Everything Else: Commenting on Blogs

Got my first sarcastic comment on one of my blog posts. Yes, yes, I know, if I have it set to accept all comments, from anyone, I am going to get a few sarcasic, mocking and/or mean comments. People are sometimes buttheads. It shouldn't bother me, but, I confess it did...a little bit. I do, however, have my commenting feature set to not post any comments until I approve them, so I just hit the delete button and that was that. But, it makes me wonder why people are so inclined to punch perfect strangers in the nose like that? Oh, of course, they always do it anonymously. Rarely do you ever see a mean or sarcastic comment signed by the author. If you don't like a certain blog, then don't read it, if it seems silly or stupid to you, then don't read it. No one is holding a gun to your head making you read such silly, useless bunk. Go read the Washington Post instead.

What do you think about this? Any comments?

Household Helps: Clogged Sink Recipe

I have been dealing with a kitchen sink that just gets slower and slower. There is a clog somewhere I am sure but I hate dumping all that toxic stuff, like Liquid Plumber and Draino, down the sink. I have just been dealing with it hoping, wishful thinking pershaps, that it will somehow heal itself. But the other day I was browsing around on Pinterest and came across a recipe for clogged sinks using baking soda and vinegar. Here's the link. Clogged Sink Recipe

I tried this today and the results were less than great but still hopeful. I dumped one cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by a little more than 1/4 cup of vinegar and then put in the stopper. I waited 30 minutes and then flushed with hot water. Well, the sink just filled up with water. I was a little disappointed but then, I heard gurgles and glups and then the sink suddenly drained. Yes! it works...I thought. I continued to flush with hot water for several minutes as per the recipe then I washed a sink of dishes.

However, this time when I pulled the plug, the sink didn't drain...it bubbled and gurgled, and it did drain a little faster than before but it was still definately clogged. So, I repeated the treatment. Again, when I pulled the plug there was nothing and then a sudden glub and out went the water. So, it is better but not great. I plan on repeating the recipe several more times to see if I can, enventually, clear the clog without having to resort to Draino or a plumber. Has anyone else had success with this method?

Pets: Use a Fork. Yes, a Fork!

My cat Domino is a big, fat, sweet, ball of fluff. When I took him in as a kitten I had no idea he would grow in to such a huge mass of hair. When he lays in my lap I am engulfed in a cloud of cat hair. But, he is a sweetie and I love him. I try to keep his fur combed and neat but sometimes, because I am, afterall, a slob, I misplace his comb. It is at these times that he always seems to produce a fur mat somewhere on his body. One day, after having discovered one such mat, I became frustrated while looking for his comb. I passed by the dish drainer and spied a plastic fork. Yes, I do sometimes wash them and reuse them. Anyway, I picked it up and thought...this might just work. I used the plastic fork to gently loosen and comb out the mat in Domino's fur. It worked great and I just threw it away afterwards. A pet comb is still a better tool for this but, in a pinch, a plastic fork works just fine. Just be very gentle and be careful not to poke your pet!

What are you going to do with that fork?

Gently combing with plastic fork.

Is that from me?

Wow!

Good job Mom!

Ahhh...time for a nap!

Crafts and DIY: Frame It!

When my husband and I moved in with my father-in-law several years ago it was apparent that he was, or had been, a big fan of the velvet dog paintings of the 1970's. He had several of these old things laying around. He did not want to list them on Ebay and I did not want to hang them on the walls, so, I came up with something else. I took the largest dog painting, and wrapped it with an old quilt top I had. My great-grandmother had been working on this very quilt top when she died, so it was special to me. I had been carrying it around for years. Sometimes it was tucked away in a drawer, sometimes in a box, once it was actually tacked up on the wall over the bed. I had always thought that I would pay someone to finish it one day but never got around to it. So, as I stood there looking at this velvet catastrophe, sorry, but I am not a velvet painting sort of girl, I thought, "hey, I could wrap my quilt top around this thing and then hang it on the wall!"

And that is what I did. I simply spread the quilt top out on the bed, laid the painting, face down, on top of it and proceeded to bring the edges of the quilt up around the back where I secured them with safety pins. The painting had a twisted wire attached for hanging so I placed the edges of the quilt around it so I could use it to hang it. Of course, it was only a quilt top, in the shape, more or less, of a star so it was fairly easy to wrap and secure it, but it turned out great and looks really nice hanging on the wall over the bed.

