Day 153- Happy New Year

I saw this pin and thought that it was so cute.  I wish I was going to attend a party with decorations as pretty as this.

Day 152- Horizontal Running

I love the movie "Pitch Perfect."  If you haven't seen it, you need to check it out NOW!  It's so funny and the music is very catchy. 

Is horizontal running a thing?  I wish it was as good of a workout as vertical running. 

If only working out was that easy.  I would do it all the time.   I would be the in best shape of my life.

Have I said that I love this movie?  Because I do

Day 151- 100 Educational Apps

I saw this pin and geeked out.  I love technology that you can use in the classroom.  I think it is a great way to have students learn and work with computers and IPads.

This website has a list of 100 apps broken down into different categories.  I highly recommend this for teachers.

Day 150- Morning Pep Talk

I want to hire this little girl to give me a morning pep talk every day.

You can't have a bad day with that adorable, little girl being your cheerleader.  She's so peppy.  I love this.  I wish I was as happy and excited as she is in the morning.

All I can usually grumble is "coffee."

Day 149- Christmas Cookies

So our Christmas cookies didn't turn out right.  I wish I had taken pictures. They were a mess.

We had rolled out store-bought dough and used cookie cutters to make shapes such as Christmas trees and reindeer.

When we cooked them, the shaped morphed into blobs.  You couldn't tell what was the shapes were supposed to be. 

Rather than admit defeat, we took the cookie cutters and used them to cut the blobs back into shapes. 

Sure, they looked a little weird, but at least they were Christmas trees again. 

By the way, the scraps were just as good as the rest of the cookies.

I saw this pin and laughed.  Our cookies were much more blob like.  Maybe they should have thought about using the cookie cutter to cut that cookie back into the shape of a horse.

Day 148- Water Into Wine

I am suffering from post-holiday laziness.  I know I should do something today, but I don't want to.  Because of that, I really struggled to find a pin that would motivate me. 

I couldn't find one. 

Instead, I say this pin and it made me laugh because my supermarket has a water sign right about the wine.  They are terrible about putting signs in the wrong spot.

 

Day 147- Merry Christmas!

 

http://pinterest.com/pin/213498838556450913/

Merry Christmas!  I love this picture.  The colors and the font are so cute.

Day 146- This kid cracks me up

I think this doesn't require words.

Day 145- Betty White

I know that Betty White doesn't have anything to do with Christmas, but I saw this pin and one of her quotes made me laugh. (The quote is Christmas related.)

"Just saw the first Christmas commercial of the season.  It really got me in the spirit of murdering people." 

That's how I feel every since time I see a Christmas commericial especially the singing ones.

Betty is right on with this one.

Day 144- Helpful Tips

I like the pins that have lists of helpful hints.  I saw this one and had to repost it. While I don't think that some of them are correct, many of them are helpful.

I have tried the first one.  I didn't have any luck cleaning windows with newspaper.  The ink smeared and made more of a mess than I started with.

Day 143- Vegetable Tree

I saw this picture on Pinterest and I wanted to recreate it for my family when they stay for Christmas.  We always have vegetable trays, so I thought that it would be a cute way to mix it up.

Apparently, not.  My mom said that I couldn't rearrange our vegetables in the shape of a tree. I don't know why I can't, but I'm dissapointed.

Look how cute this is!  It would look nice of a pre-Christmas Eve church service snack.

Day 142- Gingerbread House

I saw an amazing gingerbread house on Pinterest today.  The best part was that it was made from a store bought kit. 

I use a kit as well, but mine never looks that good. Whoever did this is an artist.  It's amazing.  I'm so envious of his or her gingerbread house decorating skills. 

Mine is a Vegas party gingerbread house and has a naked Prince Harry on it, so mine is still pretty cool.  He's only wearing a peppermint crown.  Just FYI.



My gingerbread house

From the pin

Day 141- 5 Dr. Seuss Quotes to Live By

I saw this pin and I thought it was cute.

Day 140- Oven Cleaner

I was looking on Pinterest for how to clean an oven.  Most of the recipes for cleaner had ammonia in it, so I didn’t want to use that.  I finally found this pin that says to use – surprise, surprise- baking soda and vinegar.  I love baking soda and vinegar.  It is the best cleaner around.  And it’s cheap and it won’t make harmful fumes. 

To clean an oven using vinegar and baking soda:

Put some vinegar and water in a spray bottle.  I used about 50/50 solution.

Spray the vinegar mixture anywhere you want to clean.  Sprinkle the baking soda over the sprayed area.  After it starts foaming, wipe it down with a sponge. 

I tried it and it got most of the smaller stuff off of the oven, but there are still a lot of spots where it is still blackened.  The results weren’t as good as I thought it would be.  Maybe the oven was too dirty and needs to be cleaned again before I start seeing results.  I just hoped it would be cleaner than it ended up being.

Day 139- Touch my cake and I will cut you

This little kid is a baby after my own heart.  I would cut someone too if they tried to take my cake.

Day 138- Japanese Multiplication Trick

I saw this pin about a Japanese multiplication trick and got really excited.  We all know that Japan kicks America's butt in math.  It's true.  No argument. 

