Happy Friday! We’ve made another week.
My daughter and son-in-law left on Wednesday morning for an anniversary vacation, so I have the two grandgirls and granddog for five days. Needless to say, it changes up my routine.
The girls have to be on the bus by 7 am, so an early morning bustle is happening that reminds me of when my girls were still in school. But so far, we’ve made the bus on time.
In addition to the kids and dog, they also have three toads they rescued from the pool skimmer basket. So, I’m feeding crickets to the toads. 🙂
My daughter says when they are out like that, it means they’re hungry. Who knew?
Rosie, the granddog, is so well-behaved. Except, she has resisted morning walks for some reason? She sits down in the street and refuses to get up until I let her go back home. She is such a pretty girl. She’s a BorderDoodle.
So, I walk alone. The neighborhood is great for walking and there is a Raptor Rescue Center and a lake on the walking path.
The parents will be back home Monday and I’ll return to my normal routine.
Meanwhile, I want to talk about water. Yes. Water. Do you have a favorite brand of bottled water you like to drink? At home, I have a water purifier, so am always refilling my water bottles to lessen the waste. But here, all they have is the Costco brand of bottled water. Call me spoiled, but I can tell the difference in the taste and don’t particularly care for it. That meant a trip to the store to pick up a case of water. This is my favorite brand:
There are other brands I like, but Ozarka is my go-to. Fiji, SmartWater and Aquafina all fit my taste. Am I crazy? Does it really make a difference what brand you purchase? My tastebuds say it doees. 🙂
My regular Monday post may either be a little late or modified as I won’t be at home with my cards and crystals. I will see how I can improvise.
The blog tour is still going on, and the scavenger hunt isn’t over. I’ve been surprised at the lack of participation in it. Remember there is a $25 gift card up for grabs. And just in time for Christmas. The details are here:https://jansikesblog.com/2022/11/10/saddled-hearts-blogtour-giveaway-scavengerhunt-wildrosepress-13/
That’s it for me. Have a fabulous weekendf!
Writing and Music 
I’m so glad you were able to spend some quality time with your grandkids! Personally, I’m addicted to SodaStream . . . we have a “dealer” who drops off the cannisters on the bench outside our door. 🙂
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Lol, Mark. The word “dealer” brings to mind anything but sparkling water. 🙂 My son-in-law has a SodaStream and loves it. Thank you for stopping by!
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That’s the running joke in this house. 🙂
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Yes, I too taste the difference in bottled waters. And I too have purified water at home. I don’t drink tap water – anywhere – away or at home. 🙂
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That is me, Debby. I am all for the purified water! Thanks for visiting.
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I love the photo of you with the girls, Jan. They clearly enjoy being with you. And funny that they dog doesn’t want to walk. Lol. More fun hanging around at home, I guess. We get our water from a spring – right out of the ground into empty jugs. I love the taste and the lack of chemicals, even though it’s a bit of work. And your tour is going great. No worries.
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What a blessing to get fresh uncontaminated spring water, Diana! And yes, I have a deep bond with the girls. That being said, I’m ready to get back home today. Mommy and Daddy will be back this afternoon sometime. Thank you for visiting!
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I can understand wanting to get home. As much as we love them, grandkids have a lot of energy!
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Time with the grandkids is always special and a cute grand doggie as well. Not so sure about the toads though. LOL. Enjoy.
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Right, Darlene. I have my doubts about the toads too. But my granddaughter seems to adore them and has named them. 🙂 Fun times. Thanks for visiting!
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That’s what Grandma is for. I suspect the little doggy is afraid of the raptor rescue centre.
Lovely pics. of the grandchilden Jan. They are a most vluable blessing don’t you think ?
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Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment, Joy. Rosie is a pretty good-sized dog, and she’s very familiar with the neighborhood. I think she was just pouting because Mommy and Daddy were gone. 🙂 Yes. Grandchildren are a most incredible blessing.
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Great shot of you and the grandkids! I hope to be able to experience this down the road. Our son is getting married in June—fingers crossed.
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Oh what fun! Congratulations on the upcoming wedding, Pete! These are certainly busy days for me. My social media interaction as been all but none. 🙂 Have a good weekend.
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Kudos to you for taking on that responsibility. The energy it would require!
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Thank you, Jacqui. It has been busy days. I had forgotten how much work it was keeping up with young ones full time.
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I hope you have a great weekend. I like all water and can’t tell the difference between the different brands.
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Thanks, John. I will enjoy my weekend. Glad your palate isn’t picky about water! Have a great weekend, too!
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Yes I’m blessed.
