Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Don’t worry, I’m not so delusional to believe you actually care about what kind of toilet paper we use or what brand of socks we wear.  But there have been a number of purchases we’ve made over the year, or products we’ve started using that we REALLY like, and would like to recommend others try.

If you think you'd like to take up making ice cream, and come across the Gaggia Gelateria on Craig's List or at a Rummage Sale - don't hesitate. I seriously doubted this purchase by Justin, but after the first batch of ice cream, am a convert.

In the market for a new kitchen, or a remodel? I love our IKEA kitchen drawers, especially fitted with the closing dampers. Soooooo nice.

I happened to find Naiad Soap Arts on Etsy.com, and Justin LOVES her Absinthe Soap. More expensive than Dial, but it lasts longer, and has a pretty cool scent. I'm also a fan of her Cardamom Vanilla Sugar Whipped Soap, when it's available.

We also love this solid Shave Soap bar by DressGreen, also on Etsy.com. Shave soap lasts oodles longer than traditional shaving cream, has a fantastic lather, and feels super soft. DressGreen also has some great Shampoo Bars that we think are phenomenal. Plus, they're very easy to travel with - no liquids!

One more soap recommendation. This is J.R.Watkins Aloe & Green Tea Natural Liquid Hand Soap. The scent is unique, subtle, and so very good.

One thing we've tried to do is cut back on the disposable products we use, dryer sheets being one of them. These Reusable Lavender Dryer Sachets by ManInTheMoonHerbs on Etsy.com make our sheets and towels smell great (though not overpowering) and can be used again and again without losing their scent.

I love these UnPaper Towels made by MadeInTheRedBarn on Etsy.com. They are easy to clean and great to use around the house - to clean up spills, to use as napkins, as dust rags, etc. And we're not going through rolls of paper towels or packages of napkins like we used to.

I heard a bit of commotion outside this morning as our new fridge was being delivered.  “There’s a Turkey outside!”  And so there was!  Somehow a turkey managed to find herself walking through downtown Stevens Point.

What in the world brought her here?  Maybe meeting a friend for tea at  Cafe 27?  For pad thai noodles (with tofu, of course) at Green Tea?  Grabbing a slice at Polito’s?  Or showing her (actual) wild side with some color from Monkey Wrench Tattoo?

I hope she has enjoyed her visit into town, and finds her way safely back out again!

We had a very busy weekend, and another post or two will be coming along shortly detailing the weekend’s family-orientated festivities, but we both had to laugh at the package that arrived on our doorstep shortly have we came home.

This is the set of drawers from IKEA that was consistently out of stock when we were at the store.  We finally ordered it online and agreed to pay the $20+ shipping charges (since gas would cost that much anyway to go back!).  This is by far the craziest packed box we’ve ever received.  If we had known receiving packages from IKEA was going to be so entertaining, we would have stopped going ages ago!

We’re experiencing minor technical difficulties with our camera batteries, and so have no pretty pictures to share with you. So for today, we will have to use our imaginations to see the fantastical pictures that I wasn’t able to take.
On Tuesday evening I went Cross Country Skiing with Aunt Ruth, or I as refer to it, “Skies Vs. Bones, 2010.” I think our instructor thought we were all slightly more advanced than we really were, and proceeded to take us on a trail ridden with hills. Not cool. Not cool at all. Both Ruth and I had some pretty spectacular falls, which resulted in some pretty spectacular sore muscles and bruises the following day. But alas, no pictures.
On Wednesday Justin and I drove over to the People’s Meat Market to pick up a few things, including fresh eggs. I love the color and size variations in a reused carton of farm fresh eggs, just packed the day before, or even that morning. The great browns, tans, off white, and bright white shells. Two of the eggs were so large that the carton couldn’t even close properly. The resulting fried eggs were quite a bit larger than my english muffin the next morning, but oh so very tasty!  But again, no pictures.
Hopefully we will have either a new battery or a new charger ASAP, and we’ll get this blog back to normal!

I have to say that I am rather enjoying my job as a personal shopper for Sears.com.  Heck, I am being paid to surf the web.  “Can you find an American-made Christmas tree?” you ask.  “But of course!  Here are the top three products I would suggest!”  “How about Thomas the Tank Engine Cookie Jar?” “Absolutely!  Here is one on Amazon.com.”  It’s pretty cool to be able to help people find things they otherwise thought they couldn’t get.

But this is not always the case.  There are some items that we are being consistently asked about, and unless you have a fortune to spend on Christmas presents, there isn’t a glimmer of hope that they will be under your tree come Christmas morn.

Mattel Mindflex.

This came out a couple of months ago, to lots of blank stares and puzzled grunting noises.  It is a game that apparently uses your brain waves/mental telepathy/ghosts to move a small ball in the air without touching it.  And now every 9 – 26 year old guy needs it.  Not just needs it… HAS to have it.  Unless, of course, the price has increased to almost $200.

FurReal Friends S’Mores Pony.

Yeah.  You’re not getting this either.  This is a toy pony, about 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall, that actually walks and moves and little kids can actually ride on.  Pretty. Stinkin. Awesome.  And $495, up a little from the originally $50 price tag.

Barbie Glamour Camper.

This one makes me laugh.  Who is Barbie trying to kid?!  When has camping ever been glamorous?!  Even if you have a sweet camper, you’re walking through the woods getting pine needles and dirt stuck to your clothes, sitting by the fire, the smell of smoke permeating every square inch of your skin, and picking ashes off your food.  Don’t get me wrong, I love it.  But Glamour and Camper do not go together.  And Mattel probably only made about a hundred of these things, thinking they wouldn’t be very popular.  They were wrong.  People feel the need for some Glamour in their Barbie camping experience.  And only few lucky girls are going to get it this Holiday season.

