Going Domestic

Dear Dishwasher

I miss you. 

I am sure that Chris misses you, too. It was nice being able to put our tableware and cutlery in you at the end of the day. Nice not having to wash every.single.dirty.dish by hand, especially if we've had a really busy day and there really isn't more energy to put into washing a cup or a bowl and we're short on time as well, because there are two kids who need baths and to be tucked into bed. I promise that I will not move into another property without you or one of your friends because I CANNOT STAND washing mountains of plates, cups, or bowls by hand. I am not sure why I don't mind washing pots and knives, but maybe I'm just quirky that way. 

It's just really frustrating when a person can't slack off on washing every.single.dirty.dish without inviting two hundred small guests to the party. 

Miss you lots, Mr. Dishwasher.

Take Care,

~ Laura

me vs. latex paint

Instead of grumbling about the ridiculous time-line for our next move, I thought that I'd just pass along that rubbing alcohol (along with an abrasive sponge) has proven fairly effective at removing dry latex paints from my second-favourite pair of jeans, and my Lululemon yoga pants. Don't ask me why I wear my good clothes for painting, or why the front closet door is only half primed ...

I *heart* free!

Sometimes I sit on the fence about whether having a Costco membership is worth it. I have no problem justifying it when we're going to make a big purchase there, like eyeglasses or an area rug, but if we're just buying pineapples and bathroom tissue, I have to wonder.

So, I was wondering that very thing in the line-up at Costco about a week ago. And then, something happened that hadn't ever happened before. We were given a big box of free promotional products! And there was a Swiffer Duster! A free Swiffer Duster! I was thrilled!

Guess I no longer can avoid dusting in-between the spindles on the staircase.

Sidenote: There also was a package of dryer sheets (Bounce sheets, I think), and gosh, are they ever strongly fragranced! I noticed that there was a "scent level" scale on their box, and they're ranked a 2 out of 4. I'd hate to run into anything rated a 3 or a 4. Oh my!

Future Home of My Fabric Stash

Madeline's stuff, now with organization
Originally uploaded by goingdomestic.

One of the problems with living somewhere temporarily is that it's hard to justify making substantial purchases. For months I've wanted to have some sort of shelving in our living room to hold our books and Madeline's toys. I was out today, taking advantage of our newly renewed Costco membership, when I spied these modular wire shelves for a paltry $23.

I will admit that it was really tricky to assemble this with a toddler who thought it was great fun to jump in the cubbies or climb up and sit on them, but I am thrilled that I can easily take the shelving apart, pack in back into the small box it came in, and then pack it all up to take back to Calgary. I think I'm going to use it to hold all of the fabric that I currently have stashed away in cardboard boxes under my sewing table ...

seeing is believing

I'm not sure where I first heard the expression "good things come to those who wait" but I was confronted with it the other day when I was in Shoppers Drug Mart picking up a passport application from the Canada Post outlet.

It was just on a whim that I wandered over to the cleaning products section; I didn't ever expect to find the Method products! This location only had the all-purpose cleaner, wipes, and dish soap (all in the pink grapefruit fragrance), and the leather wipes, but it was still one of the highlights of my day. I can happily toss out my bottle of carcinogen-laden Fantastik with OxyPower ...

let bylaws be bylaws

Please allow me to introduce our new garbage container, Oscar:

Oscar joined our household yesterday, making us compliant with a new municipal bylaw that comes into effect in a couple of days that require all outside garbage to be contained in animal-proof containers or nets.  It will be really nice not to have to keep our garbage in the basement any more. 

Please wish Oscar a long and healthy life. Oscar had a predecessor, but Mr. Trashy sustained an injury back in March when his lid blew away in 80 km/hour winds, never to be seen again. I don't want to have to replace yet another garbage container, so I think I'll figure out a way to tie the lid to the body of the container before winter returns.

the real disparity ...

Listening the news lately, a person would get the impression that the people of Newfoundland are hard done by fishing conglomerates, airlines, and oil companies. Really, they should forget all of that and complain that they can't buy the Method brand cleaning products while other people, shopping in Shoppers Drug Marts across the country, can.  I've been slowly visiting all of the Shoppers locations in St. John's, and it looks like I'm stuck using carcinogen-laden Fantastik to clean our home here. Bah!  I'm also sad that I haven't been able to find Cheddar Bunnies here - none of the grocery stores appear to carry the Annie's Homegrown brand.  It's funny, because in Calgary even regular grocery stores carried Madeline's favourite little orange bunnies, not just the organic markets (which St. John's could use one of).  It's funny how these little things mean so much to me ...

colour therapy

I've blogged before about how I'd love to try out an AGA Cooker. Part of that obsession might be mere curiosity about what it's like to cook on a high-end appliance, but a large part of my interest would indeed be because the Cookers come in so many fun colours. Pistachio and Claret are calling out to me at this moment ...

I love colourful appliances. I'm actually kind of bummed that my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer is boring white, although Chris very rightly pointed out that it never will clash, sitting out on the counter of any kitchen. A few years ago I saw the stand mixers in a lovely tangerine colour ...

My quest for a colourful appliance continues, and I've set my sights on vacuum cleaners (even if we do have hardwood on our main floor at home). I use a cheap navy Hoover at home and never realized that vacuum cleaners were anything but boring!  But there are Dysons that are purple! Or red and purple!  I found a turquoise Hoover. And a series of vacuums by Miele that feature graphic images on them!

a little cleaner canada

Whee! My cross-border shopping list has gotten shorter! I just read an article in the Globe and Mail reporting that Shoppers Drug Mart has started to carry Method cleaning products! (I hope it's not just the Toronto stores! That would be terrible!)

Now I just need to work on deciding what to buy from Trader Joe's :)

one can never have too many vacuum posts

I'm not a really picky person when it comes to my vacuum cleaner. At home we have a no-frills lightweight Hoover and a heavier Dirt Devil, both uprights that use bags. One of my online friends recently was complaining that her cannister vac broke, and she didn't have the money to buy another cannister. She loathes uprights, figuring they aren't as powerful. I didn't that there was a difference. Is there a difference? I've always used an upright!

Here in St. John's I'm using a lime green Eureka Optima. It does an alright job. But the innovation in floor cleaning that I'm really excited about is the Scooba! I would totally welcome a robotic floor-washing device into my home ...