A Quick Anecdote

I was checking out the new Oriental Trading Company Halloween catalog looking for ideas for "Boo-ing" treats (more on Boo-ing later) and I came across what I believe to be a hilarious customer testimonial on these items:

They are the ever popular Glow-In-The-Dark Bouncing Eyeball. 
And an OTC customer had this to say: "These bouncing eyeballs are so useful." And then they go on to tell about putting them in a skull, their bookcase and even floating them in their punch.
While I may find them cool, and maybe even describe them as handy for Halloween decorating how can anyone say a glow-in-the-dark bouncing eyeball is useful!?!?
Seam ripper while I am sewing = useful
Clorox Wipes for quick bathroom cleanup = useful
Even a long sleeve sweatshirt when you have a runny nose = useful
But a glow-in-the-dark bouncing eyeball!?!?

Exhausted

The garage sale is over!  So much work to get rid of useless crap!  I am so glad that my friends Karen and Berta joined in the sale and were there to help me out.  I had tons of stuff from my mom's store to sell I couldn't have done it alone.  Thanks girls!  My darn kids made more at the sale than I did!  I let them have the money from their toys, books, TVs - whatever they decided to part with.  They made about $130 each!  I brought in a little over $230 - that should get me real pretty toes and eyebrows!  I purged and organized my scrapbook stuff so I am looking forward to doing a little crafting in my neat and clean room. But for the rest of today I plan to sit on the couch.  I am exhausted!

Happy 4th of July!

I made these little fruit tart cookies today for our BBQ we are having tonight.  I found the recipe via a link on Pinterest but I didn't really make it the same as they said to.  My sugar cookie is just a Betty Crocker mix in a pouch that you add an egg and butter to; you could also use Pillsbury ready made refrigerated dough or actually make the sugar cookies from scratch.  I didn't roll them out, I just dropped them by the tablespoon on the cookiesheet.  The frosting is an 8oz package of cream cheese and a 7oz jar of marshmallow creme.  It said to cream until smooth, I had to resort to using my electric hand mixer because smooth wasn't happening.  And then top with whatever fruit you would like.  I used strawberries and blueberries today because they are red & blue for the 4th.  I did sneak one when the kids weren't looking and they are YUM!

Got a new set of peepers!

I have had a glasses prescription in my purse since last September.  My vision benefit renews July 1st so I thought I better get my glasses that the insurance will pay for before they won't pay anymore!  I wanted to go look at frames this weekend when Husband was home so I could have a somewhat reliable person to critique them, but we never made it.  So today my 7 and 11 year old fashion consultants and I headed out.  This is what we decided on:

They aren't as dark as the picture shows, they are a "violet rose" shade - pretty daring for me!  They will arrive in 7-10 days and I will show you what they look like on.

Summer

So far the "lazy days of summer" have been anything but lazy!  This coming week I will be updating you all with pictures of what we have been up to around here.  This last week we had dance recitals, baseball playoff games, homerun derby, championship game BBQ & raffle, and a belated birthday celebration.  I spent all week prepping for those things and all weekend doing them.  So now that they are all over our summer can really start!  Of course for the next 2 weeks we have practice for the All-star baseball team, every.single.night. and out of town tournaments for the next two weekends.  But really practice requires nothing from me and tournaments I just need to show up and watch games.  Let the summer begin!

My First Link Party!

So I linked up my baseball cupcakes over at House of Hepworth's - it's my first link party!  So exciting!  All kinds of cute ideas over there - go check it out!

Vinegar.....the cure all

I use vinegar for all kinds of things;

1. Use it in the water to mop the floor
2. Use it in the laundry to get that nasty smell out when you forget to switch the laundry and the wet clothes have been in the washer a tad too long
3. Soak other stinky clothes in it before washing - it kills the bacteria causing the stench AND it keeps colors bright
4. and of course to dye easter eggs! 

Well, the other day I read another use for vinegar.  I may have read it online or maybe in a magazine at the orthodontist office or at hip-hop dance class, I can't remember!  But it said to pour it on weeds that come up in cracks in the sidewalk or in your landscaping rocks.  I am going to give it a try because from the looks of it I can use any help I can get! 

I am wondering if they meant weeds to quite this degree or just a few here and there.....I will report back on how it works! 

**UPDATE** - Yes, vinegar kills weeds.  I didn't pour it on the jungle pictured above though.  I thought I would start small and I put it on the weeds that were growing in the cracks in my driveway.  They are now dead, I am a tad disappointed that it doesn't just disolve them, but it kills them and makes it easier to pull.  And in case you are concerned, all of the weeds in my landscaping rocks are gone also, I pulled them all by myself after it rained recently when the ground was damp which made pulling them easy!  So if you have weeds in your rocks or in cracks in a sidewalk go ahead and douse them in vinegar.

Mother's Day Bouquet Lives On

This year my boys surprised me with flowers, a gift and even dessert on Mother's Day.  When Nalani & I got home from the coast it was all waiting for me.  Usually the day goes by unnoticed, so I was delighted that a little effort was made (but now I guess I will have to do something for Father's Day!)
It is a week later and the flowers were in a need of a little consolidation - I pulled out the ones that were still looking good and re-arranged them in little vases.  They still brighten my kitchen and make me happy every time I walk by!