2 of my favorite springtime guilty pleasures...

Williams Sonoma Dish Soap in Gardenia



and


Crabtree & Evelyns' Gardener's Hand Therapy

The soap makes doing the dishes very pleasant and dare I say, enjoyable. The aroma of Gardenias will fill your kitchen sink and gently drift throughout the rest of your kitchen. And the hand cream has such a light fresh scent that you'll want to use it several times a day just so you can smell the fragrance. But more importantly it works great for dry hands and elbows. It's a thicker cream that absorbs into the skin immediately and dries so soft. The soap retails for $8.50 and the cream, $14. Not a big price to pay for a little springtime indulgence. It's a perfect treat for you!

He's got The Clamp

Tom has been working hard all weekend tearing down our old fence in the backyard and putting up a new one. I'm inside organizing the home office and shredding docs and I peek out from time to time to see him mixing cement, banging in posts and carrying these 7 ft pieces of iron fencing so I figure I better check and see if he needs any help. I pop outside and ask, "Do you think you need my help with any of this stuff?" He points to this blue tool that's holding one end of the fence to the post and says, "No thanks. I got this clamp." I look at him a bit puzzled and say, "Ok, so you have a clamp. What does that do?" He says, "It's like having a whole other person here. It holds this end in place while I drill on the other end. Plus, it doesn't complain, or get tired, or tell me what to do! So, no thanks, I don't need your help."



Nice to know I've been replaced with a clamp. Perhaps his clamp would like to fix dinner tonight...

Adventures in Lake Walking

Wrigs and I never know what to expect when we walk around the lake. We always make new friends (he more than me) and often times encounter interesting pets and people. Today was no different. Saturday mornings are packed with people walking their dogs so I like to walk with Tom so he can help restrain Wrigs from his constant game of doggy tackle. But Sunday mornings are a bit less crowded and I can manage pretty well on my own. Here's a recap of some of today's highlights on our walk.

Wrigs met a fellow Chicagoan, a very friendly golden named Ozzie, after Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox. It was funny because when the owner asked me what Wrigley's name was and I told her she said, "Oh are you from Chicago too?" and I said, "Yes! How did you know?" (as I'm looking down at my clothes, thinking I must be sporting some Cubs gear) DUH! Both Wrigs and Ozzie are the same age and they played very well together but it's such a shame they can never be friends. Wrigs is a tried and true Cubs fan and absolutely refuses to associate with his cross town rivals. Plus we learned that Ozzie likes to eat pens. Wrigs just isn't down with that.

A mile or so later Wrigs and I encountered another very social pup (a Schnauzer, I think it was?) wearing an eye patch. I asked the owner upon approach if it was ok if Wrigley could say Hello and have a sniff, as he was already almost on top of this dog! Wrigs was extremely careful around the patch and sniffed ever so gently and then went about his business sniffing the unmentionables. Tails were wagging and tongues were hanging and all were having a grand old time. We were about to be on our way when I quickly reached down to give the dog a nice pat on the head and then said, "Arrrrrrrrr Matey!" Both the owner and the dog looked at me funny. The dog stopped wagging his tail and closed his mouth. I felt stupid and then said, "Have a nice day!" and whisked a tugging Wrigley away with me. I think the reason the dog reacted that way was because it sounded like I was sort of growling when I did the "Arrrrrrrr" part so that I could understand. But I do apologize to the woman if I offended her or her pooch in any way. It just came out and I didn't mean to be insensitive although I'm sure it's not the first time old Blackbeard's heard this one.


Our last encounter didn't involve anymore 4 leggers, instead we were downwind from an older gentleman with a bit of a noisy flatulence problem. The first time I heard him -and I'm ever so thankful my sonar bat ears were able to detect it before any of my other senses- I quickly picked up the pace and trotted ahead of him. But since we were often stopped by other people and dogs along the way this man ended up in front of us on more than one occasion during our walk. Obviously I'd never say anything but at one point the noise was so loud and turbulent, and, well...um, moist sounding? that I was tempted to offer the man one of Wrigley's blue poo bags. Ok, enough on this. I know when to stop.

