Here’s DH and PITA doing yard work: DH is spraying nematodes throughout the yard (they eat wild fleas, grubs, everything and don’t harm people or pets) and PITA is finally putting back the garden hose after watering the native hazelnut bushes she and DH planted a few weeks ago, along with a couple of burning bushes. I should only live so long to see them become an effective wind/privacy screen.
And other situations not covered in the Rules of the Road. Here’s a short article about a teenager who thought setting the driver’s armpit hair on fire would be a hoot!
Yeah, brutal, huh? CoverGirl is the Official Beauty Partner of the NFL. I say get rid of that dope Roger Goodell and his “I never saw the video” explanation of why he originally only gave Ray Rice a 2-game suspension. ’cause others claim this isn’t true…
And don’t get me started on that pit bull fighting guy..
My latest DIY Project is gel bead air fresheners. I bought a couple and was so pleased I naturally had to try my hand at making them. Especially since I had dye and beads available. I must say that I was very disappointed in my search for common Fall scents like pumpkin pie – nothing at Sam’s Club or Target and Michael’s selection was limited and expensive ($7.99 for 5 oz bottle of diffuser oil).
If you think it’s cheaper to buy than make, here’s what Michael’s gets for small jars. DIY means you create custom scents: basil in the kitchen or pine needles in the living room.
These measurements are for an 8 oz container; tweak for smaller or larger sizes. I’m using a plain garage sale jar, but as gifts I’d go for something fancier, like the pewter daisy jelly lids that fit on these 8-Ounce Quilted Crystal Jelly Jars. Pretty…
Pour 1 teaspoon of fragrance into the jar. Here’s an Amazon link to a company with an extensive line of fragrance oils; this links to Pumpkin Patch, but the company has over four pages of scents, all reasonably-priced!
Add 1 drop of dish soap and swirl to mix. You only add enough soap to allow the oil and water to mingle, not party-hearty!
I added 8 oz of distilled water carefully to the mixture, then slowly stirred; you are not going for suds.
Add as little or a much dye as you wish – it’s not required. I use Wilton Icing Colors because they’re very, very powerful; just the tip of a knife gave me this rose color. I’ve used the same set for over 20 years…have to leave them in my Will!
Yes, I’m a crummy photographer (DH is the camera pro) – you won’t believe how many times I messed up this shot. You only add 1 teaspoon of the gel beads to the water, although it can be a heaping teaspoon, since it’s better to have too many (move the overflow to another jar). Here’s a full page of water beads (also called jelly or crystal soil beads) on Amazon; you could buy an entire pound for under $10 shipped! Do not get carried away; they will continue to increase in size as they absorb water. Here’s two beads after a few hours. FirstBorn saw these on the counter and asked why I had glass beads out. Could not believe they were the same.
In a few more hours, these beads will have completely absorbed the water. Can’t get easier than that, huh?
Try lavender for bathrooms, rose oil for bedrooms or a nursery, basil and/or thyme for kitchens…custom scents you won’t find in any store. Great personal Christmas gifts because these are not only nontoxic, they can be refreshed with water and a touch more scent. The cost per jar is pennies because you use so little of each item. Even buying fancy jars and lids will still allow custom creations for a few bucks. Tie on some snazzy bows and sell ’em at the flea market!
Picked up a couple of gel bead air fresheners at Dollar Tree the other day. Great scents so decided to get more…then stopped to think: Hey, I bought over 100 of those little packets of soil beads you soak in water for plants and cut flowers (was thinking hydroponics). Had been on the clearance cart long enough to grow whiskers so I said I’d take them all if the price were right. Here’s what I did (super fast and easy!):
I used over a tablespoon of fragrance oil in an 8 oz jar (I wanted it strongly scented) and added one drop of cheap dish soap (you don’t want the fancy stuff here ’cause you do not want suds). Why add soap? You will be adding water and oil, which won’t mix on their own, but one drop of soap starts the party! I added about 7 ½ oz of distilled water and food color paste (but any food color would work – or none at all), then very gently stirred, being careful to mix well, but not make suds. Then I dumped in the beads! That’s all! Of course, I seem to have underestimated how much water these puppies could absorb and ended up splitting the beads into a few containers. And I keep adding more! I wanna get something pumpkin pie scented tomorrow and make a Fall collection. I have a huge number of Mason jars; they have decorative cut-out lids which might be something to check into, if you’re going for a more professional look.
I told you all about my whopping 13¢ check received from Chase for interest accrued on the flood insurance proceeds, right? Here’s a bank that shames their United States brethren (although that would only work if Chase felt shame).
Since I never heard back from Walmart after their initial FB response, I called Dr. Pepper customer service…who basically told me that this wasn’t their promotion, they had nothing to do with it and I should be talking to either Walmart or the company running the promotion. I pointed out the obvious – Dr. Pepper was paying for part of this promotion or Walmart would be pushing Coke and Pepsi. Total brushoff and unless it’s a MM (’cause I’m not stupid), there’s not the slightest doubt in my mind that this will henceforth be a Dr. Pepper-free household.
The Backyard Bash promotion page is still up and running – you’d think they would at least have updated the page, right? No phone numbers under the Contact tab just a generic email.
Walmart has one of the worst phone systems I’ve ever used (and that includes the Trib), since you are unable to access a human being using any of the phone’s buttons. The “official” Walmart Customer Service number put me on hold for over 10 minutes while I banged my head on the desk while listening to sleazy 80’s porn movie music. Had to go online to find a number that actually would lead to a human (and still I waited 6 minutes).
Walmart customer service said that I can always return the pop to the store (DUH), but I said that’s a burden I’d prefer not to carry. Then she said “At this time they are not going to do anything about the promotion.” So I’m going to load up all the pop and take it back. Thank god Target’s been hot all summer…
If you’re anything like me, you’d rather go out and buy new totes than take the time to sort through old inserts. Inasmuch as I’m nearing the floor’s load limit, decided now was as good a time as any to dump ’em. I use the handy-dandy Insert Checker on the right hand side to see which inserts are still worth keeping and which ones get tossed.
If you see one insert shows unexpired coupons, take a minute to quickly flip through the pages – you’ll probably find that either you clipped the coupon long ago or it’s for something like salt cubes for water softener systems. TOSS! and yes, I completely filled that big blue container!
