Here’s a quick beauty tip for mom’s on the go…which of course means all of us. Working moms have barely enough time to get the kids up… off to the sitter… to school and get to work on time. They have to be quick about getting ready for the day.
With little ones banging on the bathroom door, stay-at-home-moms find they don’t have much time to primp either.
1. My make up goes on smoother with less drag on my face (which causes wrinkles)…and I need all the help I can get.
2. The make up seems to give my face a soft powder look.
3. It’s fast…and I don’t work outside my home and I don’t have kids banging at the door… unless
the grandkids are sleeping over. I just love fast!
Here it goes: Place your moisturizer in the palm of your hand. Add you base make-up next to the moisturizer. Mix together with your finger and apply to your face. Wa la….Two steps in one!
Till Later
Kathy
Insightful Nana
P.S. Hope your using a base that has a SPF sunscreen factor to protect your face from
Wow! What a learning curve this internet business has been. Getting this this site up and learning all the ends and outs of this business has been a challenge. My brains feel like mush and my stomach has been in double knots for months. The site is nearly finished…. I just need to match the photos to the text in each category… and a few other odds and end.
Thanks for being so patient during this process. Come back often… Good things are in store for you.
Till Later,
Kathy Griffiths
Insightful Nana
P.S. A Special Thanks goes to Bryant Jones, Darcy Hoag and Eve Jackson for all there help and support.
A gazing ball can be part of your unique garden decor. Garden ornaments are growing in popularity every year and, I just saw one of the most clever garden gazing ball ideas… so I thought I’d pass it along to you. Perhaps you could add the idea it to your outdoor decor scheme.
Nestled up in a quiet little hamlet about twenty miles from my home is the country cottage of my sister Sheila, and her husband Dew. Their yard is definitely an attention getter…one of those “You just have to see it for yourself” kind of places.
I noticed she had placed a new gazing ball in a garden flower bed behind her home. Her idea definitely fits into the “affordable garden decor” categories… and I like that. Clever and Inexpensive!
On one of her many excursions to her local “Thrift Store,” she spotted an array of bowling balls for sell…some for as little as $1.00. Now that’s a deal.
She haul a couple of balls home… yes, bowling balls… found an old iron stand and placed one of her new finds in her garden. You could have fooled me…in fact she did. I thought it was a real gazing ball until she picked it up to show me it was a bowling ball.
Looks great huh!
I just need to keep my eyes open, my imagination alert and watch for some unique, affordable garden ornaments for my yard.
Till Later
Kathy Griffiths
Insightful Nana
P.S. I wonder if I put a gazing ball in my flower garden… gazed into it… and made a wish that all the Morning Glory would disappear… Do you think it would work? You just never know!
Wata Babe! Couldn’t resist this fun foto of my granddaughter, Claire. She is the funniest little girl… independent…self determined…stubborn…delightful…loving…old beyond her years! She keeps the family in “stitches” with her funny comments and come-backs.
She was taking private swimming lessons a couple of weeks ago… when her mom, Katie, snapped this picture. (By the way… Claire’s mom is a pro. photographer.) (I do know how to take pictures… and will post my own work… but I just couldn’t resist this shot.)
Just check out those goggles… and that swimming cap. What a hoot! I haven’t seen a swimming cap like that since the “dark ages.” (Those darn things never did keep your hair dry… the water would just sneak up the back of the cap behind your ears.) Maybe that wasn’t the purpose… perhaps the cap was to make you look “sexy”… or not.
I’m looking forward to seeing all of your Fun Fotos every Friday.
Till Later,
Kathy Griffiths
Insightful Nana
P.S. Check our the Fun Foto Friday guidelines if you have any questions.
P.P.S. Have your friends join us… Love to see their photos too.
Growing tomatoes in a container is a great way to have fresh tomatoes even if you live in a condo, an apartment, or just like having them on your patio for show. Frankly… I just love tomatoes no matter how or where there grown. Mmmmm! A red, ripe, juicy tomato… picked right off the vine and warmed by the sun. Nothing like it. And… of course…lots of salt. And…fresh tomato slices with cheese, basil, and vinegar is just the very best… my mouth is watering already… And… stuffed tomatoes… And… on and on.
Get busy and grow your own… they sure beat the one’s you buy in the store. Notice I have couple of tomatoes on my vine already… and I just planted it a week ago!
There are a few tomato growing tips for your container garden:
1. Find a nice size tomato plant! Down with those dinky little things…. start it out big. I found one that already had a tomato in the making. You can find container tomatoes… but I just found a regular tomato called “Celebrity”… nice flavor and it produces well.
2. Find a container with good drainage. You’ll need at least a 12 qt. size.
3. Pick up a bag of Miracle Grow Garden Soil (fertilizer included)…. Not Potting Soil. Because the vine bears heavy fruit… you’ll need the soil to be a little more firm than the potting soil can provide.
4. Mix a bit of perlite to the soil. This holds the moisture. (About 1 qt. perlite to 12 qts. of soil.)
5. Plant the tomato covering the bottom set of leaves. I know this seems strange but any stem below the soil line will root…. giving the vine a sturdy base.
6. Prune off sucker leaves… the small cluster of leaves in the crotch of the stems.
7. Water. Tomatoes like to be watered when the soil is dry. Important to be consistent.
8. You can stake your tomato with a rod..or a stick. (I just cut up an old nylon and tie the plant to the stake.) Oh by the way… if you want to pollinate the plant yourself… just tap the stake a few times and the pollen will fall.
9. Your tomato will need at least 8 hours of sun a day. No problem! Set your container on a rolling plant coaster and move it to the sun.
Hope you find the video helpful. Have a good time growing your tomato garden in a container. Happy harvest!
