Little Snacker

If you've noticed my notable absence from blogging over the last year plus, it isn't out of pure laziness {okay, maybe a little!} but more a combination of a host of things, including a roller coaster ride of exciting ups & defeating downs.  I don't want to be that person who parades their reach of personal happiness to the world as if I've championed my life.  I also don't want to be the person who swims in the moat of defeat in her pinnacle of paradise.  So I've laid low, lived my life, and honored my promise to unfold the stories that bring smiles & laughter on a plate of straight-up reality.

Enter our new puppy, Amelia.  Amelia is a rescue pup and clocks in at seven and a half months old.  But don't be fooled, this little gal has already refined a collection of habits & tastes.  And that is where our story begins.

After a series of recent bathroom break-ins, it became clear that our new dog's favorite time of the month is that time of the month.  If snacking on used feminine hygiene products was a crime, this pup would be on doggie death row.  We wrapped up our investigation several days ago and implemented a fool proof plan to keep our canine criminal's fetish at bay.  Little did we know she was holding onto evidence....  In her bowels!

If there is a director in Hollywood who could perfectly recreate the scene that played out in my living room this morning of a grown man shivering and shaking like a dog in need of relief, an Academy Award would be sure to follow.  I'll spare you the details of my husband's hand grab between the 14th & 15th holes yesterday afternoon.  But of course this could not happen in someone's yard, it has to happen right along the cart path just down the road.  And in his words, "It's a good thing I grabbed a big bag!"

The bottom line: this dog is keeping us on our toes!

So to my friend Teri, who couldn't wait to hear about our adventures in Minnesota.... I told you I doubted they would be good, because after all Minnesotans weren't nearly as interesting as people in Ohio; I know because I am one of them.  I amend that statement.... because after all, I guess I am one of them!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Duluth! Outside magazine's 2013 Best Adventure Hub runner-up. Love that town!

2. Both lovelies are actively eating apples off Dad's trees.  The apples are still green.  I'm willing to wager their digestive track will also be actively eating at them before the night is through.

3. I love the word, espionage.  Maybe it's the way it rolls off the tongue, or the sophistication it implies.  But no worries, you didn't uncover my secret password to anything.... I'd never remember how to spell it!

4. Confession Alert! When the Sarah McLachlan commercials come on TV I either leave the room, hit mute, or turn the channel.  But I'm a sucker for the Values.com ads.

5. On another note, I'm also a huge fan of the colonoscopy billboard campaign decorating Minnesota's highways.  Cracks me up!

6. The girls have mastered the art of checkers. I pity the fool in school who takes them on.

7. This summer is all about ice cream for Abby.  If she could eat it with every meal, she would.  And still, not an inch of fat on your body.  Lucky girl!

8. I realized today when we attempted to do school shopping how much I don't like school shopping.  We left the Medford Outlet with one sweatshirt for each of the girls.  Shoes & jeans go on sale next week.  It was a great excuse to ditch the shopping in lieu of ice cream!

9. Something tells me when the dust settles there is another dog in our future.  I suspect I will be the last hold out.  I love the life & energy a dog brings into our home.... I hate the hair, the responsibility.  Anyone want to take bets on how long it takes?!

10. This might finally be the time for me to try coconut oil! Hmmmm.... now what to do with it?!

Image Splattered Shirts

I'm always looking for fun, relatively easy projects to do with the girls.  This project proved not only to be a fun project, but it doubles as a fun & creative gift.  Thank you, Reanna Manthe, for the idea!

Supplies:

• Shirt
• Computer & Printer
• Card Stock
• Freezer Paper
• Pencil & Scissors
• Double-Sided Tape or Iron
• Squirt Bottle
• Bleach & Water
• Cardboard

Step 1: Buy your shirts....  I picked ours up at Wal-Mart for under $4/each.  I'm a big fan of the girls fitted V-neck shirts and the bright colors are super fun!

Step 2: Pick your image.... I collected ours from the images on Microsoft Word and Google Images.  Profile images turn out best on the finished product.

Step 3: Print your image on cardstock.... You're going to have to decide what size works best for your shirt.  We made child sized shirts, and I found that printing two images per page made the images the appropriate size.  When your picture is how you want it, but it out carefully.  *You do not have to print out your images!  You can draw the image freehand, or trace an existing image.  However, to make the next step easier, I recommend having your image on card stock.

Step 4: Trace your image on freezer paper.... Once your image is traced, carefully cut it out.

Step 5: Carefully place double-sided tape on the shiny side of the freezer paper, paying special attention to narrow spots.... Freezer paper can be ironed directly onto the shirt {shiny side down}.  However, through the experience of others I learned that this does not guarantee your spray solution will not seep under the image.

Step 6: Stick or iron your image to the shirt shiny side down.