When I was in college, I had an education professor show us the math books that Japan uses.  They looked like comic books- same size and shape.  They were written in strip form like comic books.  They have one little comic book a year.  That's all they use.  (At least that was how this math series was written.  I don't know if all Japanese math books are like this or just the one I saw.) 

It was such a change from the big, chunky American math books.  Obviously, Japan is doing something right.

Anyways, I saw this multiplication trick.  It took me a minute to figure out what was happening in the pictures. 

Here's how I think it goes:
For 13 x 12

Make a grid using the followign lines:
13:  You draw two groups of vertical lines: 1 and 3.
12: You draw two groups of horitzonal lines: 1 and 2.

Draw 3 circles: 1 around the top left corner, 1 around the top right and the bottom left, and 1 around the bottom right corner.

Count how many intersection are in each circle.  There should be 1 in the first, 5 in the second, and 6 in the third.

The answer is 156.

It only took me minute or so to do a couple of problems.  Of course, I could probably do it in my head just as fast.  However, it is a good trick to teach students to use when they can't use a calculator. 

I'm trying to figure out how to do three or more digit numbers. Let me know if you know how. 

Day 137- Watch batteries

I saw this pin that said if you cut the cover off an Energizer A23 battery there are 8 watch/calculator batteries inside.  I haven't tried this out, but I wanted to share it.  If this is true, it can save you a lot of money in the long run.

A battery doesn't cost much. $5 for a pack of two, right?  A watch battery is about $5 on its own.  $5 worth of A23 batteries will give you 16 watch batteries (worth $80).  That saves you $75.

Not bad.

Day 136- Smoothies

I have been on a big smoothie kick. It's so easy just to throw some fruit in a blender and drink your breakfast. It's great on the go.

Anyways, I was on Pinterest today and saw a pin about 10 super berry smoothie recipes. Omg! They are so good. I like using different recipes so i don't feel like I'm drinking the same smoothie every day.  My favorite one is called "Kristin's Simple Berry Smoothie."

Day 135- Historically Hardcore

This made me laugh so hard.  It's so true.  I love it. 

Day 134- Vodka Mouthwash

This is a pin after my own heart.  The pin is about how to pass a 5th of vodka off as Listerine. 

I know the holidays are coming up and in my family it is not acceptable to pack a bottle of vodka in your suitcase (even though drinking is the only way to get through Christmas).  I plan on drinking, but wasn't sure how I was going to smuggle alcohol into my suitcase.  Now, I don't have to worry.

Pout vodka into an empty Listerine bottle.  Add 3 drops of blue food coloring and 1 drop of green.  Now, your vodka looks like mouthwash.  No one will ever know.

I'm so glad that Pinterest has found a way to make my drinking a secret.  It's really classy.  Now people will wonder why I'm drinking Listerine all weekend.

Day 133- My childhood

I saw this pin and was pleased that I was not the only child who thought this.



I remember being a kid and trying to spell Disney 'Gisnep."  When I got older, I thought it was spelled 'Gisney.' 

Once my mom tried to correct me and say that Disney started with a 'D.'  I told her that she was wrong.  I was so sure of it.  I thought it was one of those special cases where phonics doesn't make sense like how 'knock' starts with a 'k.'

But, I was wrong. I was old enough to know better when I finally discovered that Disney was spelled with a 'D.'

I felt like I had been lied to my entire life. 

It's still a sore subject. 

Day 132- Reading until you feel better

Today I found a pin that described exactly how I fell.  "I might read until I feel better."

That's what I have been doing all day.  I have such a terrible headache.  I know reading isn't usually good for a headache, but it is making me feel better.

All I have done today is lay in bed and read.

Day 131- Countdown to Christmas

I love Christmas.  I get excited for it in October.  I start by making my shopping list before Halloween.  I can't help it.  I love that holiday.  I love the smells, the food, and the presents.

When I was a kid, my favorite part was counting down to Christmas.  We had one of those cardboard things where you opened the little door each day until it was Christmas Eve. 

I saw this pin and it reminded me of my childhood.

It's made with cardstock and scrapbook paper. She used the cardstock as the back and the scrapbook paper for the front of the pockets.  Then, she sewed them together using her sewing machine!

You can sew paper together on a sewing machine!  I love it!  I'm going to make one of these when I move out and have somewhere to hang it! 

 

Day 130- eco-friendly steam clean carpet solution

With the holidays upon us, I have started cleaning my parent's house for Christmas.  We are having family over for a couple of days and my parents are too busy working to start cleaning. 

We have white carpet and two cats, so our carpet is full of stains.  My sister and I bought our parents a steam cleaner for Christmas, but we have decided to open it and use it beforehand so our carpets would be clean.

The cleaner that came with the machine smelled like awful chemicals.  I didn't want to breathe those smells in, so I looked to Pinterest to see if there were any better solutions.  I found this pin about creating a natural, non-hazardous cleaning solution.

All you have to do is mix equal parts white vinegar and warm water.  You can add a few drops of an essential oil.  The pin says that it is safe to use in any rented or home steam cleaner.  The vinegar will get rid of the stains as well as be an antibacterial agent.  The essential oils will deodorize the carpets.

