Mercury Glass Planter

I bought an aloe plant for the living room and went on the search for a decorative pot.  HomeDepot had a pitiful selection so I bought one that I wasn't entirely thrilled with but thought I could spray paint and make work.  My next stop was home goods where I started to think outside of the box.  I found a gorgeous mercury glass candy dish, that was cheaper that the HomeDepot Pot.  So, I bought it, put the lid away and ended up with a very chic pot for my aloe.

Sunflowers In and Out

I am finding myself drawn to sunflowers recently.  I had planted some in the backyard and they flourished... about 7 feet tall with hearty stalks.  For the inside of the house I keep buying bunches of wild flowers with sunflowers in them.

No Sweat

A month ago a developed a swollen lymph node in my right underarm.  I had recently switched to a new deodorant/antiperspirant so in a move completely unlike me, I figured it was that and not something more serious.

Interestingly enough, the new deodorant/anti-persperiant I was trying was from Tom's of Maine.

It was from a natural company, I figured, so it had to be better then all the chemicals in Secret, Suave, etc.

So I ditched the Tom's since I was obviously reacting to it and went into the cabinet to find something else.  I had on hand two different options.  One was regular strength and the other "conical" strength.  "Hummm" I wondered "What made the one 'clinical' strength?"  It turns out that the difference between the regular and the clinical strength was the percentage on aluminum: regular had 16% and clinical strength had 22%.  "What did the Tom's of Maine have?" I wondered.  turns out the "natural" Tom's on Maine deodorant/anti-persperiant had a whopping 23% aluminum, more than the clinical strength.  I was completely shocked!

I have always been reluctant to ditch the anti-persperiant because I am a person who sweats a lot.  It may be gross, but it is the truth... I sweat a lot.  Or, at least I thought I did.

I decided that I was going to bite the bullet and try just a deodorant.  A friend recommended this:

So I found it at my local CVS and gave it a try.

I LOVE IT!  I am having no reaction (which is great).  I don't smell bad (which is good too) and I am not even sweating that much.  In fact, that even without an anti-persperiant, I am not sweating nearly as much as I used to.  This makes me wonder if the reason I was sweating so much before was that the anti-persperiant was making me sweat more?

A Day at the Zoo

Jon and I managed to get some time off from work and from Nate.  We stole away to the Philadelphia Zoo with our cameras and walked, talked, and took pictures.  It was incredibly refreshing!

First Day Pictures

I know I am 6 weeks late posting these pictures but better late than never right?  Nate had a little trouble in the beginning adjusting to Kindergarten rules, but After one meeting with his teacher we got him all straightened out.  He loves it.  He has made friends, and the only tears that were shed were mine and on the walk home that very first day.  We have found our groove, I think,

Fig Jam

My fathers fig plant produced some nice looking fruit this summer and, although I am not a huge fan of figs, I am a huge fan of jam and canning, so I decided to make and can some fig jam.  It is a very simple recipe:

8 oz. fresh figs (about 7 figs)
1/4 c. turbinado sugar
The juice of 1/2 a small lemon
1/2 of a vanilla bean

Slice the tops off the figs and quarter them. Combine the figs, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla bean scrapings and pod in a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Keep stirring and lightly mashing the fruit until thickened. 

Fall Has Finally Arrived

WE are finally experiencing some weather that feels like fall.  In celebration I got a new haircut and fresh blond streak and a pumpkin scone a decaf latte.

Things are Not as they Appear.

Last year I bought a white blouse from Boden, one of my absolutely favorite clothing sites.  I wore it once and then it never really came out of the closet again.  The other day, as I was cleaning out my closet I pulled the blouse out to donate.  Looking it over I decided that I might as well try dying it a different color first and seeing if I wear it more.  I knew I had a pack of tulip dye in my craft supplies so I pulled it out and got to working prepping the dye bath. 

I heated up the water and added the salt and dye and thought that the color looked wrong but you know sometimes with dye it looks one way in the pot and another way on the fabric. So I added my shirt and stirred.  I stirred some more and then I stirred some more... nope they dye in my "pink" package was definitely not pink... it was green... :/

What do you think?

