I Got Some Help On These....

Below are a bunch of solutions that were sent to me for blog by my fans and supporters, basically my family. Or really, just my family. 

*Pack boxes with old plastic bags

You've probably got a stash of plastic bags somewhere in your house. Use them to cushion items your mailing or to fill in empty space in boxes. It's an free alternative to pricey bubble-wrap—just don't try this with fragile items.

*Remove crayon marks with WD-40

The next time your little one goes wild writing on your walls, don't stress! Instead pull out WD-40. This household product, that you usually use to stop squeaky hinges, also works brilliantly in removing crayon marks from most surfaces. Simple spray and wipe crayon right off. (You may also want to wipe surface with a soapy rag to remove any oil residue.)

*Clean your toilet with Alka Seltzer

So you're having friends for dinner in 20 minutes, and you've just noticed your grimy toilet? No worries, drop in a couple of tablets Alka Seltzer, leave for ten minutes then easily wipe scum away! The fizzing action of Alka Seltzer works as a powerful cleaning agent, so you don't have to get your hands dirty.

Alka Seltzer

*Use dryer sheets to freshen stinky shoes

Good News: You're making good on your promise to hit the gym every day. Bad news: You're running shoes and gym bag smell to high heaven!

Until you can give them a good wash this weekend, air out those bad boys by stuffing dryer sheets in them and leaving over night. The sheets will absorb the odor so you can hit the gym tomorrow, odor free!

Just in time for the holidays! 

Now all the tubes I save have another purpose....
My roommates hate this

I usually colored my keys with permanent marker
but after a while it would rub off, so this was a
long term solution.

Don't know about this one, but it's worth a shot.

YES YES YES
This completely and totally works!  My nails always get
destroyed trying to open the ring, so I was very excited about
this one!

The Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

 

 Happy Holidays to all! 

The season is upon us, and has actually been staying quiet warm.  I made someone promise me that we would go cut down a real Christmas Tree this year, and so did some research on real tree etiquette and impacts of real vs. artificial trees and lived to tell the tale via blog. 

The basic ideas of keeping a tree nice and healthy while in your house is to:
1. Water it.
2. Water it some more.
3. Do not keep it by any major source of heat like a vent or tv.
4. Before putting it into the stand make a fresh cut from the trunk so it is willing and able to drink.
5. Light and decorate.

Here are some of the websites that helped/is helping me with the care of my lovely Balsam fur.

>Handy Watering Tricks. 

>This one was to make a homemade tree stand consisting of a bucket, sand, and water which I was not brave enough to do, but for those are possibly could be, here you go!

>I had also heard that vodka in your stand is a great way to preserve it, and make it live a little bit longer for the holiday season, but after doing some googling, that is actually the opposite of what it does. An e-how about that. 

>Lastly, this was a neat watering system if you were willing to do a little DIY, and hate bending over to fill it with water.  http://www.ehow.com/how_7228542_diy_-christmas-tree-watering-system.html

 Real Vs. Fake

One of the biggest struggles that I had was whether it was good to go cut down a tree every year, or to use the artificial tree we already had. What to do! So I went to the internet again and found out that yes, cutting down a tree is taking away a tree from the environment, but the plastic that artificial trees are made from are not great either. Don't get me wrong, I also have a fake tree, but here was a great article explaining it.  The plastic is basically non-biodegradable and non-recyclable and will therefore sit in a landfill for a VERY long time. 

The Best Way To Spread Christmas Cheer Is To Sing It Loud For All To Hear!

What's The Deal With Stained Wood, and Bumper Stickers??

The clocks have changed, it gets dark ridiculously early, and here I am doing things around the house because we can't hang out outside.  

In lieu of the outdoors, I decided that all the cabinet handles and closet door handles needed to be replaced. Well, in the kitchen not only did they have the handle, but there was a nice gold broach like piece that was underneath each handle. It left a little stain on some of the cabinets and I wanted to fix it. My solution was toothpaste and baking soda.  All you needed to do was mix the two together so it formed some sort of super paste. Grab an old but clean toothbrush and just scrub those babies out.   Supposedly, slow and circular movements. Here are some before and after pictures:

Before

During

After.
Obviously it is not completely gone,  because it leached in the wood, but it definitely made an improvement! And made me feel a little better. 

>The election season was heavily upon us, and what happens to all those bumper stickers that are all over cars? Do people keep them on even if their candidate does or doesn't win? Do they keep it on until the next 4 years roll around and they can show their support again?  I would imagine some remove them so here are some way to do so if interested.  It is basically the same way of taking off a sticker from a container but on a bigger scale. It also calls for automative adhesive remover, but goo gone works just fine and doesn't hurt the paint.

Here is the WEBSITE!

Thanks for hanging out! Until next time. 

Who Would Of Thought? Safety Pins?

There was a great article in Women's Day which I thought was chock-full of neat uses for safety pins, and I am going to share them with YOU!

1. Prevent Static Cling! To keep your skirts or pants from sticking to the inside of your tights, put the safety pin on the inside of the clothing. One or two should be good because the metal is a good conductor for electricity, so it will divert the static away.

2. Deter Pickpockets! If you are going to a crowded place, and pick pocketers are something that really concerns you, safety pin your bag shut. It is also a great way from keeping everything from spilling out every time you set the bag down.

