Homemade Candles

You can reuse leftover wax at the bottom of a candle by simply melting it down, adding some store bought wax and dye for coloring.



This is an easy way to save a little money. Try it and let me know what you think.

Brand New Grand Puppy

Word for Wednesday - Game for Writers

Word: Eviscerate

Guess what it means...



Scroll down to find the answer




Further




Further




The word eviscerate means....



to disembowel


Such a nice word


if you're writing horror. :)


If you want to read more about it, check it out here.

ALS "Lou Gehrig's Disease"

This weekend in Portland, Oregon there was a walk to help raise awareness for the disease and my husband and I participated.

It was a dreary day in Portland, Oregon. Dark gray clouds rolled in early in the morning and then, without much warning, they burst open. Like an angry child throwing a fit, the clouds dumped their anger out on us, in one huge down pour. We were caught - without umbrellas or hats or even rain jackets. . . but then it was over. The sun peeked out and warmed us. We dried out.

It was just too bad the rain couldn't wait until after our walk for ALS. But that didn't put too much of a damper on the occasion. Portlanders are people who can deal with a little--or even a lot--of rain.

They came out dressed as the Flintstones, trees and even octopus creatures.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. It's also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Every 90 minutes someone is diagnosed with ALS and every ninety minutes someone dies from ALS.

So, helping raise a little money for research was a nice way to spend a rainy day.

Movie Review Monday - The Help

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a fantastic movie. It's definitely not my usual thing. No vampires, zombies or werewolfs at all. And, when my husband and I talked about going to a weekend movie, I'd suggested Contagion , Bridesmaids or The Help. I'd heard about the book from friends and had planned on reading it but never got around to it so I thought why not? And my husband didn't want to go to another zombie wanna-be movie so Contagion was nixed from the start.

He also said he didn't want to go to some predictable comedy. He voted for The Help and we were off to the movies.

I don't know what I expected but this was a very sad movie in so many ways. It was also the story of friendship and adversity and how the first helps you get through the second plus it taught a few lessons about what really matters in life.

I thought the acting was great.

The story tugged some tears and gave a few giggles too. It was filled with emotion and drama.

I only wish it would have shown a few more "good" people in the movie. It seemed that so many depictions were of evil people. My hope is always that there are a lot more good people than bad.

This is a definite "RECOMMENDED BY KIM" movie. If you see/saw it, let me know what you thought.

Earth-Friendly Friday

I've never been big on fashion. I grew up a Tomboy wearing my Dad's old jackets, ties and sweaters - before anything like that was in style. Dad said I dressed like a clown. And, for the times, I did. But even I know you don't have to be a fashionista to find wonderful clothing you can wear and feel good about.

Just look at this coat. It's made out of recycled materials. So you can look good, be comfortable and protect the planet all at the same time.

Hope you all have a warm wonderful weekend.

Dogs Can Laugh too

He's laughing at us...

I know he is

Just Horsin' Around

I've always loved to ride. My brother and sister had horses when I was growing up. And then we went to the Grand Canyon one summer, I wanted my kids to learn how to ride before we rode the mules down the steep pathways. But once my daughter took lessons, she was hooked.

Finally, we got two horses of our own. Mine was Robin and hers was Lesa. We spent many hours riding together out on the trails.


She enjoyed it so much she wanted to do a couple horse shows. So, she did.


But we couldn't afford the fancy show clothes or silver for our horse gear. So we did the best we could. We color coordinated her clothes. She wore a baseball cap and a bright yellow vest and boots.
People loved to go riding with her and she even taught a couple of her friends to ride.


Even her little cousin learned to ride on Robin


Then Kara went to high school and varsity basketball took over her life for the next eight years. We couldn't go riding every other day and the horses were lonely. So, we tried to find them both a good home.

Sometimes I really missing riding out in the woods and feeling the wind blow through my hair. Those were the "good old days".

Depressed...

