I try to avoid drama on this blog, really. I do. I like to be enjoyable to a broad audience so I often keep my more inciting opinions to myself, unless it’s something I feel ethically obligated to discuss.

And I feel obligated to discuss Nestle, however briefly.

If you’ve active in the blogosphere you’ve likely heard about the Nestle Family event. Perhaps you’ve even seen some back and forth on Twitter under the #NestleFamily hashtag. I hope you’ve read at least one of these posts:

An open letter to the attendees of the Nestle Family blogger event

The great Nestle boycott

What Are People Thinking?

edited to add: #NestleFamily, Bloggers, and Race: Why It Matters

Great posts…though they forget to address the Nestle/child slave labor connection. If you haven’t, please take a moment to do so now. And maybe you could stop by the Infact website and scan this Wikipedia entry.

But this post is not just about telling you that Nestle is fully of suckiness and fail. It’s about personal ethics. It’s about getting in bed with bad people. Now, I’m sure there are plenty of bloggers at the Nestle event who had/have no idea how dirty Nestle is. This isn’t about them (though it’s probably prudent to research companies before you jump into bed with them).

If you know a company is doing awful, horrible, terrible things should you buy their products? No. If you know a company is doing awful, horrible, terrible things should you become part of their PR spin machine? EVEN BIGGER NO.

I just don’t understand how anyone could think otherwise.

I’m sick of stuff.

I live in a 4 bedroom townhouse. 2 of those rooms are devoted almost solely to storage, as is the main area of the basement.

That. is. ridiculous.

3 people do not need this much space, or stuff. And most of it is mine. I’m tired of it all. I’m tired of not knowing what I have and where things are. I’m tired of holding onto things I never ever use because I cared about them at one time or because I think I might use them someday.

I want to simplify, radically.

So that’s what I’m going to do. I am going to be selling, donating, gifting, and throwing away as much of my stuff as possible {and maybe even doing some blog giveaways}. If I’m not using these things they should go to someone who will. You can follow my efforts on Twitter under the hashtag #projectpurge {and feel free to join in}! And I’ll try to post updates here on Domestic Dork as well.

This is going to be all kinds of awesome.

And all kinds of hard.

*gulp*

Am I crazy?

Probably. But at least I’ll know I wasn’t driven crazy by having too much stuff!

It’s time for another round of Body After Baby on Mama Notes. Part of me is dreading it because I’ve put together a really challenging plan for myself. But part of me is looking forward to getting back in shape {I’ve been slacking for several weeks now}. Things are being done a little differently this time, so I’m *not* sharing my before pictures or stats yet. That will come later.

My plan includes an eight week Galloway walk/run conditioning program. If I do this program I can then begin marathon training and complete it in time for the Calgary Marathon next year. The conditioning program is actually a little below my level. But since I’ll be doing the 30 Day Shred again and playing Wii Fit I figured I’d better not push myself too hard on the running.

I’m also going to try doing something a little, well, off-the-wall. I’m going to be doing self hypnosis to supplement my exercising and eating healthy. I think it will make a bit of a difference. But if nothing else, it’s a chance to take 15-30 minutes for myself each day and really relax.

This week we’ve been challenged to drink water. We get 1 point for each glass of water we drink so I’m tracking my intake on my dry erase board. Points will help us at the end of the challenge when a winner is chosen. I guess if we reach our goals we’ll all be winners. But let’s be real…I want to win a prize too!

Wish me luck!

The winner of the WeeEssentials giveaway is…

Congrats Serene! You’ve been contacted and have 72 hours to respond! :D

The good news?

• No epic hair fail, just a hair WIN.
• Lucy cut a tooth.
• Adam got our basement almost completely organized for us.
• I get to pick a winner for my giveaway tonight and I love doing that.
• I’m doing another round of Body After Baby.
• I got to see an Iridium satellite flare.
• I was introduced to this and hilarity ensued.

The bad news?

