When our kids were little, it was always fun decorating their bedroom with whatever they really liked at the time.  I remember when our daughter was little, she had a Rainbow Brite bedspread and cute little Rainbow Brite kitchen, table, and chairs.  She was thrilled!  When our son was little and had his own “big boy bed,” he had Barney sheets, comforter, and curtains.  It was so cute!  He really liked it until he thought he was too big for Barney and we got a Mickey Mouse comforter to replace Barney.  I’m glad the Mickey Mouse comforter was reversible, because when he soon outgrew Mickey Mouse, we just turned the comforter over to a striped design.   It’s still fun looking at kids bedding to see all of the cute themes they have for children’s bedrooms.  I wonder…what will Baby J want for his first “big boy bed?”

You can use rubbing alcohol on a paper towel to clean most countertops and appliances.  Check info about your specific counter top and appliance first to make sure it’s OK to use it.  

Do you have a favorite photo that you just absolutely love? Maybe a picture of your baby, your kids, your family, a pet that is just like a family member, or a group of friends that you’re really close to? Have you ever thought of Photo Throws where you could see the picture every day? I’m not talking about a little frame that is the typical way to display a picture, but one that is unique and can’t be overlooked like a picture frame.  You could have the photo printed on a duvet cover for your bed to be the centerpiece of the room , or on a photo pillow, or on a photo pillowcase. If you wanted something really unique, you could have your favorite picture on a shower curtain. Fotobed.com is the only site that offers a customized shower curtain photo. The site is easy to use, and not only can you have a 100% customized photo, but you can have customized text as well. I think I like the idea of the photo pillows. What a nice accent for a bed or a sofa.

When our daughter’s sister-in-law did a study abroad semester at Oxford this past spring, she kept a blog of her experiences there. I remember her last entry. She wrote how she would miss her little kitchen table where she would eat, study, have a cup of tea, and look out the window and watch what was happening outside. When I think of our dining table, I remember so many happy times at that table. I remember bunches of high school kids (and then later college students) being crowded around it to eat and all of us enjoying our meal together. I remember when my parents were alive and eating together at that table. I remember all the birthday parties and all the holidays, when it was decorated for whatever the occasion. It’s just a table, but tables can hold so many memories. There are all kinds of tables… pool tables, ping pong tables, poker tables, etc., but my favorite is our dining room table.

Yes, it’s true.  I’ll admit it…I’m a pack rat.  I taught school for nearly twenty years.  And even though I’m not teaching public school now, just do private tutoring, I still save stuff to this day.  What kind of stuff?  I have a whole stack of Fleischman’s Olive Oil Spread containers, just waiting to be made into some type of learning game.  I save bottle tops from our gallon jugs of distilled water for a beginning reading activity I do with one of my tutoring students.    So I’m in desparate need of storage solutions.  It would be great to have all of these things in one central location like a storage cabinet out in the garage.   I think like a teacher, so….once a pack rat, always a pack rat!

I just read that one of the best ways to kill mosquitos is to use Listerine.  And even the store brand or the kind you get at any dollar store works just as well.   One person said they were having a deck party and mosquitos were everywhere.  A man sprayed the deck and yard with Listerine, and they were gone.  And supposedly, the effect lasts for a couple of days.  It’s safe to spray around the food table, too.  (Not on the food, though!  LOL)  Another person said he sprayed it around his door and window frames.  He said not to use it on wooden doors, just around the frame.  It doesn’t take much, and you can pour some in a 4 ounce spray bottle to use around the house.   He also said that he doesn’t leave home without it!

I don’t know about y’all, but we have been finding spider webs in our yard made by these huge spiders.  They are really creepy.  I was going to check the mail the other night and started out the front door.  I’m soooo glad I noticed this big spider on a spider web before I walked through it.  I immediately turned around and went out through the garage instead.  My hubby sprayed it with bug killer the next morning.  Then last night, we were taking out the trash.  This time we just happened to see a big web way up high, again with a huge spider in it. 

I read an article recently about a park that has an unbelievable amount of the hugest spider webs I’ve ever seen.  They’re in huge clusters so that it looks like gigantic webs out of some science fiction or Halloween movie.  I don’t want our yard to become like that.  Bring out the bug spray again…fast!

Do you have a wall in your home that you look at and think, “That wall is boring!”  I don’t now but I used too. Now I have trouble finding a place to hang something new. But if you have that problem, have you thought about adding a wall sconce, maybe two.  The type of lighting they provide adds warmth and interest to a wall.  They can accent something already on a particular wall, and maybe something that didn’t get noticed before will become a focal point due to the accent of the lighting.    Also, if you have a hallway or entryway that is lacking in interest, this type of lighting can make that area come alive.  No more boring walls!

I wrote a post on how to clean crayon marks off the wall, and then tonight I read this post about using bread to clean wallpaper.  Go to the link below to find out more information.

http://www.themommyblogger.com/index.php/2007/09/28/cleaning-walls-with-bread/