The Coolest Cleaner Ever

Most cleaning products are toxic and/or expensive. However there is one household item you can use to clean just about everything:

Vinegar.

My mother used to clean the windows with an old piece of newspaper and some vinegar. She said it wouldn't streak like expensive glass cleaners.

Mom also dropped a cap full of vinegar into the wash to make clothes smell fresh.

Mom even used vinegar as a rinse for our hair after shampooing.

Plus Mom would dab some on us when we got sunburned.

She also said vinegar would get rid of spots on the carpet and stains on clothes.

It seems to me that vinegar is an amazing product we should take out of the cupboard and keep close on hand.

Thursday Thoughts

It's better to be pissed off - than pissed on
Time flies - whether you're having fun or NOT
Bigger isn't always better
Nice guys finish last - but at least they finish
T.I.M.E. is a four-letter word

Can you think of any others?

Answer to Word for Wednesday

The definition of yaff is to bark. If you don't believe me, check it out here.

Word for Wednesday - a Writer's Game

Word: Yaff

Take a guess - what do you think it means?

Put your guess in the comments section then come back around 3:00 to see if you were 'write' or wrong.

Tuesday Test - What Kind of a Ninja Are You?

I am a "Skilled Ninja" at least that's what this test told me.

We all want lives filled with adventure--right?

Well, I was thinking about whitewater rafting and excitement and - it made me wonder - what would I want to be if I could be anything?

Maybe a Ninja--secretive, sleuthing, and sly.
Here's a quiz so you can find out what kind of a Ninja you would be too.

Share your results in the comments section, please...

White Salmon Rafting

We went rafting on the White Salmon - I'll post pictures later. But I fell out going over the waterfall - so I spent the rest of the weekend recovering.

We've done this before and it's always a lot of fun. But today I'm limping around. Guess I'm getting a little old to be rafting over waterfalls.

Here's a short clip of the tour we took with All Star Rafting.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

"Green" Notepad for Back to School

Have you ever thought about how much paper we waste? What about trees we cut down?

Well here's one item that might make a difference: it's an lcd notepad. Reuseable and it didn't require one tree's life to produce this product. If you're interested, check it out here.

Thought for Thursday

What's the Longest Word in the English Language?

Some say it's Antidisestablishmentarianism

but there is a debate going on, you can read more about it here.

What's your opinion - what's the longest word?

Answer to Word for Wedneday

Word: DWTK

Mean: Don't Want To Know

If you don't believe me, check it out here.

Word for Wednesday - a game for Writers

Word: DWTK

Okay it's not a real word - yet - but it's common texting language

Take a guess, see if you get it right.

Then come back around 3:00 to see

Fun in the City

Portland puts on lots of community events that are funtastic!

Answer to Monday Memory Teaser

In all, there are 58 titles in the original Hardy Boys Mysteries series published between 1927 and 1979 written by 17 different men and women. The Hardy Boys was created in 1926 by Edward Stratemeyer, who also created Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, the Rover Boys and dozens of other memorable characters.

Bet you didn't know that.

The Hardy Boys

Here's a quick ? It's a Monday Memory Teaser

Who wrote the Hardy Boys Mysteries?

I know most of you might think it was Franklin W. Dixon but that's not true. That was a made-up name that Grosset & Dunlap used for all the books.

The truth might surprise you.

Take a guess, if you know, put it in the comments section - then come back this afternoon to see if you were "write" or wrong.

FRENCH - NOT

Okay we all love the Eiffel Tower and imagine Paris to be a super sexy place to visit but I'm not French, maybe that explains why my mind starts to wander when I hear the word French...but not to beautiful places or iconic monuments - no I start to think of stitches: like the French Knot.

And, if you've never tried embroidery, you've missed out on the sublime...stitching.

Check out this French Knot.
If you like to craft and stitching is your thing, here's a fun site to check out for patterns, ideas and tips. This website will even show you how to do the stitches, if you don't already know. Like the stemstitch, the backstitch and the chain stitch--all for free! And free is more than a good price--it's simply sublime. . . stitching.

I hope you have sew much fun...

Sand in the City

Friday and Saturday will mark the annual event of Sand in the City at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Come downtown and take a peek to see what artists can do with some grains of sand. If you'd like to read more, check out this site to see what it's all about. And it all helps benefit a good cause, Impact Northwest.

Answer to Word for Wednesday

Word for Wednesday: verisimilitude means...

Answer: Having the semblance of truth.

If you don't believe me, check it out here.

Thanks for playing along.

Word for Wednesday - a game for Writers

Knock-knock, can you come out and play? This is a guessing game especially for writers to play with words. All you have to do is put your guess in the comments section for what my 'word for Wednesday' means. Then come back around 3:00 to see if you were 'write' or wrong.

