I'm Sorry!

You know, I'm sorry I've been spotty on the posting lately - I have struggled to post since summer began. The idea that summer is "relaxing" is a myth.  With my 10 year old DD home for the summer I have been doing a lot of things with her, and things that she wants to do.  Which is fine, I mean, I totally want to spend time with her and make her summer fun, but I find I've been struggling just to keep up with the housework, no less my blog. 
 
I have no idea why, but the latest thing is she got it in her head she wanted to go down to the basement and clean out all the extra empty boxes we have been storing and accumulating into a frightening, path blocking, mountain of doom.  Now realistically, she can't really cut down the boxes and organize - but she did help me do it.  Not that I wanted to. She literally begged for weeks to do this, then screamed with joy the fateful day (Tuesday) I said, "Ok, let's work on the boxes".  It took me two days to tame and survive the avalanche of boxes, but it's done now.
 
This is of course after I conquered the piles of the dreaded vacation laundry we brought home from Chincoteague after getting home at 1am because we had to find 25 geocaches on the way home. (Well, we HAD to break our record.)
  
Tomorrow we are going to my cousin's to babysit her baby daughter - because DD has been begging to do that.  Then to the mall to buy a few things for school. Then to Grandma's to swim in Grandma's pool because DD has been begging to do that too.  Then home for dinner and afterward we go to a 4H meeting to prepare for Fair Week.  She is in a canine club and we will be taking our dog to "compete" at the fair at the end of August.  I use the word "compete" lightly. Very lightly.
 
So, can I please just ask for your forgiveness if my posting stumbles along for the next month until school starts?  I know DD has a list a mile long of more things she's dying to do, and I know she's got another basement "project" lined up for me (inventorying and taking a slightly less frightening tower of bags of clothes to Goodwill).
  
I just looked up and I have the Travel Channel on ('cause we were watching Man vs. Food)  and the show that has come on is called Extreme Restaurants or something like that and the restaurant they are spotlighting serves food in mini toilet bowls, drinks in mini urinals and for dessert they have poop ice cream. 
  
??!??
   
I think it's time to go to bed now.
 
The end.
 

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggedy Jig & Giveaway ends very soon!

 

  

I know my blogging from last week didn't reflect it, but we were on our long awaited vacation to Chincoteague Island, Virginia.  The shot above is of the wild ponies the area is famous for.  We took a boat trip out to see them up close. 

   

Of course when you get home from your relaxing vacation there's all sorts of work to be done - mainly unpacking and laundry.  I have the last load in the dryer now so at least I have clean decent clothes to wear again, heh!  And I am almost completely unpacked though, why doesn't anyone invent some sort of inventory software for packing for trips?  I'm always panicking thinking I forgot something for the trip there, then I worry I left something behind when we leave to come home. 

  

I have lots and lots to tell about our trip and pictures to share, but I also wanted to mention that I have been using the Rosemary Orange shampoo I was drying to try from the Eco Store USA and it smells SO GOOD - it's a really nice "wake you up" happy scent! 

  

 

And it is SO gentle on my hair, yet leaves it very clean.  If you have not yet switched to a sulfate free shampoo, I can't tell you the difference in makes in your hair.  If you haven't already entered my giveaway, you can do so here and have the chance to try this shampoo or two product of YOUR CHOICE from the Eco Store.  Giveaway ends in just a few days - July 31st at midnight EST.

   
More on our trip very soon, and here's a tease for you - more wild pony pics and, would you believe MooCow went into space??
 
The end.
 

Giveaway Ending Soon!

You can enter here to win two products of your choice from the Eco Store USA if you haven't already - giveaway ends 7/31 at midnight EST.

Pasta with Ants

 

  

Ok, not really, but when I looked at the photo I took, doesn't it look like ants on top of there?!? And I'm not sure exactly what that is in the lower right hand corner, but it looks like it could use some serious acne treatments!  Despite the unattractive photo, our dinner was actually very good, and the music even better!

  

You see we were lucky enough to go out to dinner with my Dad and some good friends recently to see the four time grammy nominated group called "Trout Fishing in America".  They are a duo and they play quite a mix of folksy-family-funny and sometimes quite poignant music. They are also very entertaining in person.  We took our DD this time to see them and she loved the show they put on.  If you like good, clean, fun music you can check them out at their website Trout Fishing in America.  Our two fave songs right now are "Proper Cup of Coffee" and "18 Wheels on a Big Rig".  (DD has even learned how to do the counting in Roman numerals part!)  If you ever have the chance to see them, it is a very enjoyable show!

