Take A Look Tuesday....Laundry

How many loads of laundry does the average family do in a week? The average family does about 400 loads a year, that comes out to about 33 loads a month, and about 8.26 loads per week.

Yep, that sounds about right. I do at least 8 loads per week...sometimes as many as 14, it seems like I'm forever in the process of either sorting-washing-drying-folding-putting away! A typical day at my house looks like this..................

There always seems to be a load of laundry somewhere in our house at one of these stages at any given time, it's a never-ending cycle! This is normal though, this is what the average household does every day, it's just part of life. But then, I go to work, and this is where I start to differ with the average laundry doer.......you see, although I run a b&b, I wear many hats as manager.....one of those hats involves doing LOTS of laundry! LOTS OF LAUNDRY!!! I can't seem to get away from it, it even follows me to work! Fortunately, we have more than one washer/dryer....

I average between 3-12 loads per day....yes, per day!

I relocated my store room to the laundry room this year and I love it so much more. Now everything is in one place and, this room is much larger and brighter. It needs a face lift though, I really want to paint and add some color and personality to this space, after all I do spend several hours here every day.

I found my DREAM laundry room/office/lounge on Pinterest the other day......it would be sooooo perfect!

Now who would mind doing laundry here??????

I love this idea for organizing my supplies! :O)

Okay....time to stop blogging! I need to get back to, oh yeah, doing laundry! :O)

more deals

I {love} Diet Coke and I drink quite a bit of it......so, why not give loyal customers like me something in return, right?! Awhile back, I joined mycokerewards.com and started entering the codes from the products I bought. In the past, I've received lots of "free" stuff like coupons for free 12-packs of Diet Coke and free 1 -yr. subscriptions to my favorite magazines. I love getting rewards from the companies I spend money with. Even though I've been saving tons of caps, I hadn't entered any codes for months, but after seeing a link on a blog I follow: thefrugalfreegal.com I decided to take advantage of the free codes and enter a few more from the huge stash I've been saving.

just a few from the big bag of caps I've collected

 As I was entering some of the codes, a special deal popped up: a free 8x8 photo book from Shutterfly for 0 points. Yes, I'll take one please! The coupon is good until the end of September. After entering my points, I checked out the catalog of gifts. I was pleasantly surprised to see this one.....

500 Hilton HHonors™ Points
225 Points

This looks like a nice way to build up my reward points again for another free night!!! :O)
If you are a COKE drinker, then sign-up today so you can start earning points for some great "free" stuff!!!

Then I got an email from Shutterfly that was offering a FREE set of address labels....why yes please!
It's good until tomorrow 8/06/12.....check it out for yourself-see code below! www.shutterfly.com

Enter promo code:  X3R2-1SZP-X80G-HAVXB1	I ordered these: total:$2.03 s/h & tax

hotel deal

I work in the hotel industry, so I fully understand how it all works. Summer is high season, so I don't expect to book a room at a great hotel on a weekend for a cheap price...not even Price Line worked for me this time. I tried everything I could think of to find a decent rate, but it just wasn't happening. Now, while I love to stay at "nice" hotels, I do not like paying big $$$$ to do so. I'm very funny about that, I "have" to get a deal! After I had exhausted all of my possibilities, I was ready to break down and just book something. We had decided that we were going away for the weekend of the 11th, so I knew I needed to book asap.
Then, I remembered I had signed up for Hilton Honors Rewards awhile back, but had never really looked into what the benefits were. I was happy to learn that you earn points for each stay at any Hilton hotel {we normally stay at Hampton Inn}, and once you rack up the points, you can redeem for a night's stay. Hmmmmm....

I logged onto the website and typed in the night we wanted to stay and I found a hotel in the area with an availability....the rate=$156.00 + tax.......ouch! I typed in my rewards info but I didn't quite have enough points....BUT....you can buy the amount of points you need. :O)

My hotel deal score: I had to pay a total of........................ $66.16
:O) :O) :O) :O) One happy girl!!! And, the hotel I booked is a relatively new Hampton Inn & Suites!
This time next week, we should be on our little mid-summer getaway....I can hardly wait!

Destination Disney: Disney in Brown

Destination Disney: The Color BROWNDuring our most recent stay at Caribbean Beach Resort, we were excited to stay in one of the Pirate-themed rooms. As usual, it was Disney at it's best!! They even have a way of making a room with pretty much an all brown color scheme look amazing!

 

Vegetable Tian {Barefoot Style}

I made the most delicious side dish yesterday, Vegetable Tian! It is an Ina Garten {Barefoot Contessa} recipe and it is absolutely scrumptious! Here's the recipe:
Vegetable Tian

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large sweet yellow onion-sliced

2 cloves of garlic-minced

1-2 russet potatoes-unpeeled

1 zucchini

1 yellow squash

3 large tomatoes

salt and pepper-to taste

dried thyme-to taste {use fresh thyme if you prefer}

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese {Ina's recipe calls for Gruyere}

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Brush baking dish with olive oil. In a medium pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.
3. Slice the potatoes, squash, and tomatoes in 1/4-inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only 1 layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme, and drizzle with 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Uncover the dish, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes until browned. Serve warm.

 

Linking up with http://thesimplewomanskitchenandgarden.blogspot.com/

Blooming Marigolds

little bursts of color

week #29- little

Wordless Wednesday - Aug 01 Making History

Michael Phelps has made history with his 19th Olympic medal, becoming the Games's most successful ever athlete.