I Stand Behind: The heavy duty moving blanket

Recently our (my husband's and I) home went through some minor construction that required our furniture to be piled into the center of the rooms, furniture that included our massive bed and our piano, to name a couple of the more heavier objects we found quite unforgivable on our backs in recent times. Very well knowing what kind of struggle we were dealing with we made time to visit our local Home Depot and purchased a couple of moving blankets, at $30 each these ugly but sturdy blankets are not cheap but are very well worth the price when you realize how much easier it is to move that piano, to move that massive bed.

I was quite pessimistic on whether this moving blanket could make that much difference. When my piano moved in to our new home, three very burly men with muscles on top of muscles came teetering in with it, my husband alone could not pick up one end of it an inch off the ground, could a moving blanket really do magical things? Apparently, yes, it can. Something about leverage that I don't clearly understand, especially when talking about this blanket, just makes it work. Needless to say, my husband and I were able, with the help of two moving blankets, to move the piano, our massive bed with the mattress on it, a book shelf with all the books on it and so on.

I love these moving blankets, couldn't do it without you guys! But just to get my money's worth (even more so) they will be doubling as picnic blankets and will be going down on the floors for extra padding when I go camping.

I Stand Behind: The Single Post Toilet Paper Holder

I remember all too well the nightmare having to change out the toilet paper rolls in the bathroom, the spring-loaded double posted toilet paper roll holders were anything but easy to handle. I'm still not quite sure why those things still exist because the single post toilet paper roll holders are soooo awesome! It really is that easy to use and the design is flawless. The little lip at the edge of the single post holders keep the toilet roll from falling off the post and the design is so simple it's almost as if the holder isn't there at all.

Check out the Gatco Latitude II Single Post Toilet Paper Holder in Satin Nickel ($29)

@ Home Depot

I Stand Behind: The Swiffer Sweeper

When I lived in a one bedroom apartment that had wood floors it was 100% do-able to get on my hands and knees and give the floors a good wipe down once a month or even twice a month! But in a three bedroom house? The amount of floor space was so intimidating I couldn't get myself to do it at all! Naturally our wood floors became dusty, dirty, a little bit grimy... quite disgusting to my standards. I'd walk around and try not to notice that the floors near the open windows felt as if they were layered with invisible dirt and grime, I tried to think that the dust bunnies that were poking out from underneath the sofa were cute.

My parents have a huge house with wooden floors and their floors are always so immaculate, I wasn't quite sure how they pulled this off until I went for a visit one day and saw my Dad pushing around a broom, a Swiffer Broom! I decided to give it a try.

My husband brought one home from Home Depot, he put it together and I tried it out, amazing! I love the damn thing! How is it that I get excited to clean the floors now?! Weird right? Well, the Swiffer makes it so easy. It's definitely one of those products that are cheap and just works. The broom is very light and very easy to maneuver underneath sofas, in corners and tight spaces as the flat end swivels in all kinds of directions.

The disposable dry cloth picks up all kinds of dust and debris, even dog hair (yay!) and best of all doesn't let go of it. The sweeper can also be used with a disposable wet cloth to shine your floors. And another great thing? The cloths don't keep coming off! Which is the aggravating problem I had with my previous sweeper broom.

On Amazon the Swiffer Sweeper is a mere $15.00, so if you've got wood floor cleaning problems I say give this a go, it just might be a permanent solution, I have a feeling it is for me. It's sheer enjoyment to clean the floors when it's so easy! So no more dirty feet here!

Check out the Swiffer Sweeper @ Amazon

I Stand Behind: Simba Rotary Sponge Bottle Brush with Nipple Brush

Not knowing how to properly wash my baby bottles and bottle nipples I would soak them in very hot soapy water and then rinse them out- this proved to be not too helpful although they looked clean enough, but looking clean enough isn't what you really want for your baby is it? I took a trip through Amazon (my new favorite place to shop these days as I'm home-tied with little baby and all) and perused through all the bottle and more specifically baby bottle cleaners, read the reviews, looked at the pictures and all. Many of the other bottle brushes were too large to be inserted into a baby bottle and then I came upon the Simba Rotary Sponge Bottle Brush that also comes with a nipple brush as well, I read a review in which one of the writers stated that it fit into 5oz. baby bottle and at an affordable eight dollars I was willing to give the Simba a try.