We got her at the pound. There were four adoptions ahead of us. Everyone wanted her because she was an adorable bundle of red fur. They told us she was a Sheba Inu but not show quality. Someone else told us she might have been part chow. The pound said Sheba Inus were dogs meant to hunt bears in packs. But she was an adorable little puppy.

And, 18 years is a long time for any relationship to last. But when they come to an end it's soooooo sad.

Kit had come home with us when all the other adoptions fell through. It was just meant to be. The kids wanted her so badly that I can't imagine what would have happened if one of those other people had been lucky enough to get her.

Kara used to put her in her doll stroller and take her around the neighborhood - just like a little baby.

We took her on hikes up to the mountains and she was always so excited when winter rolled around and we headed off to go cut down our Christmas Trees.

She loved to be outside with the kids.

If there was a noise outside, she would jump up to go see what it was.

And she would sit and guard the house from the front porch

And Kit loved Kats - she was kind of a Kit Kat herself

She slept at the foot of the bed until she couldn't jump up there any more then she laid down on the floor right at the edge of the bed.

We used to go for runs until she couldn't any more then we went for long walks to Starbucks. We'd sit and have a cup of coffee while she recuperated and then we'd head back.

When she was twelve the vet warned us that she probably wouldn't live much longer - maybe two more years, if we were lucky. So when she hit fourteen we started thinking about getting another dog. We got Sasha. She was a rambunctious Siberian Husky who drove Kit crazy - some of the time. So, we had to have a little sanctuary where Kit could escape from that crazy puppy who was jumping all over her. We never let Sasha go in our bedroom. That was Kit's place to go when she needed a break.

But she loved Sasha too.

Finally, she started having real problems. She couldn't see any more, and she couldn't hear but she could still smell. And, when her arthritis got too bad I took her to the vet to get a steroid shot. She was better for a while. But then she started falling down. And, one day she went out on the deck and almost fell off it.

I started worrying about her falling off and getting hurt. She could lay there in pain. I didn't want her life to end that way. So, finally I called a vet to come to the house.

We were all home with her when she went to sleep. She was calm and peaceful. But it was so horribly sad to have to say goodbye to her. She was such a good dog.

Fashion Fail or Fashion Forward

I bought some new ankle warmers this weekend. I know very 80's but a little less so than leg warmers. I just didn't want to cover up my Shrek colored toes. It's such a pretty OPI polish that I didn't want to hide it.


My husband didn't think it was so pretty. First, he said the color made me look a bit like a troll. I can live with that.

But, when he said they were the stupidest thing he'd ever seen, I thought that was going a little far. Rude-Dude!

So, we got into a bit of a spat over that. I don't care - I'm still going to wear them - take that!

Earth-Friendly Friday

What percentage of U.S. rivers originate in national forests?

Eighty percent. The rivers provide clean drinking water to 60 million people in thirty-eight states. They also are the home to thousands of species of fish.

We need to protect our rivers and our forests.

Dark Places

I've started reading a new book. I liked the title. I know, you can't judge a book by it's...cover...and the title is even less than the cover. But it was also on the New York Times Best Seller List so I thought, "what the heck" and "why not?"

I picked it up and I'm about half way through the 345 pages. But this isn't my usual type of book. It's slower than I usually like and there is to much "real" drama in the story. I usually prefer horror - 'cuz it's not as horrible as some of the stuff that happens in homes across America. But this keeps me reading. I don't know. Maybe I'll make it to end of the book. I don't know.

But right now, I'm going to get back to it.

Gillian Flynn must have done something write 'cuz I'm still reading and, like I said, this isn't my usual choice for a book to curl up in bed with and twiddle away the hours.

Zombie Squish - FREE VIDEO GAME

So my sons and a couple of their friends have been working on a video game app for the Windows 7 phone and, yes, it's a zombie game.

So, if you have a Windows 7 phone, you can download it for FREE and start squishing those zombies before they take over the world. And, with Halloween just around the corner, there's no better time to start getting your game-on with Zombies.

