A Few More Favorite Things

     Sometimes I run across things I really enjoy and it's always heartbreaking to not be able to find them again. In this day of the internet, sometimes you can find things again. I find this awesome - and heart mending. 

     One of the heart-mending things I have discovered is Blue Bell ice cream. In Ohio. Oh yes! Outback Steakhouse uses Blue Bell ice cream. And one time when the manager visited our table I told him how wonderful it was to have a taste of it in Ohio. He offered to let me order it from them. You have to order the big three? three and a half? gallon size. But who cares!? It's Blue Bell Ice Cream! And the cost is quite reasonable for the amount of ice cream you are getting. I think it's $25.

     Alternatively, you can get Blue Bell to ship straight to your house at the price of $129 for four half gallons. If Homemade Vanilla is what you want, your local Outback Steakhouse manager is your new BFF, saving you literally hundreds of dollars on ice cream! 

     Another heart-mending thing is Dunroven House Direct. Our little town had this amazing Ace Hardware which carried great quality stuff. One of the things it carried was really nice tea towels. I require a certain kind of towel in the kitchen, and most towels you can buy just don't cut it. Even Williams-Sonoma towels, when you buy an assorted package, are only half okay. One kind is great, but the other kind gets wonky when you wash it. No bueno. These are lovely and stay nice forever. Their prices are fantastic and there is never a shipping charge. 

     Speaking of frozen treats, have you ever tried Talenti? They make these ahhh-mazing gelatos and sorbettos. They even have pops now. Oh my gosh, I already knew I was in love with the rich tastes of their many flavors. Then this happened: 

          Unassuming, no? 

     But wait until you taste it! There are not sufficient words to describe the experience. You will just have to try it for yourself. I've always been a fan of the Roman Raspberry, Lisbon Lemon, Caramel Cookie Crunch,  and their Caramel Apple Pie is so good I'm tempted to use words like 'Amaze-balls', but I really don't talk like that. You're welcome. I see they are selling some of their flavors in quarts now, too! (Yes, this is exciting for me.) I hope they make their way to places I shop, soon. They have a lot more delicious flavors. I'm sure you will find one/s you love. 

*Their containers are great for saving, too. We have used them for everything from storing a pint of paint to carrying individual cupcakes to very special people. 

     You know what would probably go great with some of this Talenti? I think the Tahitian Vanilla would be complemented greatly by Ilene's "Granola so Great I would share it with God - if I could." Hippie Chick Granola is what all granola should taste like, but no other granola does taste like. You're welcome.

     Reminder: Don't forget the seven places you should be shopping online.

     One more heart-mending thing: About a year and a half ago I lost my wedding rings. They fell right off my hand during the course of a day and we never did find them. My husband replaced them recently with something just as amazing! A part of me will always be looking out of the corner of my eye for those rings, but I think I wont cry over them again. (Unless I do, because who can understand why we are overcome with tears sometimes?) 

I Wish

   I wish to blink and fast forward to this evening. I want to sleep for a nanosecond and wake to be sitting with my husband, children, and little dogs. I want to bypass the work and wait, and just get to the good stuff. 

   Do you ever feel like this?  The past few weeks have been so full of life and events and people coming and going that I feel like I've been in one of those revolving doors which have, thankfully, fallen out of esteem. They still have them in big government buildings in Downtown Cleveland. Immigrants and their citizen sponsors beware. For me it has been 

• Kids graduating; Out of school. 
• Kids orientating: Into College. 
• Kids moving: Out of apartments. 
• Kids moving: Out of the state. 
• Taking people to airports: Out of the house. 
• Picking up people from airports: Into the house. 
• Someone died: Out of this world, Into another. 
• Dogs wanting walks: In/Out. 
• Furniture: In/Out.
•  Major purchases: In/Old stuff: Out.   
• etc

     My mind? I might be out of it.

     There have been causes for celebration and concern. There have been unexpected guests and long-awaited arrivals and planned departures, along with "I-never-saw-it-coming" ins and outs. 