3. Open Tricky gadgets! Use the sliver end to open the back of your cell phone or television remote when it is not cooperating with your plans.

4. Clean Kitchen Implements!  Keep a safety pin in your utensil drawer to remove dried garlic from a press or clumped salt in the shaker.

5. Decorate Cakes! Use one to trace Happy Birthday into a cake before you frost it right up. This way it will be nicely spaced, and serves as a great tracer to make sure your designs turns out great!  



>Do you hate when all your plastic lids for tupperware are falling all over the place and driving you CRAZY!?  Here is a great solution also from Women's Day. This blog is basically going to be devoted to them. You can use a letter holder to sort the lids, even by size, and a great way to keep them organized and under control.  What a awesome idea!

>Want an easy way to hang your silk or any type of thin scarf so they stop falling all over the floor because the coat hanger is just TOO slippery? A great way to prevent this is clip shower rings together, or binder rings, and hang them through the binder ring. It keeps all the scarfs together and the rings are thin and keeps them hung up beautifully!




Thanks for reading, and until Halloween........

Brides Against Breast Cancer

I went to this event and I wanted to write about it because my experience was great, and if I could spread it's amazing-ness then why not blog it!

It was a wedding dress expo that was called Brides for Breast Cancer.  People and designers donate their dresses, ALL out for the taking.   They only do certain cities at certain times, so you have to catch it if you can or plan ahead if possible.  Tickets are $5, and the proceeds go towards treatment programs for cancer patients and their families.  It is also tax deductible!

THE SCOOP ON THE DAY!
We arrived a little early, to beat the crowds, which was no problem even though our ticket said we couldn't start searching til 12pm. Already a super awesome aspect!  They immediately handed us a bag of things, and told us to proceed to the vendors for all sorts of stuff. Flowers, make-up, more flowers, jewelry, shoes, more jewelry and shoes.  After passing that section, a volunteer takes you to another personal volunteer that helps take dresses to the dressing room and makes sure you are A ok the entire time you are there!  All the dresses were sorted by sizes which made looking through them a breeze, but you were only allowed three at a time. I would imagine this was too insure that everyone has the chance to see as many dresses as they can.  The dressing rooms were no big deal, shower curtains with mirrors in the main area so you can see how B E A utiful you looked.

I tried on dozens of dresses, and ended up finding the ONE, which is really pretty and costed the whopping price of $300.  It was a little big, but nothing a few threads and needles can't fix.  If anyone is getting married, or know someone who is and this is something they would be interested in, this organization is all over the United States, and I would recommend over and over again.   Here is all the information!

Brides Against Breast Cancer!

Thanks for reading.

PS- The worms are doing great!

Goofy Tid Bits

I did a bunch of goofy random things, or I should say I had to fix a bunch of random things, so here I am dumping it all on you.  The first of many was eating chocolate chips on the couch, and then someone sat on one or two and it congealed to their pants. Awesome! Of course chocolate on the butt looks like a big poo stain, so we needed to fix that.

>Chocolate on Clothing:  First, scrape off any excessive chocolate that was left on the clothing. Then rub an ice cube on the chocolate for a few minutes, freeze that baby, then scrap off any other other frozen chocolate that you can. Apply carpet stain remover and rub it into the stain. Rinse it off under water or throw it into the washing machine and it should come right out.  

That picture is similar to what I looked like eating my chocolate chips but significantly less cute. 

>Freezing for easy removal:  I like to burn candles but they are always in a candle holder, so when the candle gets all melty you have a waxy mess on your hands. For easy removal of the wax, stick it in the freezer for an hour or two, and it will chip right off when you take it back out.  This can also be used for any liquid substance that gets stuck on something and could pry off when it gets cold and hard. I am blanking on another instance it could happen with, but I know they are out there.

>Removing wax from carpet:  Heat up an iron, put paper towel on top of the wax, put the iron directly on top of stain/paper towel, and eventually the paper towel will "soak" up the candle wax.  As a heads up, you may need multiple paper towels. It takes a little while, but worth not having that nasty stain. 

>Mildew in clothes: The smell of mildew is not appealing to my nose, in fact, I strongly dislike it.  At times I have gotten attacked by the mildew gods and I found a pretty good way to fix it.  This relates mainly to clothes and towels.....wash your load with vinegar first, then follow with your normal detergent.  My washer has a short cycle that I use to rinse it with the vinegar, then I wash with detergent for a full cycle following. Dry as you normally would.  A side cause of mildew could also be the water residue that is left in the washing machine.  If dirty water keeps washing your already dirty clothes, they are never going to get fully clean. Wipe the inside of the washing machine with a water and vinegar mix or run the 'clean cycle" with vinegar if offered on your washing machines.  I know a lot of the front loaders have this option, and water does get trapped in the rubber that lines the door, so make sure you get in there and soak it up. The same goes for the residue that is left on the actual door. 

Did you spill something in the microwave?  To easily remove a spill from the micro, wet a paper towel, put it on top of the spill. Nuke it for 30 seconds, and the spill will get absorbed in the paper towel for an inpecable clean up! Yes! No one really likes cleaning out the microwave.  A piece of advice: Clean the mess right away so you don't have hard dried food on your hands, which is never any fun. 

