Posts Tagged ‘home’

Sleeping positions

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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How do you like to sleep?

Since Panda sleeps much earlier and I sit in bed on my computer, I’ve noticed some strange sleeping habits and positions that he’ll get into. He loves to be tightly tucked in under the blanket, complete with a tight tuck under his chin. It shuts in the hot air so much that he’ll sweat at night and I recently observed a drop of sweat making its way down his face and neck (ick). I prefer more air flow and will sometimes lay on top of the thick blanket with a light blanket or have various body parts sticking out of the blanket (typically my feet or one leg). I also like to have one leg bent up and one straight out. Since I leave a low light on, Panda will sometimes find creative ways to block the light – usually he’ll crook his elbow over his eyes, but I’ve found him with my nightgown wrapped around his head like a turban before.

There are some commonalities we share though – for one, we both like to sleep with our arms laying next to our heads, elbows bent. Perhaps we like airing out our armpits? We also like to take up a lot of space. For me, this generally means spreading out and draping my leg over him if necessary (he hates that). For him, it’s usually some strange contortion he managed to get into while twisting in his sleep. I’ve had to provide photo evidence of his transgressions to prove how he overran the bed and left me no space!

cat sleeping on bed with body twisted in strange positionI also like to keep things fresh by changing where we sleep in the bed. At first we’d swap sides every now and then. A few times we oriented our heads and feet the opposite way. Most recently we are sleeping sideways, parallel to the wall that the bed is against. Each time we change, Panda complains and hates the idea, but I’ve found that if I keep pushing, he tries it out and ends up enjoying it. Then that new spot is the default and the next change is another little battle (it’s like he forgot he didn’t want his “spot” the last time we changed either).

Even the cats have their funny sleeping preferences, like Smokey’s “happy nap” where she lays on her back in the middle of the floor, belly up and all paws facing the ceiling. As soon as she notices someone trying to take a picture of that, she quickly rolls over and runs off. When she’s in boxes, she loves to prop her chin and one paw over the edge. Meanwhile Missy is a huge fan of crawling in under the covers to snuggle up next to you. Or, if she’s on top of the blanket she’ll often end up belly up, chest to the side, and head twisted back. That’s when you know she’s really sleeping well. 🙂

So do you also have your own sleeping quirks?

Tide PODS Plus Febreze review

laelene Posted in reviews,Tags: , , , , , ,
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I’ve tried a different type of Tide Pod before, which was fun in itself. This new Febreze version is even better! I love the colors and upon opening the pack, you immediately get that refreshing scent. You just have to be careful if you have kids or pets, in case they mistake these adorable pods for a treat. Be sure to store them away from reach and sealed in the resealable package!

tide pods with febreze over clothes in washerI’m typically not motivated to do laundry, so I try to get large loads ready to maximize the effort each time. It’s always so messy trying to measure out the amount of detergent to use and I end up with a sticky cap and detergent drawer. I love that these pods not only take out the guesswork, but the mess too. All I have to is drop one in a load and set the machine to go! My clothes come out smelling amazing and it lingers on the clothes, keeping that fresh feel over many wears. In fact, I went out once and thought that the restaurant was using a special perfume, but then I realized the whiff I got was my own clothing’s Febreze scent.

I don’t think these could be any more convenient and I’d love to see them start to offer other Febreze fragrances to spice things up. I’m totally grabbing these in the aisle whenever I need more detergent for my washing needs. Why make laundry more complicated than it needs to be?

[I received these products free from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions are my own.]

Homegrown Collective March 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Homegrown Collective is trying something new and instead of printing out inserts with the projects for the box, they’re posting all the info on their site! I think that’s a great idea and it certainly offered them a chance to share a ton of information. This month’s theme is “Vim & Vinegar!” and they showcase three types of vinegar, all with amazing uses. This is great timing since Panda and I were planning on some spring cleaning this weekend.

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

contents of the homegrown collective march 2015 box with vim & vinegar theme note in the homegrown collective box indicating no more paper inserts

Project #1, orange peel white vinegar: I can’t believe I never considered infusing vinegar with other scents to help with the odor. I’m pretty sensitive to the scent, so cleaning with vinegar has been something I avoided. This is perfect and I can’t wait to see how the orange peel helps with the vinegar smell! I won’t have to hold my breath when using white vinegar to clean. 🙂 They also laid out over a dozen ways to use it, from removing scents to conditioning hair and of course plenty of cleaning remedies. A spray bottle of this stuff is going to be a total life saver around the house.

Project #2, baking soda & white vinegar cleanser: Combine two power cleaning products and the effects have got to be amazing! I’ve heard of all the things baking soda can do, so it totally makes sense for both of these to be key ingredients to cleaning just about anything. Surprisingly, I haven’t tried using them for removing stains before. I really need to try that on the ones the cats have created.