• I’m doing another round of Body After Baby and it’s going to be hard!
• My cats are driving me crazy…mostly the older, dumb one.
• Lucy has been having nightly freak outs for no apparent reason.
• My house is kind of, maybe, sort of what you might possibly call messy.
• I’m trying to get my holiday shopping done early and I have absolutely no idea what to get Adam.

Want to participate in "Good News Bad News?" It's easy! Just write your own "Good News Bad News" post. Link back here in the post. You can even grab the button below! Leave you link in the McLinky widget and a comment. That's it!

Remember last Saturday’s hair fiasco? After talking to some people and thinking about it all week I decided I wasn’t going to try to go purple again. It didn’t work the first time, why should it magically work the second time? I figured my best bet would be to buy a box of drugstore stuff in a dark brown or black and just do my best to cover the mess.

And then the stylist talked me into letting her try again.

So I sat in her chair and thought “I can’t believe I let her talk me into this. Why didn’t I just say ‘no?’ I’m such a pushover.”

Well thank goodness for being a pushover!

Don’t I look fabulous {minus the fact that I haven’t brushed my hair and that I’m wearing zero makeup and I’m making a goofy face}!?

Check one more thing off my list! :D

UPDATE: Here are some more pictures ya’ll!

Check out this craft I found in a recent issue of Better Homes and Gardens’ 100 Decorating Ideas Under $100. It’s an Autumn Monogram “Wreath.” Their instructions for it consisted of two pictures of the finished project and three sentences. Hopefully you’ll find my extra info a little more helpful.

You’ll need to buy a paper-mache letter, some silk leaves,* and some strong magnets at your local craft store. You’ll also need a hot glue gun and paint if you don’t already have them. These are all pretty cheap supplies. I think I spent $10 or less for everything {except the glue gun and paint which I already had}.

When I made mine I cleared off the kitchen table and placed down some newspaper. Then, once the glue gun was hot I glued on my magnets. I later discovered that the magnets are so strong that the hot glue won’t cut it when it comes time to take your wreath down. The letter pops right off and the magnets stay stuck to the door! So you might want to try super glue. Whatever you use I recommend attaching the magnets before the next step.

You’ll need to paint the letter a color that will work well with your leaves. I chose red. I found it was easier to paint the edges of the letter with the magnets already glued on because they acted like little feet to lift the letter off the table. Make sure you don’t miss any spots, but you don’t have to worry about doing a perfect paint job since you’ll only be covering it later.

Once the paint has really dried you can glue on the leaves. I arranged my leaves on the letter first to find a layout I liked. Then I went through and glued each leaf. This is really a very easy and quick project. The biggest hassle is waiting for things to dry in-between steps. Your children could do this project and would probably have a lot of fun too!

Once everything’s dry just hang it on your door! If you don’t have a metal front door you could probably use 3M sticky-tabs instead. Or you put it on your fridge.

You can also modify this project for any season or holiday. A glittery, white initial would look like snow for winter, or you could glue on peppermint candies for a Christmas look. You could use silk flowers for spring or summer, black roses for Halloween, pom-poms for a birthday party…the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Happy Autumn!

*You could go out and gather dried leaves but I chose silk for two reasons; I can store the project and use it again next year and I can use the wreath now at the start of fall instead of waiting until there are leaves to gather.

So…despite the fact that it’s 93 degrees right now  {seriously…I’m in CANADA! Shouldn’t it be nice and cool?} Autumn is here! And what better way to celebrate the season than with food? So I’m going to share my mom’s awesome pie crust recipe with you {hi, Mom!} as well as the secret to getting the crust to turn out great! You can squirrel away the info for Thanksgiving, or make a pie now, just because pie is yummy.

Also…I’m sharing this picture of me in which I look like I’m twelve. You’re welcome.

Pie Crust

• 3 cups flour
• 1 and 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 tsp salt

mix together then add

• 1/2 cup very cold water
• 1 beaten egg and
• 1 tsp vinegar

bake at 475 degrees for 8-10 minutes

Now, for the “secret!”

When it calls for “very cold water” it means very, very, VERY cold water. Get that water as cold as you possibly can!

