Monday is here again!

Friday Find

What? Two weeks in a row that I posted my Friday find on Friday? I am on fire!

This Friday find is only helpful to those who live in my area but I wanted to share for those who are in the area.

Shout out to my Mom for telling me about it!

We have a terrific science center and right now they have a cool exhibition happening for the kidlets.

Here's some details:

From the flying aliens featured in the movie Pitch Black, to the giant crocodile in Peter Pan, John Cox's Creature Workshop has created some of the world’s coolest animatronic movie visuals. How To Make A Monster - the Art and Technology of Animatronics, is the first major travelling exhibition to come to TELUS Spark and will make its Canadian debut here in Calgary on February 9, 2013!

An awesome example of how Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) all go into making movies,How To Make A Monster creates an opportunity for audiences to become animatronic puppeteers, lighting technicians, creature designers and more!

Visitors will experience how steel, wire, nuts, pulleys and miniature motors are combined to create the bones and muscles that bring animatronic creatures to life. Expect to touch the alien guts from Pitch Black, run Inspector Gadget into a stop sign, maneuver Megalania (an ancient Australian mega-reptile), and even direct a dinosaur.

This internationally-shown exhibition focuses on the skills and processes, as well as the art and technology that goes into creating and building the monsters seen in some of our favourite block-buster films and TV shows. Exhibits featuring characters from films such as George of the Jungle 2, Pitch Black, Inspector Gadget 2 and various other movie and television productions help to illustrate the creature-making process from start to finish – including storyboarding and concept design, to the actual manufacture of fantasy creatures and realistic animals.

It's on until July so you have some time to check it out but it sounds cool right? Cool for the kids and big kids (us) too!

Here' s the link for all the details and for more info on the Telus Spark science center.

There's lots of other exhibits and activities going on all the time.

And I have to ask, who's your favourite TV or movie monster?

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Let's talk words, key words actually...

So, if you are reading this you are most likely a blogger yourself and you know that you can track how people get to your blog. I look at this from time. I started noticing some the strange key words that people typed in that took them to my blog.

The post that so far has taken people to my blog is my post on why I think hot tubs are gross. Apparently I am not alone in my dislike for hot tubs. Several times over the past few months the key words "hot tubs are gross" were typed into Google and brought other hot tub non lovers to my blog. I hear ya people. Hot tubs are gross.

Another top Google search that let people to my blog was how to get Mom & Glo and it's sticky residue off their floors. If you have ever used the product you most likely know why I should have listened to my Mom  when she told me years ago it wasn't worth the trouble.You can read about my experience with it, here.
I feel your pain people. One word for you to end the suffering. Windex.


But these key words recently led someone to my blog....

smell wipes vomit

Weird right? You might  never know what's going on in the lives of others if it weren't for blogs and the Internet in general where we get a nice glimpse into other peoples worlds.

And I posted something on my blog that led them here, using those words.

That's awesome.

Make-up~~Purge or Save? Splurge or Save?

Sorry, this is a long post...

I was going through my make-up the other day in an attempt to get rid of stuff that hasn't been used in a while. I always knew that make-up had suggested shelf life timeline so with this in mind I headed to the Internet to find out what shelf life make-up does have. I figured this would help me clean out my make-up even faster. And it sure did.

In my search I came across some really good info . As well as a little advice on what products it's better to splurge on and which it's better to just go the cheap route. It all makes sense.

I thought I would share it, a lot of  us don't realize that make-up has suggested time frames for use.
And P.S-if you have make up that is from the the last decade (you know who you are!), without a doubt, get rid of it! That's just the right thing to do for so many reasons!


Concealer: Splurge. Concealer requires premium ingredients in order to provide the best effects on the skin. Poor quality may run the risk of caking, creasing, or lead to difficulty blending the product into skin. Also, the shelf-life of concealer can last up to two years for stick or powder varieties (one year for liquid concealer), so your money is able to stretch for a longer time.

Foundation: Splurge. Since foundation entails full-coverage application, it’s best to seek out those that avoid harsh ingredients that can damage skin. Most designer makeup brands are hyper-aware of the problems that low-grade ingredients present and more drugstore brands are starting to follow in their footsteps.