  

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Another Visit to the Tribute Gardens in Millbrook, NY

 

   

The last time I wrote about the Tribute Garden it was still very wintery (you can read about it here) but we were there recently and I just had to take a shot of the beautiful water garden they have there that is now in full bloom.  I don't think there's even water in the pond in winter, I think they must use pond pumps or something.  But in summer it's a gorgeous spot - lots of frogs and dragonflies too.

  

Anyway, I know this is silly, but this is just such a lovely park, I have to also show you the bathroom there - I mean, how many park bathrooms do YOU go to where there is even a painting on the wall in the bathroom?? :-P

  

   
Nice, eh?  That's Millbrook for ya. 

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Just A Reminder If You Haven't Entered My Giveaway Yet...

...you can enter here to win two products of your choice from the Eco Store USA - giveaway ends 7/31 at midnight EST.
 

I Don't Like To Brag, But Isn't This Cute?

 

  

My DD reads my blog and she knows that we don't use our real names, but abbreviations for family members (DH for Dear Husband, MIL for Mother in Law, etc.) - and she knows she is "DD" - dear daughter.  So the other day, after she drew a picture of Moo Cow, she signed her name and took a picture, THEN she erased her name and wrote "By DD" and took another picture in case I wanted to use it for my blog.  Isn't that cute? :-P

  

(And that dry erase board she used has a chalkboard on the other side and it is one of the best preschool furniture type things we ever got when she was younger - for all the other things we bought when she was younger and got rid of long ago, we have gotten many, many years of use out of this!)

  

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UPDATED: My Very First Giveaway - Prizes of YOUR CHOICE from the Eco Store USA!

UPDATE:  The Eco Store USA just let me know that I can keep the Rosemary Orange shampoo that was originally for the giveaway to try for myself (SUH-WEET!!!) and that instead the winner can choose ANY TWO PRODUCTS from their website as their prize!!  Awesome!  Be sure to leave a comment below with your choices to enter!

I was asked to review a product from the Eco Store USA, and they were also kind enough to send me some shampoo to give away (though after you read my review of the soap, you're gonna wish they sent more soap to give away too! :-).  The Eco Store's tag line is "No Nasty Chemicals" - they offer "clean and green" products that do not compromise on effectiveness.  Now I was all over this opportunity because I have come to discover that my hair and skin hate most commercial soap and shampoo, I believe it's because they contain sulfates (harsh chemical detergents that make lots of lather).  (In fact you might remember my post about going "No 'Poo" in my quest to figure out how to keep my hair from constantly drying out.)  I stumbled on this discovery after buying some homemade soap at the Dutchess County Fair, and after a few weeks of using it suddenly my complexion was looking fantastic and blemishes I had been trying to get rid of were gone.  I wanted to know what it was that was, or wasn't in the soap that made my skin so nice, and lo and behold, the soap I had bought contained no sulfates.  I've also switched to shampoos that contain no sulfates as well, and the condition of my hair has improved remarkably.
  
The product I selected to review from the Eco Store USA is their Coconut Soap - and none of the Eco Store's products contain sulfates, so I was happy to give it a try.  In fact, it's kind of cute - their labels say: No Nasty Chemicals.

    

  

It's a nice sized bar, and it smelled good - I have to admit, coconut is one of my FAVORITE scents!

  

 

  

Of course the real test came when I tried it out in the shower - I have to say, if I thought it smelled good out of the box, OMG - once you lather it up, I swear it's like you have a Pina Colada in the shower!  It smells SO GOOD!  And it makes a really nice, creamy, luxurious feeling lather too - it is a really nice soap!  And, after using it for a few weeks, my skin is as happy as ever.  I am also surprised how long the soap is lasting - usually a soap that makes a lot of nice, creamy lather usually disappears quickly, but this soap is lasting a very long time, so it definitely seems to be a good value for the money.  The cost of this Coconut Soap is $4.00 which I think is very reasonable for a good quality soap, and the Eco Store USA is offering free shipping on orders over $25 - that's not a tremendous amount to spend to get free shipping - I think that's a good deal.

  

Now, they also sent me a Rosemary Orange shampoo to give away, and I must admit I'm sad I have to give it away!! :-(  I am dying to see what it smells like, but it's sealed or I'd sneak a sniff!  Anyway, this shampoo also contains no sulfates so I bet my hair would love it - and so would yours! :-)  It's a good sized bottle, too.