If you didn't have time to clean it right away, microwave a cup of water and it will steam the food making it soft for a then easy clean up. Adding vinegar or lemon juice will take out any nasty smell that might have been left behind. Neat. 

Until Next Time....

Critters Snacking, Flatulence, And Tons of Useful Ideas!

Critters! I was having a problem with little critters eating my plants/peppers/tomatoes on the side of the house. I had read that you could sprinkle cayenne pepper on the leaves and plants and it would deter those guys from having a little snack. I did not have cayenne pepper around the spice cabinet, so I found a great alternative that also worked quite well.  Crushed Red Pepper. I sprinkled that all over the plants, leaves, pots, and it proved successful over the past couple weeks. A positive side note- if you use crushed red pepper it rinses off easily, and does not effect the taste of the leaves or veggies or fruits.

Flatulence! I had grown up using matches as a smell eliminator and I thought this was something that was common knowledge. Talking to some people, they didn't know that this could be something that rids the stank in the bathroom, so here I am telling you that matches are a fantastic solution.  The sulfur dioxide that is emitted when the match is struck is a very pungent smell, which does a great job of covering up the other really pungent smell.  Not too be fooled though, it doesn't RID the smell, it just masks it or fools our brains to think that it is riding it. Apparently there was a 2006 Mythbusters episode on this phenomenon and they concluded that the smell of the match being lit and then burnt really just masks our perception of the odors rather then the match neutralizing the gases.   Proof!

Tons of Ideas!

Stay Fresh, And Away From The Mess

Hey! I have been doing some more experimenting and I wanted to share MORE tricks for the blog.

This cartoon picture is ridiculous, and the
exact opposite of what is happening right now.

Corn!  I like to buy corn at the farmers market but it is on Fridays, and we don't always get to eating it that day. The solution: take the corn out of the husk, wrap it in plastic wrap and stick it into the refrigerator. I left it in there for about a week, took it out of the wrap, boiled the corn, and it was just as fresh and delicious as day 1.


My roommate taught me THE magic trick for NON-STICKY bar or restaurant napkins. To avoid your glass sticking to the napkin, throw some salt right on the napkin and it creates a barrier between the glasses and napkin.  No more awkward 'drink with napkin' move.

The Stick of the Scis-sor:
I don't know about you, but I strongly dislike when you go to use a pair of scissors and they are sticky or just hard to open because something has gotten stuck up in there.  Usually the scissors come apart so you can easily goo gone or scrape the gunky stuff, BUT for those scissors that do not come apart here is a solution.  Take some rubbing alcohol and pour it over the scissor part that is sticking, preferably over a bowl and just let it sit for 20 minutes or so.  Since you can't get in there to scrub it, it doesn't cure it completely, but does help to decrease cutting frustration.

My food guru fahja sent me these helpful pointers. Check it out, it's pretty neat!
3 Surprisingly Heart-Healthy Foods
>Beer
Red wine may soon have company on the healthy drinks menu. According to a recent review of more than 18 studies on booze, beer is just as good for your heart as vino. Drinking a little more than a pint of beer a day could make you 30 percent less likely than non-drinkers to suffer from stroke, heart attacks, and heart disease, researchers found. Credit heart benefits to the alcohol itself, and polyphenols (antioxidants) in beer. And make sure to drink that beer with a smile.
>Burgers
As long as they’re grass-fed. How come? A heart-healthy diet has to be balanced in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio is usually way out of whack on most of your conventional beef, but with grass-fed beef, it’s close to 1:3—similar to the ratio found in most heart-healthy fish. Another bonus? Grass-fed beef is loaded with cardio-protective vitamin E. Check out your local farmer’s market to find the best grass-fed beef. http://www.tallgrassbeef.com/
>Eggs
A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that eating eggs increases HDL (“good”) cholesterol but not LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. So eggs actually help your arteries stay clear! In another study, overweight participants ate a 340-calorie breakfast of either two eggs or a single bagel 5 days a week for 8 weeks. Those who ate eggs (including the yolk) reported higher energy levels and lost 65 percent more weight—with no effect on their total cholesterol levels.

Hola! It has been a little while, did a little traveling, and answered a pretty important question.  Of course while away from the blog, I was constantly thinking about new material and here I am back and ready for action.

As soon as I mentioned that I did not have fruit flies (which is one of the major down sides to composting), they must have read the blog and then flew straight to my kitchen. Oh course I sighed and said sh**, but then looked it up in my vermicomposting book and came up with a solution.  If they travel to your house for one reason or another, the best way to trap and rid them is TO set a cup with apple cider vinegar about half full, put plastic wrap over and secure with a rubber band. THEN poke some holes in the top, but not too big. You want them to get in but not be able to get out. They will be drawn to the vinegar, and away from your kitchen.  My cup is pretty full with those little fruit eaters!

My new recent obsession mixed with an old obsession has created a great cleaning bonanza in the house. Not literally mixing them together, but having them both near by.  The new: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, and the old: tea tree oil.  You can basically get anything done with both of these bad boys (oh! and of course my best friend vinegar).  Mr. Clean takes off the dirt from the lawn chairs, stains on the kitchen floor, and scum in between the tiles in the bathroom. Tea Tree oil (diluted with water) gets the makeup off the counter, oil off of my skin from my bike chain, and so many other things.  Absolutely love them both, and you can literally use them for just about any household anything.  I mentioned in a previous post, but will reiterate, tea tree oil is great for your skin too.  Helps reduce pimples, heal bacterial infections, and great for your cuticles.  It does have a very potent odor, so it's not for the weak of smell.