The sponge is pretty durable and upon first look you may not think it can't fit into a 5oz baby bottle but it does, it is a sponge after all and can compress into rather tight spaces. Needless to say, my bottles are shiny and clean and so are the bottle nipples. I have to admit that after having cleaned them with the Simba rotary which simply works as it should, amazing! That I was beating up myself for having fed my child with such dirty bottles and nipples! I've also found that the nipple brush is a very useful tool for cleaning other things as well, such as my breast pump parts!

The Simba Rotary is one of those purchase items that you rave about, a simple design, an affordable price and just works as it should, I'm absolutely in love with it and can see me holding onto the Simba rotary for quite a long time as it can be used to clean other bottles and small items as well.

More about the Simba Rotary Sponge Bottle Brush & Nipple Brush here

I Stand Behind: Taking Advantage of West Elm Sales

We all love a good sale. When we shop a sale we feel good that we saved that extra dollar or two that can be used to buy yet even more cool stuff. But lets face it, sometimes we can shop a sale and still not get our dollars worth. Sometimes sale items can still be too expensive for our budget and sometimes we purchase sale items and realize that they should have been marked at even lower prices, this brings me to my I Stand Behind post today, Taking Advantage of West Elm Sales.

I love West Elm. I find almost all of their furnishings on the rather expensive side considering the quality (and so, honestly, would never think of purchasing furniture there) but everything else: dinnerware, curtains, hardware, lighting, pillows, baskets and etc. I find to be tasteful and well made. I have as of late noticed that I only purchase West Elm products when they are on sale, and it is because it is so easy to do so, West Elm always has one sale or another going on and they are very good sales too.  So while they may have been fairly priced beforehand they become, on sale, very affordable well made and well styled home products. Below are a few notable things that I found on sale at West Elm.

$8.99 for a Brook dinner plate!

$14.99 for the Pueblo shower curtains!

$249 for a 5' x 8' Sweater Wool Rug! 

$104 for the Zigzag layered bed set!

Which includes duvet cover, flat & fitted sheet & two pillow cases!

Check out the West Elm Sales

I Stand Behind: Ikea's Dragor rug

When I first purchased the 6'7" x 9'10" reversible Dragor rug at Ikea for $79.99 I really was just excited about the great deal for the large area rug. I did not expect it to last even 2 years, I honestly expected it to simply unravel with every step I took on it, but I was wrong, because here I am 3 years and some months later with the same looking Dragor rug- there is no unraveling, no thread out of place, no stain seen, it has survived one move and and a rather enthusiastic and playful poodle-terrier... and it is still the same Dragor rug I bought 3 years and some months ago.

I have come to love and appreciate the Dragor rug so much in fact, that I went and bought a second to place near the fireplace.

At $79.99 the rug is not only the most affordable in its size, but it also comes in three different sizes: 4'7" x 6'7", 5'7" x 7'10" and 6'7" x 9'10" and is also reversible giving you two different color-blocks to choose from, brown border and a beige center or beige border and a brown center. The flat-woven rug surface makes this area rug ideal for 1. Layering (as shown in the picture below near the fireplace) or 2. As a rug for the dining area where chairs will be pulled in and out continuously (as shown in the dining area picture above). And while some may say that the rug is a bit bland and boring, I say that the rug is perfectly neutral which means it is great for setting anywhere and easier to decorate around.

Check out the Dragor rug @ Ikea

I Stand Behind: Yoga blankets as a throw

My last throw blanket that I purchased from Bed Bath & Beyond was cheap, the softness of the fur only lasted a week or so before I began to realize that the more I used it the more matted and oily-like the fur became, so when I adopted Annie from a rescue I gave her, whole-heartedly, the throw blanket. And so, ever since, I have been looking for that worthy throw blanket. The requirements of the throw blanket were:

1. Price: Affordability was a major factor (of course!). While I came across many beautiful Mexican woven throw blankets, they were all out of my price range at $250+. I was willing to spend at most just a bit over $100 (and that's only if I really had to).