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You’re not crazy, Jan. The various brands of water all seem to taste different. I don’t like the Walmart water and ended up using it in my coffee maker to get rid of it. I never shop at Costco so I don’t know how I’d find that. Probably the same as you. I do like tap water though. This here tastes good. The building is only four years old so the pipes are new. Over time, I’m sure some residue will build up but for now, it’s okay with me. We’re so spoiled. Love you, Sister.
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You are right, sister. We are so spoiled! I drink a lot of water every day so it’s important. And, our tap water is awful. As long as I can afford good water, I’ll keep buying it. 🙂 Hope you are having a good day and a have a good weekend coming up. Love you! And thank you for stopping by!
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Enjoy your time with the grandbabies, granddog, and grandtoads 🙂 I am the same way with water, Crystal Geyser is my favorite. I don’t like Costco brand either or Arrowhead. I don’t drink our well water because it is on the acidity side and picks up copper from pipes. What we use though we filter 🙂 Happy grandma time!
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Lol. I hadn’t thought about having grandtoads, Denise. 🙂 I don’t think I’ve ever had Crystal Geyser, but would feel comfortable trying it based on your recommendation. Filtering house water is always good. That’s almost all I drink when I’m home. The bottles are for going. And I often refill the bottles with my filtered water. Thanks for visiting. And yes, I will enjoy my time with the kiddos and animals. 🙂
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That sounds so exciting that you have the girls and the pets too. A completely different life. Of course, you enjoy this time to the max.
Regarding water: We are lucky over here that we can drink water directly from the faucet. That saves money and protects the environment.
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How fortunate that you can drink water from your faucet. That would not be the casee here. But I do have a water purifier at home and use it when I’m there. Bottles are only for going. Thank you for stopping by. Yes. I will enjoy the girls and the pets. Have a good weekend!
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A good idea to use a water purifier. I remember that there were a lot of Britta commercials on tv when we lived in the States.
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I’m good with any bottle of water, Jan. 🙂 We used to have a water filter but always ran out of the replacements. It was one of those items easily forgotten on the grocery list. Enjoy your time with your granddaughters and animals. What fun.
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I relate to the filter replacements, Mary. I put mine on a subscription order through Amazon so they come timely. Thank you for stopping by. I left another comment below that I woke up to dead crickets this morning, so a trip to the pet store is in order. Guess I did something wrong with them. 🙂 Too much fun! I’ll be ready to go home by Monday. Have a great weekend!
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My former father-in-law did a test of a bunch of popular bottled water companies with those test strips to find the best quality. I can’t remember what he learned (I’ll have to ask my daughter, who told me all this). Personally, I swear by my Zero Filter.
I’ve enjoyed your tour. Have a great time with the grands! Happy weekend.
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The ZeroWater filter is the one I use at home, Staci, and I love it. Sometimes I feel like I have to change them out too often, but I can tell when it’s time. I’m spoiled to good water. 🙂 I’d love to know what your former f-i-l discovered with his testing. Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!
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When I find out, I’ll let you know!
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She said she thinks it’s Deer Spring. Deer Path? Deer something. It was the cleanest of all the brands he tested. And he’s obsessive, so I suspect he tested quite a few.
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We use filters where we can as our tap water is terrible. And it absolutely makes a difference what brand and quality of filter you use, so I can see how the brand of bottled water would too. Lovely photos, Jan! I hope you’re not too frazzled by Monday! Have a wonderful weekend. Hugs 💕🙂
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Lol, Harmony. I was super frazzled last night, but I got over it. There is a reason God gives children to young people. I know lots of grandparents are having to raise their grandkids, but thankfully that isn’t me. I love them to the moon and back, but look forward to going back into my comfort zone. 🙂 Our tap water here is awful, too. Glad you have filters! Have a great weekend.
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I like Dasani, but Ozarka is good as well. Actually, I’ll drink any brand. We mostly use tap water at home. Like Craig, I drank from the water hose when I was a kid.
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Thanks for stopping by, Joan. Yep. I drank from the water hose as a kid, too. Unfortunately, our world has changed in so many ways. I hope you have a fantastic weekend!
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I found most of the crickets dead this morning, so guess I’m not good at keeping them alive. 😦 It’s off to the pet store for more. I think toads are interesting little creatures. It’s fascinating to watch them stalk their prey. Yes. I drank from the hose as a kid. Things weren’t as contaminated back then. Thanks for stopping by, Craig! Happy Friday!
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Have fun with the kiddos! I would love to babysit mine, but alas, they live across the country. As for water, I use a Berkey and love it. 😊
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I’ve heard of those, Gwen. My purifier is ZeroWater. I love that I can put some of my gemstones into the container. My only complaint is I have to switch out the filters really often, but still I think it’s worth it. Thanks for visiting!
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It sounds like a wonderful time. I personally love toads and have been writing a story thread that includes one… sort of. I’m a member of the drinking from the hose generation, and tend to get my water right from the tap.
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