I did answer an important question and now have a bit of bling on my left ring finger.  It was my grandma's engagement ring, and therefore had a couple of years behind its '"belt".  I wanted to give it a little extra lovin, and mixed it in a solution of 6 parts water to one part ammonium and put it into a vibrating denture cleaning machine.  Of course this is something that I have access to because of where I work, but this solution will also work if you let them soak for a while.  After your rings have relaxed for a bit, rinse with soap and water and scrub with a soft brush. The key to this is PLUG THE SINK when doing this so your valuables don't go right down the pipe.  This solution can be used on gold, sterling silver, diamonds, all types of jewels.  Should have taken a before and after photo, but if you trust me, it definitely makes things sparklier.

The next and final tid bit was given to me by a generous contributor and I have not  tried it personally.  You can clean dry erase boards with nail polish remover.  If they are starting to look a little dingy, you can pour a bit on there and it will clean right up. Apparently the acetone-free type worked great too!

Thanks! Flanagan out. 

It's Been A Year

That's right, it is my anniversary and I have been blogging for a year. Wow-zaaas! Of course I could not have done it without the eyeballs of you guys and gals.  Thanks for clicking and checking back every now and again!

I decided to devote this episode to my worms and give you the update on those little buggers because I just love talking about them. AND if you have made one on one contact with me I am also obsessed with the fact that I got attacked by a Canadian goose while I was riding my bike the other week.  It looked sometime along the lines of this: with a side of pecking at my bike helmet. For real.

And this is how to avoid a goose attack in case I have scared anyone to death. Goose Survival Guide

Ok, enough of those terrible Canadian geese, and onto the worms. They are much more caring, and less terrifying, plus they dig the food that I give them.  I have been doing the vermicompost for two months now, and they have pretty much eaten up a good chunk of the food and are ready to move into bigger and better places.  How the system works that I have is, you build upwards and the worms are able to detect where the food is and they migrate north.  There are little holes in the bottom of every "bin" which is how they move from one to the other.  They are all in one bin as of right now which is pretty full, so the bottom tray is going to be used in the garden as planting compost, and they are going to start breaking down the food in the "working bin".  Was that confusing? I took pictures to better show what I am trying to describe. 

 

      The Old Set-Up --->     

                 The New Set-Up --->
 

 The very top bin is the "working" one. The worms to head to their summer northern home, and leave behind all their other memories.  In the old set-up it looks like 2 bins (including the Spigot one), and in the new there are 3. The bin that has the spigot on it doesn't have any worms in it, that collects excess moisture which is rich in nutrients to be used in household plants or in the garden. 

The "Hole-y" bin

Things that might be interesting or questions one might have.  They really prefer kinds of foods over others. For example, avocados which were already mentioned, corn in the cob, they were wrapped about those bad boys which was pretty neat.  Fruit, specifically watermelon rinds, grapes, and strawberry tops.  It is still in my kitchen, and still doesn't smell. The actual garbage can smells much much worse.  No fruit flies hanging around the kitchen, which is a really common problem, but as a preventative measure I have been putting the scraps in the freezer or fridge.  I have a container that is the overflow until I feed them, which is about 2 times a week.  I have not had too many scraps yet, but the summer is coming which means more fresh veggies, fruits, so we will see what happens. When it got too hot in the house they knew right away and started fleeing the dirt to cool down, that was a pretty cool process to watch.  Not actually leaving the bin because it's impossible, but going down to the spigot level where they are not supposed to go. At first I was offended they didn't want to hang out in the home that I made them, but then I figured it out, and felt bad for the crawlers.  The air was turned on shortly after, not for the worms though, for the humans. Honest.

I think that's about it.....One year down with another one just upon us.

Later gators!

Potters, Plants, And Puns Are Phenomenal!

The nice weather is upon us, the sun shines bright and early in the morning, which means avocados and Oberon are in season! You have to love the midwest/midwesterners because we really know how to get out there and enjoy the weather.

I actually got this idea from the chalkboard paint CAN, although I am sure it is all over Pinterest. If you don't know about Pinterest, it is an internet site that you can find a lot of crafty things and so much more. I painted the rim of the pots to write what 'breed' of plant they are, for ALL to see.  It is such an easy easy thing to do, and a small quart of the paint goes a long way.  Obviously, if you want to have the chalk stay in tact you can't really water it with a hose, but the watering can works great. Here is the picture:

Cute, right?

AVOCADOS! Another thing that I recently discovered is how to keep an avocado fresh after you cut it open and can't really finish it all in one sitting.  My worms really love the avocado shells, so I have found myself using that as an excuse to buy more avocados, therefore needed a freshness cure.  Here is the solution to THE freshness: I usually eat only half at a time, so when you cut it is half, stick the other half on a small plate and this way it seals it air tight and your avocado will stay nice and fresh until you want eat it again.  No more Ziploc bags, plastic wrap, or container that just doesn't fit right!  I have done this for as long as 2-3 days, and it still tastes great and as green as could be.  I thought it was a great fix for that seemingly impossible cure for the non-air attacked avocado!

