The answer for my hair

I am kind of hair challenged. When I was younger I wore a ponytail every day. Then after I became a mom I got my hair cut shorter so I would be forced to style it every day. And I have styled it- the same way every day. I just can't get any fancy things to work. I have 2 or 3 hairstyle choices I use on my daughter and I feel pretty proud about that level of variety.

I was trying to do something new the other day as I was getting ready to go on a date with my hubby, a rare grown up occasion. Anyway, I loved the idea of this easy hairstyle I saw on pinterest but just couldn't make it work. My sweet babysitter suggested I buy spin pins as she uses them in her lovely long hair to make an easy bun. So I bought them.
I tried the style I talked about earlier but still can't quite master it. But this:

This I can do. Plan on seeing my hair in a bun all summer people. It's my new everyday style.

Photos by the crazy and talented 5 yr old K.

The answer for silver

My mom gave me some silver this week. I was a tea set that was my Grandma's and I have another cream and sugar set that was my great aunt's (I think). I also have some cute spoons that were my Grandma's as well (in a jar on the top right). See the cream and sugar set on the bottom shelf and the tray from the tea set behind my husband's wine glasses.

But I really don't do polishing. I don't even own any silver polish. I am way too lazy for that. Fortunately, my mom had a solution that was quick and did not require elbow grease.

So here is how I took this set from here ...

... to here. I know it's not perfect but it is a whole lot better!

First step: go to the store and buy Calgon. I didn't really know what it was ( I guess that makes me young!). Apparently it is a water softener and can be found by the dish soap. But not in Superstore. I got mine at Save On but I saw it at Thrifty's as well. Also pull out the tin foil and salt.

Step two: put tin foil in the bottom of the sink and 1/2 cup calgon and a shake of salt on top.

Step three: pour boiling water over the whole thing. Then if you are me and you didn't boil quite enough, supplement it with very hot tap water. But that is not the official Cora method are we clear?

Step four: add the silver things once everything is dissolved. Let the silver sit on the tin foil totally submerged in water. It *should* take only 15 seconds, or "instantly" according to my mom. But I let it sit for a bit while I did a few things. Seriously folks it was pretty tarnished. That set has been in a box unloved since I got married 10 years ago!

That's it. It comes out pretty darn shiny. This is how my mom does all her silver. It has a bit of a yellow cast to it but I don't know if that is because of the reaction or because my silver is old.

I think if you were a perfectionist (if my husband was doing this) you would then finish off by polishing after the bulk of the work was done. But I am a good enough-ist. So it is now on my shelf.

Sorting it out - the Answer for kids art

If it weren't for my husband, who likes to throw everything away, I might just be a pack rat. I am a very visual person so I really hate working around clutter, but I am kinda sentimental so I am sad to get rid of things. One thing I have a lot of trouble getting rid of is my kids beautiful art. They make something every week at Sunday School and then at Daycare, and Preschool. That doesn't even take into account the stuff they make at home. I am at a loss for what to do with it all. I did try taking pictures of it, but that is hard to keep up with. I tried sending it to my Grandma who lived far away, but she is gone now. I still like the idea of sending something to Aaron's Grandparents in the mail every month even though we do see them in person. The kids would probably like that too. But again, that is hard to keep up with. So at A's urging I finally purged it all. This is what I started with.Pretty bad, I know, considering my oldest just turned 5! Well, I successfully weaned it down to one drawer, only partially full! I put the rest lovingly in a bag and told A to get rid of it quickly before I changed my mind.
I got rid of anything without a name, date, anything that was essentially a duplicate, and anything broken.
I saved a variety of things for each kid (well mostly just for the boys, L is pretty young yet) from different times and different types of crafts, drawing, cutting etc. I felt great afterwards knowing that what I did save is organized by kid and dated and safe in a big drawer. Now I just need to be selective with the new art that comes through our door.
I also spent some time sorting out some other stuff...
Can you tell what it is? I have a system for this too. More on that next time.

the answer (for my skin)

I always search and search to find "the answer" to different things in my life. When I find something that works I research it endlessly until I feel I know as much as I can then I move on to a new obsession. A while back, my sister introduced me to Paula Begoun books, and wow, this lady has answers! She calls herself the cosmetics cop she has website, cosmetics product line and lots of books. Well, really she has lots of editions of a few books. Basic premise: the cosmetics industry says whatever it wants, it can't really be held responsible, so it doesn't really act responsibly.

This lady researches thousands of products and rates them all, so you know what will actually help your skin (based on research), and what is not worth the money.

I could write a lot about what I learned from her books, but I am just going to say this, I love BHA. It helps improve your pore function and exfoliates, all that good stuff. Basically , I put it on the greasy parts of my face and they are less greasy, less likely to breakout and smoother too! The olay stuff in the picture is my current lotion that is running out, and the clearasil stuff is the new one I bought (for like $3). Both recommendations from the book, so great to see what is good BEFORE you buy it. The other thing I found through her is MAC cosmetics, so worth it!

Anyway, BHA is the answer for my skin. I won't buy anything without looking it up here first (I am always sorry if I don't). On to my next obsession....