Experiments

I received an e-mail recently that listed a bunch of unusual ways you can use things around your house. I have tried a few and am pleasantly surprised. My favorite was that you can use hair conditioner to shave your legs. You may already know this, or even use it, but I had some conditioner that I had purchased a while back that I never needed. I could not bear to toss it out, so it has been sitting on a shelf. I gave it a shot...it works GREAT! I get a close, smooth shave and my legs are so soft! They don't feel dry and itchy later in the day like they did when I used shaving cream or body wash. And there are a bunch of hair conditioners out there that only cost a buck or so, so it is also a lot cheaper. You don't have to buy the expensive conditioners. And if you want a fruity scent you can also use the children's conditioners. I tend to get very excited about the silliest things. Here are a few others that I found interesting:

**Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream.

**When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

**To get something out of a heat register or from under the fridge, add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

**If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.

**Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer ... If menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can't find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409. Insects drop to the ground instantly.

**Smart splinter remover. Just pour a drop of Elmer's Glue all over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin. The splinter sticks to the dried glue.

I haven't tried all of these, but if you have or do, let me know how they work. And if you have any that you would like to share, I would love to hear about them!

Fishing Fun

Sunday we were able to take the kids out on the boat to do some fishing. No one caught anything, but we still had a great time. The kids thought it was so cool that they got to "drive" the boat.

Sunshine Rocks

It seems I have been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. (Funny expression, but it is very true. My Aunt can tell you stories!) Every day this past week has had me out and about doing something. Not that I'm complaining. Most everything I have had to do was pretty fun. Minus the few trips to WalMart. Got to spend some time with friends we haven't had a chance to be around in a while. It was fun to catch up and watch our kids play. Took the kids to Settler's Park to play in the water. At least I thought that's what we went for. Turns out, both of my kids would rather play on the playground. Fine by me. Went to Pojos for my nieces b-day party last night. Haven't been there in a while. The kids had a blast. I have a bit of a sunburn, but I LOVE that it finally feels like summer! I'm still a bit shocked that the temp has only been in the high 80's though. Interesting.

Boys Will Be Boys

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Camp We Go!

This afternoon Makenzie left for a week at church camp. This is the first year she has wanted to go. So, with luggage, pillow, and snacks in tow...as well as a few butterflies, she was off! Here are a few shots I took before she left.


Loaded and ready!


Her friends Brianna and Samantha.


They travel in style!


Too cute!!!!



I can't wait to see her on Friday and hear about all the fun she had and memories she made. She took her camera, so maybe I will let her post her pictures and blog about her experience.

Birthday Girl

Today is my MIL's birthday. I am so blessed to have an amazing MIL. She is sweet, caring, giving, fun, and so much more. She raised Scott to be the wonderful, godly man he is and for that I will always be grateful. Naomi, you are more than I could have hoped for in a Mother-in-law. I love you and hope you have a fantastic birthday!

Family Fun

Scott's schedule has been a bit hectic lately, so he told the kids we would all go out on the boat Sunday afternoon and fish. We all were looking forward to some family time and the kids have been itching to get out on the boat. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't so cooperative. Seeing the black clouds in the sky, and the history of thunder storms this past week, we decided it would be best to postpone. We didn't want to take the chance of being out when the lightning or rain started. Instead we took the kids to play some black light miniature golf. We had a blast! There was hardly anyone there, so we could take our time. Caleb, despite many reminders, couldn't seem to get that you hit the ball with a soft swing. He is used to baseball, so he kept putting the club up over his shoulder and swinging it down like a bat. When he would finally hit it close to the hole he would then start pushing it to hit the ball like in pool. It was pretty funny to watch. Makenzie did great. She has some putting skills. :O) After the game we played some video games and air hockey in the arcade. My kids love air hockey and are both pretty darned good at it. I think Makenzie even beat me! Caleb had his tongue out every time he would hit the puck. Guess it helps him concentrate. After that we took them to dinner, then headed home to relax. It was a fabulous evening. We tried to get some pictures, but with the black lights they weren't that great.