Monday, January 28, 2008

What's a Party Girl to do?

Can you believe all the social things out there right now? Who was it who said that the Christmas season is the busiest? Lordy. I can't catch my breath, but that's another story entirely. Here's a brief run-down in quasi-order:
~ Thursday marks the Western start to the Chinese New Year. It's the year of the Rat and will be year 4076, in case you were wondering where in the hell we were now. Ok, the Year of the Rat embodies hard work, lots of activity, and renewal. The Chinese insist it is a great year to begin a new job, get married, launch a product, or make a fresh start. If your calendar won't allow you a Thursday night Chinese soiree, not to worry, my little Peking Dumpling! It's sort of like Kwanzaa ... er ... kinda' ... in that it goes on for many days (15 to be exact); it's called the Lantern Festival and each night has a theme - and we do love a good theme, n'est pas?! The food you eat each night has significance. Some nights you're supposed to be with extended family; other nights, you get a break. Anyway, red's the color to wear for this fete. Decorate your doorway, give away lucky coins, and hang lanterns should the spirit move you.

~ Sunday, of course, is the superbowl. Eat lots of salty, unhealthy food and you're in like Flynn. If you barbeque something, more power to you. For you divas who aren't into sports, here are the basics to understand before leaving for that "football party thingy": The New York Giants are playing the New England Patriots. Of course, the game is held this year in Arizona. Bonus points, Cookie, if you can talk at length about the stadium, its purpose, AND the regional nature of this particular match-up with supposedly the largest TV viewing audience potential impact despite the game not being played anywhere near either team's hometowns. Wear whatever you want, though red, white, and blue will pretty much cover either team. Drink loads of beer. Go to work Monday morning still drunk. Visit www.espn.com before talking to any Dude prior to, during, or after the game if you haven't been following this season, the Brett Favre heartbreak, the Little Brother going to the Big Game and Big Brother staying home (so to speak) -- just to name a few of my favorite topics of conversation. GIRL TALK BREAK-DOWN of the SUPERBOWL: Tom Brady is that hunky quarterback that broke up with Bridgett Monihan (sp?) right before the baby info was known in order to date the supermodel, but is making attempts, despite a demanding football career and schedule to be an on-the-scene dad. He plays for New England. Eli Manning is the Giants' quarterback. He played football for Ole Miss (as did his dad, I believe - hey, it was before my time, so gimme a break!). His brother, Peyton, is the QB for the Indianapolis Colts - but forget him for right now; they lost a heartbreaker a few weeks ago. Peyton played for Tennessee undergrad. Anyway, the Manning family men have strange looking noses, which does not seem to interfere with their football ability whatsoever. OK. Moving along ....

~ Mardi Gras is in full "rouller". I will have to do a post just on this. I'm sensing non-sports-minded-potential-diva-overwhelm at this juncture. I'll be gentle, Precious Princess, and let you digest this before moving on to the party that requires two languages, beer goggles, floats, and insane amounts of accessories - er, or not.

XOXO!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Relationship Related Topic

I was breakfasting this AM with a delicious morsel of a friend. During the course of the conversation, it turned to Relationship Rules. These were offered and I thought they would benefit the Good of the Group of Divas/Dudes - whether you're in a relationship or it's time to have a chat with a child about relationship boundaries. Food for thought:

It's all over when any of the following occur:
- The other person says, "I don't love you anymore." Yep, that's the fork in the proverbial meat there, n'est pas? If they say it and later try to say they didn't mean it, leave anyway 'cause it's just hateful and that's ... well, not loving. AT ALL.
- The other person gets so mad that s/he leaves you somewhere by yourself (side of the road, at a party without a word of goodbye, etc.). In this day and age, safety is a big deal. Feeling safe in a relationship is a big deal. This situation occurs, the other party is bluntly telling you that s/he doesn't care one whit what happens to you. It's OVER.
- Physical contact - not of the good kind- out of anger. There's no excuse for that ... EVER. The other person is willing to hurt you to the point it leaves physical evidence. Yeah. OVER.

