Tile in the Bathroom

I forgot that the tubs in these apartments have Bathroom tiles on the walls until I started cleaning the tub today.  I hadn't even thought of it when I was showering.  Yes, I'm very observant - why do you ask?

I really do like tile in the bathroom, though not necessarily these or the gorgeous shade of green the tub and the toilet are.  I just remembered as I was cleaning that it's important to take proper care of the grout between the tiles.  It's not too bad here, so the last tenants must have cleaned well, or else the apartment complex has learned the secret of cleaning grout really well.  I remember one semester in college it was my job to clean the showers in one of the bathrooms.  The grout in there was pretty bad, and I had no idea how to get it clean, not to mention that it was already that way before it became my job to clean it.  But do you think my RA cared?  No, she expected me to get it clean.

None of the products we had for cleaning the dorm did a thing, so my friend Jen ended up buying some bleach, and that took care of it.  Not that I want to use bleach as a regular cleaner, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  And the only reason I got to thinking about that was because I realized I hadn't given Jeffrey anything for cleaning the tile grout, because I hadn't even thought of it.  I'm making a list of things I need to send back with him while I'm here, so I ought to add something for that.

My friend Peggy has a really amazing bathroom and shower that is all tile.  She's got really nice tiles like some of the ones you can find on Glass Tile Store website.  They have all kinds of really nice tiles, and also some good information in grout care and cleaning, which could come in handy.  I will have to ask Peggy what she uses and how she keeps her nicely tiled bathroom and shower clean.  Not that I expect to clean this tub and these tiles again, but you never know - and we might just end up with a nicely tiled bathroom of our own when we get a new house.

A Little Bit of Cleaning

While Jeffrey is at work and I'm home alone in the apartment, I've managed to stay occupied.  I brought a book along to read, because I thought I could take some time just to sit and read it - but so far I haven't read more than a few pages.  I should probably blame that on finding out I have internet access and spending too much time on facebook, but I've also spent some time cleaning the apartment for my sweet husband.

Yes, I know he's a big boy and he can take care of himself, but I'm used to taking care of him.  So I've washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, made sure we had something for dinner - fajitas in the crockpot right now - cleaned the tub and sink in the bathroom, and swept and vacuumed the floors.  Honestly, all that didn't really take up too much time.  It really doesn't take too long to clean a little 1-bedroom apartment, and it wasn't really all that messy.  Jeffrey has done a good job of taking care of himself - not that I really want to have him getting too used to doing that.

Mainly I wanted to vacuum the carpet because there were salt crystals all over the place, mainly by the entry door.  Now that it's winter, that's probably going to be a regular thing.  The frustrating thing is that the carpet is nice and thick and new, and right up to the door - meaning that there is no way to put any kind of rug in front of the door to wipe your feet on.  Whatever is on your shoes when you walk in the door, in this case the salt from the sidewalks, gets tracked in onto the carpet.  You definitely don't want to step in any mud!

You'd think they'd put some kind of vinyl or tile in front of the doors to avoid having everything tracked in, but Jeffrey says they just put new carpet in whenever they rent an apartment out to a new tenant.  I don't know if that's more cost effective than if they would just Click Here and get the carpets cleaned between tenants, but that's what they do.  Still, wouldn't it be nice for the current tenants if they were able to put a throw rug in front of the door and keep the carpet cleaner while they're living there?

Should we suggest some kind of hard surface just inside the entry doors of the apartments?  After all, they have changed the kitchen and bathroom floors.  They used to be carpeted when we lived here before.

It Looks Good Enough to Eat

I'm supposed to be helping a friend of mine update her website and organize it better.  So far I've taken pictures of some of her products, looked at a few templates we could possibly use, and done some research.

Some of that research involves looking at other similar sites to see how they're organized.  She sells uncured natural meats and Alaskan salmon, so I've been checking out this website where you can seafood order online, and I forgot about the organization and started looking at the pictures.  Do you see how good that smoked salmon looks in that picture?  I am going to have to figure out how to take better pictures of the products - pictures that people just can't resist.  The pictures on this site certainly have me wanting to add some of these things to my cart - the Smoked Salmon, Sockeye Salmon Maple BBQ Kebobs, and the Sockeye Salmon Burger with Ginger Dill to name just a few.

