The 8-Hour Diet Update

Okay so I know it hasn't been one month since I started the diet but I had to share this awesome news! Only 2 weeks in and I have already lost 7 pounds! How awesome is that! I did hit a few bumps along the way but even with that I have lost a good bit of weight. So with that I will let you get back to whatever you were doing. I will give a more in depth review and update at the one month mark. Like I said, I just had to share the great news :)

Trying Out Kitsy Lane

I stumbled upon something interesting today.  It is a work at home venture known as Kitsy Lane. My first thought was here is another do-it-yourself sales business that requires you to dish out hundreds of dollars to get started with no guarantee your hard earned money will ever be returned (of course that is up to the seller). Just once it would be nice to try a "do-it-yourself" sales business with no cost. Well to my surprise, that is exactly what Kitsy Lane is. There is no start up cost and you do not have to buy any products or do any parties or shows. It is done completely online by spreading your shop around through various social sites. So I thought if this is free why not give it a try? So I am! Just like with any business venture though this will take some time and I will never give up on my own jewelry business. The way I see it, whatever money I make through my Kitsy Lane boutique can be put towards my jewelry business. If you want to check it out or create your own boutique, here is the link:

Check Out Kitsy Lane!

And if you want to check out my handmade jewelry here are the links:

My Etsy Shop
My Facebook Jewelry Page

Baby Carrots Rumor a Big Phony

I'm sure by now we have all heard the rumor about baby carrots being created by evil people that want to poison us and destroy our lives. I will admit I too believed the rumor... for a moment. Then I remembered that I never take information from the first source I see as truth. I do lots and lots of online research. Before I tell you what I found, here is the rumor (via Facebook of course and unedited):

The "cute" cocktail carrots that you buy in grocery stores come from deformed crooked big carrots. They are put through a machine to become small cocktail carrots. This part everyone knows.

After they are cut to size they are soaked in large vats of water mixed with chlorine to preserve them. The same chlorine you use for your swimming pools and laundry. The reason for this is because they don't have the protection of the skin so they use a good amount of chlorine.

Notice that after you have stored them in the fridge for a while, a white film forms on them... it's the chlorine coming to the surface.

At what cost do we risk our health to have esthetically presentable VEGGIES? Well Folks... I think after reading this we will all strart making our own carrot sticks out of fresh carrots and keep them in the fridge (a few at a time), right? 

It's not strange that a processing plant soaks the carrots in chlorine because it is not to preserve the color (in fact I can not find any information that says chlorine will preserve color). They do this to preserve the carrot not make them "presentable" as is stated in the third paragraph. If you were to avoid these carrots because they are soaked in chlorine that is not strange either. Now if the statement, "it's the chlorine coming to the surface" seems a little off to you, well that's because it is.  If you were to take a carrot you grew in your own garden, cut it open, and place it in the refrigerator, it too would form a white film on the surface of the exposed carrot. It happens because of dehydration and abrasion. So there you have it. Nothing sinister going on here. Although I would say going organic could be the better choice because they avoid using any synthetic herbicides, insecticides,or  chemical fertilizer as well as antibiotics, growth hormones, or medications for animals.  

Walrus Does the Worm

This is by far the best Harlem Shake I have ever seen. It makes my marine biologist heart smile :)

Dinosaur Rivalry Explained

Ever wonder why T-Rex and Spinosaurus hate each other? Here is your answer :)

Awesome 12 Book First Encyclopedia Deal

For all the mothers out there with little ones that like to read: Check out this awesome deal from Groupon! A set of 12 First Encyclopedias for only 26.99 + tax (retail stated as $155.88). I could not find any other information on them but for $27 you really can't lose! It's full of great images and I can't wait to see the looks on my little man's face when he gets these books. I know he will wear the Dinosaur one out :) Here's the link:

12 Book First Encyclopedia Set

If you notice they have sold out please leave a comment below.

Remove That Pesky Frosting Dye From Your Hands

I had planned to post pictures of my son's 3rd birthday party and share Octonauts party ideas with you all but that will have to wait for another day since I can not seem to find my memory card adapter. So today I wanted to share another happy accident that resulted from the party planning.

Anyone that has ever made their own themed cake knows that you can't always find the right color frosting. It just never matches what you envisioned. This is where frosting dye/coloring comes in handy. It is also useful for coloring fondant to make edible sculptures for your cake.

My oldest son has been in love with the Octonauts since he first laid eyes on them. When it came time to plan his birthday party I knew it had to be Octonauts. To make the perfect cake I would need to dye the frosting myself and create the characters for the cake. What a mess that was! My hands were covered in just about every color of the rainbow. There may be a way to avoid this but I was not aware of it at the time. I had to wash my hands several times during the cake decorating process but no amount of washing would remove that last (slightly dull) layer of dye. With my hands nearly dry from over-washing, I decided to throw in the towel and get a shower in before I hit the hay.

I recently switched shampoos to Head & Shoulders because I noticed my scalp began to itch (it hasn't since I made the switch). After I finished washing my hair I noticed that my hands were completely clear of any dye. I was delighted! Another happy accident!

I tested this a few times and found it works best if you mimic washing your hair when removing the dye. By this I mean using warm water and a rag along with the Head & Shoulders shampoo to remove the dye. Somehow the warm water and friction created by the rag helps the Head & Shoulders shampoo remove the dye much faster than just washing your hands with the shampoo.


Below are the before and after pictures of one of the test runs:

I love these happy accidents and can not wait to have more of them to share with you all :)