While these are Splendid, I knew these would get you contributing because there is more meat here. Does anyone else have any relationship rules of non-engagement (so to speak)? It is, after all, for the good of the group. DISH!!!!
XOXO!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Airing out Dirty Laundry

Like opinions and other things, everyone’s got this, too – dirty laundry. And it’s come to my attention that nobody really knows the dirt on it! So, I’m here to iron out some of the kinks.

Recently, a newly divorced dad emailed me desperately seeking the truth about dirty laundry. Apparently his teen-age daughter insisted that colors and whites be washed in the same load. He didn’t think it sounded quite right, but needed a referee. While it seems like a time-saver, I suggested he let her know that the end result of that color co-mingling would be gray undies, which aren’t the rage at dance or in the locker room. Another teenager saved from ultimate embarrassment. Sigh!

We all get those emails about how Coca-cola cleans toilet bowls and other outrageous-sounding tips. Even stuff about laundry. I’ve now done the research on several of them and have amassed help for you languishing about laundry.

Unabashed Product Endorsement.
I love, love, LOVE Oxy-Clean. A mama can’t get through white pants baseball season without a tub or two of it. I still haven’t gotten through all 100+ uses for the product. I may need to do a segment just on this amazing invention, but I digress.

Basic Laundry Tips:
~ Read the labels on your clothes before plopping into the wash. You don’t have to remember which type of fabric or color goes in what temperature.
~ Generally speaking, separate into 3 categories (especially when you do laundry all the time like I do) – whites, darks, and pastels for best results.
~ Inside out: turn dark clothes inside out (including jeans) to prevent fading. This also helps prevent piling (you know, nubby knots that form on the fabric of your clothes making them look old)
~ ALWAYS empty the lint trap every single time you dry clothes in the dryer. Also, occasionally vacuum around your dryer. Your local fire department thanks you.
~ Do you ever wonder how to separate the white shirt that has red trim? They’re marked washable, but you’re afraid the color will run. If it does run, DO NOT put it in the dryer – dryers set stains. Try washing it again. While bleach may take out the newly formed pink, it will also blanch out the red trim. Good luck.
~ Should you use dryer sheets? This is a personal preference. They can be a skin irritant, but they also keep static at bay. If you do use them, you may want to save some dough by cutting the sheet in half.
~ If you have heavily stained items, eg. a baseball uniform that slid into home plate and brought half the ball field home, wash it separately from other clothes.
~ Read the box – your detergent will tell you the best way to use it. Did you know that water temperature, amount of detergent, and the timing of the load all goes into how well your clothes get clean?! Yep. True story.
~ Towels sometimes share lots of lint with other clothes. Wash them separately. And dry them separately, as a matter of fact, since they can take longer to dry out.

Stain Removal Procedures:
~ Fresh stains are MUCH easier to remove than old ones, so take care of stains as fast as you can.
~ Blot up excess liquid with a clean white cloth, paper, or other towel. Remove solids by scraping or chipping with a dull knife.
~ Never rub a fresh stain with a bar soap – it can set the stain.
~ Use cold water on stains – the heat can set a stain, especially a protein stain.
~ Try not to rub a stain. Rubbing can spread a stain, damage fiber or finish of fabric.
~ Don’t iron over a stain before washing.
~ When you take your stained item out of the wash load, check to see if it was removed before you put it in the dryer.
~ Pre-treaters are a wonderful invention. Besides Oxy-Clean, I also love Spray N Wash. One or the other or a careful mixture of the two will pretty much get out anything that leaps on your clothes.

Unique Stain Treatment Tips:
~ Chewing gum: Apply ice to harden the gum. Crack or scrape off excess. Spray with pre-treatment, rub with liquid detergent. Rinse with hot water.
~ Deodorant stains on washable shirts: Test on a hidden spot first!!! Sponge on or soak in white vinegar for 30 minutes. Launder shirt in hottest water safe for the fabric.
~ Glitter on clothing: Some of those glittery girly shirts share the sparkle with everything else in your load. Spray the original shirt with aerosol hair spray to make it stay put AND wash alone and turn it inside out.
~ Grease: Sprinkle cornstarch or baby powder over the grease stain
~ Ink: Rubbing alcohol on the stain will take it out, but be pretty precise because it can take color out of fabric.
~ Rust and mineral stains: Add 1 cup of bottled lemon juice to the load to remove discoloration from cotton laundry.
~ Soiled shirt collars: Using a small paintbrush, brush liquid detergent into the soiled area.
~ Spaghetti stain: Grab some Oxy-Clean and a small laundry brush or toothbrush, rub it in, and launder.

