tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe

Ganier Fructis Fortifying Shampoo (Color Shield formula)

Well, Happy Monday to you! How do you know it's Monday? Are you reading the tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe segment? Aha, it seems you are! My "this makes my life easier" product of the day is Ganier Fructis, specifically their Color Shield Fortifying Shampoo (conditioner too). Unfortunately, I come from a long line of premature gray individuals and need to color my hair frequently. We all know that coloring your hair isn't the most fun task and the less often you have to do it the better, right? Yes, the better for the time-challenged among us and better for our hair too! I have been a long time user of Garnier products including their color shield shampoo and until recently, I have had to color my hair every 5 to 6 weeks. That was until I tried Garnier's new color shield formula! Not only does my hair stay colored well for two to three weeks longer, my hair is shiny and soft as well! Score!
If you find yourself reaching for that box of hair color too and want to get your color to last longer, maybe it's time to try Garnier Fructis Fortifying Shampoo (color shield formula). This is what I like because it makes my life easier, try it! I'll bet you like it too! ;0)

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy

                                                                                                                                                 photo by J. Lamb 2010

"We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible."~ Chretien Malesherbes

As profound as this quote is, it is really a good compass for life. Once something is labeled as impossible it is abandoned in thought and reason and perhaps we shouldn't think of things as impossible. Challenging or thought provoking perhaps would be better terms and wouldn't provide the hopelessness that labeling something as "impossible" would. Accomplish more through challenge and effort than abandoning them in the hopelessness of the impossible, great words to live by! Just a thought!;0)

Why live your life on facebook?

I love facebook, I won't lie. What I don't understand is the need some people have to update all their "FB" friends, play by play, all day long.  This week alone I have found out that a set of friends are divorcing, that a relative is having marital issues too, that a "friend" only ever updates her statuses with the boring details of monotonous life and that another "friend" only wishes to influence me politically. If you and your partner are splitting, why do I need to read about it 10 times in one day? Shouldn't you be putting some of that effort into typing in status updates into working on your family? Just sayin'...and what's with all the lame teaser updates? " they say it's top secret...yeah, right.", what?! I can understand maybe teasing friends with actually news, maybe.There is this awesome sight lamebook (psst...it's not for the faint of heart, just warning you) that has the best of the worst facebook status updates from real people and I, for one, find it hilarious! You'll have to click the image to enlarge it.

My sis had an excellent point on her blog back in June (read it, she has a valid point!) about the problem with facebook and I agree totally. I know I spend a lot of time scrolling down the news feed checking on my 400 and something friends I've amassed (somehow), but honestly there are only a handful of them that I even have talked to in person (or otherwise) at any point in the last 10 years. It's fun to see what people are doing and where friends you've lost are at now, but seriously people! I would have been okay not to know what you had for lunch or that you are fighting with your spouse and pay attention to spelling for goodness sake! "Hmmmm... Have U ever notice when ur watching 2 1/2 men, the Mom always has the SAME outfit on..." I can understand being a little lazy in a texting forum, but otherwise you just look dumb and it's hard to read!
Seriously, I do love facebook and love that I can see what people I know or used to know are doing. I just wish some people would spend a little more time not making it so obvious that they have no life and perhaps should spend a little more time in actuality, just sayin'!;0) 

Sew sweet!

My daughter is so pretty and a bit stubborn...

While she modeled her pretty new dress...

and I also altered a jumper for her for school...

and sewed the cutest baby ballerina dress ever!