2. Material: Woven. A woven throw blanket was my first choice mainly because it is sturdy while softening with time and the kind of look I was hoping to achieve in my home.

I did not expect a throw blanket to be expensive but every time I passed a window display or  throw blanket in a home store the price was always more than I had imagined, definitely much more than I was willing to spend. And then one day in my yoga class going into my Downward Dog pose, I found myself staring at the beautiful gray Mexican yoga blanket neatly folded beneath me, this got me thinking. After class I found myself in the tiny little yoga store that is a part of the yoga studio and saw a stack of Mexican yoga blankets, all in different colors but in the same material, size and design, and when I asked for the price I was completely blown away... $26.00! I grabbed one immediately and even contemplated getting a second. Funny enough the throw blanket that I have been hunting for for a whole year was not a throw blanket at all but a yoga blanket! What's the difference? Nothing really.

And of course when I brought it home, Annie claimed it immediately.

There are a few different places you can purchase different Mexican woven yoga blankets on-line and quite a few designs to choose from in a wide range of colors. I purchased my yoga blanket (a Yogaworks brand) at my local Yogaworks studio, I found this to be advantageous especially for choosing the right color and taking a closer look at the thickness and such.

YogaWorks studio locations

I Stand Behind: Allen Jeffries Framing

I'm a framer or to better put it, I'm an individual who appreciates what a frame can do for a common print or poster, which is in my opinion, transforming. For example, The Velvet Underground & Nico yellow banana by Andy Warhol is a poster I purchased at Amoeba Music for under $20. A common $20 print is currently the important piece of artwork that hangs between my living room, entryway and family room, this being the case I had to get it framed nicely- presentation is everything. Presentation can turn a $20 poster into a notable center piece!

After searching and researching frame shops in Los Angeles I decided to hit up Allen Jeffries Framing (in Los Angeles, located on 3rd street) after having been estimated an "over-my-budget" cost for custom framing at Aaron Brother's I decided that Allen Jeffries might at least be worth the stop. The store is small and the people who work there are amiable and know what they're talking about, this already put me at great ease. The back of the store is buzzing with professional framers measuring, cutting and of course, framing. The professionalism of it all was a little intimidating but that feeling went away as soon as I sat down with one of the employees to discuss my framing project, my print, my vision and eventually the price point I was trying obtain.

The help was quick to sugget a number of things from dry-mounting, to floating, to matting but was never pushy- a quality I always appreciate. And with the serious number of frames available the right cost was something very obtainable. While Aaron Brother's had quoted me a custom frame that was almost $200 I was able to get my print dry-mounted and framed for under $100! When I picked up my order a couple days later the frame was nicely wrapped up and not a scratch on it, it looked impeccable. For the price and the quality of service I couldn't have asked for more, Allen Jeffries definitely made a long standing customer out of me.

Want to frame? Check out Allen Jeffries

I Stand Behind: Attic Insulations

It's been a year since my husband and I moved into our very first home, a century old, one story, 1400 square foot home with wall gas-heaters and no central air. If there is anything we have learned in this one year of owning our home it is that in the summer it is best to spend days in the nicely air-conditioned mall or perhaps even go for a nice long grocery store run in the freezer section, let's just say, if it's sweltering outside you don't even want to know what it's like inside. And during the winter thank the good lord for sweaters, sweaters and more sweaters not to mention layers of down-comforters and knit socks, let's just say "ice box" to keep it simple. And from a year of temperature agony what have we learned? Insulation is damn important!

During the winter our wall gas-heaters barely worked at all in keeping the house warm, because our house was not well insulated (minuscule cracks and gaps around windows, outlets, light switches, doors, including no attic insulation) kept the house from trapping in the heat, and thus we were running our gas wall-heaters 24/7 which comes out to many $$$$s.