While drugstores offer a greater variety of raw-ingredient products than in the past, department stores and designer names provide the greatest assortment in foundation hues. This fact alone pushes foundations into the splurge zone.

If you find the right hue in the drugstore brand however, forget the splurge and go for the save. There's no added value in overspending on a designer brand if you have the right color in drugstore product if it's a natural formula, which many drugstore brands are these days.

Eyeshadow: Save. While pigmentation plays a big part in choosing whether to opt for designer or drugstore cosmetics, makeup’s spoiling cycle does as well. Eyeshadows are recommended for a maximum lifespan of only three months, meaning that you’re likely to be wasting money on $28 eyeshadow palettes.

Big drugstore brands like L’Oreal, Maybelline, and Revlon have developed affordable eyeshadows with generous pigmenting to help ease the blow on your bank account.

For those with sensitive eyes, just go with hypo-allergenic drugstore brands. Don’t be fooled that the higher end dept. store brands are better for this. Hypo-allergenic is hypo-allergenic. High end hypo-allergenic is not any different or better. You’re throwing your money if you are splurging on eyeshadow.

Eyeliner: Save. Eyeliner is known to have a life of only three months, due to its close proximity to the eye’s mucous membranes, which can easily transfer bacteria. Many drugstore names have developed formulas very similar to that of designer cosmetics, so this is another product that consumers can save money on.

Same for this product for people with sensitive eyes. Save your money, just make sure it’s hypo allergenic and buy it from a drugstore. Paying over $10 for eyeliner is just throwing your money away.You probably won't finish it before it's shelf life expires and if you truly have sensitive eyes, you should never use eye make up after three months anyways.

Blush: Splurge. Due to its longer shelf-life (one to two years), blush is one of those makeup marvels that women can freely indulge in. Color pigments and quality are also imperative when selecting blush, as it requires a lot of blending upon application.

Lipstick: Save. With so many formulas on the market, from matte finishes to glossy bases, lipstick at a designer quality can easily be found at your local drugstore. Further, this cosmetics product offers the greatest hue variety so finding a great color for less is more than a possibility.

Mascara: Save. Above all, mascara has the shortest lifespan, of only two to three months. Much of its quality degrades due to frequent exposure to air, which causes its formula to dry and crust. Additionally, it often is a breeding ground for bacteria due to its usage near and--if you’ve ever poked yourself with a mascara wand--in the eye area.

And again, go drugstore hypo allergenic on this if you have sensitive eyes. There are many drugstore brands that offer it and hypo allergenic is hypo allergenic.

With these factors in mind, determining what type of makeup to buy at a department store versus a drugstore is made much simpler.

*And also, you should replace or clean your make-up brushes every 3 months or so. They hold bacteria as well.*

So even if you don't wear a lot of make-up or wear it very often, this is good info. Spending $28 on a eyeshadow justifying that it will last you a long time isn't the best idea. It shouldn't last you forever...only a few months before it's putting you at risk for exposure to bacteria. Ewwww...bacteria. On your face and around/ in your eyes...who wants that?


Do you have old make up hanging around in your bathroom? Do you mind spending a lot of money of on makeup? Do you have old stand by brands you have used for years? How log has it been since you cleaned out your make up bag or your medicine cabinet for that matter?

Things I learned last week

~It’s getting easier and easier to say no to desserts. I never thought it would be possible but I CAN do it!

~A puzzle! BigJ and littleA and I spent a few hours doing a puzzle after dinner on Family Day ( a holiday in some parts of Canada including the province I live in. I believe it was Presidents Day in the US?). And we all enjoyed it. It has been years since we did a puzzle together and this one is a big one and is 3D so it’s tricky. I loved spending that time with them. I can’t think of a better way to spend my time on Family Day or any day!

~I love my pillow.  I really, really do. It’s hard to say goodbye to it each morning when I have to get up. So sad.

~It’s well past time to take down the Christmas lights. I am sure the neighbours who are trying to sell their house right now are annoyed. Sorry neighbours!

~We have to keep moving. Love the moments and make room for more.