Right above my finger is where it was
catching and I added clear nail polish

EYE GLASSES! I am blind as a bat, and wear glasses the second that I take my contacts out because I would literally be running into walls.  One of the problems with my glasses was they were constantly getting stuck on my hair when I was putting them on and off.  I mean.....ripping my hair out and it was driving my crazy. I went to the glasses store and the incredibly nice women told me instead of replacing the sides of the glasses (price-y) to paint some clear nail polish on the part where the glasses were getting caught. So that is what I did, painted the side where the metal did quite meet up, and it worked like a charm.  My knowledge from Pearl Vision passed onto you!

Hope this finds everyone well, worm update coming soon to computer/mobile devices near you (to those interested)!

Flanagan out.

The 2 Minute Lifesaver

Working where I work I have a plethora of magazines to dive into, but I found this really interesting article in Good Housekeeping- April 2012.  The article was 'The 2-Minute Lifesaver' and the answer was to basically MOVE.  It is the simple act of moving that can ward off heart disease, diabetes, even cancer AND without any special training, gear, or extra time. Walking away from your chair every half hour while you're at work or at home while watching tv might just save your life. Of course you have to take everything with a grain of salt, but a recently discovered health threat- uninterrupted butt in chair time- boosts your odds of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease to a pretty substantial degree. In one study conducted by the American Cancer Society, women who were sedimentary for six plus hours every day, regardless of how active they were at other times during the day, had a 34% higher chance of dying during the 11 year study period then those who stayed seated for less then three hours. WHOA! That's a pretty big deal. There is a weight loss component to this whole 'getting up and moving' thing as well.  Those who took small, as in walking to the copier or taking bathroom breaks, multiple times during the day were in fact slimmer.  The act of standing and walking contracts the larger muscles to take in fat and sugar from your bloodstream, therefore forcing your whole body to get going.

Men's Health caught onto this phenomenon really quick and at least half of the desks in their work space are mounted so those people have to stand to do their daily work load on computers.  It is very neat, and here is the article including picture.

Here is how to build mini breaks into your day:
(@ work)
A. Stand up to use the phone. Your body works 30% harder when you are on your feet. Pacing is even better.
2d. Get rid of the water bottle on your desk and just walk to the cooler to fill a small glass.

(@ home)
F. Turn off the TV. This causes to you to mount that booty on the couch and become stationary which is the anti to what your body needs.
6. Watch and walk- use the commercials as a break time and get up and go get water, switch out the laundry, go downstairs, etc. etc. You get the idea.
8a. Grab a broom and use your movement breaks to sweep the floor or dust the windowsills. Your house will never be cleaner, and your heart will thank you.
H. You might as well just throw in flossing too because that is also great for your heart, and I love a good flossing.

I have been sitting too long writing this blog edition 2.0, so now I must go move these legs.  Hut Hut HIKE!!!

Until next time, Flanagan out!

I GOT WORMS!

"I got worms."

"I beg your pardon?"

"That's what we're gonna call it: I
          Got Worms. We're gonna specialize in
          selling worm farms you know, like
          ant farms. A lot of people don't
          realize that worms make much better
          pets than ants. They're quiet,
          affectionate, they don't bite, and
          they're super with the kids."

This post is going to be all about THE worms, so if you are uninterested there will be more to read just another time....For now it is all about my garbage eating pets. That was also a quote from Dumb and Dumber if you cannot remember what movie that ridiculousness was in.

The time has come and I got the worms to put in my compost (finally) that I got for christmas! I am not going to lie, I am a little nervous to start these critters in their new amazing life because if you do something wrong, you will definitely know about it. Not enough food, they will get angry.  Too much food and it will get smelly, not enough leaves or dirt they are just going to go find somewhere else to live. So.....I am going to try my darnedest to keep it going perfectly.

Answers to common questions I have gotten so far: No I did not name them, there are just a few too many to get them all straight. What I do know so far is that they are quiet, and pretty affectionate. At least to the food that is being put in there.  Yes, they are specific worms, and not just any ole worm you dig up from the yard.  The breed is red wigglers and they are perfect for eating your food and turning it into the good stuff to later plant with.  They really like avocados, and not so hot on tomatoes, BUT there is still a lot more experimenting to come regarding their favorites.  This week to be added are egg shells, garlic shavings, and rice.  I know what you are thinking? Who is this nut bag that is talking about worms that eat garbage as if they are real people or maybe something resembling a dog? Well, it is me....unfortunately.  When I tell people that I have started this composting thing-a-ma-jig the response either goes one way or the other. No in between, but rather "Gross! You keep them in the house?"  OR  "That is pretty cool, you keep them in the house?"  Yes I do, currently that are in a very sealed composting bin in the kitchen just hanging out waiting for me to add in the the garlic scraps from the garlic shrimp linguini I made earlier this week. Picture of bin is just below, keep scrolling!

The set up was very simple.  With the compost bin came some dirt that you soaked in water, mixed with shredded newspaper and voila! The home for the worms are ready.  You just had to add some food that I had been saving, add some more newspaper on top of that and they should be happy as a clam.  For the amount of worms I have now, I need to add a 1/2 lb of food a week.  I think I am going to save much more then allowed since I going a little crazy with saving EVERYTHING because it is new and exciting and I am a 6 year old like that. Currently I have a couple piles that just keep growing and growing like an magic expanding dinosaur sponge when you add it to magic water.

