A Note From Our Plumbing Diva

YES! I know you're probably rubbing your eyes in disbelief, but indeed, Virginia, there is a Female Plumber! She is, by the way, FREAKIN' AWESOME. She is well-dressed, owns a dog with a sweater wardrobe, and can efficiently get your plumbing disasters flushed away. No visual on the butt crack, either. My friend, Mazy Holiday (who one of my sisters swears should be a jazz singer just by her name alone), is the owner of Cascade Plumbing and offers this wonderful missive we all can learn from:

We made it through the winter's freezing pipes and gas logs. Now would be a good time for those of you with houses 40 years or older to think about replacing galvanized water lines with PVC (or copper) . Water line replacement isn't the big deal it sounds like. It can be completed in just one day. The result? Better water pressure, better tasting water, and fewer problems with fixtures.

Everyone's pipes can benefit from an easy maintenance routine of pouring one cup of bleach down every drain once each month!

For more information, please visit Cascade Plumbing's website at http://www.cascadebirmingham.com

Back to me - Mazy and crew have been to my house in the last several weeks to unstop a toilet. They arrived when they said they would and were done in a matter of minutes. Cascade is SO PROFESSIONAL, you'll be swirling with delight.

DIVA STAMP OF APPROVAL.

Enough of this Health Care Reform Business, Let's Talk Turtles

You know, those thingies on tops of SUVs and minivans perched on roof racks. You put luggage in them because your car is packed to the hilt with kids' gaming / DVD equipment to entertain them the whole ride. Side Note: Who ever thought that The Highway Alphabet Game would be labeled as LAME?????

I write this at the suggestion of one of my darling diva sisters, who confided in me tonight, that she is a Turtle Virgin and was totally unsure of how to proceed with such car accessory things. As the big sister, I assured her and even waxed poetic about my soft-sided turtle and bungee cord configuration that allows plenty of legroom in my diva-mobile; admitted, truthfully, that the worst part of the turtle was getting MY suitcase up beyond the tail gate and into the protective coating of my turtle (no animals have been harmed in the filling of my turtle, but I have had to go to the massage therapist afterwards!); and gave her a list of places with automotive departments (I'm not certain she comprendo "automotive department") that would most likely carry these exterior luggage accessories. I even told her that mine was from K-Mart and cost all of about $75! I thought I'd hear the immediate faint tones of high heel shoes clicking towards the garage in a flurry of activity heading for the nearest automotive supply outlet. However, what I got was, "So, do you HAVE to have a roof rack in order to have a turtle?" Um, pretty much. But those, too, can be acquired either by factory installation or accessory add-on places.

I went into the benefits of soft sided (like mine = more flexible, can cram more stuff in them) and the con's = easy for some body builder to abscond with your belongings while stopping at Bate's House of Turkey. The hard sided turtles are basically the flip arguments of the above.

I was a little stunned to find that she had a trailer hitch installed on the back of her SUV ... especially since she's not that into doing her own construction and doesn't own a boat.

There are more options these days with the addition of trailer hitch accessory carriers.

So, dear readers, please weigh in on pros and cons of your turtle experiences. Feel free to post questions to the blog.

Happy motoring, Poodle!

Another Product Rave

Over the course of writing this blog, I have touted the virtues of several cleaning products, specifically in regards to white baseball pants (insert curse to the man who came up with that idea for little boys here).

Several years ago in Lowe's, I came across a bottle of magic that really, really worked on my white tile and white grout. I know you'll be unfazed to learn that upon my return to Lowe's in search of more, it was no longer carried and the sales associates swore by some other product that was nowhere close to the magical substance.

Taaa-Daaa! I heart the Internet. It occurred to me one sleepless night not too long ago to search for it. Lo and behold! I found it ... and am passing it along to you. It's Finazzle. I love, love, love , love Finazzle White Grout cleaner. And am orbiting to learn that they have more products. PS Are NOT expensive.

I'll share:
http://www.finazzle.com/index.html

Finally, a word about not so many postings lately. My apologies again. It's baseball season and Jack-Jack's team has surprised this hardened baseball mom's initial predictions by actually staying alive in the machine pitch tournament ... helped tremendously by torrents of rain delaying the game for 48 hours and counting.

Trapped in a Cleaning Frenzy

I'm starting the New Year's off in my kids' closets. So far, it's been a Yard Bag of trash and a Yard Bag of donations per room. I haven't even gotten to my closet yet.... And the tree is still up... er ... all 4 trees are still up. The upshot of having Critically Ill Main Squeeze before Thanksgiving is that the live tree is still moist due to the fact that we acquired it later than usual. Silver linings abound.

Oh! And The Main Squeeze got his PICC line out before Christmas, so he is merry, hence so am I.

Regards from the battlefront, Poodle!

Grocery Shopping Strategies

I've got food on the brain ... and an empty stomach and 'fridge, so I'll write about it instead of eating (yeah, that'll work).