During the summer, before we were blessed with the knowledge of Texas Summer (a strategy by which to keep your house cool for as long as possible without running the A/C), if it was 103 degrees outside you can bet it was just as hot, if not more, inside. Without the attic insulation to separate the rest of the house from the heat in the attic meant that the heat radiating from the attic to inside the home was keeping the house unbearably hot during the summer heat.

This was a problem we could not even stand to think about baring every year, so we got to work on insulating. We began by taping up those minuscule cracks and gaps around windows, light switches, outlets, fireplace, doors and such. Unfortunately this did very little to help, there's just no way of getting every crack and gap in the house and of course insulating these areas just wasn't the key to making a marked difference in temperature.

So we decided to go with attic insulation, this took the workers 2 hours of pumping recycled insulation to cover our entire attic floor with a thick layer of what looked like puffy clouds. Within the next two days I was able to see a marked difference in the temperature of our home. We no longer lived in an ice-box during winter nights and mornings, and the daytime temperature of the house was no longer sweltering on warm-to-hot days outside. On sunny days I simply draw the curtains to block out the light of the sun and the house becomes instantly cooler. On cold nights I run the gas wall-heater for a hour to feel comfortably warm opposed to all night or all day as I had done before to no avail.

Further insulation research I've done have resulted in the knowledge that attic insulation can cool the house up to 10 degrees! Not only have I been basking in attic insulation delight with our better regulated home temperature but have seen a difference in gas bills which sky-rocketed during winter, no longer having to run our gas wall-haters unnecessarily long means of course, smaller gas bills.  And I'm sure if we had central air those electric bills would also be smaller as well. In a perfect world your home would be 100% insulated- I'm not even sure if that is possible, but if you have to choose a form of insulation... I stand behind attic insulation, it will make the most noticeable difference.

I Stand Behind: Re-using jars and bottles

I have a collection of glass jars and bottles that I've been collecting from finished pickles, capers, juices and things. It all began with a wedding, my wedding, I was set on having a romantic country-style wedding, I envisioned a long table topped with white wild flowers in various jars, so I began collecting jars... and it never stopped. I found that when you took off the label and thoroughly wash the jar of residue and scent that they are absolutely charming and very helpful in storing beans, seeds, grains, pickles, preserves and etc. Of course your husband, as my husband has, can be very appreciative when he finds that you've got plenty of jars to spare so that he has a great way to organize all his little nails, and knick and knacks from the garage. Jars? There definitely a good thing.

I Stand Behind: Annie, my rescued pet

I dedicate this "I Stand Behind"-post to Annie, who my husband and I rescued only 4 months ago. You're probably thinking this has nothing to do with beautiful abodes and interior design for that matter unless you're speaking of stuffed dogs (which by the way, ew~ no offense to those who actually have stuffed pets, and I don't mean toys). 

I've grown up with dogs for most of my life, granted I never did any of the leg work (Sorry Mom and Dad!) and was too young to know what joy pets can bring. This post isn't so much about Annie but about pets in general and how having them, whether a turtle, bird, dog, cat and/or etc. can bring you such joy everyday. This everyday joy that they bring is very much a part of living, especially at home, and this is how it pertains to beautiful abodes, for me anyways. I truly believe that having a beautiful home can be external as well as internal and when there are happy people living in a home, any kind of home, that home becomes beautiful.

We brought Annie home not long after my husband and I moved into our first new house, and while we fretted about what kind of blinds and drapes to hang, whether an area rug here or there was necessary there was no denying that Annie really was the perfect accessory (it just so happened to be that way fortunately). Annie could do what no other furnishing or decor could which was to look absolutely adorable, AND, be an accompaniment to any area of the home to make it look homely, comfortable and loved. Here's what I mean...

Annie can sit on the sofa and make it look like it has absolute purpose although quite truthfully we barely use it.

Annie can make use of any empty space, giving it purpose.

Annie makes a nice accompaniment with our sheepskin rug, they were meant for eachother, and she loves it so which gives the sheep-skin rug all the more meaning.

She can give that one furnishing in your household that you despise above all else and wish you can throw away but don't have the heart to, a good reason to keep.

She often tells us where a rug is needed.

