Library Goes Dewey Less

I am interested to see how this non-Dewey model with work out for the patrons as well as staff.

The Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ, is pushing the envelope in its new Perry branch, scheduled to open next week. The branch’s 24,000-item collection will take its cue from bookstores, drawing on the 50 or so subject headings used by the Book Industry Study Group.

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Try It: Natural Teeth Whiteners

I read these tips for naturally whitening teeth in the print edition of my local newspaper and wondered if I should rub strawberries on my teeth before dropping them in the blender for my smoothie?!

• Strawberries and lemons are natural teeth whiteners. Rub fruit on teeth and rinse well with water.
• Baking soda will help remove stains. Brush it on your teeth twice a month, then rinse.
• Eating raw veggies will clean teeth and remove surface stains.

Welcome Summer!

Memorial Day weekend is probably one of my most anticipated weekends of the year! Pools open, boats are launched, cookouts and street festivals held, flip flops worn...it's summertime!

Saturday, the pool opens and after a good day there, I'll head to Taste of Cincinnati for some music and grub. Sunday, I'm taking Gramma on a short road-trip to meet her new great-grandson and my nephew and spend quality time with my fave four-year-old buddy! I'll cap of the weekend with a chill-out grill-out at my parents.

ah yes, summertime!

Josh Rouse - Summertime (myspace)
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - Summertime
Sublime - Summer Time
Thursday - Standing on the Edge of Summer
Frank Sinatra - Summer Wind
Kenny Chesney - Summertime (myspace)

Remy Zero - Save Me (it doesn't have summer in the title, but the song always makes me think of summer boating with my cousin I think because he really liked it the summer after Smallville started)

Rewards: From Lipton Tea

This post is dedicated to my mom, sister, aunt and other tea drinkers.

Get a $10 dollar MasterCard Rewards Card by mail, when your buy $25 dollars worth of Lipton ® tea products.

Get a $5 MasterCard Rewards Card by mail, when you buy $15 dollars worth of Lipton ® tea products.

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Free Stuff:Cincinnati Museum Center Free Fridays 2007

Free Fridays 2007:

May 25
June 22
July 27
August 24
September 21

Enjoy a complimentary evening of fun and experience the culture Cincinnati Museum Center brings to the entire community. On pre-selected dates this year, the public may visit all three museums from 4 to 8 p.m.—free of charge!

This offer includes the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children's Museum and the Museum of Natural History & Science.

Oh boy!

Back in April, I thought my fourth lil buddy* was to be a girl because my sister said the ultrasound tech was 90% sure. I am so glad I did not go back and make a different blanket out of pink cotton candy friends or hula girls because she's a boy (and currently name-less for real, not just on this blog)!

Welcome, buddy boy!

*Now I have two nephews and two nieces not to be confused with the 4 babies my friends and sister were/are expecting in March, April, May and June.

Contest: Toilet Paper Wedding Dress

This is a contest that both crafters and personal finance bloggers alike can get behind (haha!) the Toilet Paper Wedding Dress contest hosted by Cheap Chic Weddings.

The 2007 Annual Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest is officially underway. It runs from May 1 to June 15, 2007.

Grab your friends, your toilet paper and a digital camera and get creative. You can use tape or glue as well.

Check out photos of the 2006 winners. It is hard to believe the dresses are actually made of toilet paper.

[source: Craft Zine]

Love it: Super Strong Magnet Hook

Super Strong Magnet Hook
Originally uploaded by udandi.

I was doing so well on my non-buying effort because I did not have anything to get rid of, but I am a sucker for all things magnetic and useful and Target end-cap clearance items.

My current dwelling has metal doors so I thought these hooks could come in handy, but I decided to just get one for myself, 1 for mom and 2 to put in the gift box and keep hand to give as part of gifts.

These hooks can hold up to 7 pounds. I've yet to put my water bottle in the lunch bag while it is hanging on the fridge to test this claim, but I believe it since it is hard to pull the magnet off the surface!

My Target's end caps also had the stripes and squares of metal and super strong magnets, but you might miss them because they were stuck to each other!

Link Dump: Crafts

Baby hat > Stuffie - Smart idea

Postcard Pillows - I have extra light and dark fabric transfers from my biz that I was listing on ebay for cheap but few takers so maybe I'll make some pillows instead!

Trash Can Flap in Cabinet

Twirly Skirts - apparently they aren't just for kids...

Fur-trim Hood - the model looks familiar to me, but for all I know she's a crafter with her own blog

How To: sew a reversible half-apron

Dress Tents

I love the colors of this quilt!

