ACK! - CAN'T WALK IN MY FRONT ROOM!

PUFFY POM - POMS ELEMENT

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Yes, these WERE fun to make!

Well, yesterday was an adventure in patience. I set out goals for yesterday, and achieved them too, only not without some trials along the way...

Goal 1. Decorate Miles school windows.

This job ended up taking about three hours in total, whereas I had budgetted about 1 hour. The reason it got dragged, or as my friend Gina would put it, 'drug' out, is because the windows have not been cleaned since last year and so they needed to be cleaned first. BIG windows. And all the posters from last year had been pasted severely on with wads of scotch tape.

Which had been baked onto the windows for the past year.

So here's the Queen of Good Tips herself, with no good way to remove this gunky mess. Oh, I tried what I did know - I tried some oil, to no avail. I did not have a razor blade handy. No, I had to use that precious stuff - good old elbow grease. Good workout for my arm at any rate. The window looks better than what was there, though not as well as I would have liked.

Goal 2. Get my brows and upper lip de-furred. Once a year, I know - take better care of yourself, Girl - I make a pilgrimage to the salon to get my brows waxed and plucked and my upper lip waxed. This is my, albeit painful, sacrifice for my sweet husband. Hey, he shaves for me.

Thing is - I'm blessed with good, strong hair and I react to the waxing and plucking. I am sure I resemble a farm grown, freshly plucked chicken when I get done. My entire forehead comes up in welts for a day, and my upper lip 'buzzes' and I lose sensation in it. Sure looks nice though.

Goal 3. Unpack and clean the Van. Yup, the entire contents of our van is sitting all over my front room. If you want to watch tv your going to have to jump over the silverware tray, wind yourself between the bedding and tupperware. I like to do this part in one fell swoop, so I disgorge the entire contents of the van into our home. Next I give the van a good once-over with soapy bleachy water, polish the wood trim etc. I even re-hung the curtains my sweet friend Amalia sewed for me. (there are elephant print curtains - too cute - going on safari, woo hoo) I let our water containers sit for a day or two with bleach water as well - its important to have clean water all summer. I will sort the contents today, and begin restocking the van.

With all this packing I am reminded of Moses lead all the promised people out to the desert - thinking I should leave all my packs of stuffing mix, kraft dinner and tinned tuna here at home... manna ahead! I have to leave SOME food to chance...I always overpack - hauling the same cans of campbells soups around the states and home again. So it is I want to make sure to 'want' a bit ... both physically and spiritually, so that I don't forget where it all comes from. Prepare to fast a bit in the expectation of the fulfillment my Lord has for me.

Exodus 16:31

The people of Israel called the bread manna.

It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.

Dueteronomy 8:3

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna,

which neither you nor your fathers had known,

to teach you that man does not live on bread alone

but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

BARB'S TIP #56

Removing Scotch Tape

Duh, should have researched this yesterday! But here you have it, the tips I've rounded up on this sticky subject - so that next time I face this dilemma I can just look here!

GooGone all over the tape and let it sit for a few minutes, and it would peel off like magic. Scotts Liquid Gold also works as does WD-40. I think the key to getting the tape off, would be to work the GooGone (or whatever product you decide to use) under an edge, and as it loosens, continue working it up under the tape until all the adhesive is dissolved.

To get the tape off wooden furniture,use your hairdryer to heat it up so it can peel off.

Lowes and wal-mart also sell Crud Cutter. That works on about everything you can imagine.

For better and faster action I keep a small piece of rag soaked in a little bit of kerosene or diesel in a small bottle with a re-attachable cap, and use the rag for wiping off all such glue stains from metal and plastic and wood surfaces.