So if any of these items are on your wishlist this year, good luck.  Sure you don’t want an iPod instead?  I can find you an iPod in a snap.

Okay, I promise I’ll give you an Actual Post with Pictures tomorrow, documenting The Painting of our apartment.  It is exciting, and I know you are on the edge of your seat, but we finished late after it was dark, and the pictures would have been bad.

So in the meantime, here are some recommendations that I’d like to share.

Watch these movies (available on Netflix):

There are actually four separate movies in this 2-disc set, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Each is a retelling of the Shakespeare story, but set in modern day, with modern language.  And they are all superb.  I was feeling very girly this week, and watched The Taming of the Shrew (my personal favorite of the four) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Shakespeare definitely had the Romantic Comedy genre down pat.

Make these cookies:

At least, that is what I plan to do with my time on Sunday afternoon!  I’m thinking I’m going to try filling them with peanut butter cream cheese frosting, and seeing if that doesn’t blow my mind.

Read this blog (especially since I’ve been lax at updating mine!):

A friend just clued me into this one, and I haven’t laughed so hard in quite awhile.  Definitely research The Face, and Tree Brain.  And don’t wet your pants.

After several weeks of furious cleaning, our house is officially FOR SALE.  The For Sale sign is out front in the yard, the website is up and running, and an ad will start running in the paper this weekend.  An Open House and Garage Sale is planned for next weekend (the 19th: 8 am – 1 pm, and the 20th: 12 pm – 4 pm).  Spread the word!  This is a great 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath home on a large lot, located centrally near UWSP, an elementary school, Belt’s Soft Serve, and downtown Stevens Point.  We are selling it with the complete home theater system upstairs.  

Check out the website Justin put together for a ton of photos of the inside and out, the layout of the first and second floors, and the location.  Feel fee to contact us if you’d like to see it! 

Justin and I will be putting our house on the market in the next few weeks in preparation of moving into the 2nd floor of our building.  As we will be moving into a smaller, 2 bedroom apartment, we are looking to find a family or two to adopt our cats, Storm and Norm.  While this certainly wasn’t an easy decision, we both agree it will be better for the cats and us in the long run, as many of our friends and family are allergic to cats and can’t really visit us now.  While the cats are very comfortable with each other, they are not related, and would not need to go to the same home.  We are not looking to sell them, and we’ll include litter and a box, food, etc with each of them.  

Storm is a female domestic shorthair (fixed, all shots up-to-date), is about 5 years old and is a chunker – about 16 lbs.  She has both her front and back claws, though she is very good about using her scratching pad and hasn’t torn up any of our furniture.  She is very good about using the litterbox, as we’ve never had a problem with her going anywhere else.  She is very laid back, and is very comfortable with dogs, other cats and older children.  While mostly a lazy sleeper, she does have a playful side.  She loves having her face scratched, and likes to be around others.

Norm is a male domestic short hair (fixed, and all shots up-to-date), about 6 years old and weighs about 8 pounds.  He has had his front paws declawed.  Norm is a bit of a sensitive, quiet little cat.  He can be very affectionate and loves attention, but is a bit skittish around small children, or anything that makes too much noise (he won’t be in the same room when we watch movies).  He is pickier than Storm in regards to the litterbox, as it needs to be scooped and changed regularly  and must be a certain kind (scooped once a week, changed every other week, thankfully the brand is a cheaper Target brand).  He loves to run and chase around the house.  We had him before Storm, and it took about a week for him to adjust to her.  

Both Storm & Norm are indoor cats, and have only ever been outside within our fenced-in yard for less than an hour at a time.  We would prefer for them to go to homes where they will be taken care of inside.  

If you are interested in meeting and/or adopting one or both of our kitties, please contact us as soon as possible (email me at juliebgasper(at)yahoo(dot)com or leave a comment).  We hope to put the house on the market mid-September, and have Storm and Norm in their new homes by then.  Please feel free to pass on this post to any friends or family who you think would be interested in adding a cat to their family!

Thanks!

Justin and I drove up to Wausau today, to meet up with some family and friends at the Square downtown.  On Thursdays there are famer’s market booths with veggies and fruit galore, as well as crafts and good eats.  It was a bright, hot sunny day, and a good amount of us showed up.  Together with Shelley, Mom, Joseph, Mark, Phyllis, Philip, Greg, Ruth, and Laura, we shared delicious Hmong Egg Rolls, sandwiches from La Prima Deli, and chocolate chip cupcakes I brought along.  We visited, laughed, and sweated in the sun for a good while before we decided to head home.  

We didn’t get too far, however, as we were less than a mile down the road, and we crested a hill, and there, in front of us in the lane was a biker crashed in the road!  Justin and I quickly stopped and blocked the lane, and a pedestrian was also quickly walking toward the scene.  We’re not really sure what happened, as the biker wasn’t very coherent, but he was bleeding and couldn’t really move.  We called 911 (which I had never done before!) and within minutes the ambulance and several cops on bicycles arrived.  And then all of a sudden the man tried to jump up and began attempting to climb on his bike to leave!  We moved on, as the parimedics and cops were there and sorting out the situation.  It was definitely an interesting experience, and we hope the man is okay!

**not the actual crashed bike we saw**