Seeking next door neighbor

FALLen angel autumn display. No one in my neighborhood found it funny.

Who would you like to live next door?

You know, the person who you wouldn't care popped over unannounced? Someone who has similar life priorities as you and the same sense of humor? And didn't judge?

I love that scene in Stepford Wives when Bobby commented on Joanna's messy kitchen. Since all her neighbors had turned Stepford, complete with immaculate homes and shallow personalities, Bobby commented that Joanna's sticky kitchen was a "home away from home."

I totally get it.

My mom had a good friend. Let's call her Carol. Carol's house always appeared lived-in and she was a riot of good times. She also wasn't consumed by creating a spotless museum for her family.

I'm still looking for my Carol. In my neighborhood, it's unacceptable to have laundry on the dining room table and the rusted running board from the Jeep in the side bushes.

Here's one lady I wouldn't mind as my next door neighbor: Nancy. She loves her family, cooks, creates, and has a great time with her grand-babies. I can imagine she would be a blast to hang out with.

Who is your dream next-door neighbor?

Fruit fly don't bother me

Fruit fly don't bother me.
Fruit fly don't bother me.
Fruit fly don't bother me.
For I belong to somebody.

Well, that's not exactly how the song goes, but it's what I've been singing lately.

I learned how to trap fruit flies a few years ago and this tip works every time.

FRUIT FLY TRAP

Just put a few tablespoons or maybe 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a cup.
Add a couple drops of dish washing liquid.
Then fill it to the top with water to make a deadly snow cone for the little buggers.

Sometimes the process needs repeated the next day. Put a cupful in every room where fruit flies are a problem.

Fruit fly don't bother me!

Have a lovely day!

The party is when?

You know how it is.

Maybe you forgot a get-together. Or one of the kids neglected to tell you about the school BBQ and you're supposed to bring a dish to share.

Keep this recipe in your back pocket and the ingredients on hand. You never know when a party will sneak up on you!

AMBROSIA - QUICK AS A WINK!

Ingredients:

3 cans of chunk pineapple
3 cans of Mandarin oranges
1 jar of Maraschino cherries
Couple handfuls of mini marshmallows
16 oz (two normal tubs) whipped cream
Optional: shredded coconut, pecans, walnuts

Instructions:

Drain the fruit
Mix all ingredients, except whipped cream, in a pretty bowl
Gently stir in the whipped cream

Then, cover the bowl and hop in the car!

Have a lovely day!

Penny for your thoughts

What is the Little Weirdo pondering?

1. Nature or nurture?
2. Chicken or egg?
3. Paper or plastic?

I think we all know what he's really wondering...

When will she ever clean this window?!

   

Backwards birthday wrap from a backwards girl

I've always been a bit backwards. 

So I was thinking: why not go all the way and make it a lifestyle? I could back up my existence in honor of economy, health, and the environment. 

I don't think this is making any sense. I'll try again.

It's like this:
I order spaghetti at a restaurant.
Back that up to...
Make spaghetti at home with a box of pasta and jar of sauce.
Back that up to...
Make homemade spaghetti sauce using canned tomatoes.
Back that up to...
Grow tomatoes and then make sauce.

Get it?

It's not that I want to make life complicated. I like the thought of being able to make
my own sauce, but that's not because I want to. I would much rather grab it at the store.

The reason I intend to make my own sauce is to be sure I know HOW to make it (and bread and jelly and soap). It's an investment for an unknown future.

What if food prices rise--even more so than now? What if we lose our jobs and need to penny pinch any way we can? What if our food supply gets contaminated? I want the peace of mind in knowing I can implement alternative methods if necessary.

Here's some backwards birthday wrap (from a previous post):

Went to a birthday party last weekend. This was the gift we took. 

Did you guess the wrapping was a deflated helium balloon?

It's so sad when party decorations lose their passion.

I tried tossing them in the air, but they always drifted down again. 

Fortunately, these balloons got a second chance at life.

Sherlock knew what I had in mind. 

I cut open one side of the balloon. It could be used as a gift bag at this point.

I kept snipping, though, to use it as traditional wrapping paper. I like the way the material gave me a natural angle. I was able to fashion an envelope-look on the back.

Comfy in there, Sherlock?

A backwards lifestyle. Are you with me?
 
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A serious new year's post and apple crisp

 

How is 2014 treating you so far? 

I can't help reminiscing about when I was a stay-at-home mom--about 10 years ago. We were able to keep the bills paid and even had extra money at the end of the month for music lessons, pizza outings, and savings.