Here's the word: verisimilitude

Tip for Tuesday

Monday night I went to hear David Slater talk about Dialogue and how to make yours soar. He said dialogue isn't like conversation, if it was it would be boring. People interrupt, talk over one another, and jump around from one subject to the next. He gave writers tips, hints and helpful words of writing wisdom all while being open to questions and comments from listeners in the audience.

David will be speaking at the upcoming Willamette Writer's Conference here in Portland during August. If you are interested in learning more about how to make your dialogue serve multiple purposes, you might want to check out the conference and sign up for a session with David. Check out the WW brochure here.

Monday - I need a Massage

Saturday my husband and I ran the Portland Esplanade. It's a 3.4 mile run. We didn't run the entire way. We ran half way then we walked for what would be a few blocks then we ran some more.

Sunday we went for a 10.3 mile ride on the Springwater Corridor. I'm already feeling the after effects of all this weekend warrior activity.

What about you? Anything you did over the weekend that's leaving it's mark on you?

Unusual Churches

Notre Dame is a beautiful church in the heart of Paris.
But though it's beautiful it's not the most unusual, even with it's flying buttresses and gargoyles guarding its heights.

If you'd like to see some architectural masterpieces check this out here. I'm sure you'll find it interesting.

Flicks on the Bricks

THEY'RE HERE - again: Flicks on the Bricks

Some great movies - and they're all free. So grab a bag of popcorn and head to Pioneer Courthouse Square. Sit on the bricks and watch some great flicks! It's summer - in the city.

July 23: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
July 30: Three Amigos
August 6: Sixteen Candles
August 13: The Muppets Take Manhattan
August 20: Jaws

Pre-entertainment begins at 7:00pm, movies begin at dusk, and admission is free. Pioneer Courthouse Square is located at SW 6th to SW Broadway & SW Yamhill to Morrison.

Dedication

Writers - have you ever fallen asleep at the keyboard?

I have.

And, it looks like my son is following in my footsteps - or fingertips.

:)

Writers Looking for Feedback

Writers are a solitary group - usually. We sit and spill our words out onto the keyboard typically alone, rarely getting a lot of feedback, except from our family and friends. But to perfect our craft we need some unbiased feedback so some of us have moved on to critique groups but there are other ways for writers to get a little input from honest readers.

One way is a FREETIQUE. Cynthea Liu is known for giving these morsels of magnificent insight to writers - for FREE. She does these FREETIQUES at random times and you have to follow her rules for her to impart her words of writerly wisdom. But, her price is "write" so, if you're interested in finding out more, check out Cynthea's website here.

Happy writing, or for Snoop's benefit, Hoppy Writing!

Answer to Word for Wednesday

Word: DOSIMETER

At first I thought it was one of those devices used by Ghost Hunters but nope - I was wrong.

Meaning: Check it out here.

It is an instrument that measures contaminants absorbed by the body, such as gamma rays or the amount of x-ray or other radiation absorbed in a given period.

Word for Wednesday - a Writer's Game

Word: DOSIMETER


Take a guess. What is it? Put your guess in "comments" then come back around 3:00 to see if you were right or wrong.

Come out and play.

This Day In History

1942 – Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in the "Secret Annex" above her father's office in an Amsterdam warehouse. They hid for two years and there was no happy ending to Anne's story.

If you haven't read the book, The Diary of Anne Frank, you might want to watch the movie. We need to remember the past.

Movie Review Monday - ECLIPSE

I've read all the books and really enjoyed:

Twilight;
New Moon;and
Eclipse; however . . .
Breaking Dawn was not my favorite - in fact it was one book that wrapped everything up too neatly for my liking.

But Twilight (the movie) I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed the show. New Moon I thought was okay, Eclipse--not so much. It was too much of a romance for my liking. I would have liked to have seen more action--but then I guess I'm not the usual reader of the series.

I did love Jacob in Eclipse. I think he's done a great job. And the werewolves were very cool - or maybe I should say "hot" but once again--it wasn't my fav.

Happy 4th of July

Hope you all have a fantastic holiday!

Super Mom!

Scrap

I love crafting - knitting, sewing, cooking it's all art to me. But I also like to reuse and recraft items. Here's one place that will help you recraft and reuse while saving money while you're helping to save the planet.

Answer to Monday Memory Teaser

Who Wrote The Hardy Boys?

The covers say: Franklin W. Dixon

but the truth is Franklin W. Dixon was a pseud. of Edward Stratemeyer from 1862-1930. But there were also lots of others who wrote the books. If you're curious read more about it here.

Answer to the Question of the Day

Answer: About one ounce.

?

Question: How much does the average human eyeball weigh?