Try it! I think you'll like it - I did. In fact, it's almost addicting.

ARGHHH mateys, what could be more fun than squishing some pirate zombies?



Only listening to the sounds of the green slime oozing over the screen...


And, if that's not enough to get you to click on over to grab some free gaming fun, just look at the zombies getting slimed...



Now, that's what I call some good green fun ;)

If you want to read up on it before you start playing, check it out here.

There are three ways to download the game for free to your phone. Check them out here.

Pints to Pasta

I did it!!! I finished the 10k which is 6.2 miles. I've done it before but it was HOT, actually one of the hottest mornings we've had here in Portland. So, I was struggling.

I wanted to run 10 minute miles. I didn't quite do as well as I wanted but I was happy my pace was under 11 minutes per mile. I just have to keep practicing and working to get faster.

How 'bout you - do you have any fitness goals you're working on? running it

TrueBlood End of Season

It was the end for TrueBlood - at least for the season. And I had to do something. I mean it's going to be months before I see my HBO friends again and after getting to know them so well from reading their stories - thanks to Charlaine Harris, it's hard to be away from them for so long.

So, I invited a few girlfriends over to share the finale. And we had to eat and drink a little. So I made a Fanpire Cake, some magical cupcakes and we said a toast with a little "Bat Juice". Oh, and we had a little finger food ;)

Here's how I did it.

The finger food was just breadsticks that I stuck almond slivers on and brushed with butter before I baked them.

I made a couple of cakes and frosted them with a whipped cream frosting then I covered it with red fondant.

I sprayed some Wilton Color Mist - Food Color Spray on top of the cake using a vampire stencil. Then I added some frosting to cover the connections.


And, added some fondant bats to finish it off.


I bought a couple of labels and taped them over my favorite wines to give them some added TrueBlood charm


It was a fun party but I was disappointed with what the writers did to Tara. It had me crying in my green witch hat cupcakes.

Birthday Bash

It's a strange phenomena in our family...multiple birthdays. My husband and I share a birthday. One of my brothers and sisters share a birthday and...yes, two of my kids share the same birthday. Pretty coincidental. Maybe it's destiny. The fates bringing us together.

And, you might think sharing a birthday would make people super similar...sort of like twins.

Nope. That's not how it works.

We're totally different. But sharing a birthday creates a bond that can't be broken. But, we share so many things...more important than birthdays.

How 'bout you...any strange coincidences in your family tree?

Meg Cabot's Overbite

This was a fun book. Meg Cabot is a wonderful writer and anyone who knows me knows I'm a true fanpire. And I love all those vampires lurking in the shadows of this story.

This is another one of those "Twilight" romantic triangle stories. The big difference here is that this story is about a wonderful guy gone bad...well, he's been bad since birth but you can't really blame him. After all, he's the son of Dracula. The Prince of Darkness is a charismatic, gorgeous guy and if that's not enough to draw you to him, he's all powerful--or at least nearly "all" powerful. He can rip doors off cars without any effort and he comes to the rescue of ... yep, once again, it's a beautiful girl named Meena. But Meena doesn't want to become another demoness of darkness. Instead she becomes a kick-butt beauty who goes into battle against the forces of evil by staking those vamps. But she never gives up hope for Lucien.

And she has good reason to hold out hope for him. His Dad might be Dracula but his Mom was an angel. So, while the war of good and evil is ramping up the drama, Lucien has his own battle of good and evil waging a war within him.

Now, if you want to find out which side wins--you'll have to read the story. And, I recommend this one.

If you read it, please pop back by and let me know.

Word for Wednesday

Word: Riparian


Do you know what it means?


You might if you ever watch the OPB/PBS series "Keeping Up Appearances". It's a show with British Humor written by Roy Clarke for the BBC. It was a series that ran from 1990 to 1995. But my husband and I still sometimes watch it on Netflix.

Anyway, that's where I learned this word for Wednesday.


So, do you know it too? If not, take a guess.