And really... who wouldn't smile and feel joy even in the darkest hour looking at this face. One of the secrets to having a beautiful home is to have happy people living in it... and she makes us very happy every day.

And another article on the joys of pets

from Apartment Therapy

Happiness is a Warm Puppy: Canine Comforts

I Stand Behind: Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser sponge

If cleaning was easy then we really wouldn't mind doing it but let's face it, no matter how lazy we are and how dirty our surroundings are day-to-day we all love to be living in a clean and tidy home. There are a few house chores I find rather easy and don't mind doing, such as loading the dish washer, doing laundry or even taking out the trash. But when it comes to cleaning sinks... let's just say I let it go... and go... and go, until it gets quite gross, I suppose deep down I'm hoping for my handy dandy husband to do it but of course he doesn't, and why should he? He already cleans the toilets (which I will never agree to do for as long as I live).

It seems that pregnancy has gotten me even lazier than I was before, I can't seem to stand the thought of scrubbing, soaping and bleaching the sink until it's all a shiny porcelain white like the first time we installed it. However, with the laziness came a really great idea, the idea to use Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser sponge! I usually use the magic eraser sponge on walls, cabinets, doors and tiles where stains, dry drips of colored things and scuff marks are- and they do work awfully well on these, but I've never tried the magic eraser sponge to clean sinks before.  Of course, it worked... like... magic.

To use the sponge, simple wet and squeeze excess water out, then begin using on surfaces that need any removals of scuffs and food stains (or whatnot), you can pretty much use it on any surface (with the exception of probably raw wood). I've used it on doors, tile counter tops, walls, moldings, bassboards and cabinets.

BEFORE

It's quite embarrassing to show the state of my bathroom sink, yes, quite disgusting I know. I let the grime and dust really build-up around the sink fixtures and around the sink drain. I'd like to say I let it get this disgusting for the sake of this post... but honestly, I've just been really lazy.

AFTER

It took a total of about 5 minutes to clean the bathroom sink, I tackeld the fixtures, the drain, the sink basin and around the sink top edges. I'm not sure how the magic eraser sponge works but it worked much faster and easier in swiping away all the caked grossness without much force- this is in comparison to my usual sink cleaning routine which usually consists of some hard scrubbing with the soft side of a regular sponge and soap, and I never tackle the fixtures with the regular sponge as I find it never clears away the water spots but the magic eraser sponge did. So clean. So easy. So fast!

You can find Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser sponge at any supermarket but I find that it's a bit cheaper Home Depot and you can also find the pack of 4 there also (versus the smaller packs of 2 or 3 you find at the market). 

I Stand Behind: The Digital Picture Frame

Don't get me wrong, I love the look of framed photos on my walls, it's kind of like how my kindle can never really tear me away from buying actual books, there's something about actual books and actual framed photographs that is much more authentic than it's newer counterpart. But just because my heart lies with the old ways of things doesn't mean I can't appreciate the new... for example, the digital photo frame. My husband and I bought a digital photo frame a few years ago from Brookstone's, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it then, obviously my husband was the one who infinitely more excited about it than I was, but after many years, many moves and many memories caught on camera I can to realize.... I LOVE the digital photo frame. Not only does the digital photo frame save money and paper, but now I don't have to pick and choose amongst all the beautiful photos I wish to share with my guest, the digital photo frame simply scrolls.

Buying a digital photo frame doesn't mean you have to shun the old-way you love so much of framing pictures, simply see the digital photo frame as an added bonus... all those pictures you wished you could frame and put up but had no room for or couldn't fit into your budget, well, you no longer have to hide them away- it really is a good thing.

We have a much older frame so the quality (resolution) of the picture isn't as high as some of the more current frames being sold, but I still love the frame, I actually think the resolution although lower gives it a more vintage photo look (well, that's one way to look at it, at least).

Depending on which digital frame and capacity you opt for determines how many photos the digital frame can hold to display.