   

 

  

Now I'm not going to make you jump through hoops to enter this giveaway - you don't have to subscribe to three feeds, run through your neighborhood shouting on a megaphone about this contest, or name your first born child "Eco Store" - no.  All you have to do is go to the Eco Store USA and browse their products and come back and leave a comment telling me which two of their products you'd like to win.  If you feel like Tweeting about it or blogging about it, I'll give you an extra entry.  Just make sure there's a way for me to contact you if you win.  This giveaway ends July 31st at midnight EST and unfortunately is open to USA residents only.  I will put all the names in a hat and draw a winner (and if you are a fellow blogger, I'll post a link to your blog as long as it's family friendly).

  

Good luck!

  

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A Fun Family Activity...Beer Brewing!

Recently DD and I joined my DH and my Dad for one of their beer making trips.  I don't usually go along, but a friend of theirs was supposed to be coming and had to cancel at the last minute, so I said I'd be a sport and take the third "kettle".

This place they go is pretty cool - they allow you the use of their facility so you can brew a batch of the beer of your choice - they have a whole big book of "recipes" for every style of beer you could imagine.  Here's the one I "made" (I didn't choose it, DH and my Dad chose the beers to make - I just told DH to give me the one with the easiest recipe):

 

  

Here's a shot of the inside of the place we went - did you even know there was such a place where you can brew your own beer?

    

  

  

Each person has their own little station and their own kettle.  The process itself is very interesting - a cross between cooking and chemistry.  

   

We had to get the grains we needed, weigh them, then grind them.  DD loved the grinding.

 

  

Here is all the sugar we had to add:

    

DD weighing the hops:

 

  

And here's the kettle where I cooked it up!  

Not shown in the picture is a big paddle that you use to stir it. 

    

 
Right now the beer is fermenting.  In a few weeks it will be ready and we have to go back to bottle and cap it ourselves.  This recipe makes six cases of twelve 22oz. bottles of beer - usually more, however, with all the "quality control" the guys end up doing during bottling (ha ha), they end up taking home six cases of each batch they brew.  Between the three of us we made three different batches, so yes, that's a lot of beer.  (I told DH this wouldn't be a good thing to chit chat about next time he goes to get a life insurance quote!!)  Apparently the beer is very, very good.  (I am not a beer connoisseur I am sorry to say, so I can't really give a worthwhile opinion.)
 
I will leave you with a funny quote that is often attributed to Benjamin Franklin:
  
"Beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy."
  
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I Don't Know What Compels DD to Do This....

I buy toilet paper in bulk from BJs Wholesale Club.  DD decided to see how tall it would be stacked.  Note how she had to start a second tower because the first one made it to the ceiling!
 

 
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Walked into the Room and Saw....

 

    

...DD got all our American Girl Dolls set up ready to watch an episode of Full House!  Do you see Moo Cow in the picture too?  Of course she could not be left out.

  

Did you watch the show "Full House" years ago?  It's become somewhat popular with the tween set, so I requested some episodes through the library for DD.  I watched a couple of episodes with DD and not only enjoyed the stories, but I marveled at 80s and 90s hair and fashion.  It's amazing to think even professionals like doctors and people in banking jobs had the giant hair, the huge jewelry, the shoulder pads and the blue eyeshadow too.  I remember it used to take me 45 minutes to properly curl my "feathered" hair with a curling iron and coat it with a helmet of Aqua Net hairspray.  Gosh it's a wonder I don't have scars from how many times I burnt my forehead with the curling iron.  And God help your hairdo if it was rainy or windy outside - can you say Destroyed In Seconds?

  

I do kinda miss the "slouch socks" though.  I liked those.  Is there anything you miss from the 80s?

  

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Why I Have Dave Sayer's Business Card on my Fridge

I've already bemoaned my compulsion to enter Publisher's Clearing House every time I get a sweepstakes entry in the mail here.  Well one fateful day I was filling one out when I noticed that if you were not ordering, you could submit your entry online.  "Cool!" I thought.  "That will save time and a stamp." So I typed in the website and submitted my entry, that fateful day.

Now, not only do I get them in the regular mail, but I get entries almost EVERY DAY in my email!  That I feel compelled to complete!  What's worse is they have other ways to win like PCH Lotto, PCH Scratch Offs (little virtual scratch off tickets), and even PCH Search and Win (you have to go there and search at least once a day to get an entry. Half the time I just search for the first thing that enters my brain just to get my entry - "meatloaf recipes", "how to get rid of friendship bread starter", orange nj cosmetic dentist` - anything just to get my entry!)

This is so embarrassing, but I have Dave Sayer's business card on my fridge - because one of the entries I got in the regular mail said to save his card and if he shows up to award you a big prize and you show him the card, you get an extra $1,000!

I need help, I know, but all I can think is what if this is the winning entry??

The end.