My quilt top

Having had success with the quilt top idea I went looking for other things to frame and hang. I had an old satin pillow case that was falling apart but it was still very pretty. So, I did something similar with it, I cut the design out and wrapped it around the cardboard insert of a rectangular frame and then snapped it into place behind the glass.

Viola! Another pretty wall hanging.

Just because they are called "picture frames" doesn't mean you have to use them only for pictures. And here it is, the promised Crafts and DIY posting. Nothing fancy, nothing difficult, but something you may not have thought of before.

Day One. Off to a good start. Well, it's a start.

Been reading some really interesting blogs lately. And I thought...now, why didn't I think of that? So, I decided to create a blog full of all the good ideas I have found online, and other places. Of course, always with credit given where credit is due. And with a few of my own good ideas thrown in for good measure.

My blog has catagories so all the good ideas will be grouped where it makes the most sense for them to be. The catagories are:  Food and Drink, Crafts and DIY, Household Helps, Pets, Bath-Body-Personal Care, Things I like, and Everything Else.

So, now that you know what it is all about, I hope you will look around awhile. You might find a really good idea.

P.S. later on I will be asking for submissions of good ideas, but, for now I have a pretty good collection of my own.

Busy Day

Had a very busy day today helping out at the church, so, didn't get around to doing a real post for the blog. Tomorrow I plan on letting you in on a couple of things in the Crafts and DIY area. Nothing fancy, just a few things you may not have thought of before. But, because posts without pictures are boring, here is a picture for you.

Domino; the very fat, very spoiled cat.

Things I like: 365: A Daily Creativity Journal

Once, several years ago, my sister accused me of "not being very creative". I was highly insulted. Who? Me? NOT creative? But, alas, pershaps she was right. When I saw this book on Amazon I was intrigued. 365 A Daily Creativity Journal: Make Something Everyday and Change Your Life by Noah Scalin. The "change your life" part I was a bit skeptical about but I like the idea of creating, if only, pershaps to show my sister that I, by golly, was too creative! Anyway, I bought the book.

Well, I have been at it now for 10 days and , I must say, maybe I am not so creative afterall. I have done my best to fulfill the requirements of each prompt...and that is what they are...prompts. Each day you are given a prompt to make something. For instance; day one instructs to make something that will fit in your hand using only materials in your immediate environment. It was 7:30 am and I was sitting on the edge of the bed so I took my immediate environment to be just that, the bed, my night stand and whatever was on, or in my nightstand. Hmmm...what to do, what to do...aha! candy wrappers. There were a bunch of Starburst wrappers all over the nightstand and a 5th Ave. Candy Bar wrapper too. Yes, I know, I am a pig as well as a slob. So, after a little thought, I decided to make a flower using the starburst wrappers. I used the candy bar wrapper as the stem. I used a nail fail too to make holes in the Starburst wrappers. Here is the final result.

And here are some of the others. Prompts were varied.

Prompt: Make something using a collection. I used a collection of aciton figures I have been meaning to list on ebay and a smiley face figure my daughter gave me for my happy face collection. The sign reads:
Seminar Today: How To Lighten Up
Speaker: Mr. Smiley
Well, I thought it was funny.

Here are a few more. I won't tell you anymore of the prompts incase you decide to buy the book.

Personally, I think that many of the prompts in this book are just silly and a waste of time but, I have a lot of time on my hands anyway. I will say it does make you think. I intend to finish the project and do all of the 365. I will post some of the better ones along the way.

Food and Drink: Excellent and Easy Marinade for Beef and Pork

This is a combination I came up with to marinate beef and pork. It makes for very tasty meat.

1/4 Cup soy sauce
1/4 Cup beef broth
1/2 Cup chopped onion
1 t minced garlic
a pinch of dried oregano

Place meat in large zip lock bag and pour marinade in over it.  Squish it around with your hands to coat all of the meat. You might want to place the bag in a baking dish or bowl before putting it in the fridge. Allow to marinate for several hours up to 24 hours. Then drain off marinade and discard it. Cook meat as desired. Espcially good for grilled steaks and chops. Don't add salt to this...the soy sauce has all the salt you will need. I use this on chicken sometimes too but do not marinate for more than about 3 hours. It is best on beef or pork.