Dress up Holiday Hostess Gifts

On November 18, 2016 By ls1228In DIY, Extreme Blonde Moments, Helpful Tips, holiday projects, SewingLeave a comment

I love bringing wine when I am a guest for a meal or an evening of other treats and libations, but hate to bring the boring wine bag I grabbed on the way out of the grocery or wine store. I know that they are cute and people don’t really expect more, but they are putting in a great deal more time and expense when hosting, so I like to make the effort when I can.

There is just one problem: I have very limited creative skills. I can’t draw, paint or do any type of art. I can build things and my grandma did teach me to sew, so when time (and fabric on hand) allows, I love whipping up a quick & fancy wine bottle gift bag to add that little personal touch.

Supplies

1 piece 14″ by 16″ Holiday or other themed (if you want) fabric
1 piece 14″ by 16 ” Contrasting fabric (of a heavier weight if you have it on hand)
15″ to 18″ piece of Ribbon, Jute, or Fabric for tying the bag

Directions

On both pieces of fabric, press the right side of top raw edge about 3/8″ onto the backside (like a hem). You will be leaving this top part open.
Fold each piece of fabric right sides together the long ways so that each piece measures 7 x 16 inches.
Sew down the long raw edge and across the bottom using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.
Trim to 1/4″
Pinch in from the corners and sew across at about 1+1/4″ to form a box bottom.
Take a pair of scissors and clip both corners off making sure not to cut through the seam you sewed together earlier.
Turn the fabric that will be the outside of your wine bag so that it is right side out.
Leave the inner fabric so that it is still wrong sides out (You want the right side to be the inner bag).
Place the inner fabric bag inside outer fabric bag making sure the seams match up
Then fold each raw edge inward about 1/2 inch and pin together. I did this starting at the seam so that I knew they would be matched up as I pinned around the circle.
Topstitch along the edge – I stitched about 3/8″ down from the top and let a bit of the pleather inner fabric peek above the top.
Insert your bottle in the bag
Tie your ribbon, jute or fabric around the bag.
Fold the inner bag down so the top of the bottle and your liner fabric are exposed

Are you on Facebook? If you are interested in blog follow ups, free or discounted stuff I find, things that make me wonder, scream like a maniac, laugh, or yell in frustration, join the more than 2,700 people who find me engaging or amusing at the page dedicated to this blog: https://www.facebook.com/extremeblondemoments

Organize This Chaos

On November 12, 2016November 12, 2016 By ls1228In election, Extreme Blonde Moments, headlines, Helpful Tips, Pisses Me Off1 Comment

hatecrimevote

This Blonde has had enough of the hateful personal attacks coming out of the woodwork, the attic, crawling out of the sewers and the swamps, falling from the skies, and everywhere else.

Many people who claim to be your friends aren’t. They hold racial, gender, sexual, and religious biases that differ with your beliefs. Deal with it, erase them from your life or learn to agree to disagree if that’s possible, but you are not going to change them anymore than they are likely to change you.

America, because tens of millions of people seem to need a refresher course in U.S. History, was founded on a few basic principles that are stated quite clearly in The Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The government of the people, by the people and for the people is clearly outlined in the Declaration of Independence, “governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”

All that said, this Blonde has a few things to get off her chest: lamarch

Peaceful protest is a First Amendment right
Vandalizing property, assaulting citizens and committing other crimes of opportunity are not
Peaceful protests and petitions can result in desired change: A Texas Electoral College Member (a state that was awarded to Trump) has publicly stated he is considering a change in his vote on December 19th, and a petition circulating on Change.org, asking the Electoral College #VoteYourConscience and follow the will of the Popular Vote to award the election to Hillary Clinton, has (as of 12:30 PST) gathered 3,620,136 signatures.
Protests that stray from the intended purpose and spiral into lawless riots turn people against your cause

Police in the cities where days of protests have been happening are being supportive of Constitutional rights and doing what they can to keep the protestors safe, but when they turn the switch and become thugs and criminals they are playing right into the playbook of the voters whose votes they are protesting.

antitrumplapd

Instead of inflicting damage which will cost cities money to clean it up, think about other ways to protest that may get the point across.

If a company where you regularly shop, dine at or otherwise patronize supports values, laws and lawmakers that you don’t, then change your spending habits. Shop, dine and spend your money with companies that share your values.
If the house of worship you pray in has deviated from the righteous path that you try to follow, then join another congregation that more closely aligns with your beliefs.

Major sports leagues, the NCAA, corporations, organizations, recording artists and others have moved their events away from states that enacted legislation that was Anti-LGBTQ. By doing so, hundreds of millions of dollars in spending was directed away from those economies. In the end the almighty dollar is a much greater sword to wield when the intention behind the loss of revenue is known.

The estimate in lost revenue to North Carolina alone was a HALF A BILLION DOLLARS. Several companies intending to move their corporate headquarters or build regional facilities canceled their contracts costing jobs, tax dollars and they still did not, and have not, changed their Anti-LGBTQ legislation. In fact, they have diverted $500,000 from the state’s disaster relief funds (funds that are sorely needed to repair massive storm damage) to fight litigation against their Anti-LGBTQ legislation! HMMM

If you don’t like that your City, County or State voted to elect a Councilman, Mayor, Commissioner, Assemblyman, Senator, Representative or yes, President, then let your money, as well as your voice and future vote do your talking.

Enough with causing chaos in the very cities you claim to be speaking for
Don’t contribute to your party the next time they come calling
Write letters to your representatives
Send letters to the editor of your local and regional papers
Start a grassroots movement “Bernie-Style”
Remember that mid-term elections are only 2 years away

In 2018, 33 of the 100 Senate seats are up for re-election. Currently Republicans hold 52 seats and 8 of those will be up for grabs: Arizona, Nevada, Mississippi, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, & Wyoming. If any Senators die in office or are otherwise unable to serve before that, there can be special elections, so there is no reason to wait until then to get involved if this really matters to you.

Benefits of Backing In

On October 30, 2016October 30, 2016 By ls1228In Extreme Blonde Moments, Helpful Tips, Pisses Me Off, SafetyLeave a comment

cars-in-parking-lot How much time do you spend in your car circling to find somewhere to park? If you live in a crowded state, like California, where people tend to drive everywhere, it’s probably a lot of time.

Inevitably, once I find a spot, there are cars like me waiting, turn signals on, anxious to zip into any empty space to get on with whatever task, appointment or meeting has caused the need to fight for parking. Once the spot opens up in we head, nose first, squeezing in to a spot barely large enough for the car, let’s not even talk about the need to open a door to get out or unload anything or anyone that may be accompanying you from the car.

Once your tasks are completed and the time comes to leave the same perilous journey begins again in reverse. You are virtually stalked by drivers who, anxious to acquire your parking spot, creep along behind or beside you as you make the trek back to your car. God help you if you do not immediately load your car, get in and, as fast as possible, start and slam the car into reverse so that they are not caused any delay in getting their car into your spot. It’s amazing how much road rage you can encounter when you don’t move quickly enough in to or out of a parking space.

blind-zone-chart Sometimes, if I am not in my large SUV where I can see over everyone, or in my husband’s larger sedan with it’s myriad of cameras, it’s really hard for me to know that it’s safe to back out of a spot. If I am in my very small sports car and there is a large truck, SUV or other longer vehicle beside me, I am virtually blind when backing out. Other drivers can become quite impatient and nasty as I creep out to make sure that I don’t get hit by anyone and don’t hit pedestrians or any vehicle that may be darting by without looking for me.

Not surprisingly, a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in 2001 and 2002 found that 14 percent of all damage claims involved crashes in parking lots. More seriously, there is a whole category of crashes, often fatal, tracked by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, called “backover crashes”: These typically occur in driveways and parking lots, often involve children, and happen most often to drivers of SUVs.

Considering all of that, it occurs to me that backing in to parking spots is a far safer way to park than head in. Apparently there are many reasons to consider backing into spots instead of parking head in:

1 in 7 vehicle accidents occur in parking lots
There is a smaller field of vision when backing up
If you are at work, or at home for that matter, and there is a need for emergency evacuation, it’s much quicker to get into your car and drive straight out. You can also see the faces of other drivers parked similarly and can wave to each other and maintain order.
If your car won’t start it’s easier to get a jump when you are backed in
If you back into your garage at home, there is far less likelihood of backing over a bicycle (or God forbid a child) in the driveway, because you have a larger field of vision through the windshield

In my own experience, I much prefer backing in:

Spots are particularly narrow in a business parking structure – this way I can put the passenger side of my car closer to the passenger side of the car on my right so that I can give myself more room to exit my car and give the same to the driver of the car on my left. With any luck this will cut down on the risk of me getting a ding from the door of the car beside me.
If there is a solid (especially concrete) wall that I will be parking against. My parking assist will help guide me close enough and, with the very narrow spaces and very large cars that generally park on either side of me, I will feel more secure pulling straight out of the spot.
If there is no parking barrier in between two stacked spots. I will pull straight through to make exiting easier.
If I am attending a sporting event, concert or other event where there will be a large crowd and traffic exiting at the same time, which could make backing out difficult.

Had my husband taken the time to back into his parking space, or even done a pull through to be facing forward in the spot in front of him, he could have avoided being hit by a FedEx truck which resulted in $19,000 worth of damage to our car. Even more distressing, had a friend backed into his driveway, he might have been able to see his child playing there and could’ve avoided backing over him. His son survived, but his injuries were severe and the incident was terrifying.

It’s worth the few minutes of time it takes to have the best view possible when you are leaving to assure your safety and that of others you might not even know are there.

reverse-parking

It takes only a couple of seconds more and goes a long way to making everyone safer – especially by keeping you safer from those who aren’t paying attention! Hmmm

Post Vacation Stress Busters

On October 28, 2016 By ls1228In Extreme Blonde Moments, Helpful Tips, Pisses Me Off, Product Endoresements, SafetyLeave a comment

I love traveling:

Seeing parts of the world, or even the country I live in, that I haven’t seen before;
Unplugging from my far-too-technological existence;
Disengaging from my too-many-things-to-do not-enough-time-to-do-them days;
Escaping reality for days in the sun and sand with a cocktail just a waiter call away

But there are so many things about coming home that can make me hate traveling too:

chaos that occurred in my absence
pets that weren’t cared for in the manner that I care for them
chores or tasks that weren’t tended to
mail or deliveries that went askew
perhaps a weather or other catastrophe occurred
break-in, theft, vandalism or other casualty related property loss

I don’t know about you, but every time I get back into whatever mode of transportation will be returning me to “the real world” I instantly begin feeling less relaxed and begin wondering what “treat” will be awaiting me at home.