I'll have to keep looking at these pictures and hopefully find some online information about food design and photography.  Any suggestions for that?  I have a hard enough time getting decent pictures for my recipe blog.  Half the time my problem is that I don't think to take a picture until after we've eaten the food, so at least that problem is solved, since the whole point will be the pictures.  Maybe getting to eat the food afterwards would just be a bonus!

The Lace Comfort Bra

I recently ordered some bras I saw advertised in the coupon section of my paper.  They were $6.99 each, and I got free shipping if I ordered 3 or more.  So I ordered 3 - a black one, a white one, and a nude one.

The bras promise to stretch to fit any cup size from a B to an E, to be very comfortable and supportive without underwire.  There were no reviews (or even a place for reviews) on the website, but I figured they were worth a try.

Do they follow through on all those promises?  Well, they do stretch, though the material is very thin by the time it stretches - and very see-through.  They are comfortable, even comfortable enough to sleep in, because there is nothing to pinch or poke.

As far as support goes - I think they'd be fine for someone with young, firm breasts or someone who's had breast augmentation montreal (or elsewhere) and has very firm breasts.  I think the biggest problem is that the shoulder straps are a bit longer than they need to be, and there's no way to adjust them.  If I could tighten them up a bit and get a little lift, I think these bras would be quite nice. 

As it is, they do work for what I actually bought them for - wearing under a t-shirt or pajamas on those weekends when we have company or when we're in somebody else's house.  When I just need something, and these are perfect for that.

I suppose I could sew the straps to make them a bit shorter.  I might eventually get around to trying that.

I'm Addicted to Free Stuff

...whether I need it or not.

That's not really a bad thing, is it?  I mean, why pay for something if you can get it for free?  And why pass up something that's free, even if you don't need it right now?  You might some day!  That's my philosophy anyway.

I'm not nearly as bad as those 'extreme coupon' ladies you see on tv, but I do believe in stocking up on things like toothpaste, lotion, shampoo, free baby stuff, etc. - pretty much anything that I know we are going to use at some time.  If I can get it for free or practically free by combining a sale and a coupon, and sometimes a rebate, then I have a hard time passing it up.  I really hate the idea of running out of something and having to pay full price for it, and getting the stuff we need for free means that we have more money to spend on things we want.  Can't argue with that!

And if I can get something I may never need for free - I have a hard time passing that up too.  Except for now.  Now I'm trying to stop accumulating more stuff and just use the stuff we have, so we'll have less stuff to move when the time comes.  Of course trying is the operative word, because if they're going to give it to me...

I am continuing to collect free Kindle books and free Android Apps from Amazon - because those don't take up any space.  I probably won't ever read or play the majority of them, but they're free.  As for the rest, mostly I just stay away from the stores so I'm not tempted.

Baby Gifts for the Sports Fan

I've noticed that people like to dress their kids and babies up in cute little outfits that support their favorite sports teams.  The babies have no choice - they're born fans!  In our family that always meant University of Illinois Fighting Illini clothes.  (Basketball; not football)  You should see how many Illini outfits Jason has!

Here in Wisconsin, most babies wear Green Bay Packers outfits, and in Texas I bet they all wear Dallas Cowboys Baby Clothes. You have to admit, they're really cute.  Onesies, sleepers, sweatsuits, all kinds of adorable fan clothes are available as well as things like hats, bottles, bibs, and even a storage unit for baby's room.  And, of course, those cheerleader sets for little girls.  Nothing is cuter than that!  Nothing.  I don't care what team it is.

They'd make great gifts for all the sports fans in your life and their new little fans.  According to this site, baby fans - "Once a fan, always a fan." - so you know they want to get them started off right!  The site has baby and toddler clothing for the littlest fans of not only professional football, baseball and basketball teams, but college teams, too.  They'll even wrap your gift in team-colored tissue!

If you're shopping for the holidays, be sure to order by December 18th for guaranteed delivery.