Cleaning inside a microwave oven is easy with this little tip. I learned this microwave cleaning trick from a friend a couple of years ago and thought I’d pass it on to you.
Remove the glass tray and wash it in the dishwasher or by hand. Then, simply put a bowl of water inside the microwave and turned it on full power for about 5 to 10 minutes. You’ll want the water to boil for some time to cause the steam to condensate on the top and sides of the oven. The steam will loosen the food stuck to the walls of your microwave oven.
Remove the bowl, and wipe the oven clean. Waaa Laaa!
If my microwave has been particularly neglected, I first spray inside the oven with a non toxic bio cleaner… (Never use chemical cleaners in your microwave.) Then I add the bowl of water and proceed with the cleaning method mentioned above.
Hope this little tip for cleaning your microwave helps cut down time and effort for you.
Till Later
Kathy Griffiths
Insightful Nana
P.S. I love my “over the stove” microwave… but it doesn’t get cleaned as often as it should… due to the fact that I’m short (4′ ll”) and the step stool is not always handy and, sometimes, I’m just plain lazy. Cleaning the spills and spatters when they first occur would make the cleaning easier but, since I don’t always do that, the method above saves my bacon for quick easy clean up.
P.P.S. Do you have any quick microwave oven cleaning tips to share?
Organizing your kitchen pantry can be a challenge. What do I keep? Where do I put things? What storage containers do I use? My pantry was a mess! My friend, Laura Lawrence, a professional organizer came to my rescue and helped me organize my food pantry using a method called STACKS. The word means, Sort, Toss, Assign a home, Contain, Keep it up, Simplify.
I have a problem tossing anything away… (a pack rat problem.) I’m one of those, "just in case I need it," kind of gals. You know…"Just in case I need it 15 years down the road… that is… if I can find it under all this stuff." Growing up, I must have picked up the 1930’s Great Depression attitude from my Mom and Grandma.
I video taped this pantry make-over, hoping you can learn a few tips that will help you organize your kitchen pantry. This video is so informative… you’ll want to tell a friend.
This kitchen pantry party has inspired me to organize the rest of my kitchen… my studio, and my office. Now just finding the time… Oh my!
Till Later
Kathy Griffiths Insighful Nana
P.S. I was not aware there was an organized group of professional organizers… but there is. Laura can be contacted through her web site www.HarmonyWithin.com She can help you or tell you how to find a professional organizer in your neck of the woods.
P.S.S. Now… do I dare venture down to the basement… other wise known as the "Black Hole Of Calcutta" or "Pack Rat Heaven?"
Help! I’m behind this huge pile of Christmas Decorations… food storage… art supplies… scrapbooks, quilts… and….
Planting a container herb garden is simple and fun. Having an herb garden is not only useful in your cooking, but the fragrance of your lush green plants are a delightful addition to your patio or porch. For you who don’t have a porch or patio… I’ve seen a container of herbs placed in flower beds among the daisies and geraniums, soaking up all that good sunshine.
Go to your local garden nursery and select a nice variety of herbs that you will use in your cooking. I’m big on basil, chives, and oregano because I do a lot of cooking with tomatoes. However, I do pick up herbs I don’t frequently use… just because they’re colorful or they lend a nice texture to my container.
Locate a container that is suitable for your collection. There are all kinds of garden container options out there… a basket, an old wash tub, a slatted wood box… use your imagination. Last year I picked up a great metal container at an import store… drilled holes in the bottom… and was good to go.
Next, pick up some good potting soil. I use Miracle Grow potting soil because it’s convenient and the fertilizer is already in the mix.
Oh… one other little secret… pick yourself up a bag of “packing peanuts.” You know… those little white things you put in your packages so your valuables won’t get broken. You will need enough to fill the bottom of your herb container at least 1/4.
Once you’re planted… place your herb container in the sun. Herbs like plenty of sunshine and… water them only when dry.
I can hardly wait until I can slice fresh tomatoes on a plate, top them with slices of mozzerella cheese and sprinkle them with fresh chopped basil from my own herb garden. Sprinkle them with rich Balsamic Vinegar and watch them vanish by the quick hands of my children and grandkids. Hey… save one for me!
Hope you enjoyed the video!
Till Later,
Kathy Griffiths
Insightful Nana
P.S. Now don’t for get to pinch back your herbs all through the growing season so they will stay nice and full and continue to produce.
Here we go again… When do you take a child’s “blanket,” “snuggie,” “blankie” away from him? I have recently read several debates on the parenting social sites regarding the matter. Some say that when a child turns three years old, “It’s time to grow up.” Others say, “A child will give it up when he’s ready.”
I stand in the latter camp for several reasons. First: I don’t see many high school students toting their blankets to class. They do give it up… and if it’s later than three… so what. (They just find other “snuggies.”)
Second: We all form attachments. I have a basement full of them. Children, as well as parents, form attachments to things that give them pleasure and comfort. Love my Diet Coke!
Third: Children have ultimate power over so little. If taking the “blankie” away causes a power struggle… give it up. There are far more important things to consider than a soft, torn, worn out “blanket. Choose your battles.
Fourth: Last, but not least, is the plea, “Nana, will you sew my blanket up… one more time?” What can I say…I’m a whimp!
Till Later
Kathy
Insightful Nana
P.S. I do draw the line on where the “blanket” is taken. Like my Diet Coke, I don’t take it just any old place!
On occasion, do you find yourself in the shower without any leg shaving cream? This little shaving tip might just come in handy on such occasions. Grab your hair conditioner. It’s actually cheaper than shaving cream and will leave your legs silky smooth. It’s a great way to use up hair conditioner you bought and didn’t like for your hair.
Not a matter of life and death you know… just a little bit of handy information.
Till Later
Kathy Griffiths
Insightful Nana
P.S. I would have posed for the picture… but that would not have been a pretty site.