Canning Season is Upon Us!

Sorry I have been MIA for a while, but I was battling a kidney stone and then a head cold and then a stomach bug... it was fun let me tell you.  Anyway, in my spare time, when I am not sick, I have been canning everything I can get my hands on. 

It is hard to believe that a year ago, I was afraid of canning and now I can't seem to stop!  So far I have "put up"

-- Strawberry Jam
-- Raspberry Vanilla Jam
-- Black & Blueberry Jam
-- Peach Butter
-- Salsa
-- Bread and Butter Pickles

Coming this weekend, I will add:
-- Homemade Claussen Knock-Off Pickles,
-- Spicy Beer Mustard
-- Apple Pepper Jelly (This recipe is close, you just add red pepper flakes)

Fun with Salt Dough

It was a rainy Thursday afternoon.  The errands had been run, the lunch eaten... what was a mom to do? 

Since Nate was feeling crafty and I had all the ingredients on hand, I whipped up a batch of salt dough, and then another since the first was such a success.  FOUR hours later we moved on to other things.  Four hours.  Nate sat at the kitchen table and sculpted, built, crafted, and then (when dry and cool) painted his sal dough creations.  Everyday since then he has asked to make more.  This was a HUGE success, and it is so, stinking easy to do it is ridiculous.

You will need:

1 1/4 cup Salt (I used table salt)
1 1/4 cup Flour
1 Tbs. Vegetable Oil
1/4 - 1/2 cup Water

Mix all of the ingredients together, kneed until smooth and pliable.

Note:  You could add food coloring if you wanted.

After the creations have been made, rreheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake your creations on a  cookie sheet for 20 minutes.  Once they have cooled, they can be painted.

Homemade Weed Killer That Really Works!

For years we used RoundUp to kill the weeks growing on the patio and on the driveway.  But for a few years I have been looking for a natural (and cheaper) alternative.  Last year the Internet steered me in the direction of white vinegar.  So I sprayed it on the weeds and nothing really happened.  I ended up just pulling out some and I think Jon sprayed what was left with Round Up. 

This year I was determined to find a formula, that used things I already had in my house and that actually killed the weeds. I have succeeded!

You will need:

1 spray bottle
Funnel
1/4 cup of salt (any kind will do)
1 generous squirt of blue Dawn Dish Washing Liquid(Only Blue will Do!)
White Vinegar

1.  Pour the 1/4 cup of salt into the spray bottle (the funnel makes this a lot easier)
2.  Squirt in some blue Dawn (1 Tablespoon is about what I put in)
3.  Fill the rest of the bottle with white vinegar.
4.  Shake up and spray on weeds. 

You will get faster results if you spray the weeds while in the sun.  If they are in a shady spot you might need more than one application.

Proof that my weed killer works... dead weeds!

Jawbreaker

While killing time in Five Below the other day, I found this funky nail polish that I thought would look great on my toes.  The name is what sealed the deal... Jawbreaker.

I put on two coats over bare nail and I like the result.  I think it would pop more with either another coat or a white base coat.  Anyway, it is fun and summer time is about fun!

YIKES!  I completely need to moisturize my feet!

And for no particular reason, a selfie.  I have decided that my best angle is directly overhead... which is to say, a little inconvenient.

Down Time???

A friend of mine, who shall remain nameless (but she has 3 kids and blogs here) once asked me, when Nate was an infant, when I had time to myself.  I remember laughing and jokingly saying, "oh honey!  I go to work for that!"

I think it was today that it finally hit home... I wasn't joking.  I really do go to work to "relax."  Ok, so relax isn't the right word, neither is "me time" but it is kind of close. 

Here is an example:  I took a half a vacation day this morning because I had to take one dog to the vet, meaning I didn't have to be at work until 1:00.  I got up at 7:30 and between 7:30 and 12:45 this is what I did:

• Got a shower
• Got dressed
• Did 2 loads of laundry
• Made the bed
• Straightened up the living room
• Recycled two huge boxes
• Took the rest of the recycling out
• Ate breakfast
• Put the dry dishes away
• Loaded the dishwasher
• Took pictures
• Picked up dog poop
• Packed Nate's Lunch
• Made my lunch
• Loaded up with car with thing to go to Goodwill
• Took the dog to the Vet
• Took the dog home from the vet
• Dropped something off at a friend's house
• Picked up the drycleaning
• Returned nail polish to Ulta
• Took Nate to Build-A-Bear 
• Took Nate to Autie Anne's for a treat
• Dropped Nate off at my mom's house
• Went to work

Oh My God!  That is 23 things accomplished before I went to work.  Oh My God!

No wonder I find work {{mostly}} relaxing... so far I have only had to do 3 things while I am here and most of them involve sitting down..

Yikes!  

Updated Front Steps -- The Golf Ball Basket

I posted pictures of the flowers on my front steps a few weeks ago, when I first potted all the flowers. 

Since then, the flowers have grown and so has everything else.  It looks really pretty from the street. 

For father's day my parents gave Jon and antique golf ball basket.  It looks like a metal shopping basket, and is pretty cool.  We didn't really have any use for it in the house, so Jon suggested that I put flowers in it and then fill in around the flowers with the golf balls I had left over from the centerpieces from his party.  What a fantastic idea!

I put all the pieces together, yesterday morning before the rain started.  I think it looks fantastic, although I might want to get a few more golf balls.

A Bountiful Harvest

Today, during a thunderstorm no less, my mom, Nate and I picked the first bowl of raspberries of the 2013 season... yum!

A Trip to the Beach

Monday, my mom and I took Nate to Cape May, NJ for the day.  He had a wonderful time.  He played in a fountain, played skee ball, had ice cream, and got to play in the sand and the ocean (a little bit).  It was way hotter and more humid than predicted without a hint of a breeze.  Between that and a shrimp salad sandwich which did not agree with me I was a little sick and heat-strokey by the end of the day.  All in all it was nice to be at the shore in the summer and I am more than willing to try a do-over.

Playing pirate

Being a Cowboy

On the Beach

Father's Day

For Father's Day I took crafting inspiration from this pin:
I gave Nate a piece of fabric and some fabric markers and let him get to work.  It didn't really work well.    He drew a few lines on the fabric and declared himself "finished."  So, I decided to try again, but with fabric paint this time.  This time we were successful and I had a good size, hand painted fabric to work with.  I used this template to cut out the little tie shapes.  After I cut out the ties and backed them with a piece of felt and "Viola!"  Tie keychains made from Nate-painted fabric.  I am really pleased with the way they turned out.

That Escalated Quickly

Yesterday was one of those days that just got worse and worse the more it went on.  The morning wasn't so bad really.  Nate got up at 4:30 (which should have been a clue of how the day was going to go).  But we all got showered, fed, dressed and out of the house on time.  The big dog did eat an entire half pound of American cheese but that is not all that unsual. 

I took Nate to camp, ran one quick errand at Target without spending too much money (What a RARE occurrence that is) got my iced coffee and went home.  While I was home I was able to clean to floors of the house, get sheets changed, get all the Goodwill donations in my car, and write out all of my father's day, graduation, sympathy, and birthday cards.  Check, check, check!

Then I went to pick up Nate from camp.  Well, actually my dad volunteered to pick up Nate from camp, so I dropped off all the Goodwill donations at Goodwill and then went to my parents house to pick up Nate.  He didn't want to eat lunch which is no big deal and then we were off for a playdate with friends.  This is where it all started to go to hell.  Not because of the friends or even the playdate, it was the timing.  I knew Nate was tired and after camp I don;t like to do too many things, but it was the only time our friends had available so I went with it.  We met them at Jumpers which Nate had been asking to go to.  It was MOBBED!!!  Absolutely crazy, kids everywhere.  My first thought was "I immediately regret this decision" but we had paid so we went in.  The crowd thinned out in about 15-20 minutes so it wasn't too bad.  After an hour of jumping the kids were more interested in the water fountain than the bouncy houses so we left.

We planned to take the kids for ice cream, but the place was closed for renovations.  Oh and I should mention that traffic in my area is completely NUTS thanks to the U. S. Open.  And best of all there are state cops every 20 feet directing traffic.  Seriously?  This is the best use of police time???  I personally think the PGA should provide its own police and let them direct traffic.  State police?  My tax dollars at work... meanwhile crimes go unsolved,but I digress.  We got the kids pretzels which them seems fine with and then we headed home. 

Nate asked about going in the pool.  I said no, he proceeded to ask and ask and ask and them meltdown over the pool.  I changed my mind and said ok, thinking that it would be short lived anyway because a thunderstorm was imminent.  I filled up the pool which he decided not to play in.  Now, we have had 2 serious rainstorms in the last 5 days.  Everything is soggy and the mushrooms are starting to sprout.  The water did not need to go on the lawn, it needed to stay in the pool.  Nate was having none of that, was not listening, then the dog got let out (stupidly by me) so he went right into the pool and laid down.  Then there was an incident with dog poop.  I was hot and sweaty... my mood was rapidly deteriorating.

I told Nate pool time was over and we were going in!  Got him in the house, got the dog in the house.... still no thunderstorms!  Nate went right to the bathroom to get a shower; the sopping wet dog went right to the couch in the living room to roll.  I put Nate in the shower and proceeded to dry the dog off, strip the slipcover off the couch and get it in the washer.  Was was finished in the shower so as I was getting home out he showed me how he had splashed water all over the un-tiled ceiling in the shower.   So I had to find the broom, wrap it in a towel and sweep the ceiling dry.  I am starting to lose it and this is getting out of control.  Got him in his jammies, watched a show, started to make his dinner.  I put my ipad mini on the kitchen table so that I could check my email which dinner was cooking.  Nate came up and while I was getting his melon took my ipad.  Now earlier in the day he had his ipod taken away because he shot my with a dart gun (the rule with any of the Nerf guns is "no shooting at people or puppies" and there is a zero tolerance policy).  Now when his ipod is taken away that also means he cannot play on any other i device (i.e. my phone or my ipad).  So, when I noticed that he had my ipad I asked for it back.  He said No, I went to take it from him, he pulled it away, and crash... it ended up on my had tile floor... it didn't make it.     

The look on Nate's face was pure shock and awe and he began apologizing immediately.  I excused myself to the back porch and sobbed ridiculously over a luxury item.  (You might remember that he cracked the face of his iphone on Saturday.  I calmed myself down, admonihed myself for being this upset about a first world problem and called Apple to see what could be done. 

My wonderful husband had the forethought to purchase AppleCare, so for a small fee (no sarcasm there) I get get it replaced with a non-broken screen version. 

Nate finished dinner and was asleep by 5:48.

Moral of the story... listen to my gut.  I KNEW morning was better for jumpers but we went anyway.  I didn't want to deal with the pool but I did anyway.  I knew Nate was overtired but I didn't push him to rest.  It was a bad mommying day... and I'm sorry for that.  I'm calling a do-over!

Nate sleep well last night and didn't get up until 5:00 this morning (Its progress).  The dog didn't eat anything he shouldn't and we got out of the house on time.  I'll get my ipad replaced and maybe an iced coffee and it will be a good mommying day.  Oye! 

Weekend Round up

Lets see, what happened this weekend...

I got new glasses

Jon took some pictures of people playing hockey

Nate rode on a zamboni

And we found out iPhones are breakable

we also, had a playdate, went food shopping, did copious amount of laundry, cleaned the house, played games, went to Starbucks, ate a lot of Asian food, went to the apple store and replaced the broken iPhone with an ipod touch, made cupcakes and started yet another massive clean out.   How was your weekend?

The Brandywine Zoo

My mom and I took Nate to the Brandywine Zoo today.  Nestled in the heart of Wilmington, DE, the zoo is adorable, affordable, and right next to the Brandywine River which provides an additional distraction with fish, geese, and ducks.