But while we're on the subject I just thought of something else that utterly disgusts me on our walks. People who don't pick up their dogs poo. Not only is it smelly and unsightly, it's also very intriguing to my dog. Wrigs is very careful not to step in it but he drags me over to sniff each and every clump or dingle that's dropped. It completely grosses me out. I guess I relate all of this to human terms and think it would be like us going into a public restroom at an airport or shopping mall, only to discover that there sits an unflushed dump in the toilet. Then our first instinct would be to drop on all fours and hang our heads over the seat (nose hitting the water) in order to take a big whiff. As tempting as that may sound, I'm gonna have to pass. We only have room for one poo sniffer in this house. Well, two if you count Chumley.

Function Over Fashion

We've now welcomed our 5th vacuum into our home. Between the dog hair, kitty litter and shards of golf grass that sprinkle our floors, you can never have too many. I've been looking to upgrade our Dust Buster which at this point can barely pick up a baby chick's feather. Plus it sounds like a dying crow everytime you turn it on and then it fizzles out after 20 seconds. So I've been doing some research and reading all the reviews on the latest and greatest hand held suckers.

This fancy little number caught my eye...

This is the Dirt Devil KONE and I thought it would look so pretty sitting atop the laundry room counter and would add a nice touch to the light green color scheme. But after reading some reviews, I realized this was more of a table decoration than a super sucker. Plus Tom informed me that there would be no way in HELL he would assist in vacuum duty with a frosty pink cone. I guess I could understand that to some degree. Especially when he's outside vacuuming the inside of his car. So I continued to search and then came upon this guy...
This is the Black and Decker Hand Vac that pumps out 15.6 Volts of sheer power! That's more than double the power of the pretty pink cone. I read a few of the reviews and was instantly sold when one woman raved about how great it picked up clumps of kitty litter. This was the one for me! I headed out to Target and made the purchase. Tom was thrilled when I came back with this monster vac. He was certain I would ignore his plea for the practical and I'd come waltzing in with my pink table topper.

We charged up the vacuum overnight and this morning I put it to the test. Of course there are litter clumps everywhere in the laundry room so I thought I'd start in there. This vacuum is amazing. It has so much power that it feels like I'm using my Oreck upright in a hand held form. Within seconds I've picked up all the litter so I continue to vacuum (in my hunched over position) as I head into the family room to tackle the dog hair. One by one the tumbleweeds are fiercely sucked into the clear plastic canister where they continue to swirl. I zip around the baseboards and fireplace and then I discover the turbo switch for an extra burst of sucking power. I flip it on and the little motor inside revs up like a jet engine and starts engulfing everything in sight. It tried to swallow Wrigley's rope toy but luckily the knot was too big. This vacuum has so much power that dust bunnies from a foot away start rolling into the canister. I'm now in a vacuuming frenzy with this machine leading the way and for a moment I thought I would become airborne. It's really that good. I think I'll go write my review now while I'm all hyped up about this.

Spring has Sprung!

and you know what that means...
Time for fun beach totes and cute little hats! Here are my latest creations, currently being sold at my favorite shop on the lake, Vintage Inspired.

here's the link

I call the beach tote above, "Hippity Hop"

Here are some fun Springtime hats...


This tote is called, "A Seaside Stroll"

There's lots more to come, cigar box purses, jeweled boxes and unique belt buckles. I'm also experimenting with headbands, wrist cuffs and fun dog collars. It's neverending! Much to Tom's dismay, I've converted the dining room into Craft Central.

I'm seriously thinking of purchasing the BeDazzler. How fun would that be? But I'm sure I'd get carried away and Be-dazzle everything in sight. Watch out, Chumley, here I come!

Should I be worried about this?

This is the latest piece that arrived in the mail addressed to me. It's a brochure for pre-planning your own funeral, complete with coffin selection and burial sites. I could wallpaper a bedroom with all the AARP literature and membership info I receive in the mail, but this bit has me worried. Is someone trying to tell me something? Should I really start thinking about plans for my own demise? It appears my name is on some old fart list somewhere which continually sends me old fart stuff like this ad for the Lark 3000 Electric Scooter...
Although it would be fun to zip around town with my pocketbook and Metamucil in tow, I just don't see myself making this purchase at my current life stage. So what if I love to knit and play bingo from time to time (the early bird special ROCKS!) And who cares if I just so happen to have a handful of porcelain choppers in my mouth? Does that mean I should start shopping for cemetery plots? I think not. But if I'm going to continue to get bombarded with this stuff I wish I could get something useful. Like samples of Ben Gay and coupons for Denny's. I have a fierce craving for some Moons over my hammy.