You made it to the picture of the bin. Nice color green, right?  The bin in this picture is broken up into three sections. The bottom section is the stand it is on.  The second section has a spigot to extract any excess moisture, and this is full of nutrients to add to the house hold plants. Pretty pumped about that. The top layer has the worms and food and dirt and all of its glory. 

This is the picture of the worms in the dirt with newspaper. If you look closely you can see the little red wigglers hanging out. I was thinking about taking a video but thought that might really freak people out and they would never read this again. 

Last but not least, since we are on the subject of recycling and basically saving the planet like Clark Kent, I mean Superman, my sister is doing a project on environmental literacy. It's pretty neat, so here is a shout out to my sister's website, CHECK IT OUT! I should also mention she is in her last year of becoming a teacher at Michigan State, so this is one of her last projects as an undergraduate.

Flanagan out. 

**If for some reason you would like more info on all the worm stuff, I have great book full of info which helped me get going, the dealer (yes dealer) I got the worms from, and the company that makes the bin with start up kit. Just drop a line, I would be more then happy to lend my help. Or if you just have crazy questions because this whole thing is bonkers, drop many lines!

Now Flanagan out. 

What Gets Me Going

Hey All, What do you call an alligator that wears a vest?   An INVESTIGATOR! 

Onto real world blogging......

A lovely MAN left a MAN grate for the grill out on the concrete for a couple days, and of course it rained and left a nice rust stain on the concrete. A co-worker gave me a book called Talking Dirty with the Queen of Clean, so I looked that bad boy up in there to see how to remove that stain.

How could you not listen to this hottie?

She suggested to lightly sprinkle the area with water and put a package of KOOLAID LEMONADE on top of the sprinkled water. Then cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for about 15 minutes.  When you do this you literally will start hearing the acid bubbling on the cement. It's kinda neat. Isn't it great that this is something that also goes into our bodies?  This also reminds me, put on a pair of gloves if you have them lying around the house.  I checked the progress after 15 minutes, because it was a pretty good stain, and left it for another 15 minutes. After that time has set, pour more water on top of the stain and scrub with a brush.  Make sure to remove any excess KOOLAID by rinsing really well. 

Here is the before picture:

And here is the after picture:

It did work pretty well, obviously an improvement.  This picture doesn't really show it, but there are still some little stains but it took out a good chunk of them.  For this particular stain I probably would have used two packets of KOOLAID, and now that area of the concrete is impeccably clean, and the rest of the patio looks pretty discusting. That clean queen really knew how to talk dirty to me.  This is not the only thing that I have looked up in that book for, it really is amazing! For Real. Here is the link on Amazon.

There is also ANOTHER book that was always around when I was growing up that my mom loved.  It is the same idea as Talking Dirty, but it is called Haley's Cleaning Hints (on amazon HERE) and looks like this:

He is also incredibly hot, so it is really quite a hard decision as to which hottie to take cleaning advice from.  Good luck! Hope you enjoyed, and as always thanks for hanging out.

The Reader's Digest Lesson on Life

I was also given a Rider's Digest for blog material, also thank you, and this one is about simple ways to easily tackle those big or small life decisions.

#1. How to say "No!"

It is hard to tell someone no and much easier to agree to help out, but sometimes that isn't always what you really wanted to do.  Here are some ways that are short and sweet to tell them no thanks.

     > "No, but thank you for asking."  This is a great one because you thank the person for thinking of you, but you just can't do it right now. 

     > "I'd love to, but I simply can't make that big of a commitment. Is there some other way I could help out?"  This one is saying that you aren't available for the task being asked of you, but you are not completely blowing them off.  I thought this one could be tricky because what if they ask something else of you and you can't do that either.  Tread lightly..... 

     > "I'm not able to take that on right now."

     > "No, but I bet so-and-so can help you with that."  This one is just basically saying no and then adding a generous side of helpfulness.  Hopefully the other person would love too, and you are not just trying to get back at them. HA

     > "I'm really not okay with that."  This one is if you are really trying to set the record straight and be froward. It is probably used more for reasoning in not supporting organizations or candidates. 

#2. How to Write a Thank You Note

The thank you note is always a great way to show someone that you are thinking of them, and how appreciative you are for their gift, no matter how large or small it is.  The note doesn't have to be long, three sentences is plenty but mention the gift, how much you enjoy it, and your appreciativeness for the sender's thoughtfulness.  I always like to add something a little personal intertwined into it so that it isn't some generic thank you note that anybody could write, but it came from the heart.  For me personally, I add an inside joke if applicable, it's fun and astute.  

Write the note as soon as you get the present, this way they know that you got the gift and are enjoying it.  Now you know my secrets.....

#3.  How to Avoid Jet Lag....a more natural way to go

A. Eat- starches like pasta and rice (carbs) to help your body adjust more quickly to sudden jolts to circadian rhythms.

B. Drink- the air in the cabin tends to be bone dry which then causes dehydration. This is actually a really big contributor to jet lag. Pass up the caffeine and alcohol, and drink lots of water before, during, and after your flight. 

