Search Results for: blog the drop zone

The Drop Zone

I recently realized that I spend at least an hour a day moving stuff from place to place. I probably spend more than that, but I don’t want to do any more accounting. The process might depress me. Granted, I’m someone who places a high priority on leading a life without clutter. With a child and several pets, the attempt to have very little clutter is a constant struggle. A clutter-free (ok, low clutter) environment makes me feel relaxed and happy. I know that everything is organized. I know where things are. It feels good to know that the lunches … Continue reading →

Getting More Bang for Your Cruise Buck

Passengers on Disney’s oldest cruise ship will soon get more bang for their buck thanks to a huge renovation project.  The 15-year-old floating city is getting fitted with a series of phenomenal deck-top attractions, including a massive water slide called the AquaDunk. The Disney Magic’s newest attraction is being built to please passengers looking for thrills and chills at sea.  The water slide will be situated on the ship’s forward funnel and features a translucent tube and trap door where passengers wait a near-vertical free fall. When the door opens, riders drop nearly 40 feet before being shot through a … Continue reading →

Stretch Your Dollar at Sea

Royal Caribbean is giving travelers more bang for their buck on the high seas.  The cruise line is getting ready to unveil its most extravagant vessels to date. The new Quantum of the Seas will feature a giant glass capsule connected to a mechanical arm that transports passengers high above the water similar to the London Eye.  Only, you won’t have to fork over an extra $25 per person to ride it.  Rather, a spin on the spectacular attraction will come at no additional charge to any of the 4,180 passengers who book a trip on the massive ship. Royal … Continue reading →

Shirts That Swear

How do you punish a foul-mouthed kid? Bathe his mouth with hot sauce and soap or ground him until he’s 30? Savvy kids are bypassing parental punishments these days by letting their shirts do the swearing for them. Clothing retailers around the world have long marketed profanity-printed tees, though one uber-popular teen-centric apparel store, Urban Outfitters, is currently generating international media attention for its line of stickers featuring the phrase “Punk as F…” And by … I mean u-c-k. The f-word is spelled out in its entirety on the sticker, which an increasing amount of teens have now taken to … Continue reading →

Is Your Fridge Eating Electricity?

Recently I was the delighted recipient of a new fridge and stove. I was delighted because our old fridge didn’t work very well and was so broken inside that a piece of ancient, jagged plexiglass was holding up our vegetables. In spite of the state of our old fridge, I must admit to feeling slightly guilty about getting a new one. I’ve never gotten a new fridge and stove before. I’ve always repaired the old ones. However, the fridge and stove were just barely usable and were getting to be beyond repair, even if we really, really wanted to repair … Continue reading →

Holiday Photo Ops

The holiday season is ripe with memorable photo opportunities. From the excitement of gift opening to the traditional carving of the Christmas ham, and hugs galore for visiting friends and family, now is not the time of year to be without your camera. In fact, now is the time to make the most of your picture-taking tool. I recently attended a Christmas party where the host’s camera took center stage. Rather than walk around the shindig snapping pictures of guests, my friend set-up a mock photo booth where people could shoot their own pictures. The camera sat on a tripod … Continue reading →

Plants That Are Dangerous For Cats

Many years ago, when I lived in a small apartment with two cats, I had a friend over for the first time. She was looking around our lovely little apartment, when all of a sudden my cat started to vomit violently. Oh yes, and things were coming out the other end of the cat too. It was full on cat festivities, and the friend looked moderately horrified as our chat came to an abrupt end and I packed the cat into a carrier to take to the emergency vet clinic – it was a holiday, of course. Several hundred dollars … Continue reading →

The Gooiest Apple Awards at Disneyland

This year Disneyland’s doing something a little different for Halloween. Sure, both parks are throwing the usual parties, but this time Disneyland has a little something special for the holiday on its website. Travel over to Disneyland’s Halloween Time and see what I mean. The main focus for Halloween Time is the Disney Villains, which makes sense. The flash animation on the site rotates between each of the most popular baddies, and users can click on them to read a tidbit about the character. Then they can vote to crown their favorite with the Gooiest Apple Award. But rather than … Continue reading →

Container Gardening; Fall Flowers

It’s fall, and you want to remove a few of those less-than-hardy annuals from your containers and turn on the fall glory of reds, oranges, and yellows. But where to begin? Here are a few ideas for fall container gardening arrangements that will make your front porch or sunroom shine! Mary Ann already mentioned the fall mum. These short, stout plants are full of brilliant fall color, and what’s more, they’re hardy to Zone 3. The aster is a daisy-like flower that is also very hardy. For those who want a big, beautiful flower to act as a backdrop to … Continue reading →

The Flylady Way

Since I’m new to this house keeping blog I decided to start with my favorite way to get my house in shape- Flylady! If, like me, you tend to procrastinate and create more work for yourself when cleaning then you really need to check out Flylady’s website. First of all, she’s funny, has a huge heart and can make things happen. First of all, Flylady eases you into it; she sends you a welcome email and little things to do to start developing a routine. When I first started doing Flylady, being the impatient perfectionist I am, I was quite … Continue reading →