~I really, really need to finish painting the basement. I started painting it in July. Something always seems to come up that keeps me finishing. I think that has something to do with the fact that I really don’t enjoy painting. (ya think?) Get over it. Get it done and move on!

~Less is more. Simple concept. Why do I forget this all the time?

~ In loving memory of my Gramma, who loved them- I can’t wait to see butterflies this summer.

~Regardless of how it feels sometimes, we are not given more than we can handle.

Friday Find

What? Friday find actually posted on Friday? Impressive right?

This week a recipe was passed on to me by my good friend T (thanks T, you rock!).
I haven't had a chance to try it yet but she assures me it got rave reviews and she would not say that if it were not true. T keeps it real, y'all.

Spaghetti Pie Casserole

1 pkg (8 oz) spaghetti

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jar (14oz) spaghetti sauce

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

3 oz. cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

3 green onions, chopped

1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1.     Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain well.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking up beef into crumbles; drain.  Stir in spaghetti sauce, salt and pepper; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2.     In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and sour cream until blended; stir in green onions.  In a greased 11x7 baking dish, layer the spaghetti, cream cheese mixture and meat mixture.  Top with shredded cheese.

3.     Bake, covered at 350°F for 25 minutes.  Uncover; bake for 5-10 minutes longer or until the cheese is bubbly.
          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                   If you try it, let me know what you think of it!

Three people I would like to invite me to their house for dinner

I have thought a little about this and here are my picks, for now...

 

Ellen Degeneres-  I would love to hang out with Ellen anywhere but, dinner at her place would be awesome! I can not watch Ellen and not laugh. She just makes me happy. I would suggest we end dinner with a dance off. I am pretty sure I would win. Yeah, I am that good of a dancer, yo. Bring it.

 

Naheed Nenshi- The mayor of the fine city I live in. He seems nice. He has good views on stuff. I just think it would be cool eat a meal with the mayor, Just us, talking about things. And him listening to me and my brilliant ideas. And of course, I would listen to his.

 

Channing Tatum- Obviously just because he’s Channing Tatum. Of course I would request that he not be wearing a shirt when I arrive. Pants optional as well (for him, not me!). What? Yeah. I said it. Yum-O.
(of course this dinner would be a platonic meeting of the minds, we are both married, sheesh!). I might challenge him to dance off as well. My style is a little different than his but I can hold my own. Step up,Chan man.

Dear Ellen, Mayor Nenshi and Channing,

I will keep checking my inbox for the invite. Fridays nights work best for me. Talk to you soon.

xoxoxox

 Marilyn

Random confession



It's that time again!

 

I feel the need today to share a random confession. A little tidbit of a secret I keep close to my heart but am splattering it on the internet. Okay, a few of my close friends know but it’s not something I tend to blurt out. Why share it now and with you? I have no idea. I guess I am just in giving mood today.

 

Your Welcome.

 

 

I throw out some rando's from time to time. I find them good for my soul I guess. You can read more of my rando's here, here or another one here. Or if your really want some dirt on me, check out my confession posted on the I'm a lazy Mom site (this site is one of my faves, the lazy Mom tips and recipes are awesome!). I apparently like bearing my soul on the web, a lot by the way.

 

On with the show….

The radio was playing at a low volume and I was quietly driving, enjoying a nice evening drive.

And it happened, again.

He came come on the radio. The second I hear the first few beats of the song, I crank the radio.I know it’s him right away and I can’t help myself.

You see not only do I secretly really like his music. I secretly find this man very intriguing. There is just something about him I find fascinating. I can’t explain it. I have no idea why.

And so I am singing along without even worrying if anyone is looking into my car and seeing me.

 So who is this man of intrigue you might ask?  Some may be surprised. Most won’t understand it I am sure.

His legal name is Marshall Mathers (actually Marshall Bruce Mathers III to be totally accurate, I googled it). Otherwise known as Eminem (or his alternate ego Slim Shady). Don't know him? Google him. But if your not a fan of being flipped the middle finger, don't google images of him.

 Weird right?

 Anyway, there you have it.  A random confession of the strange kind.