     I have fallen in love with, of all things, granola, for heaven's sake. (Nobody who knows me could have seen this coming!)  

     We had high school graduate number five this year. Five!  FIVE! 

     I planted a raised bed garden. Sort of. Well, I did. In a kiddie swimming pool. So if I fail miserably it was not $200 worth of  lumber and materials. If I succeed, which I think I will, we will have a LOT of tomatoes this summer, and our own peppers.  I forgot that I was going to try to plant cucumbers, too. We'll see how it all goes. Maybe I still will. 

     We actually have grass! It's been a long, long road to this, let me tell you. One place where our builder was just terrible was the 'upgraded lawn' we got. It's all rocks, mostly from construction. On top of that they took all the topsoil away and then gave back a fraction of it. A very, very, VERY small fraction. I've seeded and feeded (poetic license, okay?) and fertilized some more. Finally we have actual grass instead of just soybeans and clover. Yes, soybeans. This must have been a soybean field. If you  had seen my yard yesterday morning?  You would be as certain as I am about it. 

     Tonight we will all sit under our roof and talk and laugh. Maybe we'll even play a game or two. Mostly, though, I will look around the room and be so happy for everyone in it. For what we share together, for who we are together.  For everything. 

     Now I'm off to do the working and waiting/driving part. I'm going to claim my husband at the airport after going to the butcher and the farm market. I'm going to enjoy the sunshine as it sparkles off my ring while I drive. (I was a distracted driver way before everyone else got that way because of phones.) I am going to sing along to whatever Sirius radio decides to play me on their First Wave channel. I am going to herd my people home and then sit around enjoying them. I hope your weekend is filled with your wishes come true. 

     

The Wings Of An Angel

     I simply do not know how long I have wanted these angel wings. I had seen them around but my gosh, they were expen$ive! I started following Decor Steals when it was newish (I think it was, anyway) and it was called WUSLU. They would bring them out and the timing wouldn't be right for me, or they would all be gone before I got to them. But last time was my lucky day and I was able to get them!

     They arrived yesterday and they are everything I had hoped they would be and more. I absolutely adore them. All you new house gang - I know we are all looking for things to decorate our new, bigger homes. Decor Steals has a new fabulous deal every day - and a sister site, Antique Farm House, where there are more deals going on all the time. Don't let the name fool you - I'm sure someone with any decor style can find things they love. 

Welcome Home!

 Same picture, but different edits. I took this with my phone pressed up on the window from outside. I guess because of the double paned windows(?) I got some inside and some outside. I thought it was a neat surprise!

  *To read more about our Ryan Homes Ravenna click the "Our House" button at the top of the page.  

Finally Bought The Washer/Dryer Refrigerator

       I went back to Bicksler Electric to look at appliances today.  They are a locally owned shop downtown in our little town. It turns out that the Bicksler family lives in our development, fairly close to us. We can't see their house from ours, but we can see some of the same houses. Nice folks, really nice. And I found a better deal than I could find with my husband being an employee of a major appliance brand maker and also better than what I had found at the big stores. I might not always shop local, because in the end our family finances are priority. I always try to shop local, though.

     I took the advice of the owner regarding which washer/dryer pair to buy. If I'm not happy I figure I can go use their washer.

Considering The Dirt Devil Central Vac?

     I say go for it! I used mine for the first time today and WOW! It has suction for days. It makes my Kirby seem like a cheap hand vac. I had used the toe kick part in the kitchen a few times already, but today was the first day with hoses and the powerhead. It was fun to be tickled over a vacuum cleaner, but I was. The Kirby, even with the Hepa filters, still made the house smell like dust when it was used. It just made me feel sick. I love the dirt being sucked through the walls and into the basement container. Love it! I think it is definitely worth the money.

So You Have A New House

     Now What?