Project #3, apple cider vinegar: Wow, they wrote up another extensive list of ways to use this kind of vinegar. I’m totally adding this to my daily drinking habit (I go through a good 10 mugs of water and/or tea on weekdays). I never knew it could be good for digestion! Maybe it will help with my stomachaches. Other uses that jumped out at me were skincare related, including using it for a facial toner, applying it to work against acne, and rubbing it in to help with cellulite. The hair care benefits reminded me of what I learned from the January box.

Project #4, pasillo pepper spicy vinegar: The final use is about infusing vinegar, which takes advantage of the balsamic vinegar. I did a cold infusion before, so this hot style will be new and should provide a strong flavor. I’ve never tried pasillo peppers and I hope they aren’t too spicy or I’ll have to give this to someone else to actually consume.

What an assortment of vinegars and their respective uses! This will certainly keep me busy for awhile, trying out all the ways vinegar (and baking soda) can power my cleaning needs. I love the simplicity of these natural items that are so easy to buy.

Subscribe to the Homegrown Collective today and start living a greener lifestyle!

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Drywall patching

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses,Tags: , , , , ,
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Our home is now over a year old and for our one year, we had our drywall patched up for the areas showing signs of popped nails. Panda and I made a list of everything we noticed so when the guy came, I was able to point them all out. It took a good portion of the morning, with a break in between for the new drywall to dry. I’m always curious about how these things are done and it was totally not what I expected! Granted, I wasn’t really sure how they’d patch things up so I guess breaking off the pieces and filling them in sort of makes sense.

Here’s the damage we observed:

set of nails popping underneath drywall causing bumps

We were seeing some movement underneath.

crack in drywall from shifting walls in home

Some cracks presented themselves.

popped nail under drywall creating obvious dent

A few nails popped quite clearly.

When the guy came, he quickly set out to fix up all those parts of the walls and ceiling.

plastic protectant laid on ground to catch drywall pieces

He carefully laid down plastic to cover areas where he was working.

exposed drywall patch being fixed and redone

The cracks got chipped away and new drywall was put on top. The netting thing was to help things stabilize and adhere.

cat hiding in closet by hanging dress shirt sleeves

Smokey was not happy about the intrusion, so she went to hide in the closet.

wet drywall drying out after patching popped nails

When he left, everything was still drying.

fresh drywall needing paint

Once dry, this is how it looked. For the most part I hardly ever notice the patches, but every now and then they become obvious. Eventually we’ll paint them!

A Galileo thermometer saga

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, stories,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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It was a long time ago that I first learned of Galileo thermometers and immediately put it on my mental wishlist (and then my blog wishlist). After many years of waiting, I was super excited when Panda treated me to one – that was four years ago. I proudly displayed it first at my apartment and then in my room at home when I moved back. But just two years into my ownership, Missy managed to break it when she was jumping from a cabinet to my desk’s shelf. Due to the height, and perhaps an impact with part of the desk on its way down, it shattered and left quite an odor in my room. I was bummed and vowed to get a replacement someday.

I’m glad I waited, because I had no idea I would relocate to the east coast and it sure wouldn’t have been easy to transport it on my own. Turns out it was another 2 years before I decided it was finally time to reward myself with that replacement. At first I was sad that I couldn’t get the exact same one I had before. Attempting to reorder gave me an error that none were in stock. I had meticulously compared options and found the 17-inch height with 10 temperature globes inside was the perfect combination for me. I don’t think I would have been satisfied with anything else. I saw 21-inch ones with 10 globes, 17-inch ones with 7 or 8 globes, but not my ideal one. So, I waited.

One day, I just happened to notice they were back in stock! It was pretty thrilling. But then the challenge was that I didn’t want to pay shipping and I was $5 off from the minimum charge to get free shipping. Right around that time, we decided to take a look at headboards, since the furniture store ones were way more expensive than we’d like. Panda found an awesome one for a very good price, complete with shelf space for me. We got that and tagged on the thermometer – yay, free shipping!

cardboard box for galileo thermometer

I was super excited when it came, in the same box I remember.

galileo thermometer and the styrofoam encasing it came in

I carefully opened the box and considered a safe place to display it.

galileo thermometer tinted blue by broken globe inside

I found my spot, but then noticed that strange blue tint. Was it supposed to be like that?

galileo thermometer with broken pieces of globe inside laying at bottom

Turns out one of the globes completed shattered inside and dyed the whole thing blue. Sad times!

