Eyes of My Heart

Favorite products that "work for me"

Like Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer, there are very few name brands that I simply must have. My shower and vanity are littered with the pale blue and white plastic bottles of Equate products (no hate mail from hairdressers, please). But the following are the items I will purchase no matter what sales/coupons/pleasing endcaps, etc. are stacked in the competitors favor. These are MY brands and I am loyal as a lapdog to them.

1. Viva paper towels. Seriously, these are important to me and I will go without before buying another brand. They're thick as cloth, absorbent as a sponge, and soft as the inside of your forearm - important because I am forever running out of tissues and they double as a rather nice hankie!

2. Milton's bread. The restaurant that started it all is Milton's Deli in Del Mar and oy vey, is their food delicious. I always have to get their chopped liver sandwich and then take bites from everyone else's plates. Love it! So when they marketed their soft, thick, packed with yumminess, whole grain bread, it became a semi-staple. I bake my own bread with the bread-maker but I keep a loaf of Milton's in the freezer for emergencies. I love emergencies. (Incidentally, I just checked their website and their 24 oz. loaves are going for 12 bucks each - I DO NOT pay 12 dollars for a loaf of bread, even with poppyseeds and flax! As their lapdog, I should bite them for charging folks that much!)

3. Calbee snapea crisps, original Mmmm..salty, crispy, flavorful, lowfat...they satisfy even a craving for french fries, with no guilt, because hey, it's a VEGETABLE!

4. Progresso soup - This is a little bit of a stretch. I mean, I will buy other soups if they are on sale, but I won't be as happy about it. When Progresso goes on sale, I load up. Even my husband will eat this soup and he hates most things out of a can. My favorites are chicken corn chowder, chicken and sausage gumbo and Italian-style wedding. NO other brand comes close in my opinion. Well, maybe Wolfgang Puck. And I like Amy's Kitchen veggie soups. And Shelton's spicy chicken and rice. Oh, and all the cartons of soup by Imagine...butternut squash, portabello mushroom, sweet corn. Oh so good! And I love that you can pour out as much as you need and store the rest in it's container. What was I talking about earlier? Oh, Progresso. Yeah, those soups are okay, I guess.

Well, that's all I have for now. I'm turning in after I rub some fake Oil of Olay on my face and apply some phony Nivea hand lotion. G'night.

Who needs doors?

In our house, we had those black, mirrored, sliding closet doors that keep getting off track, causing you to shove and grunt and lift them into submission.  We also had a rather small guest room to convert into the nursery and those doors would. not. do. Life in a baby's room is so much nicer without doors! When I'm changing her and need a dress from the closet, I just have to put my right foot on her belly and reeeeeach......And not having doors means I can park my chair in front of the closet and still have easy access.

We liked this so much we did it in our office and bedroom as well. And we learned something very important. When you take the door off, be sure to place it somewhere SAFE. We placed ours behind the door in our bedroom (I still wanted a full length mirror) and the other day I closed the door a little too hard and KABLAM! Door down in front of the door so we couldn't get in! Luckily, we had another entrance from outside the house but this is what became of the closet door:

Check out more tips at Rocks in my Dryer!

Works for me! Cleaning tips.

Sometimes I just get bored with my cleaning regimen and I start to look for new products. I use Simple Green on aImost everything. But I was tired of the same smell. So to clean my kitchen floor the other day, I mixed a cup of vinegar with a cup of water and added several drops of clove oil. Fantastic! I am going to try the same recipe with lavendar essential oil for my bathroom.

I am also weary of shelling out the money for Swiffer replacements. Did you know you can wash those in the washing machine? Yup! Wash and then hang to dry. The latter part is important as the dryer shrivels them.

I have also learned this week that my daughter's cloth diapers are brilliant at cleaning mirrors and windows without streaks!

Now, head on over to Shannon's for more tips.

It works for me

Thank Martha Stewart for this one. Leftover coffee makes great ice cubes to add to...leftover coffee. I am forever starting cups and getting sidetracked so I always have leftovers. Also, I juiced a watermelon the other day and froze the leftover juice in the ice tray as well. The juice cubes are a nice addition of sweetness to my water, lemonade and tea.

Watermelon juice, in case you don't know, is one of the best ways to treat dehydration and summer heat symptoms. Enjoy!

For more WFMW ideas go to Rocks in my Dryer.

Fun on the floor - Works for Me Wednesday

Copious dog  hair, corn-husk strings, bread crumbs, cherry pits, outside dirt...no matter how much I try to keep my kitchen floor clean, there always seems to be something that makes me wince at putting my little one on it while I cook. Enter the yoga mat. I keep it rolled up nearby and with one hand I can hurl it out, plop her down and voila! Safe, clean fun. It's also easy on her knees (and head) when she decides to scoot or keel over. I've recently discovered the joy of giving her items from my kitchen instead of her usual toys - she loves it!

For more (and better) ideas, visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.

Barnyard Animal Karaoke (works for me)

I don't know where this tradition started. It could have been inspired by an acting exercise where you choose an animal for your character and walk and speak your character's lines like that animal.  I've been a lynx, a peacock, cottontail bunny, mouse, otter, doberman, horse, deer, golden retriever and a vulcher, among others. 

