Okay, maybe I’m just a total child at heart, because recently I’ve become kind of fixated on the idea of adding swing sets to my backyard. I don’t have kids (and really don’t plan on ever having any, to be completely honest), so yes, this would be a completely selfish purchase and totally just for me. It’s just that I had gotten into a recent discussion with my boyfriend about all the crazy, elaborate backyard toys that you see nowadays (especially when watching one of my more guilty pleasures, The Fabulous Life Of… on VH1), and he asked me what childhood toy - out of all the extravagant things that can be found today - I would want to spoil myself with. And honestly? The only answer that I could come up with was a good, old fashioned wooden swing set. I like the idea of having my dogs running around the backyard while I relax on the swings, enjoying the (at least in my daydreams) nice weather. This small, relaxing fantasy of mine has completely made me dead set on making it come true someday… I WILL have a swing set. You can’t stop me, adulthood!
When I was younger, I was probably one of the messiest people that you could ever meet - and living in a room or apartment that consistently looked like it had been hit by a hurricane did not bother me at all! However, things have changed - I have noticed that recently, I find myself driven to distraction by messes, clutter, or having too much furniture in too small of a space.
My current home office is right on the precipice of falling into that last “too crowded” category, even when it’s perfectly clean. In order to fix this and make me feel a little less claustrophobic & crazy when I’m trying to get some work down, I’ve been looking into ways to sort of condense all my electronics and furniture, by way of home entertainment centers (you know, with all the nice cupboards and such) and a TV wall mount to clear up space even further.
Does anyone have any organizational or space-saving tips that I should know about?
The Fourth of July has come and gone, and with its passing, summer is in full swing. Unfortunately for me, that’s a mixed blessing - while I love the longer days and warm weather, summer also forces me to confront my lifelong nemesis; one that respawns itself every year solely to torment me. That’s right, it’s mosquito season again.
While I once read that somewhere out there exists a small percentage of people who actually get enjoyment out of mosquito bites (um…), I am so not even CLOSE to being one of them. First off, they seem to single me out - I can be hanging outside with 5 other people, and somehow none of them will get even one bit; whereas I’ll be eaten alive within 15 minutes. And not to be disgusting, but I think I must be mildy allergic to mosquito saliva or something - any bites on me immediately swell to half-dollar proportions at the smallest. So you can see why the return of these evil, evil insects is something I dread completely.
However… this year, it seems that salvation may emerge from the unlikeliest of places: cattle supplies. The Macro Fly Manager Dispenser, to be exact. From what I can tell, it’s like one of those air fresheners that sprays scent every half hour or so - except this sprays mosquito (and general bug) repellent. I’m thinking of ordering one and installing it on my balcony, because having a constant source of insect control without having to keep an eye on citronella candles or slathering bug spray all over myself every five seconds sounds like a REALLY nice idea. Thanks, cows, who knew you’d end up saving my skin (literally)?