This recipe should make enough dough to do a lattice or to make dough leaves like the pie in the picture. Just use leaf-shaped cookie cutters or cut them freehand with a knife. You can also glaze the leaves with egg white if you’d like, or sprinkle them with cinnamon-sugar.  When I was a kid my mom would roll out the leftover dough, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, then bake it on a cookie sheet. We could then break off pieces as “pie-crust cookies.”

What’s one of your favorite “fall foods?”

Being the kind of mama who uses cloth diapers and cloth menstrual pads I naturally planned on using cloth nursing pads. But my leakage levels + cloth nursing pads = FAIL, epic fail even. I’m talking I could enter a wet t-shirt contest kind of fail.

But then I found WeeEssentials on Etsy.

Her nursing pads are more than just freakin’ cute {and trust me, they ARE that}…they’re made with a feature that makes you go “that’s genius!” They’re made with a layer of PUL {the same waterproof stuff diapers like Bum Genius are made with}. So I placed an order. And folks, I couldn’t be happier.

As you can see, they’re super pretty. The cores are made with bamboo and organic cotton. And the PUL lining is really fantastic. At night I’ve leaked past, but only because {being reusable} these pads don’t have stick-um on the back to keep them in place and I leaked around, not through, the pad. But, to tell the truth, I’ve had the same problem at night, even with disposables.

And Lucy sure likes ‘em.

Along with my order were some soap bits samples and one of the yummiest smelling lip balms I’ve ever encountered.

The lip balm is the “Citrus Blast” flavor, made with orange, lemon, lime and grapefruity goodness. It goes on really, really smooth. And I like that I can recognize and pronounce all of the nine ingredients. There’s no chemical crap in this lip balm.

The soap bits are surprisingly cute, considering they’re just little blocks of soap. I guess it’s the size factor that makes them seem so sweet. They can be used {melted and mixed with water} for cloth diaper wipes, or just as regular soap. I tried washing my hands with 1 bit. At first I didn’t like the way my hands felt after washing, kind of sticky. It’s the same feeling I get whenever I use any non-liquid soap. But it passed quickly and my hands didn’t feel dry or anything. And the soap had a nice, light scent {strawberries and champagne}.

Here’s another great thing. The service was great and the products well made. I heart shopping on Etsy because I love supporting small businesses. And when the businesses make such nice things and treat me so nicely it keeps me coming back. In fact, I’ve already planned my next purchase from WeeEssentials. I’m sooooo ordering some of the “Soothing Sinus Relief Balm” because my nose always gets so sore and red when I’m sick.

And though I haven’t had an opportunity to try WeeEssentials’s cloth menstrual pads {yet} I couldn’t resist telling you about them because they have two features mine don’t {but I wish they did}. Just like the nursing pads, they’re lined with PUL! Aaaand each pad is embroidered with stars on the wing so you can tell which pads are the most absorbent. Genius!

Basically I’m in love with WeeEssentials now. And you should be too. Know why? Well, besides the reasons I’ve already listed, WeeEssentials is sponsoring a giveaway!

What can you win?

a $20 gift certificate to spend on anything in the WeeEssentials shop {which ships everywhere}

How can you win?

1st entry (mandatory for any others to count}: Visit WeeEssentials and leave a comment on this post about what your favorite item is . You must leave a way to contact you on all entries {either leave your e-mail or make sure you can be e-mailed through your blog}. If you leave no way to notify you, or if you do not respond to notification within 72 hours a new winner will be chosen.

2nd entry: Blog about the giveaway and leave a link to the post in a comment on this post.

3rd entry: Follow @WeeEssentials on Twitter and leave a comment on this post saying that you did.

4th entry: Follow @DomesticDork on Twitter and leave a comment on this post saying that you did.

5th entry: Become a fan of WeeEssentials on Facebook and leave a comment on this post saying that you did.

6th entry: Follow me here on Domestic Dork and leave a comment saying that you did.

7th entry: Tweet about the giveaway and link to the tweet in a comment {you must leave a link to the specific tweet not your Twitter account!}. You may tweet once daily.

How will the winner be chosen?