I recently read where the average American buys groceries twice a week. Are You Serious?!?!? Are you like me and don't really love the grocery store? It's not bad, it just takes a lot longer than I feel like it should and that's my basic beef with it. Not a quick thing -- so, maybe that's why people go twice a week and make 2 quick trips. Not efficient, Cupcake.

The price of food, along with everything else, is going up. Brace for your grocery bill to rise 4-5% this year compared to last year. What can we do to make sure we get the best bang for our grocery buck? Here are some of the things I do:

• Clip coupons ... but only the ones you already buy.
• Make out your menu list for the week before heading to the store. This way, you won't have to make that quick trip later on to pick up that one item because you will list all ingredients needed for your meals when making your shopping list.
• The Main Squeeze, an efficiency expert, was impressed when he discovered I listed needed groceries working from the south end of the store to the north end. When I run out of frozen waffles, for example, I write it down on the bottom portion of the list because it's on the north end of the store (and I get the frozen stuff last so it won't melt in the heat).
• The less expensive meats are poultry.
• Freeze meats that you're not using within a day or two, especially when they've been marked down because stores typically do this on the last date of sale before expiration.
• Did you know that store brands are typically 15-20% cheaper than national brands? Noodle that one.

I'd love to hear your grocery shopping tips. Share with the group.

Grill Grabbers for July 4th

July 4th is Friday. Wondering what to prepare for an entertaining and delicious summer side? I suggest two foods that you may not think to throw on Barbie that make a wonderful summer splash and are are SO EASY to draw rave reviews.

Grilled Corn on the Cob
Despite the convenience and fast turn around of my dad's preferred corn-cooking method, the microwave, I like to grill corn. It's easy and fun to do. Fire Barbie to high and pull back the leaves to make handles. I like to tie the leaves with butcher's string or in a pinch, dental floss. Remove the silk, of course. You can throw the corn on to the grill like this, no problem-0. But I like to brush on quasi-melted butter infused with minced garlic and chopped cilantro or basil. It's just a little fancier with that little flair. Brush, cook, and rotate for about 10 minutes or so depending on the size of the corn. A trick is to keep the leaves from the flame. Once your corn is grilled, you can eat with the handy handles still tied up OR you can break the cob in half and slice off the kernels to use in a salsa or salad.

Grilled Peaches
Don't forget to grill fruit for an outstanding ovation, Mon Chef! My boys' current fave is grilled peaches. It tastes like peach pie with out the crust. They can't believe that I serve them this sweet-tasting delicacy with their meal and don't save it for dessert. You can do either one and you'll score major points with kids and grown-ups alike! Simply cut the peach into halves and remove the seed. I say "simply" because most people can do this without difficulty. However, I encountered peaches last Sunday that weren't exactly the ripest; I just couldn't get them sliced into halves very well. OK, I butchered them. Sigh, "Slaughtered" is more appropriate. Skewers saved the day! Either way, grill the peaches until you get those nifty grill marks on them (shorter cooking time for the sliced-to-bits variety than the perfectly sliced halves).

Serving options are abundant for grilled peaches. Most of the time, I serve them as a side because I'm time-crunched with STARVING children who currently are eating me out of house and home due to full-blast summer activities. Other suggestions I highly recommend include:
~ Serving for dessert with a scoop of ice cream on top of a grilled half OR a butchered peach as topping on the scoop of ice cream. Either choice makes a pretty and unexpected presentation.
~ Chop up the slaughtered grilled peach even further and make a salsa with your grilled corn to put on top of grilled fish. Add diced avocado, mango, and papaya mixed with a little lemon juice, garlic, and chopped cilantro and your fruit chutney with corn makes a colorful and delicious topping to please the eye and stomach.

Any grilled fruit or veggie you'd like to suggest? I'd love to hear about it, so post your fave by clicking that envelope picture below to the right. Happy Independence Day, Divas and Dudes!

Gas Link

Gas prices in Indiana are 20 cents MORE than prices in Alabama. Woah! I'm wondering if that's because they're trying to make money on all the race fans. Sigh.

Here is a link allowing you to put in a zip code and it ranks the gasoline prices lowest to highest in your area. http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx

Need a Time-Waster/Mental Bubble Gum?

This Old House has a segment on their web page called [Range] Hoods Gone Wild. Apparently a few hood manufacturing companies decided to get creative with the range hood and have combined it with ways to charge unbelievably outrageous prices for range hoods (you know, those very noisy things that hang over your stove to keep the smoke out of your living room supposedly while you're whipping up a delicious treat).

You simply must take a gawk at this, Strudel. http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20191317,00.html?xid=hinnewsletter-041508-vent-hoods Be sure to flip through all the pages to get the whole enchilada.

What proves most entertaining to this Diva are the posted comments under the professionally written product description. One, I swear, sounds just like our dear reader Allen (not the camp person Allen; Radio Listener Fan Allen - you both are morsels). See what you think and get back to me (NOT about the Allens; the Range Hoods, silly goose!).

Toodles, Poodles!

Guest Diva- Staging Your House to Sell

Guest Diva, Designer and professional Stager, Jill Boothby dishes about Staging Your Home (‘cause you know that spring is the best time to list your house). Tasty morsels, these, so take notes, Pumpkin!