Step 7: Place a piece of cardboard inside the shirt so the bleach solution does not seep through....{I used an empty Swiffer Duster refills box. Bonus: it had a plastic coating on the inside of the box, which made it easy to reuse for all my shirt!}

Step 8: Spray image with bleach solution.... In a spray bottle, make a solution 70% bleach, 30% water.  The trick to getting a splatter affect {see the pink elephant shirt below} is use the mist setting, pressing the trigger gently and moving your hand quickly from side-to-side.  *If the kids are doing the spraying, I highly recommend having them practice using colored water on a piece of paper.  Only one of the six shirts we tried did not turn out, and I believe it is because I used the full-blast setting on the spray bottle and it over powered the image and leaked under the paper.  Less is more when you're spraying the shirt.  You want to get enough around the image so when you remove the freezer paper the image will show through, but not too much so that they spatters don't show.  I highly recommend spraying in the shirts laying in the grass.

Step 9: Remove image.... After spraying I waited about a minute, then gently blotted the freezer paper with a paper towel {so it didn't drip when I removed it} and carefully pulled it off.

And that's it!  Allow shirts to dry, wash and enjoy.

Before....

 

 

....After

 

 

Ten on Tuesday

1. Vacation never felt so good.  If only we knew with certainty what our next chapter holds.  I love a good surprise, but this holding pattern is taking forevah!  Thank heavens for the distraction of VACATION!

2. Why is it the longer I go without posting, the harder it is to find anything meaningful to write?

3. I love my Toms; far more than I thought I would. Or maybe more than I wanted to. Benefit of the Toms: less emphasis on having beautifully painted toe nails. Downfall: my new foot tan lines are cramping my flip flop style.

4. Perhaps the reason everyone in Minnesota thinks the mosquitoes aren't so bad this year is because my girls are acting as decoys. This summer I'm trying something new. That's right, I'm giving my little mosquito magnets garlic supplements.  With any luck they'll be much less appetizing to those pesky insects.  It's the hungry Italians we'll have to watch out for now!

5. If it is possible to overdose on watermelon then I think this summer will be that summer. Cannot get enough!

6. That said, I'm patiently waiting for sweet corn.

7. Moving around the country has not only offered me the chance to get to know so many different people, but best of all it's made me realize how genuinely fantastic & humble people are in Minnesota.

8. Finally, finally, I think I've adjusted to Windows 8.  If only I could get all of the apps to work.  Sigh.

9. Recipe I've always wanted to try: Serendipity's Frozen Hot Chocolate.

10. Confession Alert: I refuse to repin or repost anything with a grammatical or spelling error.  Fingernails on a chalkboard....

Ten on Tuesday

1. I have a favorite screwdriver. I wonder if real handymen are partial to their tools. I suspect they are, which by virtue means I am one of them. I am, right?!

2. I cannot hear the phrase, "Jump to conclusions" without adding the word 'mat' in my head.  Thank you, Office Space.

3. OMG! I love Worcestershire sauce! I can't spell it, but I can eat it on roast beef like a rock star.

4. Also, I heart ketchup & A-1.... both of which I can spell.

5. This morning's workout I really feeling the burn from Sunday's yard work. Old. I. Am. Old.

6. I have dropped just about everything I touched today. Except children. Thank goodness for that one.

7. Thanks to Bon Jovi I am constantly reminded that the roads are slippery when wet.

8. In spite of the horror that struck Boston yesterday, the best of America shined in Massachusetts. From brave men & women who rushed in to rescue victims, to the runners who went right to the medic tent to donate blood after finishing 26.2 miles, and the locals who offered their own homes for the night. God blessed America!

9. Abby & Lauren are really into their new worm friends. Maybe I should be worried, but the fact that Lauren's does tricks makes me giggle.

10. I'm not ashamed to admit that one of my favorite activities is going to bed early. Like 8pm early. Darn you Daylight Savings Time for still light outside and making me feel guilty for my sinful pleasure.

Ten on Tuesday

1. In light of recent speculation on upcoming changes at The View, I'm waiting for the announcement that Elizabeth Hasslebeck will be making the move to FOX News.

2. Am I the only person who finds it ironic that Daylight Savings Time actually lasts longer than standard time?

3. "Hey, Mom.  I saved a fart for half an hour."~Abby.... Just one of many random quotes you'd hear if you were a little mouse in my house at bath time.

4. I often wonder what song Selena Gomez is referring to when she keeps hitting  re-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat.

5. Loved the way the wizard's back story was laid out in, "Oz The Great and Powerful".  But I'm left wondering one thing.... Was Glinda the Good Witch of the North or the South?

6. More irony.  It's funny that the same children I eagerly tuck in bed at night are the same children I can't wait to smother with kisses in the morning until their eyes open.

7. PC Gone Wild.... How long will it be before little boys named Hunter will be banned from schools because their names is not only violent, but also threatening?