Make It: Chocolatetown Pie

This is somewhat similar to the Kentucky Chocolate Pecan Pie (Don't Call it Derby Pie, Pegasus Pie and a host of other names*), except a little less messy to prepare (unless you enjoy using corn syrup).

Preheat oven to 350*

Cream

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp Bourbon

Then, combine

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour

Then, stir in

• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Pour mix into an unbaked 9" pie shell

Serve with or without whipped topping

Happy Mother's Day!

Kern's Kitchen Derby Pie®:

Second, Derby pie is copyrighted. So even if you baked a similar tasting pie, you'd have to call it something else: Steppingstone pie, or Bluegrass Stakes pie, or Gerby pie. And the copyright is jealously guarded, as several local bakeries and restaurants have discovered. Reports that so-and-so is purporting to sell Derby pie, when in fact he isn't, a brief visit from the Kerns' lawyer rectifies the situation quickly.

Before & After: Kitchen Clock

Target Dollar Spot had these monkey clocks for $1, which I sanded and repainted red. Then, I stamped the martinis in silver ink on black paper and used the corner round punch.

Both stamps I bought a couple of years ago. The 12 o'clock martini is a stamp from Joann and the other was from Michaels $1 stamp bin.

This clock is now in my kitchen!

7 things about me

Melanie tagged me for a 7 things about me:

1. I call my nephew and nieces my buddies or lil buddies.

2. Within the next two weeks, I should meet my 4th lil buddy!
Want to guess the baby's gender and arrival date?! (see #6)

3. I say I don't like kids, but I am kidding, it's just most aren't as well-mannered, charming and capture my heart as my buddies do!

4. Case in point, my nephew gave me a box of candy and said your name rhymes with candy, Aunt Andi.
yes, that counts as something about me because most readers do not realize that udandi contains my name!

5. Yesterday, I accidentally ingested liquid soap. I hope someone asks if kiss my mother with that mouth, so I can honestly say it is clean, just in time for Mother's Day ;)

6. I love comments on my posts (see #2) even if off topic

7. In 15 days, I will spend most of my after work and weekend hours at Sunlite Pool! I.cannot.wait!

I am tagging...
1. Vegan Diva (check out her Mother's Day cards)
2. Land o'Sunshine (we both like Cheez-its, as does Dr. Joyce Brothers or at least in an episode of Entourage she was holding a box)
3. Tired but Happy (she tagged me for the 5 things so this is like a tag-back, not to be confused with a trackback!)
4. The Northern Southern (she always has tasty-looking recipes)
5. yardenxanthe (look at her May 10 entry about the bowl of beans -ha!)
6. kel at New Day (but I know she's out of the country)
7. You, my kind reader! You can even post your answers in the comments if you do not have a blog.

Related posts:
100 things about me
5 things about don't know about me
Top 5 list of things to say or do to drive me batty

Top 5: Fave Personal Finance Blog Names

The other day I was bored and started a top 5 list, then today I noticed many bloggers posting top 5 lists because there's a contest.

Just for fun because I like wit, here are my favorite personal finance blog/blogger names:

Kiss of Debt
Don't Mess with Taxes
Jane Dough 0f Boston Gal's Open Wallet
Miserly Bastard of Yet Another Blog about Money
Make Love not Debt


Bonus! Here's a top 5 list of things to say or do to drive me batty:

1. The phrase stuff like that when used a as filler
I went to the store and bought batteries, cantaloupe, a magazine and stuff like that.
That list is too varied to know what is meant by stuff like that, elaborate or drop the filler.

2. I'm wanting to...
I'm wanting to try those new McDonald's sandwiches.
I noticed this phrase gaining popularity at about the same time as McDonald's "I'm lovin' it" campaign came along. Both phrases are like a spike through my ear!

3. Finger quotes
(finger quotes) stuff like that (finger quotes) gets on my nerves 24/7.

4. 24/7
I was telling my friend it is often unnecessary and he said he heard someone say 24by7.

5. Misplaced apostrophes
Wheeler and Dealer CPA's
Last weekend, I saw a building with CPA's engraved into the stone. I wonder who signed off on that?!

Free Stuff: Lemonade Stand

Sunkist is calling all kids, 7 to 12 years of age, across America to "Take a Stand" for their favorite charity. It's a rewarding way to squeeze some fun into summer and give back to the community.

Visit the web site (post title link) to sign up for your free lemonade stand.

Love it! margarita cake

margarita cake
Originally uploaded by udandi.

My friend's birthday is May 5 (Cinco de Mayo) so her birthday cake was a margarita!

