Beautiful Shreddings

I have recently added a new shredder to my arsenal of home appliances. This shredder is amazing - it shreds junk mail IN the envelope! It eats staples and everything. The box says it will destroy credit cards and CD's but I have not yet tested those functions. For now I am deeply satisfied with all of the junk mail it eats. AND I can put the shreddings at the curb for the recyclers to pick up!

Cleaning Volcanoes

A year ago, I noticed that whenever I ever I cleaned with the commercial products, I would feel like crap the next day. Hung over. And who wants a hang over from cleaning?! One of my staples in the cleaning arsenal now is White Vinegar. It is CHEAP and you can clean so much with the one product. The smell does not linger - so don't be afraid - and mixed with baking soda it is a great cleanser. There are so many recipes on line for the product on line.





There are also a few recipes on the back label of the bottle for cleaning along with some other uses of the product - like how it is good for sunburns and bug bites and how to build a volcano.

FW:FW:FW:FW:FW I don't usually Forward these....

I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the email about rat poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing. Also, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time . I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000.00 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special email program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer can buy gasoline without taking a man along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put, "Under God" on their cans.

I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer. And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face... Disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer have any sneakers - but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from Nike.

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

Thanks to you, I can't use any one's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

Thank you too for all the endless advice Andy Rooney has given us. I can live a better life now because he's told us how to fix everything.

And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $5.00 in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

Oh, and don't forget this one either! I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!

If you don't send this email to at least 47,000 people in the next 47 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:47 p.m. This afternoon and the fleas from 47 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's Cousin's beautician.

mini cupcakes & crack dip

i just finished making mini cupcakes. i love cupcakes. they seem to be the rage. again. every 5 year old KNOWS the joy of a cupcake. it seems we adults have just discovered them though I know i loved them when i was a kid. especially when i could just lick the icing off of the top of them. i liked the top part of the cake and the icing the best.

and that is why mini cupcakes rock. one bite. that's all. heaven. and i don't frost them. oh no - i leave the frosting out for everyone to frost their own. it allows everyone to control their own amount of frosting - thick or thin. i made yellow cupcakes. the frosting will be chocolate. mmm.

dags was right there WAITING patiently for me to drop something on to the floor. she learned at my parents house when she was a puppy to sit sweetly and still in the kitchen and good things would happen. at my parents house, my dad would hand feed her some amazing treat like liver. now she lays in the dining room with her front paws crossing the threshold into the kitchen. but she knows if she sits there - good things happen. like me knocking off a mini-cake and it landing at her feet. it really was an accident. she knows the joy of a mini cupcake.

the other thing i prepped was artichoke dip. it is like crack on a cracker. yummy. garlic, cheese & artichokes. i was mixing it to take with me to dinner tomorrow. i did put a small amount into the oven to heat tonight for my dinner. yummy.

Feed Only When you are hungry

I know many people have subscribed to feeds on their favorite blogs to notify them when a new post has hit the blog. I tried it a while back. I didn't enjoy it. I hated it. Inevitably I would get an email telling me there was a new post and I would be too swamped to read it or rather read it and ENJOY it. I felt enormous pressure to go and read it as soon as I saw it in my box and then cranky if I didn't have time to read it and really savor it.

So I removed the feeds. I prefer the old fashioned way. I sit with my am coffee or my afternoon tea and visit each of my blog sites which are loaded into my Favorites list. When I find a new post, it is like a present I didn't expect but had hoped would be there. OH, JOY. OH, RAPTURE.

IT'S HERE!

Finally after Pottery Barn lost the first one...the new couch is here. I don't know how you lose a couch but they did. It rocks. Now my den totally rocks. I'm a rockstar.

The tables I found in a store about a month ago. They are so cool - made from wine barrels complete with stamps on them.

I Stumbled Upon

This cool website. Designer Notebooks and Cards.

JHill Design. Go there and shop. Great holiday gifts. And of course I LOVE all things connected to writing - pens, paper, cards. Office products rule. And designer notebooks rule out of the stratosphere. Make your wife/girlfriend/mother happy. Order a few of these.

And yes - send me one too. or some note cards.

Green

I recently took a class for my Eco Broker designation. It was a 3 day class and we learned about green products in the housing arena and the impact it has on people when buying a home. The class has really inspired me to learn more to help my clients as well as to learn more about action I can take in my own life and house.

I am making a concerted effort to change my energy usage and product buying habits to lower my bills and save our resources. I would love to hear what other people are doing on this front too - so let me hear from you.

New Listenings - Ryan Adams

Kitty & the Pink Medicine

Bedroom Kitty has to take some meds. Robamox. It is pink. And smells like bubble gum. She does not enjoy it and hates me a for a solid 10 minutes after I force it down her.

I spent yesterday at the vet with an emergency visit and Sadie. She hates the car. That was fun. Did you know that lab work for a cat costs as much as a human? Yup. I also learned that cats age 8 to 10 years for every one of our years. Sadie is 100 to 125 years old by those numbers. I am feeling less sorry for my wallet* and wondering what a senior cat wants out of life. Besides being left alone by the Dog.

*The past 2 weeks have been one of those trying times we all go through and grit our teeth. For me - new washer/dryer, car service - surprise you need 2 new tires and the vet. It happens. We deal with it and move forward. And if you are as lucky as I am, you have tacos and margaritas with your friend MaryK in the afternoon.