For stubborn stains, you can use a mixture with more vinegar than water.  You can also pretreat the stains with a mixture of equal parts dish soap and baking soda.  Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes before steam cleaning.

This pin has taught me a lot about cleaning carpets. 

I followed these directions and am pretty happy with the results. It got out a lot of stains.  Some of the older, more stubborn ones are still there. 

The dirty water was black when I was finished.  It was hard to believe that all of that dirt was in the carpets.  Even though I vacuumed a few minutes before steam cleaning, there was a lot of cat hair that was picked up.  It was shocking to see how much the vacuum didn't get. 

Needless to say, I love this new steam cleaner.  My carpets feel so soft and look so good. 

Day 129- Walmart Bins

I want to do this every singe time I am at Walmart.  My friend likes to look at the $5 movie bin, so I try to organize it while she looks. 

I feel like if I tried to do this, the workers at my local Walmart would not think it was funny, but I can always dream.

Day 128- Best Parenting Tip Ever

I do not have kids, but I hope to someday.  When I do, this is going to be my number 1 go to parenting trick whenever my kids fights. 

I saw this on Pinterst and laughed so hard.  I love this.  Whoever came up with this is the best parent ever.


I love that they look so sad and sorry for fighting.  Obviously, this works.

The best part is the fact that the t-shirt says, "This is our get-along tshirt." 

Day 127- Kitchen Tricks

I saw this pin on Pinterest and throught that it had some great tips. I would have never thought to turn on my seat warmer to keep pizza warm while driving.  That's genuis. 

 

I hate cutting bread because it presses down.  I'm going to try to cut it upside down.  I bet it would work. 

 

Pinterest always has such great ideas on it.  I would be lost without that website.

 

 

Day 126- 175 Stocking Stuffers

I was browsing on Pinterest and came across this pin that had 175 stocking stuffers.  Since Christmas is just around the corner, I figured I would  blog about this. 

I never know what to get people for stocking stuffers, but now I have a huge list.

Here's the list from the blog:
 

MEDIA LOVERS

• CDs/iTunes card
• DVDs
• Blank re-writeable Cd's
• Memory card
• USB drive
• rechargeable batteries
• Cloth for cleaning laptop or camera screens
• mini tripod
• mouse pad
• a year's subscription to Flickr Pro
• earbuds
• gift card for DVD rentals

WORD LOVERS

• magnetic poetry set
• nice pen and book of crossword puzzles
• books (make a wish list on Chapters.ca)
• bookmark, or iClips magnetic bookmarks
• magazine subscription
• notebook, address book (I like the Paper blanks ones)
• calendar (I really like the More Time for Moms Planning Calendar)
• note cards

TRAVEL / SPORTY / OUTDOORS

• mini umbrella (I'm always losing mine)
• small picture frame with a fun photo in it
• dog bags (for the pet owner)
• luggage tags
• pocket travel guide
• passport holder
• wallet
• clothing cube
• travel containers for shampoo,etc
• travel pillow
• water bottle (I like Watergeeks.com)
• gloves
• mittens
• toque
• handwarmer
• neck tube
• bike tire repair kiy
• biking gloves
• travel alarm clock
• pocket doctor

FOODIES

• gourmet mixes and seasonings (such as Orange Crate)
• gift cards to favorite coffee shop or gourmet grocer
• specialty coffees, tea, hot chocolate, or apple cider mixes
• tiny bottle of kaluah, rum, or whatever strikes your fancy!
• kitchen gadgets, such as a silicon basting brush, banana keeper, or a mini crockpot for fondue
• wine bottle stopper
• wine glass charms
• drink stirrers
• good quality measuring cups or spoons
• Mabel's labels spice jar labels
• edible ink pens
• good quality cookie cutters

GARDENERS

• plant markers
• gardening tool set
• kneeling mat
• gardening gloves
• seeds/bulbs

BEAUTY QUEENS & FASHIONISTAS

• Sherpani wrist purse or shoulder wallet
• pedometer
• lip balm
• hair products
• re-useable canvas bags (such as Credo bags)
• earrings
• cell phone charm
• soaps
• lotions
• foot butter, nail file, hand cream, and nail polish
• bath fizzies
• slipper socks

ARTSY FARTSY

• Might Bright Craft Light
• Gypsy Quilter Gripper
• mini foldable scissors
• funky yarn or wool, different sized crochet hooks
• unusual buttons
• plastic tabs for cross stitchers to wind thread onto
• pincushion
• paint, paint brushes
• sketchbook
• nice pencil crayons or drawing markers
• scrapbooking papers and supplies
• stencils

KIDS

• Christmas ornament
• books
• magazine subscriptions
• CDs
• DVDs
• travel games
• coloring books
• stickers
• Playmobil (there's even a little Santa!)
• yo yo
• dominoes
• silly putty
• swim goggles
• tickets to the local public pool
• tickets to the local movie theater
• gift card to a favorite place for a treat
• gift card to a DVD rental place
• tickets to the skating rink
• mittens
• hat
• t-shirts
• glow sticks
• kazoo
• harmonica
• Uno
• Skip Bo
• art supplies (finger paint, paper, felts, crayons, pipe cleaners, etc)
• candy
• fun magnets
• mini magna doodle
• Nintendo DS Character Stylus
• alarm clock
• reading lamp
• playdough and cookie cutters
• slinky
• small puzzles
• plastic animals
• book light (older children)
• flashlight
• pjs
• Schylling woodpecker (you wouldn't believe how many kids love this thing)
• puzzles
• hacky sack
• buckets
• bubbles
• balls
• glow in the dark stars
• tangle

BOYS

• inexpensive binoculars
• mini tape measure
• a wallet (with money in it!)
• wrist shooters
• fireman's hat
• trading cards
• Fridge Rover
• Mentos Geyser kit
• Zoob
• Meccano
• Lego
• Hex bugs
• compass
• Hot Wheels (try hiding them in the tree!)
• yoyo (or less traditional yo yo balls)
• small tools (wrenches, screwdrivers, mini hammer) with nails and wood
• build it yourself kit from Home Depot
• rocks (check out your local rock shop, put them in a nice bag)
• marbles

GIRLS

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• Only Hearts Club doll accessories (clothes, pets, etc)
• webkinz clips
• treasure box
• doll clothes, bottles, and other small items
• coin purse (put money in it!)
• Melissa and Doug sticker collection
• funky socks
• m3 Snap Caps
• stamps, stamp pad, and paper
• friendship bracelet kit
• bath products
• crochet hook and wool (if you want to teach them how to crochet)
• simple cross stitch kit (pre-teen)
• fairy wand and crown
• tutu (and other dress up clothes)
• costume jewelry
• finger puppets
• Ugly dolls
• Ikea Kid's kitchen playsets

BABIES & TODDLERS

• Jazzy Jinglers
• bean bags
• Little Scholastic books
• Wow toys
• hats, mittens
• board books
• balls
• rattles
• blocks
• Crocodile Creek Bibs
• Peek a Boo Bag
• Playmobil
• Duplo
• Please Mum onesies
• Baby Body butter

Day 125- Clean your headphones

I am a notorious earbud killer.  My headphones never last for more than a month.  I have sent them through the washer, ran them over with a car, pulled the cord right out of them.  Whatever way I did them in, they never lasted very long.

Recently, I have found a way to be very careful and an proud to say that I have had my headphones since June.  Boy, are they nasty!  I hate to put them in my ears, but I do anyways. 

I actually have two pairs of headphones.  I have my IPhone white ones that I only use when I know I will not be sweating ( I found out the hard way that IPhone headphones don’t like sweat especially the remote/mic part of the headphones).  I have a cheap pair that I have been using since June for working out.  Those are the gross ones. 

I saw this pin about how to clean headphones.  I have never had headphones long enough that I had to clean them.  I had forgotten it was possible.  The pin is your basic use soap and water, but don’t get them too wet.  It’s pretty obvious, but the one tip I did come away with was to remove the silicone from around the headphone.

I peeled the silicone back and was surprised at what I found.  There was a thick build-up of wax all around the silicone.  It was disgusting.  I couldn’t believe it.  Needless to say, I cleaned that out.  I’m surprised that it could even happen.

Surprisingly, my headphones are working much better now. 

Day 124- The Perfect Photo Album

I am making a photo album as a Christmas present for my mom about our vacation to Mackinac Island.  Usually I just print off the pictures and slip them into a photo album, but I had a feeling Pinterest would have some helpful times to creating a photo album.  I found this pin which has ten tips for creating a beautiful family vacation photo album. 

I wanted my photo album to tell the story of our vacation and these tips really helped.

Here are the tips from the pin:

1) “Take detail shots as well as wide sweeping shots. This is key to telling your story.

2) Use the information your camera stores to look up the time you did things if you want to include those details in your book (came in handy when we were up before sunrise to watch the ship come into the harbor)

3) Even though the scene might not be 'picture perfect' take the photo anyway! When you piece your book together it's more about telling the story than only having beautiful photographs. Photos that are darker than you'd want or aren't 'picture perfect' can be put in a storyboard layout rather than a large 5x7 or 8x10 spread.

4) You don't need captions for every picture - summarize the activity either under the photo or better yet, write on top of a photo that has a 'blank space' for writing

5) Don't forget to take pictures of traveling...it isn't always about the destination, sometimes the story is in the journey to get there! (what did the kids do in the car to keep busy, did they fall asleep? Take a picture of the GPS or better yet the road map!)

6) If you are the one who usually takes the photos - change it up! Let your children take a few and don't be shy about asking a stranger to take some of your whole family! One trick I use is to walk up to a mom who's about to take a photo of her husband and kids and ask her if she'd like me to take the photo so she could be in it. Once you've returned their camera sometimes the mom will offer on her own to take one for your family or it's never been an issue if I ask her to take one of us. Be sure to tell them it's OK to snap away so you have a few to choose from!

7) Turn your camera from time to time. If you are prone to taking all vertical or all horizontal photos, you won't have as much flexibility when designing your book.

8) If you've followed the first 7 tips you should have lots to work with when it comes time to design your book...so DIVE IN! With digital bookmaking it's easy to change things around. Just start plugging photos in and before you know it you'll have a great first draft! Mix the close up shots with the story shots, add a few words when necessary and you are well on your way to having a beautiful book your family will treasure forever!

9) Chose a photo for the cover (and if you have the option, the back cover as well), include the date either on the cover or on the title page inside. I prefer scenery shots for covers - family photos can be enlarged inside, but my preference is for a beautiful landscape or a close up of something instead of people on the cover.

10) Spell check your book and have someone else read through it as well. I missed a mistake in our book because I knew what it was suppose (sic) to say and that's what my brain saw.”

 

 

Day 123- IPhone Speakers

I don't own a pair of IPhone speakers.  They always seem like a waste of money.  I am a big advocate of using a bowl to increase the volume.  All you have to do is put the IPhone in a bowl and press play.  Simple as that.

I saw this pin about making a quick and easy speaker and I had to try it. 

I took a toilet paper roll and cut a slit in it big enough for my IPhone.  My roll is kind of flimsy.  I guess that is what I get for buying cheap toilet paper.  I had to tape the opening so the cardboard didn't unroll.

Then, I took two push pins that put them into the roll like they were legs.

I put my IPhone in the holder and pushed play.

I was surprised at how good the sound was.  Yes, it takes more work than using a bowl, but it still makes a good speaker.

Day 122- Detention slips

As a substitute teacher, I write a lot of referrals and detention slips.  I saw this pin and it made me laugh because I have written some pretty funny detention slips in my day.

Last week, I wrote one because a student randomly stood up in class and started rapping some completely inappropriate song.  The school requires you to write down exactly what was said by the student.  I never thought I would have to write those words down.  I’m sure the office got a good laugh when they saw it.

I’ve written students up for trying to glue another student to his seat, playing leapfrog, and saying all the words to the movie while we were watching “Titanic”.  During a practice lockdown, I wrote a student up for yelling “Fuck the police.” 

Generally, if it makes me laugh, I don’t write students up.  I would have never wrote a student for “volunteering as tribute” to do a math problem like in the pin.  It was funny and shows that she can read.  That girl didn’t deserve to be written up.  Just my opinion.

Day 121- Get Right Of Mildew Smell In Sinks

My bathroom sink always smells gross.  I have tried everything to get rid of that mildew smell.  The pipes are only two years old, so they shouldn't smell that bad.  However, it reeks.  The drain smells especially bad when water hasn't gone down it in a while. 

I have read that this problem is caused by using antibacterial soap.  I don't know how antibacterial soap causes mildew, but I think it's the reason my sink smells so bad.  The black gunk is gross and I want to get rid of it.

I saw this pin about how to get rid of the mildew smell.  I tried it out today and I was surprised at how much better it smells.  I love this pin.  My sink doesn't smell anymore.

To get rid of the nasty black gunk in your drain:
1. Boil a pot of water.
2. Meanwhile pour baking soda down the drain.
3. Once the water has reached a rolling boil pour it down the drain.
4. Let the water and baking soda work at decomposing and sterilizing the grime for 10 minutes.
5. After 10 minutes, pour 1 cup of bleach down the drain to completely kill any remaining mildew or bacteria.

This process every few months. It will also keep the nasty mildew smell at bay.

Day 120- DYI Dove Body Wash

I hate the bottle that Dove body wash comes in.  I absolutely hate it.  I can never get any body wash out of it.  The lid doesn’t turn, so I can’t get any out that way. I have to store the bottle upside down and spend a lot of time hitting the bottle just to get any out. 

I know what you are thinking.  Why don’t you buy a different kind of body wash?  Well, I can’t use any other kind because my skin breaks out if I don’t use Dove Sensitive Skin body wash.  I don’t like bar soap, so I use body wash.

I saw this pin about making your own Dove body wash and I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy.  Now, I can make my own body wash and put it in a usable container.  And that was exactly what I did.

The recipe is simple.

Grate one bar of Dove soap with a cheese grate until it looks like fine grated cheese. 

Put the soap in a pan and add 2 cups of water.

Heat on medium heat until the soap is dissolved.

Remove from heat and let it cool.  It will get thicker as it cools. Once cool put into bottles or any container.

Note:  This recipe only works with dove moisturizing cream bars or Olay moisture bars.  Any other kind and you will end up with a gross glob of a mess. 

If the body wash is too thick for you, add a little more water until you have the desired thickness.  This can be done after it cools also.

I’m pretty content with my new body wash.  I just used it and I couldn’t tell the difference between my body wash and the store brought. 

I will definitely be using this recipe a lot. 

FYI the website that the pin is originally from has great posts. 

Day 119- Get Rid of Splinters

I was doing something today and suddenly felt a splinter get into my finger. I hate those.  I can never get them out.  I spend a long time with a pair of tweezers picking at the area trying to get the splinter out.  The area gets all red and swollen which makes it harder to get the splinter out. 

I've tried everything.  I have tried getting them out with credit cards, tweezers, and needles.  All of these things were recommended to me at one time.  Yes, I get a lot of splinters.

My dad swears that all splinters will come out on there own.  You don't have to do anything.  I'm sure he's right, but I don't have time for that.  If I get a splinter, I want it out now. 

Anyways, this pin says, "remove a splinter easily by applying a paste of baking soda and water, then waiting several minutes for the splinter to pop out of the skin."

It seems too good to be true, but I tried it anyways.

Surprisingly, it worked! 

My splinter popped right out.  Who knew baking soda had that kind of power?

I will never get a splinter out with tweezers again.

Day118 double chin and armpit fat workout

I have a double chin. It's true. I don't know what to do about it. I'm losing weight but my double chin seems to be getting worse. I know that doesn't make sense but that us what's happening. I never used to have a double chin. A couple of years ago I was in a car accident and sustained neck injuries. As I healed, my face swelled. The swelling had gone down in most places but ever since then, I've had a double chin.

I saw this pin today about getting rid of double chins and armpit fat. I decided to give it a try. Since I just stared today, I don't know how well it worked but I do know how I feel after it.

Only one of the exercises seemed to be for a double chin. The rest seemed to target armpit fat which I don't really have a problem with.

After doing the exercises, my arms feel weak. The first exercise is killer but the rest are easy. I was disappointed in the chin lift one. After doing it, my tongue is tired but I don't feel like I worked off any if my double chin.

I will keep doing these for a week or two. Hopefully I will see some improvement in the chin area but I'm not getting my hopes up.

http://m.pinterest.com/pin/136796907402436155/.

Day 117- DIY Gift Bows

I am in full-on Christmas mode.  I am wrapping presents, decorating, and planning.  This year, I am so organized.  It's amazing.  I'm very proud of myself.  I am almost finished shopping, so I would say that I'm doing pretty well this holiday season. 

Since I am wrapping all my presents in brown paper thanks to my Pinterest obsession, I have been thinking of great ways to make them  look good.  My mom and sister are constantly making fun of my "boring" brown paper.  What they don't know is that I am not finished wrapping yet.  I have been looking at different ways to make the presents pop.  I just haven't decided what to do yet.  But, I know that when Christmas comes around everyone will comment on how amazing my presents are wrapped. 

At least, that's my goal. 

To help me achieve that goal, I have been getting a lot of ideas together from Pinterest.  Today, I saw a pin that will change how I wrap presents forever.  I will never buy a bow again.  Instead, I will make them.

The directions are so simple as well.

Step 1: Cut the page lengthwise into nine 3/4-inch-thick strips of heights shown: Three at 11 inches, three at 10 inches, two at 9 inches, and one at 3 1/2 inches.

Step 2: Twist each strip to form loops at both ends. Make a circle out of the smallest.

Step 3: Secure the ends with a piece of double-sided tape.

Step 4: Layer and stick, starting with the longest strips. End with the circle in the center.

 

Tada! Now, you can make your own bows.  I am obsessed.  I've made more bows than I need. 

Day 116- my dream job

This is so weird because today someone told me to get a job I love.  I thought no one is going to pay me to read books and watch True Blood.

A few hours later, I went onto Pinterest and this pin was the first one on the popular page.  It was just what I was thinking earlier. 

Seriously though if someone has a job like that, hook me up.

Day 115- soft, silky legs

Normally when I think of shaving my legs, my thoughts go something like this:

Today, however, I saw this pin and decided to give it a try.  The pin promises softest, silkiest legs.   I love the feeling of smooth, freshly shaven legs, but I don’t feel that very often.  This recipe is more like a scrub than a shaving gel.

Scrub:

2 1/2 Cups of Sugar

-1 Cup of oil (I used coconut oil)

-5 Tablespoons of a citrus juice. Preferably fresh squeezed. (I used lemon)

Directions:

-Soak in a hot bath for five minutes

-Shave one leg.

-Take a palm full of your homemade sugar scrub and scrub that leg and then rinse off.

-Shave the same leg again.  

-Take a palm full of sugar scrub and scrub your leg again.

-Repeat on your other leg.

-After your bath, dry off and then lotion your legs.

When you shave your leg the first time, obviously, it's going to remove the hair. When you scrub after you shave, it removes any dead skin. By shaving your leg again after you use the sugar scrub, you are getting all of that dead skin off of your leg. You will need to rinse your razor frequently (you will see why).

When I did this, my legs felt really smooth.  That being said, I have little red bumps appear about a half hour after I got out of the shower.  My skin is slightly irritated, but it’s silky to the touch. 

I don’t think I will ever use this recipe again. It did what it was supposed to, but bothered my skin too much.  The little red bumps are starting to itch as I am typing this. 

 

Day114- Black Friday Printable

Today is the eve of my favorite holiday- Black Friday.  I am super organized and have been planning this since the ads came out.  I love Black Friday.  I love the rush.  I love the deals.  I love tackling people for the last coffee maker.

Pinterest, of course, has found a way to make Black Friday even more organized.  This pin has a Black Friday printable.

Day 113- Pumpkin Pie

Every Thanksgiving, my family is in charge of bringing the pumpkin pie to dinner.  I don’t know why.  We aren’t good bakers.  But, every single year without fail, my mom says, “we have to bake the pie.  How do we do that?”

Like I know how to bake a pumpkin pie off the top of my head.  I have no clue.  So every year, we have to find a recipe.  This year, I found one off of Pinterest. 

This is the recipe we used straight from the Food Network page from which it was pinned.

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
1 piece pre-made pie dough
Whipped cream, for topping

Directions

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

Day 112- Titanic

I know this isn't a craft or a tip, but this pin is about something that has bothered me for a while- the end of the movie, Titanic.



I'm sorry, but there was plenty of room for both of them on that door.  Jack died for no reason.  Rose selfishly floated on that door while Jack died. 

I even saw a Mythbusters episode were they tested it out and two people could have easy been on that door. 

I can't watch Titanic without getting mad about this. James Cameron really dropped the ball on this one.

Day 111- wrapping presents

Christmas is coming.  That means it’s time to wrap and then unwrap presents.  This year I have decided to do something to make my presents stand out from the pile under the tree. 

I have been going around Pinterest and have seen some awesome suggestions for wrapping presents.  One trend that I love is wrapping presents in simple brown paper.  It looks so nice and classic.  That is how I will be wrapping all my presents. 

Of course, Pinterest is Pinterest and people are so creative that they have found ways to make plain brown paper look amazing. 

Here are some of my favorites.

http://pinterest.com/pin/66709638201148158/

Day 110- DNA on a shirt

I saw this pin and it blew my mind.  You can have the image of your DNA fingerprint on a t-shirt.  I love this idea.  My sister is a biology major and I want to get this for her for Christmas.  All I have to do is find a way to swab her mouth without her knowing.  I’ll work on that, but I think she sleeps with her mouth open. 

The only problem is that ordering seems a little confusing. You have to pledge $50.00 or more and then they give you a code to place your order.  After that, they mail you a cheek swab which you send back to them.  I guess that part of the pledge goes to help fund the Phoenix Zoo’s conservation efforts.

At least that is what it says. I tried to order one, but it said that the campaign ended. I couldn’t find anywhere else to order a shirt.  I’m kind of bummed.  I want to order one.  The website says that a store is coming soon.  I hope it comes soon.  My sister is graduating and would look kickass wearing one during grad school. 

I will be checking DNAonashirt.com frequently so I can order one.

Day 109- thrift store reconstructions

So I was on Pinterest and saw this pin about a blog written by a woman who takes thrift store finds and turns them into cute clothes. 

 I spent a long time going through her posts.  Some of them are amazing.  I love this.  I want to go to a thrift store now and try my own hand at it.  I’m sure I won’t be as good as her, but it looks like a great way to save money and look cute at the same time. 

Day 108- Manual Binder

I can never find user manuals when I need them. They are all shoved in different drawers.  I can never find the one that I need. 

The other day, my TV started acting funny.  The picture was dark on one half of the screen.  It took me a half hour to find the manual, but I immediately found the manual for my CD player that broke when I was in high school. 

Anyways, I saw this pin today and I felt like I needed this.  Whoever thought of this should come over and organized my life.  Seriously.  It's a great idea.

Take a three-ring binder and put the manual and receipt in a page protector, so you will always know where they are.  You can keep warranties in there.  I love this idea.  I am always losing these important papers. 

 I divided mine up by product type.  I have TVs, computer accessories, cell phone info, etc.  It looks so organized. 

I want something to break when I have friends over so they can see how organized I am or how organized I pretend to be.

Day 107- No More Brown Apples

 

 

I like to eat cut up apples with peanut butter, but I hate when apples turn brown.  I can never take cut up apples for lunch because of the browning.  I love this idea.

 

All you do is cut up an apple and put a rubber band around it. 

 

I tried it this morning.  By lunch, my apple was still good.  No brown in sight!   

 

Now I can eat apple slices instead of a whole apple for lunch at work.

Day 106- Clean You Washer

My towels and clothes haven’t been as clean as they should be.  My washer kind of smells musty.  That smell has been getting onto my clothes. 

I saw this pin about cleaning your washer.  I never thought about doing that. Shouldn’t washers be self-cleaning?  I thought so, but apparently bacteria grow under the basket where you can’t see it.  I guess it makes sense. 

The pin calls for a quart of bleach and a quart of vinegar.  That seemed like a lot to me, so I just used a cup of each.

You fill the washer with hot water.  Add the bleach and let the machine agitate for a minute before letting it sit for one hour.  (My washer doesn’t stop like that, so I just let it complete the cycle normally.) After one hour, allow the washer to run through its longest wash and spin cycle.

Immediately fill the washer with HOT water again and add distilled white vinegar. Let agitate for a minute, and again, let it sit for one hour.  After one hour, all the washer to run through its longest wash cycle.

If your machine has built-in dispensers, clean those too.  My fabric softener one was disgusting.  My washer instructions said that the fabric softener dispenser would never need to be cleaned.  I beg to differ.  It was covered in black, thick gunk.   If your dispensers aren’t removable, warm 1 cup of white vinegar in the microwave or in a small saucepan. Pour it into the dispenser and allow it to sit for a few minutes to loosen any build up.

I was surprised at how clean my clothes were after this.  My towels don’t smell musty.  It’s nice to know my washer can still do it’s job.

Day 105- Easy Curls

My hair does its own thing.  Sometimes it’s straight. Sometimes it’s wavy.  But it always does what it wants.  I saw this pin for easy curls and thought it would be nice to try.  I like curls, but my hair never curls unless it wants to.  I thought I could manipulate it into looking nice.  Boy! Was I wrong!