Luckily, it only broke on the inside and it wasn’t leaking. I had to file for a return and spent some time trying to figure out how to do a straight exchange. Turns out you can’t when the item is sold by an individual vendor like mine, versus by Amazon itself. All I could do was return and reorder. I printed out a label and a UPS guy even picked it up from my front door one day! Unfortunately, due to the shipping charge, I’d have to order something else to get that free shipping again. I found myself waiting yet again… the item went out of stock, but then eventually came back. I figured out what I could order with it that was around the $5 price range, so I ordered it a second time and hoped that it wouldn’t get thrown around during shipping. About a month after getting the previous one, this one arrived.

galileo thermometer with broken pink globe at bottom

So I got my second one and all looked well until… hey, what’s that pink one doing so low?

bottom of galileo thermometer with pink temperature globe laying leaking

Upon closer inspection, the tip of it was broken just enough to leak.

large red reusable lint roller for cleaning clothes

I got a lint roller in this shipment to pad the cost. I’ve wanted a large one for years!

See the tiny globs of pink liquid escaping? I considered keeping this and having a non-functional globe that looked ok from afar. I couldn’t do it. So again, I returned it. This time UPS even printed the label and applied it! I just packed it up and left the box outside my door. I quickly found another $5ish item to get – a hand boiler toy. I reordered once more before they ran out of stock on me. I almost didn’t dare hope. I mean, shipping had been rough and these things aren’t crazy delicate, but they can’t be thrown around. It might just take some luck to get an unbroken one. How many tries would it ultimately require?

beautiful galileo thermometer on display at home

Thankfully, this one came in mint condition! It is now on display with my other items.

I had to check and recheck this one over the course of a week or two before I truly felt like it was pristine. I was worried I might have missed something! But no blue tint and all globes float! So finally, I have my replacement. Isn’t it gorgeous? This one better last me my lifetime!

Smokey’s calming collar

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, stories,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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Sometimes, Missy and Smokey will get into wrestling matches. I can’t quite tell who is instigating it and who is causing more damage, but Smokey is larger, so just putting her weight on Missy is potentially dangerous. For a long time, I’d just make a loud noise when the fighting appeared to get aggressive. One day, Panda suggested we put collar back on so she can’t sneak up on Missy. We decided to give it a try and we found a surprising result: Smokey appeared to be much nicer overall with the collar on!

smokey cat sleeping on body pillow with red collar on

Look at how angelic she is! She’ll even touch my leg when she’s sleeping.

Not only did she and Missy fight less, but she was less aloof and more tolerant of being held or picked up. It seems that she became more docile, as if it exerted control over her and kept her bad behavior at bay. What a curious effect. It ended up being far more effective than we’d imagined, so now whenever she acts up, we put her collar on. She’ll sit there frozen as we strap it in and then calmly strut around, not looking for trouble. When she sleeps, she actually looks happy. Not alert, or wary, or downright uncomfortable/unhappy. It’s like she’s finally at peace.

This usually works for 2-3 days and then I start to feel bad because she can’t hide from Missy and I also notice her starting to kick at it. So by and by, I remove it and let her be free (but perhaps more prone to attitude too). At least we’ve found something simple that can help curb her issues if they escalate again! Overall she’s getting better at letting us pet her and even hold her at times. I’ll retrain her yet!

Homegrown Collective February 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Now this is a theme I’ve seen before. In fact, it was exactly a year ago! I like that the projects are slightly different from the first time around, though I think once my annual subscription is up I’ll have to take a break since I’m starting to see repeats.

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

inside of honey how sweet it is homegrown collective 2015 box with the info sheets on the inner lid contents of the homegrown collective february 2015 box with honey how sweet it is theme

Project #1, honey lip balm: This simple recipe for lip balm is all you need for soft lips! I like that there are the tubes and tubs to use. I didn’t realize until later that the essential oils were meant for this one. I have a ton of lip balms, but this might be just the thing I can make for Panda so he doesn’t always complain of dry lips in the winter.

the homegrown collective february 2015 project honey lip balm info card the homegrown collective february 2015 products for honey lip balm

Project #2, honey & sugar scrub: This time around, the sugar was not included. Luckily, I have the bag from last time and raw sugar isn’t hard to find at the supermarket. I think the essential oils could be useful in this as well. I love a good scrub!

the homegrown collective february 2015 project honey sugar face scrub info card the homegrown collective february 2015 products for honey sugar face scrub

Project #3, beeswax wood butter: Sweet! Last time we did wood coasters, which I still use pretty much on a daily basis at home. Now I get some cooking utensils, which will be great for the meals we make. I even used some of the wood butter I made previously on the kitchen cabinets, which helped give them a nice luster (and hopefully be more resist to the steam and oils from our cooking). I’m excited to add these to my collection of tools.

the homegrown collective february 2015 project beeswax wood butter info card the homegrown collective february 2015 products for beeswax wood butterI couldn’t quite understand what the peppers are for and I wasn’t sure about the essential oils until I reviewed the recipes in depth, so I took a picture of these mysterious extras separately. I still don’t see a use for the peppers, but I can use them for other things!

the homegrown collective february 2015 extra items for honey how sweet it is theme the homegrown collective february 2015 honey how sweet it is info card

I would have enjoyed these a lot if they were new to me. I do appreciate that it wasn’t identical to the last box of this theme, but some greater variation would also keep me interested. We’ll see how many more repeats come along.