Interesting fun fact

Did you know it's illegal to chew gum in Singapore? No kidding, check this out...

NO GUM ALLOWED!

Ok this is nasty. While searching for an image of gum on Google, I found this picture.

I have the sudden urge to go floss now.

Wrigley's Birthday Extravaganza Part II

The party never stops for our birthday boy. On Friday night he had a joint birthday party with his brother, Casey (I guess I should say "combined" party instead of "joint" - it definitely wasn't that kind of a party!) Casey's mom and dad hosted the birthday bash for the boys and as you can see from the following pictures, they had a ball!

Wrigley was again spoiled with a hamburger dinner. This time though, he had In and Out Burger. That puts my McDonald's treat to shame. Here are the boys waiting to gobble up their burgers. (Wrigley on the left, Casey on the right)


I love this picture. Wrigs looks like Pac Man!


Here is an action shot of the boys devouring their burgers.


After the burgers the boys played for a bit and then it was time for dessert! Casey's mom had a special cake made at a doggy bakery in Newport for each of them and even got a little cupcake for Casey's older sister Molly, a cocker spaniel.

Three Dog Bakery

Here are the three of them scrambling for a seat at the table...


Casey and Molly know the drill as they take their seats. Wrigley's not too sure where to go, but he's careful not to step on his half sister, Molly...


The three of them patiently wait for their cake. Not much longer, just need to snap a few more photos...


"Where's the cake? Is it this way?"


"Or maybe it's coming this way?"


Alas, cake is served. Casey's piece is gone in one bite and it appears Molly has no interest in her cupcake, instead she's got her sights on Wrigley's cake (as does Casey). I'm not quite sure why Wrigley is facing the other way but he better turn around fast or his cake will be gone!


Molly's not taking her eyes off Wrigley's cake! Luckily he turns around in time to gobble it up...


He's REALLY enjoying this cake! Crumbs are flying out of his mouth onto Molly's plate. She licks them right up...


Poor Molly, surrounded by these 2 beasts eating like pigs. She continues to show no interest in her cupcake and just sits and stares at the empty cake plates.


Her cupcake is replaced with a piece of her brother's cake and it's gone in a flash!


Wrigley sneaks in to clean up some crumbs...


and then heads to the floor for more clean up, leaving Casey and Molly to clean the table...


Everyone is happy and stuffed! Casey joins Wrigley for floor clean up and Molly pleads for another piece!


Nope, no more Molly. Instead how 'bout you smile pretty for another photo? What a Beauty?!?


After all that fun and food, everyone needed a quick rest...


But that didn't last long. There was still too much fun to be had!




When we put Wrigley's leash on Casey decided to pull him around the house...



Even Big sister Molly had to join in on all the fun...


Wrigs finally had enough and decided to carry his own leash around for a while...


It was such a special day for the birthday boys and we all can't wait for next year!

Blond Moment #4972

So I was taking Wrigs for our usual stroll around the lake which is just about 4 miles door to door. About 10 minutes into the walk it's getting a bit warm and Wrig's is panting more than usual and I didn't have water with me so I figured we'd better cut the walk in half. We get to our halfway point on the lake (where the shops and restaurants are) and I decide instead of doing a full walk around the lake, we'll just turn around and head home. It didn't dawn on me til I was about half way home (from the half way point that is) that we still ended up walking the 4 miles. I'm really not this stupid, I just wasn't thinking about circumference and diameter and all that crap. Next time I want to walk half the lake I'll find the 1/4th point and then turn around.

Here's a picture of our lake that I found on the internet. But I'm a bit puzzled by it because I'm not quite sure why there appears to be a tsunami like wave headed for our neighborhood in the lower portion of the lake.

Happy Birthday Wrigley!!!

Wrigley turned "1" today and to celebrate his birthday he got a special treat at the Mcdonald's drive thru. I ordered him a plain burger (just meat between the buns), I got a grilled chicken sandwich and the two of us had a little picnic in the backyard.

Here he is sitting like a good boy awaiting to devour his birthday burger...


And here he is enjoying his first bite...


Judging from the look on his face, I'd say he enjoyed his birthday treat!!


"Someone" was not happy about all this attention on the dog and watched in utter disgust from the den...