C. Sleep- If you're flying at night, use earplugs and an eye mask, turn down the lights, cover up, and adjust the your air conditioning valve to cool setting. This tells your body that it is time to go to bed. 

D. Switch your watch to local time before getting off the plane.

E. Resist the urge to nap- when you get to your location try to stay awake with every ounce of you.  If you land in the morning, take a shower, eat some eggs, and head on your vacation way. It says to try to jog or swim later in the day which will help you fall asleep naturally, but probably in most circumstances this would be hard to do. 

F. Stay up as late as you can. It would be great to try to stay up until the time you normally go to bed, or very close to it. Then sleep in as late as you can the next morning. By that night you should have been able to adjust and used to the new time zone. 

Here are two links that are useful for children adjusting to jet lag:

http://www.travelwithyourkids.com/once-there/what-you-can-do-about-jet-lag

http://www.modernmom.com/article/how-to-cope-with-your-kid-s-jet-lag

>>Just the other day I was looking for a recipe in my Vegetarian Times and I saw a natural RX for jet lag. It is called Melatonin. A dose of this slumber-inducing hormone can help ward off the sleep disruption and fatigue caused by jet lag. Each night, melatonin is released by the brain's pineal gland and this chemical monitors the body's internal clock which can get all kinds of messed up when traveling across multiple time zones. It is suggested taking up to 1 milligram of melatonin before going to bed about two days before your flight, once you reach your destination, and also continue three days after you reach your destination. This is just a more natural drug that won't leave you feeling drowsy and crabby if that is what you are going for and if you think the above suggestions are probably BS.  I have not tried this myself but I figured I would throw it out there in case anyone is curious, like Benjamin Button.

Flanagan out. 

The Body Explained...

I read an article in Parade that was titled, Your Body Explained then asked to take it to write about, thank you, and so here I am with some quirky little facts.

1. Why do I wake up in the morning with gunk in my eyes? 
That crusty stuff is actually dried tears because your tear glands are constantly watering your eyes to flush them out of irritants. While you are awake the act of blinking naturally flushing them out, but while you are sleeping it is a completely different story, which causes the goobers to cluster up while sleeping.

2. Why does it seem as if mosquitos find me more delectable then other people?

This isn't something that you are projecting, it can be actually true. Those nasty blood suckers are drawn to a variety of signals such as heat, carbon dioxide, movement, and the smell of skin secretions like lactic acids. No one really knows what perfect combination of these aspects attracts them more then not. One study even found that mosquitos prefer people who recently downed a beer. So that is my problem!

If you do happen to be the meal of choice, wear repellent and pass on the brew. If you hate that nasty bug smell, try rubbing dryer sheets all over you. They have been shown to work okay, but it's not as good as those deet ridden repellents.

3. Why do men get more hair in some places and less in others, especially when they get older?

The "George Costanza" effect tends to be a common sign of aging, and it is caused by dihydrotesterone, known to us common folks as a sex hormone to which some men are genetically predisposed to become more sensitive too (according to Spencer Kobren, founder of the American Hair Loss Association). When that sensitivity occurs the hair follicles on the head shrink and follicles elsewhere like on the back or nose or ears become stimulated and just start growing that hair.  I thought this was fascinating! Who knew?

4. Why do I huff and puff climbing stairs when I can easily run a mile outside or on a treadmill?
It is a lot easier to pull a heavy object along a flat surface then it is to pick it up, right? When you are running you are barely lifting your own body weight, but when walking up a typical staircase at a 45 degree angle you are required to move 70% of your body weight against gravity. Unless you are running up stairs, then you are basically doing both and getting a great workout. It makes total sense, and also makes me feel better when I get winded walking up stairs.

5. Why do I cry when I chop unions?
Tears when chopping unions are caused by the release of a chemical called lacrimator. In latin it literally means 'to cry'. When you slice into an onion, the chemical is expelled into the air and once it reaches your eyes and nose it breaks down into irritating compounds that attack those nerve endings.  Your eyes produce tears to rinse away the toxins. If you want to reduce this effect because it just hurts to cut onions, try pre-chilling the onions in ice water for 30-60 minutes. This slows down the enzymatic reaction that releases the lacrimator, which means fewer molecules in the air so fewer tears. If I was writing a college paper I would site who wrote this science-y stuff, and so his name was Harold McGee author of On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, not Sarah F.

6. What is earwax and why do we produce it?

A normal Q tip. 

Earwax is made up of moisturizing oils, infection fighting enzymes, and dead skin. When you try to remove it and shove a Q tip in there you are actually just packing it down further and further into your ear which hardens and get stuck.  As my grandmother was getting older we all thought she was going deaf because she couldn't hear a word we were saying, but it actually turned out she had been using Q tips for the last 50 years and had shoved ear wax so far down there she couldn't hear anymore. Don't worry, it got removed and she could hear as good as new and yelled at us for always talking to loudly at her.

This man is supposedly also
called Q Tip, just a famous one. 

A helpful tip to avoid deafness is instead of using the tips with a side of Q, clean your ears while showering by gently tugging on the lobes which straightens the ear canal and allows water to wash away excess wax. It's hard to ween off the tips, I have tried and sometimes I just need to hold it in my hand just because, but in the long run it is better for your ears.