Where are we today?

Well, to say the money doesn't go as far as it used to is an understatement. In addition, I see no reason to believe the economy will get better soon. 

How's that for a new year's sentiment from an otherwise "Pollyanna" blog?

It's time to get busy. Seriously.

Whereas frugality was a lifestyle choice for some, I believe it will become necessary for all but an elite few. But most of us will need to get super creative with how we live. Creative with food, creative with transportation, creative with recreation, creative with utilities. 

Frugality is but a distant memory.

The good news is that when we start thinking about life OFF the treadmill, we find unexpected joy. By eating the food we grow, our bodies become healthy. By working outside to produce that food, our lungs enjoy fresh air and our muscles tone. By pooling resources with our neighbors, our communities strengthen.

Hey wait. Maybe this is still a "Pollyanna" blog.

How about a dessert recipe?

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

8 medium apples from your backyard orchard (Ha! Made ya look.)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 cup flour

1 cup oats

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2/3 cup butter, softened

Directions:

Butter a 9x13 baking dish.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Skin and slice apples.

Arrange apples in the dish.

Mix remaining ingredients and sprinkle over the apples.

Bake for about 30 minutes.

Serve warm.

It's up to us to keep spirits up. We've got a lot of work ahead, but we can do it!

Have a neighborly day! (I'm serious) 

I expected more from our shoes

Apparently, when left to their own devices, our shoes will organize and stomp all over an unsuspecting bottle of Febreeze.

Do you see it?

Poor Febreeze.

I had to do something.

I'm kinda proud of this solution...

Shoes on shelves are part of a larger operation to organize our front room. 

 That feels better.

Italian salad dressing

Homemade Italian salad dressing is one of those empowering recipes. Make it yourself and save all the money!

It's one the first things I learned how to make as a new bride, which means it's super simple. I've had the decanter in the photo for a long, long time. 

It has dummy-proof markings on it:
"V" for vinegar. "W" for water. And "O" for oil.

Next you are supposed to dump in a little packet of spices. An OVERPRICED little packet of spices. 

I still follow the handy markings on the container, but now I use my own spices. 

Here's the recipe:

Italian Salad Dressing

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vinegar
1/8 cup water
1/2 cup plus 1/8 cup vegetable oil
1/4 Tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 Tablespoon onion powder
1/2 Tablespoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/2 Tablespoon parsley
1/2 Tablespoon sugar (to taste)
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:
Put ingredients in a container with an air-tight lid and shake vigorously.

Have a lovely day!

Pink and yellow

I don't know what it is lately about pink and yellow. I just love them so. 

When I made birthday cookies for a friend the other day, I had to go with my new favorite color scheme.

Mr. Cool seems to share the fondness. 

He was all over these fabric scraps.

 Now he's fancy:

I'm gonna live here when I grow up:

Have you been going through a color mood lately?

Luncheon meat fit for a luncheon

It was the day of my just-because party. I invited a group of women to get together for some much needed girl time.

The chicken salad was prepared ahead of time. I made a cherry and pineapple dump cake and some sugar cookies. Fun slumber party type games were on the agenda. 

Anticipating the giggles and secrets, I almost forgot to set out the lunch meat platter. I grabbed the meats and cheeses and slapped 'em on a plate. 

My husband intervened. 

"Oh, no, no, no," he said.

"You shouldn't just stack stuff up like that," he said. "Fluff and fold." "Fluff and fold."

"This isn't laundry!" I exclaimed.

"For Pete's sake, at least unwrap the cheeses," said he.

He couldn't believe my callousness and indifference about the matter. 

I've since learned--it DOES look better when you fluff and fold your lunch meat...and unwrap the cheeses.

I don't really have a point. This is just something I've learned about displaying lunch meat. 

I mean, LUNCHEON meat.

Have a lovely day.

Cool kids still ruin my life

As I was experiencing a rare moment of housecleaning motivation, I grabbed the carpet shampoo from the laundry room shelf.

Imagine my surprise when I read this on the label:

"Safe For All Popular Machines." 

I never considered my steam cleaner cool or popular. He seemed average. Kept to himself, a solid B student. He always had to be carried up the stairs for chores, because he wasn't ambitious enough on his own.

I thought this was typical.

I asked him, "Honey, are you popular?" 

He mumbled something.

"I know you are hot and steamy," I said, "but are you popular?"

It became obvious to both of us. This was going to be a make-over day.