All you have to do is twist your dry hair into two twists.  Blow dry it and separate the twists.  Voila!  Curls!

Maybe I misunderstood the directions.  Maybe I did it wrong.  All I know is that my hair did not stay curly.  In fact as soon as I finished separating it, it was no longer curly.

Maybe someone with normal, controllable hair can do this, but it was not for me.

Day 104- bedtime stretches

I don’t know what is wrong with me, but every night I get super energized at bed time.  I can’t help it.  Whenever I lay down to go to bed, I feel like I should go out and run a marathon.  I’ve been like this for as long as I can remember.  I can be struggling to keep my eyes open one minute and as soon as I lay down I have so much energy.  Every night, I have to get up and walk around my bedroom until I’m tired again.  It takes about a half hour of walking for me to settle down.  It’s weird.

Anyways, I found stretches on Pinterest that are supposed to help you sleep better.  I figure I should give them a try.  The website recommended eight stretches to reduce stress.  Let me tell you—it worked. 

I only had to walk 15 minutes after doing those stretches.  I felt so relaxed and centered.  I feel right asleep and I stayed asleep.

It was great.  Maybe I should take up yoga.

Day 103- Zero Calorie Mango Ginger Water

I drink a lot of water, but sometimes I get sick of the flavor, or lack thereof.  I try to add different things to change the flavor.  Who doesn’t like lemon in water?  I do.

Anyways, Pinterest is full of different recipes to add a little extra to water.  I never really tried any of them until I saw this pin which seemed too good not to try.

Zero Calorie Mango Ginger Water

Makes 4 liters.  You can reuse the mango and ginger 2-4 times until flavor is lost.

Ingredients:

1 Ginger Root (3-4 quarter sided slices, peeled.)

1 cup Mango (fresh or frozen)

Add the ginger and mango to the pitcher.  Add 3 cups of ice and fill the pitcher with water. 

Place in fridge for 1-3 hours before serving. 

Tip:  drop in a couple frozen mango chunks in a pretty glass for ice cubes when serving. If you used fresh mango, chop some up into ice cube sized chunks and toss in freezer when you put the water in the fridge.

I used frozen mango because I’m too lazy to chop one up.

It tasted delicious.  I love mango.  I love ginger.  I love this water.  It’s amazing.

Day 102- Charity Miles

I was on Pinterest and saw the most interesting pin about an app that raises money for charity while you exercise.

I found this app for iPhone and Android called Charities Miles. They donate money to the charity of your choice for every mile walked, ran, or biked. Walking or running a mile will earn $.25 while biking a mile will earn $.10.

Charity Miles wants to turn daily exercise into a philanthropic activity. The money comes for corporate sponsors, so users can give to charity without spending a penny.

I love this idea. It’s a great way to promote exercise and give to charity. Who doesn’t want to work out when it’s for a good cause? Check it out.

Day 101- bra clips

Every woman has a shirt that no matter what shows their bra straps.  I hate that.  I hate wearing a strapless bra even more. 

I saw this pin that has an ingenious idea.  You can sew bra clips into the shoulder of your shirt to keep your bra strap in place. 

It’s such a simple solution to a problem every woman faces.  I love this idea.

 You just need a tiny scrap of fabric, thread, and snaps.  Simple as that.

Day 100- getting blood out of fabric

Today I was sitting on the couch.  I look down and see that my white t-shirt has blood on it.  I must have cut myself without noticing.  It was the weirdest thing. 

I went onto Pinterest to see how to get blood out of fabric.

Steps:

Put some hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball. 

Rub the cotton ball on the stain until the stain is removed.  Depending on the size of the stain and how long it has been sitting, you may need more than one cotton ball.  Wash the fabric after this.

It seems so easy and simple.  I wasn’t sure that it was going to work, but it did!  I couldn’t believe it.  The stain came right off.  This is a great tip.  I wonder if it works with other types of stains or just blood.

Day 99- Teacher's Portfolio

I have my degree in elementary education and am currently looking for a teaching position.  One of the most important things a teacher takes to an interview is a portfolio which contains all the highlights of ateacher’s career.

One of my biggest fears is putting too much into my portfolio.  I haven’t even had a real teaching job, but my portfolio is big and heavy.  It has so much in it. I worry that anyone who looks at it will become overwhelmed.

I was browsing Pinterest and saw a pin about what to include in a teacher’sportfolio.

Here is the list of suggestions of what to include:

•table of contents

•extracopies of your resume
•letters of recommendation
•copies of references
•youreducational philosophy statement
•samplelesson plans and /or unit plans you have recently used
•sampleassignments
•samples of student work
•creativehandouts you have designed
•sampleworksheets
•examples of assessments
•scores on standardized or other tests
•photographsof classroom layouts and displays
•photographsof your students in action
•appropriateexamples of your technology skills such as graphics design, presentations, word processing, spreadsheets etc.
•parentnewsletters
•peer and department observations and evaluations
•examples of formal student feedback such as questionnaires
•professionaldevelopment efforts

The list seems so long, but I have all of it in my portfolio.  I don’t have anything extra.  It seems that teacher portfolios are supposed to be as big as mine is.  I have an entire three inch binder full of stuff.

I hope that it helps me get a teaching job soon.