Hope you enjoyed this quirky nonsense.

March Madness Is Upon Us

Happy March, it is almost Spring, AND we had one of the warmest winters that Illinois has recorded.  Here is the Chicago Tribune mini article/video about it.

Been doing some experimenting at the Sarah F's lab and have a few things for you all.  First being the magnetic strip I put up in the bathroom for all my bobby pins and things. This one I was really really excited about it!

 

I had kinda a hard time finding it because I was going to Home Depot, and Staples trying to find something that was a magnetic strip, not just a metal strip that can have magnets on it. I finally did find something at Hobby Lobby for $6.99 and it it a strip that has adhesive on the back to stick directly on the wall.  I have found with previous experience that the adhesive is not that strong and it usually has to be reinforced with some other type of glue. I used glue dots, and a little bit of hot glue to stick it directly onto the wall.  I was really hoping for something that did magnetize strongly so that I could also stick my tweezers on it, but it is too weak.  This might be the solution for the heavier things if needed.  Still excited for the bobby pins, and for them to be all in one place. WHOA!

A little while back I also bought a magnetic key/mail holder from the Container Store and mounted it right by the door.  This is what it looks like! I suppose this post should have been called, "I'm obsessed with magnetic things."  It really is great because there is a place to put the keys right when you walk in the door, and it is incredibly inexpensive.

Onto non-magnetized things, I have been swimming occasionally and have the problem of getting water in my ear and just wanting to hang out and NOT leave.  Sometimes the hoping on one foot while tilting your head so the water drains out works, but I also found another little trick if that also doesn't work.  Jump on the bed, preferably on the knees, about 3 or 4 times and then fall over to the side of ear where the water is bothering you.  The trick is to literally fall. I was throwing my head into the bed and it wasn't working so hot, but if you just fall, it seemed to come right out.  Don't hurt yourself!

Until next time. Flanagan out.

A Plethora Of Things

Happy February everyone, filled with no snow and 6 more weeks of winter, supposedly. I have just been collecting a hodgepodge of things for all walks of life, so I hope they can be useful to you. 

Gift Tags --> This was a completely donated idea, and I thank you for it. At the end of the holiday season you always have all your cards that were sent to you, and instead of throwing/recycling them you can make them into gift tags for the following year. Maybe get those scissors that have a funky blade, and cut away the part that is really cute where the back side is of course blank. Punch a hole, run some string through it, and TA DA! you have a sweet new gift tag.

Folding Fitted Sheets --> I just tried this one today, and loved it. Those fitted sheets are always such a pain in the A.

How to Organize the linen closet --> After I folded my fitted sheets, then I grouped together the others and put them in the pillow cases to have them be more organized and space smart in the closet.

This is not a picture of my closet.


Notes on the mirror--> I have been doing this for a while but it didn't really dawn on me until recently that it could be a blog idea. Sometimes I am the phone, or I need to make of list of things and I don't have a pen or paper. For me personally I am always brainstorming in the shower, so I keep some DRY ERASE markers in the drawer in the bathroom and write with them directly on the mirror. Neat! This could also be great with kids, but you do have to watch if they decide to decorate the walls.  It can also easily be removed with windex or vinegar and water. 

Speaker by a simple bowl --> My sister sent me a link to this great idea for taking a bowl and putting your ipod of phone into it to amplify the sound.  It is kid tested, mother approved and does in fact work. It doesn't make it loud enough to hear over an entire room of people, but if you need just a little extra sound it is pretty useful.  Speaker in a bowl!

Keeping that beautiful skin --> I read an article in Allure all about how to make your skin the best that it could possibly be in 2012. It is the year for YOUR skin, how exciting! I found some parts interesting, and thought I might pass them on. 

1. Moisturize after showering- Warm showers strip your skin of it oils, as does the dry winter air naturally, so lube up right after you get out of the shower. It is recommended that you do so within ten minutes of turning off the water, if you wait any longer your skin starts loosing water vapor, drying it out more. 
2. Take off your makeup before bed- I always wait until I am too tired and want to give up on it, but what the article said that I particularly liked was when you are home for the night, take it off right away, so when you are too tired, it is already done. I tell you geniuses that write for that Allure magazine. 
3. Clean up after the gym- This is of course very obvious, but I am guilty of starting to do things around the house or just in general while I am still in my sweaty clothes. The article suggested to switch out of clothes right away and if possible shower as soon as available. Otherwise all those pores get clogged from sweating and your skin will show for it. 
4. Clean your makeup brushes- Makeup and skin oils build up which creates a breeding ground for bacteria that could cause irritation. Wash your tools monthly with liquid hand soap or baby shampoo and luke warm water, rinse well and squeeze out excess water. I did do this but then I just let the brushes dry however they were laid down. My suggestion is reshape them into how you like them right after washing, it helps a lot. 
5. Keep your hands from your face- The act of touching your face with your fingers brings pore-clogging oils and dirts to the skin. Recommended is to not touch at all, but if you are like me and cannot resist, it is suggested applying over the counter hydrocortisone cream right away which helps with the inflammation and prevent long lasting marks. 

A joke to leave you with until next time. What do you call it when you mix a cow with a smurf? Blue cheese! The smurfs movie gave me the pleasure of this joke.