Now scroll down for the answer.




Further




Further



It means "of, pertaining to, or situated or dwelling on the bank of a river or other body of water: riparian villas."


If you want to read more about it, check it out here on Dictionary.com

Hats

I have loved hats ever since I read Bartholomew's Hats. And when I went to Art in the Pearl I fell in love with Lauri Chambers' hats. So, I tried a few on.

How 'bout you? Do you love hats too?

Help the Shelters

Midnight is the Deadline!


I don't usually post on the week-ends, but my friend Anne at Piedmont Writer found this at The Eagle's Aerial Perspective. And it's a worthy cause. I have simply pasted up what The Golden Eagle has on her post. If you can join in before midnight, you will be helping a dog. And that's a pretty nice way to say Happy Labor Day!

Pedigree is resurrecting its insanely successful Write a Post, Help a Dog program. In 2010, 391 bloggers wrote about the program and with each post, Pedigree donated 20 pounds of its Healthy Longevity dog food to shelter animals. In all, 7,820 pounds of food was donated to two shelters renowned for their care of senior dogs: Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco and Castaway Critters in Harrisburg, Pa.

How you can help in 2011

Simply spread the word about Write a Post, Help a Dog 2011 and once again Pedigree will donate 20 pounds of food for each blogger's post. Here's all you need to include in your post:

The Write a Post, Help a Dog program is aimed at raising awareness and food for the more than four million dogs that wind up in shelters and breed rescues each year.
For each blog post mentioning the Pedigree Foundation from now until midnight ET on September 3, Pedigree will donate 20 pounds of its new dry Pedigree recipe food for dogs -- its best recipe ever -- to a shelter, because every dog deserves leading nutrition.

The Pedigree Foundation -- a 501 (C)(3) nonprofit organization is committed to helping dogs by providing grants to shelters and rescues and encouraging dog adoption. This year the Foundation has already raised more than $376,570 against its goal of $1.5 million to carry out its work to fund grants that not only help shelters operate, but to further shelter innovations.
The Pedigree Foundation depends on charitable contributions from individuals to carry out its mission to help dogs find loving homes. In addition to writing a blog post, here's how you can help:

Donate online at http://pedigreefoundation.org/donate.aspx
Apply for a shelter grant from the Pedigree Foundation by completing a form at www.pedigreefoundation.org
Purchase Dogs Rule Gear at www.dogsrulegear.com where the proceeds go to the Pedigree Foundation to help loving dogs find a home. SPECIAL OFFER: Get 10 percent off Dogs Rule Gear by using the promo code BlogPaws10 from August 22 - September 30.


Now, the deadline for this is TONIGHT, and the link is at The Eagle's Aerial Perspective blog. So please go there, link up, copy and paste, or blog what you can to help this fabulous cause

Flowers for Friday

Nothing could make the sun seem to be shining - even when it's raining outside: nothing but sunflowers.

And nothing could reflect the moonlight like orchids gleaming on the table


So, if you need a little sunshine or moonlight to help make you happy, simply add a couple flowers around the house - they will bring the bloomability back into your life.

Pints to Pasta

Once again it's time to sign up for the Pints to Pasta run and it's for a couple good causes.

This is one race worth running because it's giving a portion of its proceeds to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training AND The Boys and Girls Clubs and there are more than a couple great sponsors to help kick this off.

The Old Spaghetti Factory and Widmer Brothers Brewing are a couple of the tastiest sponsors - thus the meaning behind the name: Pints to Pasta.

It's a fun 10k run that starts at Adidas (another sponsor) and the run begins on a downhill slope :) then it's off to the waterfront and finally the runners are making feet to the festive food at the Spaghetti Factory.

Plus for those who don't want to chug a beer at 10 in the morning, there's always a cold glass of Jamba Juice waiting at the finish line.

The run is on September 11th so you still have time to sign up. I hope to see you there and I've got my fingers crossed that the weather will hold out and we'll have a little more sunshine for our run.