New post up...

...over at my new blog. It's testimony time!

Also, I just noticed that it's been a loooong time since I posted any photos. (This is yet another reason why Sara needs to move in next door and be my personal photographer.)

I'll get some new pictures posted as soon as I have a chance to figure out how to upload from our new camera.

Not good

It's not good when, at 2pm, you rediscover the sippy cup of milk (the cup without a spill-proof valve) that you carefully sat on your purse at 7:45am and then forgot.

The one that you grabbed on your way out the door in an effort to calm your toddler who was screaming for something to drink while you were rushing to get out of the house on time.

The one that this same toddler would thrust at you in the car, 20 minutes later, while whining and complaining because she was "all done" and didn't want to hold the cup anymore.

Yeah, that cup. The one that you sat down on your purse and thought, "I'll take care of that after I drop her off."

Note for next time: you won't remember to take care of it after you drop her off.

EDITED TO ADD: I forgot to actually write the important part, that yes, I grabbed my purse and carried it into my office without realizing the the cup was still there, and yes, it did spill all over the inside of my purse. Thankfully, I had just cleaned it out last night so there wasn't much damage to the contents - I just need to try and wash the purse so I don't end up carrying around a spoiled-milk-scented purse. Ick.

Lazy blogger

I have so much running around in my head that I can't decide on what to write about.

So I'm stealing another blogger's post.

These photos and the accompanying story are priceless, and make me think of the "sisters" song from White Christmas.

And now I have to share that, too. It will beef up my non-post and show that I at least put *some* effort into this.

Things you never thought you'd have a reason to say out loud

"No, you don't need to hide your chicken under the couch cushion... if you're done, just tell me."

(Taken from a friend's facebook status.)

What a Monday

1. Kaitlyn had a potty accident just as we were walking out the door. Had to quickly change her and try to get on our way ASAP.

2. Kaitlyn got upset because I picked her up and put her in the car instead of letting her get in by herself. (She is slower than molasses when she does it herself!!)

3. Kaitlyn got upset because I wouldn't pull back into the garage, go in the house, and get her some juice.

4. Kaitlyn got MAJORLY upset because she wanted her blanket, and I wouldn't give it to her because it was a victim of her previous accident. Told her that we'd have to ask nicely and see if Meagan could throw it in the wash for us. This did not help her attitude.

5. Kaitlyn incessantly asked for (and threw fits over) her blanket.

6. Mom suddenly has a mini-nervous breakdown in the car. Where in the world did this come from??

7. Arrive at work with streaked make up, puffy eyes and a major headache.

8. Have a mini counseling/venting (and prayer) session with my boss.

9. Muddle through a half day of work, go to lunch, return with a worse headache.

10. Come home.

11. Find relief by making dinner, cleaning the bathroom, and cleaning the bedroom.

12. Now I'm off to pick up Kaitlyn.

Weird. If anyone told me that this is how my Monday would end up, I would not have believed them.

The good news - I feel much better. And, I have lots of wonderful people in my life - thanks Meagan for washing the blanket, and thanks Jaimee for being such a great boss! :-)

New blog, plus a bonus product review

FYI... I started a second blog today.

Also, I would like to report that a week ago I bought a Magic Bullet blender. After I bought it I wondered if I had made a monumental mistake. However, it turns out that I really like it.

I've used it once or twice a day since getting it, and have used it to mix up smoothies, guacamole, mousse, iced coffee, and an omelet.

The thing I like the best is there are six containers to mix things in and the blades are easy to rinse, so I can use it more than once a day without having to wash everything. And, it's much easier to wash than a bulky blender.

Here and here are parts 1 and 2 of the Magic Bullet infomercial. I wanted to watch it and see the actual demo of the product, so I did a search online. When the search results came up I thought they were only bringing up parodies of the original because the description says, "Here is your invitation to join Mick and Mimi as they use the Magic Bullet blender to entertain their hung-over friends."

Then I watched it, and I realized this is an accurate description of the actual infomercial.

Also, for your fact of the day, please go here. Thank you.

The wonders of vinegar

I've always heard that vinegar is a great natural cleaner, and recently I've had the chance to witness its wonders first-hand.

Since moving into our house nine months ago, I've realized just how hard our water is. About six months ago our coffee maker died and I'm now convinced it was because of hard water deposits. I have to stay on top of a cleaning regiment for our new coffee maker, otherwise it starts to get clogged, and I really don't want it to die like its predecessor.

The coffee maker manual says to use their special made-for-coffee-makers cleaner, but a friend told me to use plain vinegar. I pour a cup or two of white vinegar into the reservoir and run it through the coffee maker, then run two cycles of water through to get rid of the vinegar. (Letting it cool between each run.) It really gets the job done!

Several months ago our dishwasher started to act wonky. We'd turn it on, and I swear it sounded like it was going to explode at any moment. The noise was horrible. One night I even got online and looked at how much a new dishwasher would cost because I was certain this one was on its death bed.

However.

I began to think about the coffee maker. I also thought about something I had read online, that using a rinse (such as Jet Dry) was supposed to be the best thing you could do for your dishwasher.

Hmmm. What if I used vinegar as a rinse?

So I did. I poured some into the rinse dispenser, just like I would for a regular rinse. Can I tell you what a difference this has made?? I feel like I have a brand new dishwasher.

I also cleaned out the dispenser area - I hadn't used it before, and when I opened it I realized it was completely clogged with gunk. I had to do quite a scraping job to get it clean, but now it stays clean because of the vinegar.

After using vinegar for several weeks, my dishwasher is much quieter when it runs. It has a consistent sound, where before it was getting to the point that it made different horrible noises for different lengths of time every time it ran. I am so thankful I don't have to worry about getting a new one any time soon!

I know there are lots of other great ways to clean with vinegar, and even came across this post by Pioneer Woman about using it on your hair. (Her post is what prompted me to write about this.) I did a quick google search and came across this site. I'm curious to see what else I can do with vinegar!