Do you want to sell your home as quickly as possible? For the highest possible amount? The way you live in your home and the way you market and sell your house are two different things. When you place your house on the market, you want to create immediate buyer interest in the property….the ideal staging result is to have the potential buyer “envision” themselves living in the new home. Home staging is proven to be among the very best ways to get top dollar for you home. Here are some starters:
Inside
~ Clear the surfaces from furniture. Home stagers recommend groupings of a few items for decorative purposes only.
~ In the kitchen, take all the stuff off the fridge and clean off the counters limiting them to only what is necessary. A sparse kitchen helps the buyer imagine their items in the space.
~In the bathrooms, remove everything from the counter tops. Towels should be fresh and new looking and grouped with ribbon, rolled, or arranged in a pleasant manner. Make it look like a retreat or spa – that sells houses.
~ Clean all windows. Paint or patch walls. Clean carpets and drapes.
Outside
~ Pick up scraps, toys, garbage cans. Plant flowers. Mulch planted areas.
~ Check gutters for moss, dry rot, leaves – clean them if necessary. If leaves are on your roof, remove them.
~ Prune all bushes – if you can’t see the house, it won’t sell

Sound overwhelming? Want to learn more? Consider a professional staging service. Having your home staged to sell by staging experts is NOT a luxury in a slower sales market. As the market changes and homes begin to “sit on the market” homeowners are in need of a competitive edge to get their homes SOLD – so staging is critical!

Jill’s business is Setting the Stage (Jill and her team are pictured below- tell me these divas can't make your house look AMAZING; just look at those hot divas!), a specially appointed staging service that comes into your home and helps you set the scene to entice buyers …these services help you and your listing agent realize a quick sale at maximum value. Setting the Stage is an accredited ASP Stager team that uses strict guidelines using proven techniques. We view your home with an objective eye and will produce a detailed plan for staging your home. Our team handles many details that you may not think of during such a busy time- presentation packaging, organizational skills, decorating talents, and creative ideas to make the process as easy as possible!

Contact Jill and receive a free consultation when you mention seeing her posting on this blog! (205) 305-9546 or jboothby@boothbyrealty.com A little treat, you special, deserving creature!

Red Dirt vs. White Baseball Pants

Thank you , Tipsy Diva for your in-depth question. I'm devoting a front posting page to the timely topic of How to Get Red Clay Out of White Baseball Pants.

Now, first, I ask who in their right mind decides a t-ball, machine pitch, or any other team for that matter where falling or sliding or sheer boredom are involved would decide players should wear white pants? They're just crazy ... that, or the decision-maker on this is NOT the same one who does the household laundry. Homicide rates are down, but let's monitor that statisic over baseball season, m'kay?

If you think all's ya' gotta' do is add bleach to the load ... I say, this is evidently your first season. Strangely, bleach just doesn't cut it.

If you'd a' asked me last year, I'd swoon about OxiClean and how it does a fine job. It's not bad, but I have asthma and that powder/dust burns the heck out of my nose and throat and makes me cough. IF you happen to have OxiClean, you can apply essentially the same technique until you run out of the stuff and it will be OK.

I recently discovered ZOUT. [Insert church organ music here.] Oh ... My ... God... It's just beyond fantastic. Here's what got white All-Star pants clean finally - they'd been my frustration cause since July. Through several OxiClean treatments, bleach, Awesome (from the Dollar Store - good stuff, but not for red clay), and crazier combinations than I care to admit just to TRY to get SOME of the red out. Enter ZOUT, the laundry product that may change my life.

1. As I've said: Get you some ZOUT immediately, Girl.
2. Spray the offending, ground-in, stubborn red clay areas.
3. Leave it alone in the sink for a while. Like, run to Diva WineKnow's store (The Wine Cellar, Vestavia), get a case of wine, and dive into it.
4. Remember that you have baseball pants in your sink that need to be removed sometime before you cook next.
5. Fill the sink with tepid water. Squirt some ZOUT in the filling sink for good measure.
6. Resume interest in wine
7. When your arms feel nice and floppy, get a fabric scrub brush (you can get these at the grocery), drain water out, leaving about 1/4" in the sink.
8. Scrub that sucker/those suckers (ever notice how there's not just one spot on the pants? They come with friends.)
9. Keep wine within easy reach because this is going to take a while and you just don't want to get parched, Poodle!
10. You are going to have to drain the 1/4" now-brown water out multiple times before you're done with all the scrubbing.
11. When you get out as much clayas you can, transport pants immediately to the washing machine, start the machine with detergent, and allow machine to fill up - but employ the soaking method.
12. Find your bottle of wine.
13. Add copious amounts of bleach (like more than they recommend) to the soaking and allow pants to marinate for a good long while
14. Complete the machine cycle ... and very possibly the bottle of wine.
15. Do NOT put the pants in the dryer unless you are completely satisfied with lack of stain - 'cause heat sets stains.

I was amazed by the glowing whiteness that was the baseball pants. Thank you, ZOUT!!! I may make it through laundry cycles this baseball season.