Mistakes to Avoid (like the content in those “helpful” emails)

~ Dishwasher detergent on clothes. Nope, they’re for dishes, not fabric.
~ Hair spray on ink. They can deposit a gummy residue. Yuck!
~ Ironing candle wax actually drives the stain in deeper to the fabric.
~ Milk on Ink. You’re adding a protein to a stain? What are you thinking?
~ So, now you have the low-down on laundry. You’re free to move on to other, more important issues like having fun getting your clothes dirty playing with your kids! Good clean fun, I’d say!

Cheer! (and Tide, and Woolite, and Biz … yeah, I know I’m corny!)

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

K-Fed / Brittany Custody Crisis = NOT NORMAL

Doncha' just love the stupid things stars say?! Some days, it really keeps me going. This being the icing on the proverbial cake.

K-Fed in an interview posted this morning on People Magazine's website http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20171844,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines says :
"I think the infatuation with the whole thing is that watching us go through things [custody hearing] makes other people feel normal."

Pumpkin, NO! This is NOT NORMAL. I've been through a custody fight and your way ain't textbook; nowhere is it close to "normal". In fact, I follow this mental-bubble-gum gossip stuff and it makes me feel somewhat SUPERIOR TO YOU. Not in the whole checkbook balance arena, but in the real life stuff. Heck, I can wear a trench coat over my old wedding dress and go shopping for a Mercedes with a friend, too. That ain't normal, either, but I could do it. It just would never occur to me to do that. Because it's not normal. So, no. The Peanut Gallery is not looking at your story to feel normal. We're gawking and pointing and snickering and pretty much thankful that we're not part of that soap opera. We are NOT thinking that because this is happening to you that our own stuff is normal. We don't equate your life and our lives as happening in the same world.

But, Feddie, Poodle, if you need to think that we think you're normal just to get through this absurd situation with your out of control estranged wife.... then go right ahead. Ooh, I am compelled to make one more teensy, tiny comment: It's not normal to have your bodyguard pick up your kids when it's your turn to have them. It's your responsibility to transport YOUR kids. Sure, making arrangements for their transportation is technically fine BUT outside of continual court appearances and what with the writers' strike (you could be going on Conan or something, I suppose, to talk trash to fill your days), I don't see that you're doing a whole heck of a lot work-wise. What's to fill your time with besides transporting your children to say the park or Michael Jackson's home for a fun-filled afternoon? (Again, besides court and the lawyer meetings) So go pick up your own flesh and blood children YOURSELF if you want me to think that you're a credible, loving parent who will take the very best care of those helpless creatures with a freak-show for a mother for the love of Pete.

Why am I not a judge? Oh yeah. You wouldn't be able to see my fabulous shoes behind the bench. Right.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Cheers to Diva WineKnow

Please note that I have added Diva WineKnow's new blog to my list of Faves (lower left on the page). I am delighted to see an informative spot to check out wine info. I hope you will visit the blog and Jennifer's store in Vestavia. I'm heading that way just as soon as we polish off the cases of Bombay Cafe house wine that The Main Squeeze purchased for our last party. Let's just say that my garage, a.k.a. Wine Cellar (ha!), is a fire hazzard currently. Such problems this Main Dish has ....

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Clutter Tips Continued

Well, that closet is looking a lot better now, so I'm back with more tips to keep you going with those resolutions.

Sorting
Get several boxes as you go through each area.
· “keep”
· “trash”
· “not sure”
· “sell” (consigment, yard sale)
· “give away”
· “needs parts” (in order for them to work right AND you intend to fix in short order)
· “return to rightful owner”

Storage Solutions
~ Create a home for everything.
~ Have a good reason for putting something in a particular location (like it’s near where you use it)
~ Make things you use often easy to access / reach
~ Keep climate in mind – consider humidity, cold, and insects
~ Leave 15% of your space free for future additions
~ Use see-through containers whenever possible
~ Label every container so you know the contents – additional idea: put a list of contents in the top of the box

Think you’re out of space? Have you thought of these places:
~ Under all the beds in the house
~ Clean out your bookshelves and donate books you’re never going to read again. Get baskets with lids to put in the empty space.
~ Get rid of appliances you don’t use (that one’s a jewel, Peaches!)