My husband and I bought a Philips digital photo frame from Brookstone's, unfortunately they are hard to find now as they are pretty old, but here are a few different places you can look should you be interested...

from Target

from Philips.com

from Best Buy

I Stand Behind: Proper Salad Tossers

I'm a foodie all the way, eating is what I do best, it really is but with this kind of lifestyle I eat right and healthy whenever I'm not facing a menu full of deliciousness that I can't help myself from ordering.  Because of this I naturally eat a lot of salad at home, it usually accompanies my fish.  And because I eat a lot of salad I naturally toss a lot of salad, usually with fresh home-made vinaigrette.

I bought a cheap wooden salad server at Cost Plus World Market, 'it's a salad server, how good do they have to be anyway?'- This was the attitude I had. Then I received as a gift about a month ago, the gift was a bamboo wood salad server set from Sur La Table, $20.00 (which I think is spending quite a good amount on a salad server).  That same evening I made a salad and tossed the salad with the new bamboo salad server I had gotten, "no, it couldn't be' I thought to myself, 'could it?'.  Why was it so much easier to toss the salad? Why was it so much easier to maneuver?  So, now a month later and many salad tosses later what I  have to say is, if you eat a lot of salad at home and so find yourself tossing a lot of salad then yes, spending $20.00 on a decent salad tosser will make your life easier.  I never noticed how clumsy and heavy my first salad servers were until I used Sur La Table's Bamboo Salad Servers, let me jus say... I don't find myself picking up accidentally flung salad on my kitchen counter anymore.

Sur La Table Bamboo Salad Servers, set of 2 $19.95

The Eco-friendly bamboo servers resists staining 

The set includes 1 serving spoon and 1 spatula  

Both serving spoon & spatula are 12" long

I Stand Behind: Ikea's FIXA, floor protectors with rivet

Heavy boxes packed with dishes, clothes and such covered are a large part of the dining room area where the dinner table was not yet set up.  Unable to pick up a heavy box I pushed it across a mere foot when I heard a funny slight low scratching sound and realized that I had made a rather deep elongated impression on the wooden floor... not to be buffed out.  From then on I was very careful to never drag anything across the floor but to clearly lift any object and place it where desired- this I admit was quite a nuisance and quite trying for I had become used to living in other dwellings that did not require this kind of care.

So when my husband brought home a pack of FIXA floor protectors from Ikea I was more than enthused, I had him put them on the furniture feet right away. Thick plastic circular pegs lined on the bottom with a thick pad of felt and on the other side a smaller metal peg where it is hammered into the bottom of the feet of furniture.  Although the FIXAs were pretty sturdy and rigid once hammered into the feet my concern was that the thick felts that padded the bottom of the FIXAs would not hold after a time of dragging on the floor.  But having the FIXAs on for a couple of months now I have complete confidence in the floor protectors. They are easy to install and for only $1.99 for a pack of 8 I find it worth it even if it is only to last a year.

Very gladly, I do not find myself having to pick up and relocate anymore... I drag to my hearts content.

VIEW THE FIX ($1.99/8PCK) @ IKEA

I Stand Behind: The Hand-Held Sweeper Bucket

With a yard full of trees and plants I've been having a hard time keeping it clean, this is because of the copious amounts of dead leaves and twigs that fall, when I'm done sweeping one section I'll find myself staring at a pile that isn't quite large enough to warrant me jumping in (*like the child in me wishes it can do, had the pile been large enough) and yet the pile isn't small enough simply to pick up a couple of handfuls of and be done with.  

I suppose the continuous bending and picking up of yard debri is a good work out for my back (it'll creek for a day or two afterwards simply to remind me I had a good workout) but it is questionable whether the good outweighs the bad, the bad results in a messy yard (and that just won't do).  So I've come to the conclusion that my yard would be 75% cleaner had I a good way to pick up the debri, which is why I decided on a large sweeper-bucket from Home Depot (about $20).

The sweeper bucket is hardly sold for yard clean-up purposes but I found that it works great.  It's not nearly large enough to get my yard trimmings in one scoop but it does the job more efficiently and without me having to bend over repeatedly or get my hands dirty.  The handle is also on a hinge that allows the bucket to be seen as (pictured above) for easy sweeping or for the bucket to simply hang down with the opening facing up, this way it is easy to carry your debri without spilling it all about or you doing a funny thing with your arm to adjust the sweeper bucket in a position that keeps all the debri inside.