Can you believe how cute that teeny little ballerina dress turned out?! I was commissioned by my sissy to either find a ballerina Halloween costume for my little niece or to make one. I knew I could make a pretty one easily as long as I could find and inexpensive tank top to use as the bodice. I chose this so that my sis could easily put a long sleeved body suit underneath for warmth. I was able to pick one up on clearance at Old Navy for about a buck (can't beat that!) and all the other materials, I had. So, think about it...a buck + 30 minutes of my time = cha ching! It's so stinkin' cute too! ;0)
Up at the top I had some pretty off white and pink floral fabric that was silky and soft...of course my daughter wanted something out of it and I obliged!;0) I took a 3 dollar tank top and cut off the bottom at empire-waste length and sewed a long flowy skirt to the bottom. I also made a sash out of the excess and recycled an off white flower that fell off of something (I have no idea what though) and stitched a safety pin to the back and clipped it on the strap. I turned out so pretty and my daughter was nice enough to model it as well, uh okay...as you can see she wasn't nice enough to smile though, preteens...;0P
I also took the time to alter a jumper I found at 'ye old thrift store' for 4 bucks, into a uniform appropriate frock for my daughter. It was a woman's size medium and was way too long and way too wide for her, no problem though! I had her try it on as I pinned it to fit and snipped where I needed to shorten it. There were some large pockets on the sides that I would have sewn right over, so I removed them as well. I altered it and ran it through the wash and decided what to do with the hem, ribbon! I used some sew-less hemming tape and ironed the ribbon all the way around the edge before I went back to stitch in place. I decided to jazz it up a bit at the top as well and ironed and stitched down some ribbon at the top too. The result? A uniform appropriate jumper that was less than I could buy the material for and way less than I could buy it new! ;0)

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe

Lysol neutra air Fabric Mist!

Since I was having technical difficulties yesterday, I figured I'd forgo the regularly scheduled TiP fOr TuEsDay segment. Be rest assured though, I will return to it again next week..mmm-k? ;0) I have to tell you how much I LOVE this great new product from my friends at Lysol! (yay!) Here's a reminder on how much I love Lysol...(psst...click here!) Lysol you are my friend and help to vanquish the sickies, the icky smells, the germiest of germs and now the ultimate test...the foul dungeon that is my boys' room! EEK! ;0)

Here's the smelly lowdown:

Anyone that has little boys knows this well, little boys are smelly! Not so much when they are really little, but I have the pleasure of having a preteen boy. I love my boys, but their smelly room? Not so much. I would walk by and be thrown back by the stench of sweat and dirt wafting through the doorway and would immediately grab my can of Lysol and start spraying. I'd spray smelly sneakers, beds, curtains, whatever was holding still, but still to no avail. I opened the window all morning, I washed all bedding and dirty clothes, kept the closet doors (where the hampers are housed) closed and yet the stench continued. Out of frustration, I sought backup. I used Fabreeze in there too and no matter what, it still smelled. This is when I stumbled upon Lysol neutra air Fabric Mist! I love Lysol and I knew the smell issue involved bacteria, this had to help, right? I sprayed the pillows, the floor, the sheets, the comforters, the curtains and it worked! Hallelujah! The next time I walked past their room, I wasn't thrown back by that smelly boy smell, I was greeted by the smell of fresh linens. What a great product! If it can vanquish that awful stench from my boys' room then imagine what it can do for the dog bed, the smokey smelling jacket, the car upholstery...the possibilities are endless!

Lysol, you are truly my hero and thanks to your product Lysol neutra air Fabric Mist, I will never be tortured by the boys' dungeon/smelly room again! tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe, try it! I know you'll like it too! ;0)

Technical difficulties...

It seems my computer has caught a cold, one generated by the use of AdSense on my sight. This isn't the first one I've caught from it either, so I have removed it form my page. Thankfully I have the ABC Rent@Geek at my disposal! (Thank you baby!) and I should be able to be up running tomorrow! Silly viruses anyway...bleh. ;0(

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy

Our desert garden in our last home...

There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again. ~Elizabeth Lawrence

I challenge you to take a moment and view your world through the eyes of your children. The world full of color and sound and beauty and endless possibilities. The world lacking the everyday cynicism we encounter just living. The world of wonder and goodness and light. To never believe that your dreams are impossible, to never imagine hurt and fright and excess in unfathomable proportions. I wish to be young again to experience the freedom of youth and not feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. Take that moment to watch your children as they experience something new and wondrous and free-spirited as they are. Remember how you felt, the freedom we had in blissful youth. Just a thought! ;0)