 

Are you secretly a fan of something or someone? Care to share? I get it if something’s are left unsaid. Some stories are best left untold. Maybe this was one of them. I have no idea. I don’t have much a filter these days. I hear that happens as you age.

 

Oh help us all when I no longer have any filter left all.

Things I learned last week

~just when you get the kitchen spic and span, it’s time to make dinner which messes it all up again.Grrrr.

~Although it’s pretty known in my circles that I am not a “touchy touchy” person and do not like people in my personal space, I realized I don’t mind people touching my hair. Don’t touch my arm or face anything but you can touch my hair and I am okay with it. Weird.

~The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.

~I always knew this but it was reinforced again, I don’t really like sanwhiches.

~people who don’t signal when turning drive me crazy!!! It takes like a nano second to flick on your signal people!

~I wish we could all take a day off from making any decisions. Other than what junk food to eat, what shows to watch on TV and which couch to lay on.

~Someone keeps coming into our house and eating all our  food, messing it up and then leaving. Because apparently nobody that lives in our house does these things!

~Regardless of how it feels sometimes, we are not given more than we can handle.

Friday Find

Maybe I should just change this to "recent find". Since I seem to be having issues getting it posted on Fridays. This time it was a case of my home computer giving me an error all weekend (including Friday) every time I tried to log on to my blog. Just my blog, everything else was fine. It was weird.

With Spring coming, I am getting a head start with my spring cleaning. I spent some time scrubbing baseboards and inside/outside cupboards this weekend and in the effort to make any cleaning task easier I came across this great tip.


This Friday find is a little household cleaning tip:



Warm up the cloth or sponge in the microwave first!


Grease and dirt build up on kitchen cabinets over time. To clean your cabinets, first heat a slightly damp sponge or cloth in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds until it's hot. Put on a pair of rubber gloves, spray the cabinets with an all-purpose cleaner containing orange oil ( I used a couple of drops of wild orange essential oil mixed in water and for good measure a little good ol vinegar), then wipe off the cleaner with the hot sponge. My cupboards are white so I pretty much wipe down the outside of them every other day and they don't get super grungy but it's still a good cleaning tip all together.
A good cleaning with less "elbow grease" on my part. count me in!


And hey while you at it here's a tip for something I have been doing for years. Put a microwave safe bowl filled with water and a couple teaspoons of  lemon juice (I also use essential oils here but you can use the juice of real lemon or any citrus fruit). I use oil of lemon, sometimes lime or sometimes orange-any citrus works great). Put in the microwave for like 5 minutes. It will steam up the microwave. Take the bowl of water out (be careful doing this, the water in the bowl is hot!!) and wipe the inside of the microwave out. The steam makes wiping it out a breeze and added bonus, the citrus you used in the water leaves it smelling nice and fresh! And hey, use the water you boiled  in the microwave (once it cooled to just warm temp) to wipe down your fridge or wipe down your sink with it. The citrus in the water can make your sink nice and shiny. Don't waste this nice warm citrus water, reuse it!

And there it is. Your Friday find on Monday.

Happy Monday!



Call me, maybe?

For the past 4 or 5 years a few friends and I have volunteered at our local children's hospital during their annual fundraising radiothon. I really have to say, it's an honour to be able to be a part of this fabulous fundraiser. Children's hospitals all over the world do amazing things for our Children and their families and they need our help to continue to give such great care to our Children! This radiothon benifits the Alberta Children's Hospital.

So again we have the pleasure to be a part of this great event. We will be at the Children's hospital tonight between 4:30-7:00 answering the phone lines.  If you live in the Calgary area, tune into Country 105, you will hear some amazing stories of children that have been taken care of at our Children's Hospital. I have to warn you though, the stories can be pretty emotional!




Click here to get more info and or to donate online or call 403-802-2700 to make the donation over the phone and maybe, I will be the one who answers when you call in!

Things I learned last week

 

 

~It is beyond awesome to have a furnace expert in the family who can come and fix in 2 minutes (and for free) what we thought was a dead furnace that would cost a couple thousand dollars to replace. Also beyond amazing how wonderful said family expert is to us! XOXOXO Mr D!

 

~Sometimes in the face of frustration, you just have to laugh. Sometimes it’s just all you can do.

 

~Our baby bird, he’s flittering around the nest again, circling around it…maybe our nest isn’t as bad as he thought?

 

~What you don’t get done today will almost always be there waiting for you tomorrow.

 

~I really don’t like drinking water. It makes me have to go to the washroom a lot and I really dislike using public washrooms, even the one in my office. It always smells bad. We have pooping bandit(s) that strikes very often. It.smells like someone died up in our washroom. I know pooping is a natural thing but it doesn’t make it stink any less.Sometimes it's so bad it makes my eyes water. yeah, that bad.

 

~No there really is no such thing as a quick phone call to Mom for me. We usually end up on the phone for at least an hour. I enjoy those talks so much and am grateful she doesn’t mind hearing me put a load of laundry in, load the dishwasher, and even sometimes take a pee (yeah I do that, but with only few select people and I let them know I am doing it. I am up front about it. Give me a little credit. Haha). while we talk. I love that she totally understands that my life sometimes requires that I multitask a bit.

 

~Never underestimate how therapeutic a long hot shower can be

 

~Regardless of how it feels sometimes, we are not given more than we can handle.

A penny for your thoughts

As of yesterday, February 4^Th, the Canadian Mint stopped making the Canadian one cent coin. I am

indifferent on this. Perhaps I should care more? Maybe I am not the only one who really doesn’t have strong feeling s on this? I don’t know I actually haven’t even talked about it with anyone until now. I guess that’s how really indifferent I am.

I was wondering however, what do I do with all the pennies we have in various jars around the house? We have hundreds of them.  I know we can take them to the bank and get the value of all them all back in bills but what I was really wondering was, will they be worth anything years from  now? If I hold onto them, can I pass them onto to future generations? And eventually some rotten distant relative of mine will find them in an attic somewhere and run as fast as his or hers gold digging legs can carry them to the nearest coin shop or wherever it is you would go to, to sell these rare, precious coins. They would plunk then down on the desk and the proprietors eyes would light up and say “oh my, where on earth did you get these little treasures? They are worth thousands of dollars!” And that distant relative of mine would say “a crazy old relative stashed these away years and years ago. I don’t even remember her name,” And the shop keep would again say, “well you are lucky they did, you have a jackpot here!". And from beyond the grave I will have been a hero. Even though they would not know my name or give a hoot about me, I would be a hero.

 

So I did some research and nope. Most of them will be worth nothing. Of course there are some rare ones and stuff but it’s not like all of them will be worth money one day. Too bad. Sorry future generations of my family. You will not be getting rich off your crazy old ancestor who hoarded pennies. I am however going to try and find pennies to save from my Children’s birth years and me and my husbands too, just for fun.

 

So long pesky little penny. It’s been great rolling you in packs of 50 over and over and over through the years. My wallet will forever be lighter and I am okay with that.

Fellow Canadians, are you sad to see the penny go? And to our neighbors in the US, would you like to see your penny go?

Friday Find

Again, I suck. This Friday find being posted on Monday. I will get my crap together…eventually. Thanks for continuing to check in though. I appreciate it!

This Friday find is a book that I started reading this week. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started.

It’s the author’s journey to become happier. I am really enjoying it and am really getting some take away ideas from it. What I really like is that she is real and honest. And not overly unhappy, this is where it hit home for me. She is already a relatively happy person who just realized that she could be happier. This is me! I am also a pretty happy person (I think) but I also know I could be happier. I have trouble "living in the moment". Reading about her project and her struggle with this also has given me some good insight into things I want to try and about consciously working on this. Singing in the morning? I didn't think so. I really don't feel like singing in the morning, but I tried it. I woke up LittleA singing a silly little song to him. Guess what? He loved it (even though he's right on the cusp of becoming a teenager no less!) and it set a good tone for my own day as well!

I am finding it a really quick and easy read. I read it on my daily commute home (not the morning commute of course, that’s when I read my free morning paper).

If you are looking for a little "lift" and maybe even a little more happy of your own, it might be worth checking out.

*I was not compensated in anyway for my mention or review of this book. These opinions and statements are purely my own*.