I Stand Behind: the Hose Reel

When you buy a home you are buying land- this has never been so apparent until now, trust me, when you stand out in the yard for a hour watering the lawn that came with your property, it will never be clearer to you.  And it will be even more clear if you do not own a hose reel.

Dragging a 25 feet or 75 feet hose around the yard from corner to corner to water every inch of your dying yard is one thing, but after a hour of watering the time has come to reel in that 25 footer or 75 footer, whether you want to do it by hand (the hard way) is up to you.

I have to admit that just up until recently I have been letting my front yard whither away, currently it is an ugly yellowish brown plot with a few green spots here and there.  This unfortunate event came to be when I decided that watering the lawn was way too strenuous because, well let's face it, I was being just plain lazy.  In an ideal world I would have a sprinkler system set up, but I don't, so it has come down to either sucking it up and watering the damn lawn or not.  So what if I have to drag the hose around for a hour and then drag it back to where it belongs, right?!  Wrong, because simply dragging the hose back to where it belongs is not where it ends, afterwards, you have to attempt to wind it up as nicely as possible so the long hose isn't just strewn about hither and thither.  And you all know what this attempt leads to, pure AGGRAVATION because there is no possible way of coiling, not even semi-nicely or even semi-neatly, the long wet hose that has been slithering hither and thither all over the yard full of dirt and grass.  And ever since, I have been dreaming of a hose reel, I remember watering the lawn as a young teen, half my size and it was still easier with the hose reel.  All you had to do was turn the handle and guide the hose a bit, no dragging, no huffing and puffing, no profanities passed through those lips.  

I suppose I had been wishing for a hose reel hard enough, because the next day I awoke to find a hose reel in my front yard, just like that. Odd.  I watered the plants and reeling in the hose was a cinch, but best of all?  No ugly half winded hose strewn about the front yard.

I Stand Behind: Rust Brushes

I'm not all too sure if Rust Brushes is actually what these bad babies are called but I can't seem to think of a more suitable name for them.

Just recently I moved into a 100 year old home in the middle of Los Angeles, and with it came some very old furniture in need of some serious love and care... and also hardware!  I love hardware especially old ones, which is exactly what this new old-home came with, old crystal finial door-knobs, brass hooks and towel bars, all of which I would love to reuse of course.  Needless to say, being that these hardwares were much older than I they were in need of some cleaning and scrubbing.

I picked up the kitchen towel bar and was enamored with it's simplicity and shape, only to be bought sometime way back when.  The poor thing was rusted over, dusty and grimy!  I filled my kitchen sink with 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar and soaked the bar for about 4-5 hours, to my pleasure the sparkle was coming back to the old kitchen towel bar.  I drained the sink and dried the towel bar and left it aside to be hung for later only to discover later that night the towel bar was beginning to rust anew!  Imagine my surprise!

However, lucky for me I have a very handy husband equipped with very handy tools and a very handy brain.  He handed me three Rust Brushes, the bristles all different, each coarser than the other.  The very next day I tried my luck with the Rust Brushes and... of course they worked!  Like a dream too.  The rust simply brushed off, I couldn't believe my eyes!  I always thought rust was rust and once it was there there was just no getting away from it.  I might have ended up hanging the beautiful vintage towel bar somewhere in the back of my shed I suppose had it not been for these rescue Rust Brushes... *sigh, my heros.

I Stand Behind: Hot water kettle dispensers

Zojirushi Panorama window micom electric dispensing pot

I live in a world of teas and coffees, I drink at least a cup of each each day, and it is for this reason I firmly stand behind the hot water kettle dispensers.  No wait time needed for your hot water to come to a boil, merely unlock and push "dispense", simple as that.  I have of course found other great uses for it as well, such as oatmeal!  Empty my pack of oatmeal into my bowl, unlock and push "dispense" to fill up that bowl and waalah!  Oatmeal!  Simple as that.

My days of waiting for the water to heat up are over and I couldn't be more thankful for my hotwater dispenser.