this is my blog :: Page 176

Cleanliness is next to impossible, apparently

August 1, 2006

I’m finishing up a year-long project that took up most of my available time and brain power. Now that I’m winding it up, my regular life feels like a vacation! Amazing, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it…

So with my newly-found time I’m doing things like organizing the kids clothes/toys/other bits and pieces, and noticing astonishingly appalling lapses in my own personal hygiene!

I looked in the mirror this afternoon at the office — for the first time in a year, I guess! — and saw that my earrings were disgusting! I always wear the diamond studs I got for my 21st birthday, mumble mumble years ago, and they were filthy.

I almost ran from the building screaming, but instead I managed to keep my disgust to myself until I got home. Where I immediately checked with my friend Google about home-made jewelry cleaner.

1 part warm water

1 part ammonia

a good blop of liquid detergent

Swish it around and put your jewelry in. Duh, don’t add anything delicate, fragile, loose stones… I scrubbed my earrings with a toothbrush, and they turned out great. Highly recommended!

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! I also found the most outrageous machine! Does it steam clean your jewelry or does it make espresso? Maybe it does both! Their website even has a video. It is so tempting, except for one thing… It costs $100!

So ladies, I’ve now saved you about $99.75. You can thank me later. ;)

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His name is Tromm, and I love him

July 31, 2006

in From PlainJaneMom.com

So we had an ambitious weekend for sure. In addition to our regular stuff, we also decided to tackle some major projects in our back yard. The weather had cooled off and we couldn’t put it off any longer!

[photo removed]

We have an old concrete patio in the back that we’ve never liked and the time to take it out had arrived. You can see Mr. Plain getting ready to work on it. The perspective in this photo is weird, so it looks smaller than it really is. It looks tiny, but it is really about 20′ x 20′ x 3 inches thick!

There’s also an large mound of dirt under two huge trees that I needed to move. It was unfortunately put there by some well-meaning contractors, but I’m worried it will kill the trees by smothering their roots. (That can happen, right?) So I set to work on this project. The neighbors were having a kid’s birthday party with all the trimmings (including farm animals!) and they must have loved the sound of the pounding sledgehammer! But we persevered.

By the end of the weekend, Mr. P had taken out 1/3 of the patio, and I had moved maybe a quarter of the dirt mound. That’s hard work! So I took a break to move some plants too. Sheesh, I’m still tired!

But the weekend wouldn’t be the same without my favorite (ha!) chore: laundry. With 5 of us in the house I can still get away with doing it once a week, but I have to start in time if I want it all to be done for Monday. I know I’ve done it right if this is the last thing I see Sunday night:

Yes, that’s correct. A load of laundry that runs for 2 hours and 47 minutes. That’s after I’ve pushed every single option button on my beloved washing machine. ‘Sanitary’ cycle, extra hot, extra spin, heavy soil, pre-wash, extra rinse (for Robbie’s sensitive skin!), and stain cycle. Add oxyclean to the wash and pre-wash, and this last load of whites/lights actually gets clean without falling apart into rags!

And my washing machine has a name, apparently. His name is “Tromm” — I know this because it says so right on the front. It makes me think of that great sci-fi movie from the 80s I think. I refuse to wear an all-white lycra suit and ride a motorcycle, though.

I’ll end this rambling post with a shot of Chip “helping” Daddy make Gin & Tonics. Aww, isn’t that sweet? Warms the heart…

[photo removed]

Hope your weekend was productive too, or at least fun!

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More of my house…now with extra silly

July 29, 2006

in From PlainJaneMom.com

My mom just sent me a great picture that shows what our house REALLY looks like:

[photo removed]

That’s Mike & Robbie doin’ their thing. Too bad there’s no sound, because that’s how you’d get the full effect. And the only reason Chip isn’t in the middle is that he was napping at the time. Usually he’s right in there trying to wrestle with the big kids!

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Come On-A My House! *

July 28, 2006

in From PlainJaneMom.com

Welcome to the tour of our humble home. Just push open the door and step inside!

* And maybe you’re thinking Rosemary Clooney, but to me that song will always be Voice Farm! Yes, in the 80s I was dressed in all black. But anyway, back to the tour…

Now that you’re here, you’ll probably see me sitting in the living room at My Chair. Wave!

The lamp you see is what Mr. Plain got me as a surprise, because he thought I was computing in the dark too often. Isn’t he sweet?

I believe that one of the pictures was supposed to be where the blogging ‘magic’ happens? Hmm, this blog is pretty new and non-magical, but here ’tis anyway. And yes, that is a robot stalking in the background. Now let’s go to the kitchen.

Gorgeous, aren’t they? Mr. Plain got them at the farmer’s market last weekend. He goes every weekend, brings home flowers, and then cooks breakfast for the fam. I love Saturday!

Let’s step outside, shall we?

Watch out for the Rescue Heroes! Yes, the sandbox is pretty full, but apparently long vistas of clean, unobstructed sand are not what my boys want. Every single scrap of this sandbox is covered with “projects”. I thought that a 10′ x 20′ sandbox was going to be big enough, but apparently not!

So there you have it. The Plain’s Home. I almost threw in a picture of the playroom, but seriously, that’s a whole other post!

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