Subscribe to the Homegrown Collective to get your own projects to try. You’ll be going green in no time.

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Caulking those cracks

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses,Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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For awhile now, Panda’s been talking about caulking the cracks we’ve been seeing. The builders left us with a tube of it, which we have been meaning to use. So two weekends ago, we went shopping and got a caulking gun. We opened up the caulk tube and got to work in the coldest part of the home – the stairway leading up to our unit. It turns out that I’m far better at it than he, so I ended up doing a lot of the work. I even had to fix some of the caulking he did (what would he do without me? ;)). The cats were also super fascinated by this activity, so they sat around watching. Panda was a bit worried that they may try to sniff and then lick the stuff, but they didn’t seem that interested in it.

Have you caulked your home before? We still have plenty to go and I keep putting it off. Would you hire someone for jobs like this or do it yourself like us?

crack by stairs of home prior to caulking

These were the cracks that we tackled.

caulk gun poking hole into caulk tube for use

We poked a hole to let the caulk get squeezed out, but eventually it clogged and came out the back end so I just scooped it out with my finger from the other end.

midway through caulking process with globs of caulk covering crack

Putting the caulk on in all its globby goodness. We tried smoothing it with a plastic card, but I found it easier and faster with my finger.

two cats sitting on stairs watching caulking project

The cats love to oversee our home improvement projects.

crack by stairs of home concealed after caulking job

Finished product! Looks pretty good, doesn’t it?

Homegrown Collective January 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
2

Again and again, they continue to impress me with their projects and timeliness. I was just telling Panda how I needed some conditioner. Traditional hair care seems to be causing some of my hairline breakouts, so I’ve been avoiding them and now I have the perfect, natural solution.

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

inside of let's go 'poo free homegrown collective box with the info sheets on the inner lid contents of the homegrown collective december 2014 box with let's go 'poo free theme

Project #1, DIY dry shampoo & conditioner: This totally reminds me of my Klorane dry shampoo, which I still use. I’m surprised how simple it is – you can basically just use the maize starch and you’d be good to go. I absolutely love the little shaker they included, which is totally adorable. I’ve already done this project and have it sitting ready for whenever my current dry shampoo runs out! I’m not sure where the conditioner plays into this part, so I think it was just supposed to be dry shampoo.

the homegrown collective january 2015 diy dry shampoo & conditioner info card the homegrown collective january 2015 products for diy dry shampoo & conditioner

Project #2, DIY coconut conditioner: I saw video about using coconut oil to help grow your hair stronger and longer, but I never got around to buying some. Now that I have this, I just need to make some extra time one day to apply it and let the oil absorb into my hair. I’m not great at these types of things that you just leave on, but maybe I can also get a mask out of the way at the same time to get more for my time.

the homegrown collective january 2015 diy coconut conditioner info card the homegrown collective january 2015 products for diy dry coconut conditioner

Project #3, DIY rosemary shampoo: I can already imagine my softer hair. The winter has done a number on my hair and sometimes it feels like straw, so I’m looking forward to improving the condition of my locks. It’s amazing that this shampoo is full of great ingredients and would be safe enough to eat. Now that’s good for the body.

the homegrown collective january 2015 diy rosemary shampoo info card the homegrown collective january 2015 products for diy rosemary shampoo

Project #4, DIY hair care: I’ve read about the benefits of baking soda and vinegar, but again, just never tried it. I want to wean myself off my usual hair routine and incorporate these simple remedies though. It just takes of bit of patience with these and they aren’t nearly as fun since they don’t have the foaming action I like so much.

the homegrown collective january 2015 diy hair care info card the homegrown collective january 2015 products for diy hair care

I can’t wait to put these to good use. My hair hasn’t felt very healthy for awhile, so I’m hoping these can really improve its condition. I will miss lathering shampoos, but I’d rather have awesome hair.

Subscribe to the Homegrown Collective and can your very own box to live a more natural lifestyle!

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Tandem weights

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , ,
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Panda and I seem to be in sync when it comes to our weights. We’re mostly around 122-124, with some spikes after eating a lot. Of course, he is a few inches taller so he’s certainly more slim overall. It’s funny how our natural weights just seem to coincide though. Recently when we weighed ourselves, we had both gained some weight. It must be from all the lazing around in the winter, so now we’re nearly 130! I’m sure it’ll go back down as the weather warms up again and we resume a higher level of activity in general. I wonder how many couples out there can say they weigh the same…

pair of women's feet on scalepair of men's feet on scale

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