Rules of De-cluttering Engagement:
~ When in doubt, throw it out.
~ Use it or lose it
~ Store for efficiency
~ You MUST PURGE once a year
~ Recycle whenever possible
~ Pick a number and stick with it (you don’t need 82 pens in your house unless you have 41 residents living there! And if that’s the case, I sure hope you have a full-time chef who’s not you!)
~ A place for everything and everything in its place
~ Don’t save things to do “later”. Deal with it now. If you can’t decide, refer to the top of this list
~ Label containers
~ Get help. Call a friend or relative. DO NOT CALL ME; I will simply refer you to someone fabulous but expensive.

This week Target, K-Mart and others are slashing prices on their storage containers and baskets to help us all keep those resolutions. Load up on the things now. XOXO

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Resolving Clutter No More? Clutter Busters

Lots of us resolved to do a better job with the homestead. Specifically, the clutter that eventually takes over our lives, and the helpless feelings that ensue. It doesn’t help that holiday decorations are still lingering. So, here’s a high-heeled swift kick in the beautifully-draped-pants to get you in gear.

Planning to Attack
~ Determine which room / area / facet drives you the craziest and start there
~ Create a list of the areas and rank the priorities
~ Set a deadline for accomplishing the project
~ Break your project into baby steps – drawers, cabinet, shelf, etc.
~ Start at the door of the room and work your way around the room.
~ Finish one area before starting another

Interrogation – What to ask to determine keeping versus tossing:
~ When was the last time you used it?
~ When will you need it again?
~ Is it easily replaceable?
~ What’s the worst thing that would happen if you got rid of it?
~ Is it beautiful, useful, or loved?

Getting Rid of Excuses
~ “It was expensive and I don’t want it to go to waste” – Gong! If you don’t use it, it IS being wasted. Change your mindset.
~ “I might need it someday.” - Doubtful. If you haven’t used it in a year, when do you suppose that magic moment will come?
~ “It was a gift” – Ah! You’re sentimental. Move on! Once you graciously received a gift and thanked the generous soul, it is yours to do with as you see fit. I say, trash it, baby!
~ “I’m saving it for my kids”. Wow. Really sentimental. Maybe they’ll grow up to be just like you – a pack rat.
~ “It’s too nice to throw away.” - Give it the old heave-ho, Babycakes. Pass it along to a friend or neighbor who may find it to be just the thing.

Wow! After all this, I'm inspired to go work on a closet. More later, Poodle!
XOXO

Friday, January 4, 2008

Auto Diva

I've just set up a Google Group due to requests that people be sent a reminder to check the blog. If you want to sign up and have my post emailed to your In Box, please sign up here.

http://groups.google.com/group/dishinwiththedivas?hl=en

We'll see how it works. Comments and questions may be posted there also ... er ... I think.

XOXO

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Fridge Fritz Factoids

A diva never knows what she'll return home to after an effortless get-away. This time, it was a dead 'fridge-freezer. I walked in and thought Tony the Terminex guy couldn't have just left. But that's precisely what it smelled like, but worse.

The Main Squeeze sprang into action after I got SO ticked with Sears Customer Service/Repairs (10 days to come out to fix the dad-gum appliance, my @$$). He found Mr. Appliance. LOVE THEM!!!! They showed up to the Diva Digs in under 2 hours of the call. Mr. Appliance, who's son we hope will get into Georgia Tech in the Fall (cross your fingers), fixed the blown gizmo and didn't charge the service call in addition to the repair cost. Saved me $60 (even better than the $95 Sears wants to charge to show up and ring your doorbell).