Anyway, I've turned this into a fun game that works especialy well on road trips in the car (you may wish to avoid playing this on planes and trains, but, hey, just my opinion). Just pick a genre of music (I like musical theatre and Disney showtunes for their expressiveness) and each person takes turns assigning an animal and a song to each other. There aren't really rules, everyone's a winner and as long as everyone is as expressive as possible, the results are hilarious. We always end up in stitches. Try singing Impossible from Cinderella as a chicken or People Will Say We're in Love from Okalahoma as a goat. When you exhaust the farm animals, then move on to cats and dogs and zoo animals.

Oh, and by the way, if you pass cows on your road trip this summer, you really must stop and sing to them. You will never have a more captive audience in your life as a bunch of cows. It mesmerizes them! (Just don't sing like a cow to them - they are so over that gag).

Happy Summer! Check our more summer fun tips at Rocks in my Dryer.

My Five Minute makeup routine...

in fifteen minutes or less. Because who has five minutes to themselves all in a row?

Okay, in order to prove to myself that I DO have time for personal hygiene, I've done the following in five minutes. Not every day, or even most days, but it can be done. I can't believe I am sharing these with you as tired as I look (and am) but I am nothing if not bold....

Before:

1. wash face. pat dry. (I like Cetaphil cleanser but use the Equate version because I'm cheap frugal.)
2. slap on moisturizer. (I use the Equate version of Oil Of Olay with sunscreen.)
3. while moisturizer is still moist, pat on liquid foundation. This gives you smoother coverage and a nice dewy look. (I ran out of Mary Kay Day Radiance and found that Cover Girl Adavanced Radiance is a decent substitute. And it has sunscreen - important for us Irish types)
4. brush on under eye concealer ( I splurged and got Laura Mercier and it's great)
5. pat on powder with a puff, avoiding the eye area if you are over 30 and don't wish to highlight your wrinkles. Brush off excess with a nice fluffy powder brush.
6. use an ivory eye crayon just under brows
7. blush the apples of cheeks and eyelids
8. brush in a light brown shadow in crease and lower lid
9. fill in brows, if necessary
10. mascara (Walmart was selling Maybelline intense XXl mascara two to a package and I like it because it has conditioner. It's a separate step but it's a quick and worthy one)
11. stick the lips and blot excess. cover with lip balm
12. mist lightly to set. ( I use Focus 21 moisturizer with sea algae but you can also just spary your face with water. This is important if you think you might perspire. It gets to be well over 100 degrees here in the summer so...I do...alot)

After:

That's all, folks!
Now, can anyone help me with my hair?

Check out what Shannon and others have to offer at Rocks in My Dryer.

Works for me - Tacos made easy

We love tacos around here. My husband could eat them every night of the week. He likes them simple - meat and cheese and hot sauce only. I prefer the works: onions, cilantro,  lettuce, tomato, salsa, and lots of avocado.

I ran out of taco mix one night and found this recipe online.
I double the batch and keep it stored in a jar so I don't have to keep buying those packets of seasoning. I use two to three tablespoons per pound of meat.

Taco Seasoning Mix

• 1/4 cup instant minced onion
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons oregano, crushed

I've used this with beef, turkey and chicken and it always tastes great. The easiest thing I've done is to throw a pound of chicken breasts with seasoning and water in a crockpot for 6-8 hours. Shred and eat. So simple and so good!

For more great ideas, check out Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer.

Petals that please me

Disclaimer! I am NOT a crafty person. What you are about to witness is an attempt to share what "works for me". Do check out the really good ideas from the clever, crafty folk over at Rocks in My Dryer, hosted by Shannon.

I stole borrowed was inspired for this idea by a gorgeous display I saw at Neiman Marcus.  I wanted something like it for my wedding but couldn't possible afford thousands of white butterflies so I recreated it with silk rose petals, tiny mirrors and the occasional butterfly instead. I made somewhere between 50 and 100 strands for our wedding ( they hung all around the dance floor and cake and in the trees) and saved several which now hang in our daughter's bedroom. I truly don't think this picture does them justice. When the sun shines through the window and makes the little mirrors dance light all over the room, or when the breeze or a fan makes all the garlands jiggle, then I think they transcend what you see here.

 

Anyway, if you are interested in making them, here's what you'll need:

fishing line
a bag of rose petals (I bought mine at Michael's but any craft store should have them)
a needle
tiny mirrors (craft store)
butterflies
hot glue gun
chocolate
patience

String a piece of fishing line twice the size of your desired length, double it and tie at one end.

Pierce a petal and gently drag it to the end of your line.

One inch from the end petal, tie a knot.

Eat a piece of chocolate.

Pierce and drag another petal.

Repeat as often as desired, alternating with butterflies and two small mirrors glued back to back on top of the fishing line.

Hang with thumbtacks or Christmas ornament hangers wherever your heart desires.

Our pumpkin does like to watch them boogie above her head in her crib.

Happy Day!

Veggie Tales

I wonder how many bunches of broccoli I've thrown out over the course of my life. A despicable amount, to be sure. I'd forget about it, masked in it's plastic bag, tucked in the back of the crisper behind the soggy cilantro and dried basil leaves, bringing it out of hiding to discover it has sadly sallowed to a pale mustard color.  But no more!! I only recently learned this trick and it has made such a big difference.

Now, when I get the groceries home, I take out a few glasses and fill them with water. After trimming my herbs and broccoli at the base,  I place them in the water just as I would a bunch of flowers. I then cover them with the plastic bags they came in and they'll keep for a week! Works for me and I LOVE IT!