How to Have a Spa Experience at Home

Some of y’all know, I am a fan of bubble baths. So I thought I would take the opportunity of sharing my tips for a successful spa day at home.

First, make sure no one is about to run the dishwasher or the washing machine. Cold water is not your friend. Unless it’s 113* F outside, and only if the cold water has fermented hops in it.

Second, choose the aromatherapy. You can opt for bubble bath, bath oil, candles, whatever makes you feel happy. Be advised that bubbles hinder you when reading, oil makes the tub slippery, and candles can be hazardous to long hair. All three together is only going to end in tears and fried hair.

Third, secure the premises. Sure, locking the front and back doors is fine, but I am talking about securing the bath from pets and kidlets. Nothing more distracting than having to fight your sheltie for bathtub acreage while a kid is asking to help bathe the four-legged sister.

Fourth, keep your robe and towel handy. Nothing worse than taking a hot bath while slathered in a facial mask, only to find that your towel is nowhere near, and your eyes are shut from the sweat having melted the mask down your eyebrows, making you trip out of the tub and faceplant on the carpet.

Fifth, and most important, do not take a single glass of wine into the tub. Bring the bottle. You will find that time really does stand still and there is only so much reading of a crappy novel before you want to drown away the bad taste of some idiotic damsel in distress over a broken nail. Bonus: it helps drown out loud pets, loud kidlets, and loud hubby.

I hope these tips help y’all to have a nice relaxing spa experience at home. If all else fails, you still have the wine 😉

Thursday Never List

Wow, look at this! Three posts in a row!! WHOO HOO!!

Yesterday, I was in a conversation with blog friend Tiberius over at the social-site-with-faces, complaining about how I never finish folding my laundry because I hate, hate, HATE folding underwear and socks. I despise it with every fiber of my being.

Tiberius: Caught up on all the washing backlog?

Me: Ugh, sorta.

Tiberius: What happened?

Me: One load left to fold and I hate doing socks and underwear.

Tiberius: You don’t fold socks and underwear do you?

Me: I do!

Tiberius: Why??

Me: ………………………..

My mom trained us to fold everything. Heck, she even ironed my dad’s boxers. She was militant about folding things correctly. And by “correctly”, I mean “her way”. Yes, even fitted sheets.

Things One Should Never Bother Folding

#5– Hosiery

Socks, pantyhose, stockings… as long as you pair them, you’re good to go. Unless your sock drawer looks like former President Bush 41’s colorful array. Then you shouldn’t even bother with pairing them.

#4– Placemats

I understand folding napkins, but placemats??

#3– Long-sleeved T-shirts

Sure, short sleeve T-shirts are easy to fold if you choose to fold them. But long sleeved? I feel like I’m constructing an accordion.

#2– Undies

Disclosure: I do. But I was kind enough to tell my kids they could just lay them out flat, or throw them in the drawers as long as they did their laundry, and they were clean. You have to pick your battles.

#1– Fitted sheets

Sigh…. I know how to fold a fitted sheet. My mother taught me, and I learned the Martha Stewart way, as well. But what is the point?? Even if you wad it up into a ball, you end up stretching it over the mattress and that takes care of all the wrinkles! GAH!!

So that’s my Never List for today. To fold or not to fold, that’s not the question. The question is, what to do with the extra time?? 😉

Book List Challenge

A few days ago, our blogger friend Nicole posted her list of personal book likings and dislikings. She took her cue from Lynn over at Violins and Starships, which should win best blog name on the interwebs. Anyway, reading books is something I love to do. I also love to make art out of them, but that’s for another blog.

1. Your favorite book: Soooooo difficult, but I really can’t pick just one.

2. Your least favorite book: In the last decade, that would be The Da Vinci Code. I wanted to throw it away by the end of the second chapter.

3. A book that completely surprised you (bad or good): Hm…. I would have to say I didn’t expect to like The Giver, by Lois Lowry. I read it since Eldest was assigned the book for school, and found it well-written, even for adults.

4. A book that reminds you of home: Postal de Tierra Adentro (Postcard from the Inner Land), by C. O. Padilla. Literally, a book about my hometown.

5. A non-fiction book that you actually enjoyed: The Monuments Men, by Robert Edsel.

6. A book that makes you cry: A Knight in Shining Armor, by Jude Deveraux. Yes, it’s a romance novel. But I found the concept of souls meeting again, instead of bodies, to be enchanting.

7. A book that’s hard to read: Ulysses, by James Joyce. GAH!!

8. An unpopular book you believe should be a bestseller: I don’t really know of any.

9. A book you’ve read more than once: All of them, except Pet Sematary.

10. The first novel you remember reading: The Secret of the Old Clock, by Carolyn Keene. Yes, Nancy Drew was my portal into the world of reading.

*Pokes Blog*

Yes, blog is still here. I took a long weekend off from blogging anywhere. I was a bit rundown, and needed to recharge. There was also the question of cleaning house which had been ignored needed to be addressed. I also managed to address some book folding and some shopping.

Wedding gifts do not purchase themselves. Ask any woman.

Today is April Fools’ Day, and I find myself wondering why we designate only one day for that. In my opinion, designating a month for it is still not long enough. On the other hand, at least I don’t live in France and have to deal with someone trying to adhere a fish to my back. There is always a silver lining. In my case, the silver lining is usually aluminium. Which is fine, because it’s great for cooking.

There’s a lot of rambling in my head today.

Actually, there’s a lot of rambling in my head every day. The sad part is, the absence or presence of booze doesn’t have anything to do with it. So I have that going for me, right? RIGHT?? Don’t answer. I don’t think my ego can take it. At least not until I’ve had my third cup of coffee. Which is probably the reason I ramble so much. Viscous circles, you know.

(I interrupt this not-so-regularly scheduled post while I take Son to get braces. Highlight of day: accomplished!)

So today finds me being a bit domestic, making braised chicken a la Provence, baking bread, organizing stuff to donate, and listening to Vivaldi, at least until Little One comes home and turns on Futurama, or some gameshow. All I know is she thinks she is master of the remote. So with that, I finish rambling and go off to finish making dinner while pretending the glass of water is a glass of wine.

I’m not just good at rambling. I’m good at dreaming, too 😀