While that's all well and wonderful, he spent 10 minutes on a tour of my kitchen giving me tips, which I'll pass along to you, 'cause they're splendid.
1. Get Jet Dry for your dishwasher and use it. Especially due to the drought, which is kicking up more mineral deposits than usual in our diminishing water sources, drains and small holes are getting clogged with minerals. Jet Dry helps break them down and keep the clogs from forming. Just saved you a big repair-a-clog bill there.
2. On several oven models, it is not a good idea to use the Self Clean feature. According to Mr. Appliance, he has yet to make a service call due to Easy Off. He has seen melted/cracked glass on the window, melted stove wire casings, and other catastrophes due to the temperature of the automatic self clean reaching more than 1,400 DEGREES. So, use Easy Off.
3. When you lift the stove lid to clean the area between the drip pans and the top of your oven, do not set a bowl of water there. This had, frankly, never occurred to me- I just use a sponge or Chlorox wipes. Mr. Appliance told me that he has seen the entire stove shorted out due to the bowl of water spilling. Stick with the wipes, Princess.

Mr. Appliance fixes everything except microwaves and TVs, which I'm told you should just replace because it will be less expensive.

Off to get those Cholorx wipes to clean out the fridge and freezer and then re-load all the stuff from my garage fridge and coolers. Toodles!

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Guest Column - a la carte by Diva Wine-Know

Top 10 Reasons to NOT Give up Wine for the New Year
by Jennifer Scarborough, owner, The Wine Cellar, Vestavia Hills

Every January we see a trend in the Wine Biz. May it be everyone is receiving their credit card balances in the mail or people are trying to dry out after the holidays we cannot say. But one thing is for sure…people for the most part stop buying wine! So let me see if I can help you decide what to kick & what to keep for your New Year’s Resolution or Resolutions.

1. Drinking Red Wine with fried foods may counter act the effect of the fat attack. Studies find that people who drink wine daily have lower body mass than those who indulge occasionally; moderate wine drinkers have narrower waists and less abdominal fat than people who drink liquor. That right there is a 2-for-1 on your resolutions!
2. Cancer runs in your family? Resveratrol (antioxidant) helps prevent cancer by limiting tumor growth. Red wine is high in flavonoids (a type of polyphenol), which are antioxidants. One of the most studied antioxidants is resveratrol, which comes from grape skins and seeds. Antioxidants help prevent certain molecules, known as free radicals, from damaging cells.
3. Wine drinkers less likely to get common cold. An investigation revealed that men and women who drank more than 14 glasses of wine each week had a 40% reduction in colds compared with people who drank no alcohol. The association was stronger for red wine and the same findings were not true for people consuming other alcoholic beverages, the report indicates. On average, the men had 1.1 colds per person per year in that time, while women averaged 1.7 colds per person per year. Bottoms up!
4. Wine is expensive & you are cutting down on your spending this year. So not true, at The Wine Cellar we have wines to fit everyone’s budget & a monthly Newsletter with discounts. Also if you buy in bulk you save an additional 5 to 10% on the already marked down items.
5. Too many calories in alcoholic beverages. It is all about portion control & moderation…Red wine 3.5oz - 74 calories… White wine 3.5oz - 70 calories.
6. Forgetful? Wine could preserve your memory. When researchers gave memory quizzes to women in their 70s, those who drank one glass of wine or more every day scored much better than those who drank less or not at all.
7. Just breathe… Researchers have found that men who drink an average of four to seven glasses of red wine per week are only 52% as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as those who do not drink red wine, reports the June 2007 issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch. Men won’t need another reason…
8. Have a Uterus? Australian researchers recently compared women with ovarian cancer and cancer-free women; they found that roughly one glass of wine a day seemed to reduce the risk of the disease by as much as 50 percent. Think Prince will sing a song about that?
9. Would you rather eat spinach once daily or drink a glass of wine? On average, women who drink moderately seem to have higher bone mass than abstainers. Alcohol appears to boost estrogen levels; the hormone seems to slow the body’s destruction of old bone more than it slows the production of new bone.
10. Well I believe we covered everything but the most important part…Wine is Delicious! How could you live without it?

Pair it with a meal, loved one, or a night alone nothing makes you feel as Fine as Wine!

Cheers!

Jennifer Scarborough - Wine Know