Winner will be chosen via Random.org then notified and announced here on the blog.

When will the winner be chosen?

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Good luck!

{This review contains my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any way for providing it.}

The Good News?

• I’m starting to get caught up on my graphic design projects.
• I have an awesome giveaway starting tomorrow!
• Beatles Rockband arrived and it’s awesome!
• I ordered my NaNoWriMo hoodie!
• I found fifteen bucks I didn’t know I had.
• I got to see the International Space Station orbiting overhead.

The Bad News?

• I had an epic hair FAIL.
• I have had a hard time falling asleep lately.
• My neighbors like to scream and curse at each other at 10:30 at night {which might have something to do with the tough time sleeping}.

Want to participate in "Good News Bad News?" It's easy! Just write your own "Good News Bad News" post. Link back here in the post. You can even grab the button below! Leave you link in the McLinky widget and a comment. That's it!

Dye my hair purple.

It’s on my list of things to do. It’s something I’ve wanted for a long time. So I made the appointment {and by “I” I mean “Adam”}. I pushed past the nervousness and sat in the chair. I pretended that I wasn’t surrounded by three dozen little old ladies getting their greys covered and certainly thinking I was crazy {and by “three dozen” I mean “maybe three to five”}. I managed to not panic when the peroxide started doing things to my scalp I hadn’t expected. I waited patiently. I didn’t complain when the stylist was less than gentle with my hair {and by “less then gentle” I mean “pulling my hair like one might weed a garden”}. And what to I have to show for it?

My AWESOME purple hair! ---------------->

And by “awesome” I mean “not at all awesome.” And by “purple” I mean “ugly part purple, part weird blue-ish brown-ish grey.”

Apparently my hair just wouldn’t take the color. {Thanks a lot, Hair}. But the stylist said that if we kept trying we’d really damage my hair {Yeah, well, you deserve it, Hair}! So she sent me home with a bottle of fancy conditioner and instructions to deep condition my hair four times this week. Then we get to do the whole. thing. over. again next Saturday. Yippee.

We are however happy with Adam’s new look.

Have you ever had a dye job go horribly, terribly wrong? Oh boy, do I want to hear about it! So tell me in the comments!

For Part 2 click here!

Do you like parties? How about parties with a theme?

I loooooooove themed parties.

So I’ve been mentally planning Lucy’s first birthday party since…hmm…since she was born? Probably. Or maybe since before she was born. Anyway, it’s been a looong time.

For months I thought I’d be doing a Dr. Seuss theme, or maybe just “The Lorax.” Then, yesterday, while running errands inspiration struck. Whole new game plan folks!

I’m not telling {yet}. But trust me, it’s going to be awesome-sauce. Yesterday my mind was a-flurry with ideas. Then, as I lay in bed trying to sleep {which seems to be a common occurrence these days} I worried and wondered.

About what?

About the fact that I don’t actually have many people nearby to invite. And the people I would invite have kids. So either A: I invite just them and not their kids and then it’s an awkward adults only party for a kid {hello! weird and kind of rude} or B: I invite the whole families and the Fire Marshall comes to yell at me for fitting faaaaaaaar more people into my house than is probably legal. And if it’s only adults, what the heck are we supposed to do at this party? And if kids come too, well, what the heck are we supposed to do that’s fun for all ages? And what if I invite people but nobody can come because it conflicts with holiday travel plans?

It was enough to make me almost throw in the towel and give up on the party altogether…almost. But Lucy will only be ONE once. And it’s kind of a big deal. And I really want to decorate and make cupcakes and so on. So then I thought, well, maybe I’ll just do it for the three of us {though that seems like a waste because Lucy won’t care and Adam probably won’t either}. Then I thought, maybe I’ll set up the web-cam so Grandma can at least watch Lucy dig into her cake. But, again, why go to the trouble and expense of decorating if the only person who’s going to appreciate it is me {and the people who ooh and aah over the pictures I’ll post here on my blog}?

So dear readers, what do YOU think I should do?

Also, would it be tacky to put “in lieu of gifts please consider making a donation to the charity of your choice” on the invitations?