Some past coming home mishaps have included:

Returning from a weekend in Oklahoma to find the entire living room and master bedroom under 2 inches of still running water with my brother sound asleep on the living room couch amid the flood!
Returning from my 2 1/2 week honeymoon to find that my wine rack had been raped & pillaged (including a bottle we’d saved for our 10th anniversary), my son had spent most of the time next door instead of with the person I’d hired to stay with him at our house, and that my cat had disappeared for 3 days!
Returning from a 2 week trip to Hawaii to find out that my girlfriend had left my son “on his own” for 3 days during which time power had gone out (unbeknownst to anyone?) and food in the freezer and refrigerator had gone bad.

There have been many more experiences like these (and a few worse) and we’ve certainly learned our lessons on who to call for travel caretaking help. Thankfully I’ve also come across some really handy things we can all do to make coming home to the inevitable post-vacation surprises a little less stressful.

Fill a cup with water, put it in the freezer until it’s solid, then pop a coin on top. Leave it in there, and when you get back, check. If the coin is on the bottom of a now-frozen cup of ice, the power went out—long enough for the ice to melt back to water in your freezer, the coin to fall through, and then the power came back and the water re-froze. If the coin is where you left it, the power stayed on, or only went out for short periods. Obviously if the coin is at the bottom, you need to throw out all of the perishable food in your freezer and refrigerator. Thanks Lifehacker!
Let’s face it, our friends and family are well intentioned, but can be flakes! Guarantee that your furry friends won’t be neglected by buying a self cleaning cat box (they have one that self-cleans, uses the toilet to rinse/dispose and you don’t d anything with it except refill bio cartridge every 3 months!) and automatic pet feeders of all kinds that guarantee your furry friends aren’t left to starve in your absence. If they show up and provide companionship, exercise and empty the collection bin/scoop the yard, that’ll just be a bonus!
Although it’s always nice to have your kids in the comfort of their own beds, but leave them at the grandparents or at the home of the person responsible for them. It makes it much more likely they are being supervised.
Leave your lights on timers that are set to different times on different days and have radios set to come on loud in rooms near the front door as well. Many home security systems have this option in their user panels.
Let the newspaper, post office, UPS/Fed Ex and any other routine delivery services know that you will be away. Tell the drivers in the weeks leading up to your vacation so they can note it on their route charts.
Take a bottle of wine or two to a trusted neighbor and ask them to check your driveway/porch and mailbox daily for any errant deliveries. Ask them to also put your trashcans out on trash day and to return them to your storage spot so things look normal.
Invest in a RING or other doorbell system that allows you to “answer” your door from your smartphone. I have one at two of my homes and swear by it! I have answered my door in LA from hundreds of miles away as if I was just cooking there in the kitchen and couldn’t get to the door. No one was the wiser and the people left. It does interface if you are an ADT customer, but you do not have to be. Do it for your peace of mind!
Have your gardener come on the regular schedule and arrange to have your housekeeper come the day you are coming home, have her make sure trash is emptied, plants watered, and dishwasher emptied so you return to a clean house.

Keep a video inventory, as well as a digital camera photo disk inventory of your valuables, what the inside and outside of your home looks like and update it when you make any major purchases, receive any expensive gifts, get a new car, boat, or RV that you may store at home.

Put both in a fire and waterproof safe/document box. You can get these kind of boxes at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Amazon.com, or other stores of this type.
Also include in this box irreplaceable jewelry, spare keys to all vehicles, RVs, boats, all properties you own, etc., take pictures of the bottles of all prescriptions your family takes, insurance policies, passports (if you aren’t traveling abroad) photocopies of all credit cards, ID for all family members, social security cards, original birth/death/marriage certificates, military records, etc.
Put that box in your attic or in the rafters of your garage. The idea is to put it someplace that burglars wouldn’t look. This is not something you are going to access very often at all. Do not put it in a closet. Also put some cash in case banks are temporarily affected by power outages and ATMs are unavailable.
Engrave your Name and Cell Phone Number on the Box, and that of your emergency contact as well, in the event the box is separated from your home (i.e. flood or hurricane). Do not use ink! Even permanent ink can wash away with high pressure fire hoses and lashing storm waters. Engraved letters and numbers are a much better option.
In the event of a break-in, catastrophic fire or other home damaging disaster while you are gone, there is every likelihood that the box will survive and you will have proof for insurance adjusters

If these also look like good ideas for things to do in case of a natural disaster where you might have to evacuate, it’s because they are – they’re a great reminder as we enter the stormy winter months.