Homes in Augusta. I love what I do. See where that love of numbers comes in?

My father’s recent hospital stay scared us. I know parents won’t be around forever but now time has become sacred. Each and every phone call, house visit, request they make is met with an “I’ll be right over” or an “I’ll get that done and stop by tomorrow with it,” and an “I love you.”

Time.

The hourglass is running out.

I did a little research and asked some doctors I knew about end stage emphysema and COPD. It’s funny. I never really knew how to spell emphysema until recently. They said that since my dad stopped smoking just recently, he could have up to 4 years of life remaining. Had he not stopped, it was more likely 2.

2 years.

2 years of having a parent still with you.

Now, it could be more or less than 2 years. You never know what the body will do or when the good Lord will call to take a person home. Heck, he could live until he’s 100. He's pretty feisty that way and I wouldn't put it past him.

You just never know.

But 2 years?

What do you do?

Well, if you’re like me, you jump each time the telephone rings and you see it’s from your parents. You wonder if they’re calling to say hello or need anything or you wonder if they are in trouble and need help. You also jump each time you see the phone ring from your siblings during the day. My siblings don’t call me so to see the phone light up with their numbers jumps me. You never know if they are contacting you for a chat or a problem with your parent’s health.

If you’re like me, you pray a little more. And the things you pray about are different. I usually pray for my family, help with troubles and ask for forgiveness if I think I haven’t done all that I could that day. Now, even though I pray for family, I have been praying and asking God specifically to, if He has to take either of them, to make it gentle. To have them not suffer too much. Or at all.

If you’re like me, you prepare. Preparing is a weird thing to do. How do you prepare for something like death? They’ve prepared everything.  My parents have all of their affairs in order from the caskets, headstones, funeral home and will. They have put my brother as the executor. He’s a good man and always does for our parents. He’s the only son and the best son and brother all of us could ask for. There’s nothing really for me to do.

But prepare.

I know you can never prepare yourself for the death of a loved one but I have been able to be at peace with it. I know and believe that the last breath they breathe here on Earth will be the first breath they take in Heaven. Some don’t believe in that and that’s their choice. It gives me comfort though.

I guess the preparing I have to do is go on living. Each and everyday. Do I dread the day it happens? Oh, yes. Am I prepared for it? Kind of. Am I ready? Not really. Will I ever be?


No.

And that’s okay.

Talking with my husband yesterday, I told him my concerns. I cried. There was really nothing for him to say. But his being there and letting me tell him I was worried and scared was the best thing he could do. You need that person to talk to, to listen to you. And in the moments he’s not around, God is always there. I know He hears me, too.

So now we wait.

And prepare.

And continue our lives.

And use our time a little more wisely.

 

Sharon's Mother's Day

 

 

It was a long time ago when my parents moved to Maine (1983). When we journeyed north from our home in Connecticut, we left behind some of my mom's favorite things: her best friend, Paula Sposili, our next door neighbor Mrs. Barris' garden and dogwood trees.

 

My mom LOVES flowers and I do, too. My favorite is the tulip. With my busy schedule it's hard to find time to grow anything....except kid appetites!

 

This Mother's Day, I wanted to do something....not for me but for my family. Fedco, up the road, has their annual Tree Sale right before Mother's Day. I had always wanted to go.

 

So I did!

 

And I did what my parents did a long time ago.

 

You see, when my brother and sisters started having children, my parents found a way to incorporate them in their everyday life.

 

They planted trees and named them after George, Katherine and Jennifer. The trees grew very tall and, unfortunately, aren't there at 33 Western Avenue in Fairfield anymore. When my parents moved, the new owners eventually cut them down. That was truly a sad day when my parents drove by and saw they weren't there anymore.

 

At their new house, they decided to do it again. A new George, Katherine and Jennifer grow tall in their backyard once again.

 

There are many trees surrounding our property that were planted before we moved here so finding a spot for new trees was kind of difficult. I decided to take a slightly different route.

 

For Jayden, I bought a butterfly bush and planted it, as it said, next to the house so it would have full sunlight. For when it blooms, it will still never be as beautiful as she has grown to be.

 

For Bradley and Anderson, I picked Silver Maples. On windy days, their leaves will shimmer in the sunlight. For them, I hope they will remember there is always a silver lining to every situation.

 

And for myself and Chad...Dawn Redwoods. These trees grow tall and straight and are pillars of strength which I hope we are to our children. They have large roots that stick out of the ground to remind them that their family "roots" for them and they can count on them to always show up when they need them.

 

I don't have the greenest thumbs and I hope all of these plants survive. At least I tried....and that's all you can do with children: Love them, give them plenty of fresh air and nutrition and nurture them until they can stand on their own.