8. I can eat pickles, but cucumbers make me sick.  Odd, huh?  And unfortunate.

9. News by the Numbers. 5: The number of loose teeth currently residing in Lauren's mouth.  8: The number of teeth Abby has lost thus far.  100: The number of cents the girls get for each surrendered tooth.  1: The number of coins the girls find in their Tooth Fairy Pouch.  You do the math, with the average going rate of Tooth Fairy at $2.42, my girls are getting the glittery shaft.  Shhhhh!

10. Melt My Heart Quote-of-the-Night: "Mom I love you untell The Sun stoPs."~Lauren

Vinegar Top Ten

I'm sure this subject line has you at the edge of your seat.  But I have to say, vinegar is one of my very favorite things and it seems everyday I am discovering another valuable use for the pungent liquid.  Here is a list of ten of my favorite....

 

Brooke's Vinegar Top Ten

10. Let's start where I did, in food.  I love it in Bean Soup, which seams to be an upper Midwest thing, so I won't fault you for not appreciating it; I use the apple cider vinegar on the bean soup if possible.  But the handy thing about vinegar is that it can be used to make buttermilk.... simply place a Tbsp of white vinegar {or lemon juice, but I never seem to have that on hand} in a liquid measuring cup, add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line.  Let stand for five minute. Then, use as much as your recipe calls for. Voilà!  I also like vinegar in salad dressings.  A lot.  Red wine vinegar & a good olive oil.... Yumm!

9. Those pesky little bugs & ants that sneak in are no match for an open dish of vinegar.  We have a couple of areas in our house {near the fireplace & by a lamp in our kitchen} that seem to attract the pests, so I fill up a little jar of vinegar and they are deterred by the smell.  Adiós, insects!

8. We have a lot of minerals in our water, it's just the nature of the beast here in Ohio.  The downside to this is the rapid buildup in such places as our shower head.  A quick fix: remove shower head & immerse in a vinegar bath.  I usually use 100% vinegar, but you can dilute it with water if you like.  I like to do this for several hours.  Simply return to its station in the shower and run water through it before bathing.

7. Need to remove mold & mildew from caulking in the bathroom?  Saturate a paper towel with vinegar & lay over the infected caulk.  Allow to sit for as long as possible, then remove.  Presto.  Bub-bye yuck.

6. Fabric softener fix.  Fact: Liquid fabric softeners clog up your agitator and they also make your towels less absorbent.  Not only will vinegar in lieu of fabric softener soften your garments, it also helps to remove detergent build-up in your.  Seriously, softest towels EVER!

5. Streak-free window & mirror cleaner magic!  I actually keep a couple of bottles of this around the house.  Just a regular old squirt bottle {I'm a big fan of the ones they sell at Fleet Farm} filled with about half water & half vinegar.  I use this weekly to clean my mirrors, and whenever I need to clean my windows.  It is seriously like magic!

4. Not only is the 50/50 solution great for windows & mirrors, it makes a great multi-purpose cleaner.  It comes in quite handy where there is a sticky spill on the floor.  And while I haven't used it to scrub my floors {yet!} a lot of people use vinegar in lieu of Pine-Sol for their scrubbing needs.

3. Yet again, another use for the 50/50.... I use it for my weekly cleaning on my shower walls.  Spritzing it on the walls, then wiping it down with a dry cloth is all it takes.

2. Smurf Vomit!  From time to time the build up of soap & minerals in the shower needs some extra cleaning power.  That is when I turn to what I affectionately call Smurf Vomit: 1 cup of vinegar, boiling hot, mixed with one cup of blue Dawn liquid dish soap.  Add to a spray bottle, spray on shower walls & doors and let sit for at least two hours.  Wipe down with water, and smile at the clean.  It may take a couple of doses to really take care of business, depending on the severity of the build-up.

1. Fruit cleaner.  I know, I know, who wants to eat fruit that tastes like vinegar?  I was a skeptic, too.  But the nurse who taught my communicable disease class had me convinced enough to try it and I'm hooked.  For one, vinegar is a natural germ-killer.  Awesome.  For another, it adds life to your fruit.  Double awesome.  I use it primarily for my berries, and here's what you do: Soak fruit in a bowl filled with water & vinegar.  Drain, rinse & eat.  I also use baking soda, sometimes instead of vinegar, sometimes in addition to it.  Either way, I feel much better about feeding clean fruit to my kids knowing this kills off all of the pests & pesticides that get stuck in those hard-to-reach places.  And I kid you not, your strawberries are so fragrant when you're done drowning them in vinegar, they're hard to resist!


There are a million other uses for vinegar that didn't make my list.  My grandma told me her mother used it to rinse my grandmother's hair when she was little, as it worked as a conditioner.  Some people use it to kill weeds, though I admit I haven't tried that one yet.  Many add essential oils, or soak orange or lemon rinds in the vinegar to add a delicious scent to their cleaning.  Others swear by using hot vinegar with baking soda to clean drains.  I'm the first to tell you it isn't the most pleasant smell on the planet, but it certainly is a handy & inexpensive secret weapon!

Happy Vinegaring!