     Although I got the oil rubbed bronze plumbing fixtures, the faucet in the kitchen has a chrome finish.  This, the stainless steel sink, and even the oil rubbed bronze bathroom faucets, I have rubbed with waxed paper so they don't get ugly water spots. Works like a charm, and everyone has waxed paper, right?

     We have these beautiful glass shower doors in the master bath. I have cleaned them with Clorox wipes and Invisible Glass, which works great. (I love both the spray and the wipes) But tomorrow I am going to Rain-X  the doors, both the glass and the frames. Might as well get that water to sheet right off, rather than build up on the doors, right? I hope doing this from the time they are brand new will keep them nice.

     While we are talking about what I plan to do tomorrow, I am going to use car wax on the top of my stove. I hear this will make it much easier to clean up spills so they do not become stuck on spills. (I have a gas cooktop)

     I am also a huge fan of Bar Keepers Friend. I have used the powder in the gold can for over twenty years. It's way less abrasive than Comet or Ajax, and I think it works better. I already used it to take a rust spot off my stainless steel kitchen sink.

     When I moved to this new house I got rid of most of the cleaning products I was using, and just brought a few great ones. One of the other ones I brought is Quick N' Brite. That stuff is magic! Four generations in my family swear by it for anything from cleaning grease and oil out of carpeting in the car to cutting the grime in the bathtub. It's very safe, too. I like a product safe enough to use around babies and pets. Shouldn't everything in our homes be safe around humans and pets?

     Do you have any tips or tricks to help us start off on the right foot?

     

    

Slobproof Paint Pen

Slobproof  Pen

  I found something I think all of the new homeowners (and old) will love!

      From their website: No more dings, no more dents, no more marks on your walls! The Slobproof! Paint Pen is quick, convenient, and easy to use! Just remove the brush top and fill it with your paint. Then snap the brush top in place, twist the bottom of the pen and you are ready to start touching up your walls, trim, ceiling, or doors! Rinse the brush with water when finished, replace the cap, and then throw it in a kitchen drawer until you need it again!

   They sell a set of 2 for $19.99.

*I have not been compensated in any way for sharing this. I just saw it, thought it was a great idea, and ordered two for our new house.

Making The Cut

     I looked around today for a source for Cricut Vinyl and found a place which sells a lot of great stuff. I like the prices, too! They also carry Silhouette Vinyl in their store.

     They sell it in the sizes of your machine, so if you want to buy a 12"x6" piece you can - for only 99 cents! But if you want a lot of a certain color (10 yards!) you can buy it super cheap by the roll! This makes each 6"x12" sheet just under 40 cents!

     I can't help being excited about this since it costs more to get it at the craft store and the colors available at my craft store were white and black. Expressions Vinyl has nearly 40 colors! If you own any kind of cutting machine you owe it to yourself to go check out their site.

     They also have Printable Vinyl. I know! I can hardly believe it myself. I did not know you could print on vinyl. You smarty-pants types could figure out how to print on it AND cut it, I just know. Then someone can teach me. Pretty please?

 

*I was not compensated for this post. Mostly, this is just information provided by me to be helpful to you. I did sign up to be an affiliate with them so if people go through my links I can earn $50 when the total of orders reaches $1,000. When that happens I'll likely use it to buy more vinyl!

Terrific Thursday Treasure

If you have kids who have handheld video games, here's the best trinket (at an amazingly low price) you'll ever find to accessorize.

With the Ring Boy You get 10 game tabs and the ring for $3.95 or 5 sets for $14.95, both with free shipping.

I've bought a few of these, and they're great because all the games are on the rings instead of in the couch, car seats, etc. For car trips, especially, this is great. No more dropping one little cartridge and looking all over for it. The ring is very lightweight, so it doesn't feel cumbersome, even if you play with it attached.

*I think this is also a good idea for all those plastic cards we have to carry now. Blockbuster, grocery store discount cards, drug store discount cards, insurance cards, prescription cards, airline and hotel cards for points, etc.