From seeing the kids around the neighborhood, I knew a thing or two about "popular."
So, I bought my baby a backpack and headphones. His hat and scarf were mismatched on purpose. I caved and handed over my car keys.

The journey had begun. 

Concert t-shirts were always fashionable when I was kid. 

We agreed on Rush (of course).

Look! Some interest from another kid.

Maybe this guy will tell his friends and my kid will become popular, I thought. 

We added bongos. 

It worked!

Yet, I wondered how much more effort was necessary. 

How popular does a steam cleaner need to be? Scholars and philosophers have been chasing the answer to that question for ages. I never gave it much thought, but this day my carpets were really dirty.

We pressed on.

The winter hat was replaced with a ball cap. A backwards ball cap. 

Dang.

Even I became intimidated by my steam cleaner's hipness. 

When asked about his feelings, he said, "talk to the cleaning bristles, woman." I think he also may have mentioned something about shizzles. 

Had I created a back-talking monster? I couldn't resist testing the matter:

"You can't make me wear this stupid hat. You never understood me. I HATE YOU!" screamed my steam cleaner. 

It was then that I realized...

Divas don't clean carpets.

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On again, off again

He used to bring me chocolates and whisper sweet nothings into my ear. Oh how we would giggle at our private jokes!

That was when we first met, about a year ago.

I relied on him and he let me down. He had been a dirty, dirty boy and I expected him to clean up his act.

It's a different story when he tells it. Says it wasn't his fault. Says I was using him. And neglecting his needs.

We tried to make it work and even brought in an expert (who seemed to take his side). 

Pop-dishwasher-psychology lingo was thrown around: the EPA's waterway cleaning  resulted in the removal of phosphates from detergents; and someone's food filter was filthy.

In retrospect, I wonder if I threw too much at him. Perhaps being responsible for such a large family wasn't his scene.

We patched things up with a couple rounds of a specialty dishwasher cleaner. His trap was scrubbed sparkling clean. He began using eco-friendly detergents.

"I feel brand new," he said to me as the morning sun kissed his start button.

We danced through wildflowers once again and sang the clean dishes song. His smile was as wide as the silverware tray on an industrial model as he strummed his ukelele.

Just when I thought we were reunited forever (or at least the next few years), he flooded my kitchen in an act of vandalism that blindsided me.

Relationships are built on trust. 

I'm not there yet.

Top o' the hutch to ya

I see impressive decor vignettes on blogs all the time. 

Here's mine.

My style technique: red things go on top of the hutch.

The tour from left to right:
Peppermint candy tin. 
Wind-up robot I found in a box of my husband's stuff.
Girl doll and boy doll. They are having money issues.
Cookie jar. The family argues whether it's a tomato or apple. I say apple.
Egg beater with a red handle. You can't really see the handle.
Pasta maker.
Junior cookbook.

If you look closely, you'll see that the girl and boy dolls are NOT looking at each other. Like in any relationship, there are ups and downs. They're a couple of good kids. We would all like to see it work out for them.

Things are looking up. They are almost holding hands!

Anyway...

Even if a home isn't magazine quality, isn't it fun to see how neighbors decorate?

Have a lovely day!
 

Cream cheese fruit dip for real life

 

I made this fruit dip the other day. It was healthier than my normal recipe with all the powdered sugar.

Cream Cheese Fruit Dip for Real Life

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese

1/3 cup honey

2 Tablespoons milk

Directions:

Mix ingredients well until fluffy.

Serve with chopped fruit.

Here's the real life part:

Apparently, there is something sticky on the table along with a laptop, cooling rack and some drumsticks. Yeah, I live with drummers.

What's that you say? I can't hear you! It's too loud in here!

Have a lovely day!

 
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Taboo repurposed

Years ago, this tool would have been inappropriate to display in mixed company; yet there I was, "winning" it at a white elephant, rob your neighbor gift exchange party.

Do you know what it is? Here is another view:

It's a toilet paper holder! 

As if that isn't enough to make all my dreams come true, this particular version boasts that elegant fishing reel style so popular in home fashion magazines these days.

You might think this is a gag gift but the joke's on them!

Because...

I turned it into a unique dispenser for my curling ribbon!! 

It's made for hanging on a wall, obviously, and I considered bolting it somewhere. But I have been enjoying the portability. 

It is like an extra set of hands. No more juggling a spool while wrapping a gift! I wish I had one for every color of ribbon.

Aren't you glad times have changed enough that ribbon dispensers are no longer considered unmentionable in polite conversation?