Survey -- Stolen From Town Mouse in the Country

I feel like doing one of these today, so I stole this one... Hope Emilie doesn't mind ;)

1. If you could have a tea party and invite any 4 people, who would you invite and why?

Celebrities: Charliane Harris, Diana Gabaldon, Esmee Cullen & Carlise Cullen (I know not even a real people right?)
Non-Celebrities: ML, Steph, Meredith & Amy (My bridemaids, but the whole group hasn't been together since the wedding)

2. What is one city you'd love to explore? No one city, but both Ireland and Scotland top my list of countries to explore.


3. Describe your perfect day! Right now that would be some sort of spa experience... sleep as late as I want, go and get a massage, nails does, facial, hair done, have someone bring me delicious and healthy food, go shopping at Whole Foods with no budget and then go home to hang with Hubby and Nate.


4. What are some of your guilty pleasures? (Music, food, movies, etc)
Music: Ke$ha (that is embarrassing to admit)
Food: Pringles, combos, snickers, donuts
Television/Movies: The Twilight Series, TrueBlood, anything on Investigation Discovery, and any documentary about a serial killer.

5. What is your astrological sign and do you think you fit the description?

Sagittarius: "Restless, cheerful, and friendly, Sun in Sagittarius people are generally on the go. They have a love of freedom, and a disdain for routine. Generally quite easygoing, Sagittarians make friends with people from all walks of life. They love to laugh and tease, and get along well with both sexes.

Sagittarians have an often blind faith in people, and in the world. Their optimism is infectious, although it can get them into trouble from time to time. These are curious people who love to learn. Their idealistic nature is hard to miss.

Although generally easygoing, Sagittarius is a fire sign. This gives natives a generally quick temper. Fortunately, they're usually as quick to forget what got them angry in the first place.

The need for escape is generally strong, and some Solar Sagittarians come across as a little irresponsible. They're generally easy to forgive, however. After all, their direct, honest approach in life is admirable."

A pretty decent description although I don't think I am irresponsible at all... quick to temper is right on the money though.

6. When do you feel your prettiest? Probably right after having my hair done.


7. Do you keep a written journal or diary? Nope, not in a long time.


8. What is your main life goal? Be a good wife/mom, be a good person, raise a good man, Love more, hate less.

Who Knew The Things Actually Worked?

I was doing some spring cleaning (yes, I know it is summer) last week and noticed that the faux plants on top of the book cases in my living room were really dusty. It makes sense that they are dusty... I put them up there 4 years ago and haven't touched them since. Anyway I wanted to dust them and tried to think of the easiest way possible which was when I remembered something from Real Simple or Martha Stewart that said you should put the fake plant in a paper bag, add some slat and shake the hell out of it (ok so it didn't actually say that but that is my paraphrasing). So I tried it and low and behold.... HOLY CRAP... It actually worked. I still had to take the plant outside and shake it around a little to get the salt dust off, but it looks WAAAYYY better than it had before. I'm gonna have to remember that one!

Complete non-sequitur...

I was getting dressed this morning and wanted to wear a pair of tan capris to work. I dug them out of the hamper (DON'T JUDGE ME) and put them on only to remember that they had a big spot of dog blood on the leg from Beo's ear. I really didn't feel like putting on long pants, so I thought I remembered something about Hydrogen Peroxide being the trick to getting blood stains out so I tried it. I got a q-tip and the peroxide and began dabbing away... HOLY CRAP... it worked! The stain actually started to lighten and then disappear altogether. Now you can't tell there was blood there at all.

So the next time you have to dust a faux plant remember you need salt and a bag and if you have a blood stain hydrogen peroxide is the way to go.

Things I am Coveting Right Now...

I have put myself on a spending hiatus due to the fact that I just had to buy new tired for my car and the fact that it looks like our bathroom will need to be completely redone... not to mention I have been over spending in general (bad, bad me!).

That said, here are the things that I will be saving my pennies to buy at a later date:

1. I am IN LOVE with this pattern:



2. And I want to make it in this fabric:

Happy Father's Day!

We love you Dads!

Chicken Marinated in Beer

I can never figure out what to do to chicken before it goes on the grill... I really can't, and it seems like no matter what I do to it it all tastes the same in the end... like grilled chicken.

So I was looking through the Dean Brother's cookbook, Ya'll Come Eat, that my best friend gave me for my first mother's day and found their recipe for Beer in the Rear Chicken. You know, where you grill the chicken on a full beer can... any way I had chicken breasts not a whole chicken to work with and their recipe call for Mayo which hubby won't eat so I came up with this marinade instead.

In a shallow baking dish place thawed chicken breasts.

Squeeze lemon juice over chicken.

Coat both sides of chicken with kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, and celery seed. Pour on can/bottle of beer over chicken and let marinate for a few hours. Flip the chicken over about half way through. Grill/bake as usual.

The chicken had a little beery flavor to it, not overpowering, but pleasant.

Easy Balsamic String Beans

I really, really love canned string beans. I mean, eat them straight out of the can LOVE... I actually prefer them to fresh. But, in the summer when fresh green beans are plentiful and cheap we eat a lot of those as well. This is how I prepare them the vast majority of the time.

1. Steam the Beans!
2. While still hot pour balsamic salad dressing over the beans and toss to coat.

That's it!

Jasmine

I love the scent of jasmine. I have had several jasmine plants in the past but they have all succumb to some mysterious plant disease. I was looking to buy another and try again but they have been surprisingly hard to find. My mom stumbled upon this beauty at K-mart of all places.


Jasmine bloom at night and then the white star-shaped flowers promptly fall off the plant. The scent when they first bloom is intoxicating and heady. Since the blooms fall off you can gather them up and taken them elsewhere in the house or to work with you as a natural air freshener.

Dryer Balls

I have been a fan of dryer balls for a while now. I was using the blue plastic bumpy ones and they worked great, except that both the dogs and Nate like to steal them and play with them. They make the clothes softer, they reduced static, it was a win/win situation. What I didn't like about those plastic dryer balls were the plastic-y oily smell they have. Not that my clothes smelled plastic-y or oily, but you just had the feeling that the PVC was dumping loads of phthalates all over everything.

My solution? Wool dryer balls. Essentially, balls of either roving or yarn that has been felted so that they won't unwind. They are tossed into the dryer just like the blue plastic ones and they bounce around in your laundry making everything soft and static free.

I bought a "trial" set of wool dryer balls from Etsy. I liked them, they worked, but somehow I managed to loose all three of them. So I decided to order some of the "good" dryer balls from Buddha Bunz.

Seriously, Melinda makes THE BEST wool dryer balls ever! They are some heavy duty balls, much more substantial than my "trial" balls. You can ever order your Buddha Balls custom made where she will needle felt a design onto them and scent them. I thought if I was going to do it I was going to do it right so I order some custom balls and I could not be more exctied with the result!




I think it will make doing laundry (something I really like to do anyway... seriously, I LIKE doing laundry) that much more fun. Not only that, but the wool is a greener choice and I got to help support a work at home mom. That is truly a win/win for everyone!