Avocados & Dog Hair, How They Go Together

Hello All!  

Avocados and dog hair don't really go together at all, but I am going to write about each of them separately, so they are being forced to be together in this blog.  My friend was asking me the best way to get dog hair off the couch. You can take the sticky rollers all you want, but you aren't going to get very far. They loose their stickiness fast, and you are going to go through about 20 of them before they actually get the job done. So....I made her try the rubber glove technique. You basically take the rubber gloves for house cleaning and you rub it all over the couch. The static electricity makes the dog hair clump together, which makes it an easy removal from the couch. If you then need to use the vacuum or the sticky rollers you will get a lot farther. 

Here is a picture to prove her hard work and success:

That's Lily the dog. She is going to be famous now!

This is the website that I originally got the idea from.  Followed by a website the suggested a much less effective way to clean dog hair off surfaces; if interested: Not as good.

Onto the avocados!!! This is a very Pinterest thing, but it was sent to me and now I use it when I go grocery shopping to buy avocados. For the record, I only buy them for my worms. Who am I kidding, but they definitely are an enabler to my addiction. Look at the picture below and then you will be a ripe avocado expert!

How to Crochet a Hat!

For Real, How to Crochet a HAT!!! 

I first learned how to crochet and the only thing that I was making were scarves which are pretty straight forward and you can only give them to so many people before everyone you know is wearing your scarves.  This winter I made it a goal to learn how to finally do something else. I never really learned how to 'read' patterns because I was taught by my grandma who just showed me how to do it, so I am now a visual learner. I, therefore, looked up videos of how to make a winter hat. 

There were a couple videos on you tube, but I found this lady who seemed to be very helpful, and went very slow so you are able to catch onto what you had to do.   She also had several videos on the different rows, and final rim of the hat.

When you go to you tube you will see all of her videos on how to complete a hat. 

Basically now everyone has a hat, and I am going to have to learn how to make something else to give to everyone next year! I bet they can't wait.......

Happy crocheting!!!

April Fools Day!

All Fools Day, where did it really come from? I was thinking about what a strange day we celebrate that we play practical jokes on one another. It is something that just the United States does? Is it world wide? I went to my trusty source, the internets, and an older lady at work, for the answer. Here you go: APRIL FOOLS DAY!

But I am Le Tired....

The most accepted explanation actually dates back to France around the 16th century, 1564 more specifically. Up until then the calendar that was used by all was the Julian calendar.

What is the Julian calendar you ask? This was the calendar that was introduced by Julius Caesar and was used by most of Europe. It also included a full 365 days, 12 months, and added a day in february to observe leap year. However, it was intended to imitate a 'solar year' which is a few minutes shorter then a calendar year including a leap year day, so not compensating for the difference would catch up with the world eventually. Every couple decades or so.....This is when the Gregorian calendar was introduced as a sort of reform to earlier times, and to accurately place Easter at the time of the spring equinox each year.

Ah Ha! We must change!

Ok, so onward with the Gregorian calendar. In 1564, King Charles the IX declared that France would not abide by the Gregorian calendar ANY MORE, which shifted new years day to January 1st and NOT April 1st. Of course, as what happens with any change, some people did not want to accept the new calendar, and because of this they were then mocked and pranked and labeled as fools. People would send out bogus party invites, and it soon became a mockery all over France and even Europe. Neat right? There is plenty more information in the links below about the extended explanation of April Fools Day, but thought this was a great start.

APRIL FOOLS! I actually just made this all up. NO I didn't, it all is google factual. Promise :)

How Stuff Works Explanation

Julian Calendar Wikipedia Explanation

Gregorian Calendar Wikipedia Explanation

Happy Spring Equinox and not the start of a new year.  Until next time....

Scarves And Somehow The Spice Girls

HI! This comic strip made me laugh out loud. 

The snow was coming down, I was inside feeling as if I needed a little spicing up so I decided to watch some videos on how to tie my scarf in crazy ways.  It was fun, looked neat, and thought others might need a little spicing up as well.  Spice up you life, every boy and every girl, spice up your life....with these scarf tying tips. 

These girls would definitely agree! 

After I was done tying my scarf to go out into the world, my car was frozen to the bone. The door was having a problem opening, and unfortunately so was the lady's next to me. As any mid twenties person would do, I went inside to go to my most trusted of sources. Google.  This ehow helped me, and thought I would spread the love because cold/freezing rain/snow is coming our way.

Frozen Lock Solutions!

I know that warming a key can take a while, or if you do not have access to plug-in a hair dryer, these suggestions are going to be not helpful. I also know that you can take warm water, if it is not too too cold out, and pour it over the lock to melt the ice that is lodged in there. Hope you don't have to use these tips, but if you are in a pickle, hope they help.

Stay warm and icicle free!

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.