Last night, I decided to smell my essential oil concoction, and I decided that I did not like it. I thought that the middle note of Geranium was too strong. So, my hubby helped me with the quick math, and I changed the percentages.
Old New
20% base note 30% base note
50% middle note 30% middle note
30% top note 40% top note
I will smell tonight and report tomorrow what we have come up with. 
On Saturday night, I went out with friends from a moms website that I spend a lot of time on.
We ate at Firebirds Restaurant.
Since I am back on my diet (I am doing my second triathlon in about 8 more weeks), I could not go crazy with the menu. So, I decided to be sensible, and got the Grilled Shrimp & Strawberry Salad. Here is the description according to the menu: Mixed greens, fire grilled shrimp, goat cheese, jicama, spiced pecans, strawberries and balsamic vinaigrette.
Can I just tell you……this salad was friggin’ FANTASTIC!!!
I managed to leave that restaurant knowing how to fix the shrimp and the salad, and I was able to obtain a little bit of the spice combination that was used on the shrimp.
I went to Costco on Sunday, purchased a bag of 11-13 count shrimp, came home and fixed my shrimp. I overcooked the shrimp just a little bit, so, it was a little rubbery, but the flavor was all there!
So, to my girls that were at the table with me. I did it!
Firebirds grilled shrimp was had at my house. 
For a few weeks now, I have been looking into aromatherapy. I have always loved the smell of flowers and various scented things.
I am not one that really wears perfume, because I get tired of the way something smells after a while. It is in my nature to keep changing things up.
Well, about a month ago, I decided to take the plunge and purchased 4 essential oils, to begin my blending efforts to find the “perfect” scent for different moods that I would like to evoke, and to have our house smell more natural and inviting, like only essential oils can do.
Here are my notes from my first attempt:
Today I am attempting my first blending of essential oils.
The oils that I am blending are:
Aura Cacia – Lavender (according to aromaweb.com – top note)
Aura Cacia – Bergamot (according to aromaweb.com – top note)
Aura Cacia – Geranium (according to aromaweb.com – middle note)
Aura Cacia – Sandalwood (in jojoba oil) (according to aromaweb.com – base note)
Based on information that I gathered from aromaweb.com, I am going to blend the scents in this fashion.
30% top notes
50% middle notes
20% base notes
For my first blend – I am going to have a small amount. 10 drops total.
2 drops of Sandalwood
5 drops of Geranium
2 drops of Bergamot
1 drop of Lavender
This blend needs to sit for a few days before I decide whether I love it or hate it.
So, this is me waiting for a few days. Knowing that I am going to sniff it, throughout to see how it is coming along.
Monday morning I take a trip to Walgreens to get a thermometer. On the way home, my car starts to do this incessant beeping and I can see that the thermometer is running hot. When I pull into the garage, I witness, rust colored fluid dripping from under the hood. Not good. Then I see that we have this substance basically all over the parts under the hood of the car.
We got it towed to Saturn because when we actually had a Saturn, they did good work on that car. So we decided to have it brought there.
So, I have been waiting on the Saturn dealership to let me know what was going wrong with my car since Monday morning.
Today is Thursday, and I finally heard back from them about two hours ago. (I did call every day, but I was told that they had not been able to get to it yet, each time that I called….)
The problems:
The thermostat housing is leaking
The radiator is leaking
The fix:
Replace the upper and lower hoses
Replace the radiator
Replace the thermostat
Replace the thermostat housing
Flush the coolant and replace with new coolant
The cost:
Way to much, but we need the car fixed. When the technician quotes you a price over $1100, how do you keep from gasping and sounding faint? I have no idea, because that is what I did.
Now – I have been riding with the devil in my passenger seat all summer because the AC system in my car is also not working. That is going to cost an additional $175 just for the diagnostic. Really??
I would like to say a big thank you to my parents. They are willing to help us pay for this (these) repairs and I am thankful to them. They just don’t know how much it means to me and to my husband. Really. We love you guys.
This morning, Z comes up to me showing me his wrists.
Z: Mom..Mom…MOM….MOM!
Me: Yeeeessss
Z: I don’t have any Silly Bandz
Me: That’s right. You don’t.
Z: Yeah, Silly Bandz are not for boys.
Me: *wincing from the lie that was about to come from my mouth* Yep. That’s right, honey. Silly Bandz are for girls…..
So far I have dodged the craze, but I wonder how much longer I can hold him off!
Yikes!
One of the blogs that I follow is The Thrifty Mama.
Today she and 12 other bloggers are having a huge Dad Rocks Giveaway Bash! All you have to do to enter is post on her blog, re-tweet, post on facebook or put the info up on your own blog. You get an entry for each one of these!
Good luck if you give it a try!! I know that there are a few things that I am looking at trying to win!
So far, the giveaways that I have entered in are:
The Corel Digital Studio Giveaway
The Thompson’s WaterSeal Deck Care Package (We all know why! Because I want to put out my newly purchased patio furniture!)
I am excited!!!
Z had a birthday in May. My “Super Zay” (thanks to Audrey’s cape) had a fantastic time. I will have to update with pictures soon.
I came to the realization that the reason why I don’t update, is because at the time that I update, I don’t always have the pictures ready to upload. Therefore, since I don’t have the pictures ready to upload, I don’t update. That is a viscious cycle that has to stop somewhere, so I decided that I would type and update with pictures later.
So, I was internet surfing trying to find a unique way to represent the theme for Z’s birthday. He is very heavily into Iron Man at the moment, so, I decided that he would have an Iron Man birthday cake.
The actual cake, I purchased from Costco, because we love the chocolate cake with chocolate mousse that they make, and then I decorated the cake.
I found this really neat technique on Wilton’s website, called Frozen Buttercream Transfer or FBCT for short. I found an image of Iron Man that I liked, and voila, this is what I created for Mr. Z’s 4th birthday cake.
Neat huh?