I love it! but too bad the baker put the incorrect name on it - ha!

WSJ: Dowdy Craft Business Gets Martha Stewart Makeover

I have seen plenty of chatter (and photos) about Martha Stewart Crafts, but little about this Wall Street journal article, Dowdy Craft Business Gets Martha Stewart Makeover.

What does the domestic-arts maven see in a dowdy industry where merchandise is sold in cluttered stores stacked floor to ceiling with pipe cleaners, Styrofoam balls, glue sticks, beads and fake flowers?

There is a slight difference in presentation between that of a Michaels, Jo-Ann or Hobby Lobby and a scrapbook store because the former have more than just scrapbook supplies. Scrapbook stores tend to look neater because they have a limited line of products that can be neatly organized with like items together, which makes for a nice presentation.

"I'm not sure people want to bring a brand into their scrapbook," says Shelly Izen, the owner of Scrapbook Fever, a crafts store in Salem, Ore. "Martha's stuff looks pretty, but crafters are strong-willed and don't want to be told what to do. Martha's stuff seems very 'do it this way or no way.' "

Ha! I know plenty of people who have long been Martha fans for her inspiration and do her project in their own way or strive for her perfection. Really her statement only makes sense to me from the perspective that she is a the owner of a scrapbook store and probably not want to see customers flocking to a chain that is carrying a big recognizable brand. Luckily for her, Michael's 40% off coupons cannot be used for Martha Stewart Crafts (which is one reason why I have not purchased any). In any case, products made by designers under Martha Stewart are not going to be that different than products made by other scrapbook supply companies.

"It's not a very sexy business," says David Abelman, senior vice president of marketing for Michael's Stores Inc., a big operator of arts-and-crafts outlets in the U.S. and Canada. "But a lot of people have realized it's a good one."

Same could be said about libraries ;)

Have you purchased Martha Stewart Crafts, what did you get?! I'll live vicariously through your purchases since I am still on the "one-in, one-out" method of reducing my collection of stuff!

I'm a Librarian, Don't Make Me Shush Your...

Did I ever share that I was given this t-shirt upon graduation from my manager/mentor?

I thought it was funny when I got and I never planned to be (nor want to be) a shushing librarian, but there are days when I want to let out a great big SHUUUUUUUSH and if you are thinking it would be aimed toward elementary, middle or high school students and not non-traditional college students, you = wrong-dongo, my friend!


I'm off for the weekend and it is a big one, I'll be celebrating my friend's birthday via cell phone while wearing a sombrero on Derby day! Through very specific reasoning, I like the following horses:

• Stormello because his name ends in an O, is of the Storm Cat lineage and the jockey silks are light blue and brown
• Cowtown Cat, which is somehow related to a horse named Crafty But Sweet, has Cat in his name but the silks are just black and white
• Tiago ends in an O, I like the silks, is the half-bro of Giacomo; no cat connection
• Zanjero ends in an O and the silks have a Target-esque vibe for me; no cat connection
  

Link Dump: Crafts

If you read the Craft Magazine blog, you've probably seen most of these, but they were what caught my eye the last week or so!

Snipshot - allows you to edit photos online. Perfect for those people who email digipix that are jumbotron size because they do not have photo editing software

Stitch N' Pitch Contest

Cassette Wallet

Twirl Skirt - I thought this was really cute and then I realized it is for little girls - ha!

Pen holder from CD cases

Scrapblog - truly a digital scrapbook

HOW TO Sew a reusable grocery bag I have two bags (one big, one small) for the grocery/library (and both were free!) but I like that this has it's own carrying case!

Dress made from Ramen packets - it is that time of year that boys and girls make prom outfits from duct tape and packaging!

Lotta Jansdottter's Simple Sewing: Call for Project Photos - many are abuzz about this book (it's a Chronicle Books title which frequently has coupons; get on the mailing list) and now you can submit your project photos!

A felted camera, typerwriter and sewing machine
A knit house
A knit chair cozy for a hand-shaped chair

Tips on when to reupholster

Patchwork Paper

The new Gocco printer

A photo garden

Make It: 4-H Cookies (Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Oatmeal)

Our family calls them 4-H cookies because someone else called them that, probably because they came from a 4-H cookbook. We also have a recipe we 4-H brownies because my sister made them (and won an award) in 4-H!

In a saucepan bring the following to a boil:
1 tablespoon of butter
3 tablespoons of cocoa
1/2 cup milk
2 cups of sugar

Remove from heat, add:
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
3 cups of quick oats
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper