I believe I’ve finally decided on some paint colors for my new house. I say ‘decided’, however I am woman and I am fickle. That’s a line from Popeye. My kids used to think he said “she is woman and she is a pickle.” They would laugh and laugh and till this day don’t believe the word is “fickle”.
Anyway, a metamorphosis has been taking place in my style recently. Maybe my taste are just maturing, but I’m going for a more neutral look this time. I’ve been heavy on reds and bright yellows for so long that my husband thinks he lives in a bouquet of wild flowers. I’m leaving the sunset tones behind and am embracing earth tones – blues, browns, and greens. If I place those colors correctly, FringeMan will now think he’s lying in a field minus the wildflowers.
I’ve settled on some Martha Stewart colors. Now I wouldn’t get stock advice from her, but you must admit she knows home decor. She even has an extra edge since being on house arrest. I’m laying aside my disdain for her ‘real simple’ craft projects in order to capitalize on her color selections.
I toyed with the idea of painting the entire house shades of white, but when you live in area that gets more than a hundred inches of snow each year, you crave color, hence the wild flowers. Believe me. I have experience living like an Eskimo. You should see me gut a seal. No, no…I’d never. In fact I think I once even donated a dollar in the grocery store to save them.
Not really, but pretend if it makes you feel better.
I know I just told you that I’m leaving reds behind, but honestly I’m resembling a red and white patchwork quilt this morning. In fact if I throw on a denim dress and drape myself over the porch rail, it will look like I’ve decorated for the 4th of July. I’m a sunscreen Nazi when it comes to my children, but I always miss spots on myself. I bought a can of spray sunscreen and I’m happy to report that my lungs do not have sunburn.
I hate that stuff!
Maybe I just see my body as it was ten years ago, before babies. I forget that I now have speed bumps and a little extra square footage. The sunscreen just never seems to cover all my parts.
I will now reward you for enduring this pointless post and tell you what I do like. The Eco Store sent me two products to try and I love them. They are all natural and contain no chemicals. I dislike chemicals because I think they are killing us…ever notice how people have cancer? Ok, maybe that statement was a bit extreme, but I would rather not use an abundance of chemicals if I can avoid them. FringeBoy and I also have asthma and cleaners with a strong odors just bother us.
I tried the plant based toilet cleaner and Manuka Honey & Kelp soap. The plant based toilet cleaner is perfect because my dog steals the toilet bowls brush all the time. I think she brushes with it right after she eats toothpaste. This cleaner must be easier on her stomach than Lysol toilet cleaner. I also liked the soap which had a very earthy green color and smelled great.
The Eco Store is generously sponsoring a little give-away for us. One lucky winner will be able to choose two products of their choice from the Eco Store. In order to enter, just visit the Eco Store and let me know which two products you’d like to try. If you twitter this give-away, you get entered a second time. You can also sign up for a ‘No Nasty Chemicals’ newsletter on the Eco Store Blog.
Thanks for reading and good luck!
School let out with a whoop and a downpour, but the skies cleared and kids filled my house.
Can this really only be the third day of summer vacation? Already I feel dazed and slightly confused. 
I awoke to pokes and the question I will hear no less than 356 times in the next 8 weeks. “What are we gonna do today?”
Apparently we are not going to pack any of the 30 boxes stacked in the living room, we are not going to go grocery shopping although the refrigerator is empty, and we are not going to wash the couch’s slipcovers that are currently covered with an inch of calcium chloride thanks to the dog.
You see I have this rather large basket sitting by the front door to collect ‘stuff’ – umbrellas, old newspapers, a bottle of calcium chloride to melt the ice on the front steps – stuff. Spring has come and gone and I haven’t gotten around to cleaning out the basket and removing the gloves, hats, and the container of ice-melt.
My angelic dog was left alone for one too many minutes on Saturday night and didn’t have me around to answer her “what are we gonna do tonight” question, so she chewed through the container of ice-melt and ground its’ contents into my couch. Thankfully it’s slipcovered and fully washable.
except FringeKid doesn’t eat my slippers. Not anymore.
The three chimneys in this home provided opportunity for every volunteer in town to become not only trained, but seasoned firefighters.
She was not brought to her knees begging by fire and would never lie down in defeat despite recommendations she be torn down and buried.
She still had life to give – life nurtured by dozens screaming from her walls. I heard them whisper hope to me. The realtor said the field mice burrowed in ever nook and cranny were speaking to me; however, I saw this house as more than a kitchen whose cooks had never known an electric stove.
It mattered little that the sink drained to the ground from a pipe sticking out of the wall. So what if the neighbors saw remnants of a spaghetti dinner staining the snow red. She was more than a home whose electric capacity was limited to a single lightbulb that hung from the ceiling.
This little guy was waiting for us after church on Sunday.
People, I don’t even live near a pond. These turtles are becoming disoriented. They’ve mistaken roads for streams, front yards for lakes, and my doorstep for home.
My friend Jeannie, the mail order bride turned pastry chef, called me last week to share her own turtle tale. I told her to stick it in her bathtub and keep it as a pet.
I don’t take my own advice. NEVER.
I’m unsure of this turtle’s fate. I wish him all the best that turtle life offers. I do hope he finds a turtlet, produces many offspring, and lives happily ever after in a million dollar pond.
First, I want you to know that I have no idea who she takes after. The glasses, the lei, the bracelets and polka dots….you’d never catch me wearing anything even remotely similar.
Serve up a generous portion and sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese.
You can really save some money by incorporating a few meatless meals into your month.