Meet Dear Helen Harman, Week 37

Dear Helen Hartman,

I’ve been asked by the gracious and talented Tammy at Type A to do a guest blog and I do not want to make a faux pas. Love to get some tips on being a good guest.

Dear Loved One,

You’re asking Helen to help you NOT make a faux pas? B-b-but Helen loves it when others make faux pas-es. And you know why?

Mona didn't laugh AT others, she laughed WITH them... ABOUT others. And she looked FAB doing it.

It gives Helen a chance to help her readers avoid similar missteps by giving advice at DearHelenHartman.com . In fact this week she'll be discussing navigating the tricky waters of being out of control in a strange environment, something she knows a lot about. 

What is the message of this advertisement? When you have great lipstick and a kicky hat you can dance your way off a dock and no one will care? I mean, if you look good, who needs air?  

Happily for you (and Helen) Tammy is a charming and clever hostess, who takes her guest’s feelings into account

Gladys felt like knocking back a few hot toddies and showing people how to do a flip off the ski ramp sans skis! Being a good hostess, you-know-who held the camera and later posted the whole fiasco on YouTube.

Tammy will be absolutely lovely no matter how badly you behave.

June didn't think of it as snooping. She thought of it as getting to know people in new and sneaky interesting ways.

 So being a guest at Type A is a pleasant experience for everyone.

Except maybe other guests who have to put up with your nonsense. 

Hazel didn't care if they did have to call in a team of nuns to wrestle her to the ground and cart her off for an emergency behavior adjustment. Whooping it up Helen-style at Type A had definitely been worth it!

Thank you, Tammy! And look on the bright side – if you get yourself in a pickle when visiting others, you can always write to Helen and she’ll be happy -- to tell you what you are doing wrong.

Visit DearHelenHartman.com or Like Helen on Facebook

With a tip of her pillbox hat to luminaries like Erma Bombeck, Heloise and Dear Abby, Helen Hartman tackles modern problems with time-tested solutions taken from vintage magazines, advertising, collectibles, cultural icons and personal experiences. If laughter is the best medicine Helen Hartman seeks to cure your ills, but don’t expect a spoonful of sugar unless sugar is what Helen is skewering, um, serving.

Kids Clothes Swap, Anybody with Me?

I was cleaning out my son's closet the other day, and it came to my attention that he needs new pants.  He's growing so fast, I can't keep up.  Those of you have kids, know what I'm talking about.  It seems like you buy them an outfit and two weeks later, they've out grown it.  It's never ending and expensive.

What I thought would be fun is if we swapped our kids clothes with each other.  We all have kids of different ages, and I bet we could help each other out.  If you are interested please leave me a comment with the sizes of clothes you have to offer and the size you need, and the sexes of your kids. 

I have a lot of dresses up for grabs right now, and they need a good home regardless if I get clothes in exchange.

TJ Max, size 5, Never worn.

Kohl's, size 6, runs a little smaller.

Kohl's size 5

Old Navy, size 5

Gymboree, size 5

Not sure, pretty sure size 5

I would love these to go to two families.  There are six, so each family could have 3 each.  Please email or leave a comment if you would like them.  I don't have any boy clothes at this time, but will probably closer to Fall.

My son is 7, he needs size 7 and 8 pants.  He likes sweat style, or athletic with an elastic waist.  No buttons, not a fan of buttons.  Size 2 shoe.

My daughter is almost 5, and wears a size 6 for pretty much everything. Size 12 shoe.

Living Room Changes

It's been a lot of fun shopping the house and making changes.  I've actually taken quite a few things down from the walls, and stuff I had out before Christmas, I kept put away.  Trust me my house is still "full" of stuff, it's just less full.  I think it's a vain attempt at making the place feel bigger.  Not sure if it's working.  We'll see what hubby says on SATURDAY when he gets home!

Sometimes I am tempted to look into an interior design degree online to get even more ideas.

This is the Living Room before Christmas...

Diamond Candles Review and Give Away!!!

Don't miss out on the great give away Diamond Candles is having. I have a link on my side bar for you to enter, sorry it got cut off a little.  

They sent me a candle to review, and I'm really impressed with them.  They smell great, mine is White Chocolate, and burn well too.  Which is important to me, I don't like it when candles get all smokey.  It must have something to do with them being soy, I've never actually burned a soy candle before.   The candles are pretty large too, and glass jar with lid is great.  I can't wait to burn it all the way down so I can repurpose the container.

The really fun part, each candle has a ring in it, yep a ring!  I haven't burned mine down enough to actually get it out yet, but I can' wait to see my ring!The ring value is anywhere from $10 - $5000!  Ahmazing! 

So what are you waiting for, go enter for your free Diamond Candle!  Good luck!

Craigslister, Please don't break my HEART!

You know how it is, you email and then you WAIT!  Sometimes I think they make you wait just to tortue you...or they have a life and are sitting by their email...Whatev! 

I don't know about you, but I get a little nauseous waiting to hear back.  The pit of my stomach is a little unsettled now.  Sigh.

So here is the piece that has me all up in knots....knots I tell ya.

Picture it looking like this!  Only not aqua, and I want a butcher block top, and finish the back with some beadboard.  You get the idea!

So cross your fingers the Craigslister gets back to me for I pop a vein!  lol

Office Redo, Deja Vu?

I decided to make some changes in the office.  Other than the kitchen, I spend most of my time in this room.  I want it to be pretty.  However, it feels a lot like deja vu, maybe I give this room to much of my attention?  Wonder what someone with an online interior design
degree would have to say about it.

Here are some before photos:  This is at the top of the stairs right before you get to my office/loft/hallway.

Anything Goes #51

I'm changing the Party up a little, it's still Anything Goes, but I think I'm going to do a separate post for Features. What do you think? Feed back is always welcome, and appreciated! 

And those of you who have degrees in design, feel free to comment!

Hubby is gonna be here any day!  And, boy do I have a to do list for him!  Ha.  Poor guy, never gets a break.  I'll still be posting while he's home, got to show off his handy work.  Tee hee hee.  I'm evil I know.  Here's what I've come up for him so far.

Go to Home Depot to buy everything we need to do the home improvement section of the list.

Touch up paint

Paint Lauren's room including ceiling

Paint guest bathroom including ceiling

Repair trim in guest bathroom

Caulk guest bathroom shower surround

Fix towel bar in guest bathroom

Change air filter in the attic

Replace light bulb in the office

Get replacement SS cards for Lauren and me, he's just gonna keep me company for this one.

Take both cars to the shop.  Oil, brakes and fluids.  Wipers, maybe.

Take both cars in to have them washed and vacuumed.

Caulk by sliding door in the dining room

I've got to keep him busy, he's home for 3 weeks.

This was at my door today, love UPS!!  Plus I love Robyn Story Designs for sending it to me!  They have great customer service and package everything up so nice and safe.  Got to take care of precious!  Old white and some Emperor's silk, looks I'll be painting an armoire this weekend!

Totally unrelated news, I registered Lauren for Kindergarten today, full day Kindergarten!!!!  She's pretty excited to be going to the same school as big brother.  Not sure if he shares her enthusiasm. 

Lastly, here's the Stan Man, he's getting so big, and he's such a good boy.  If I could only train the kids to be so good?  hmmmm 

PARTY TIME ~ NO RULES

1.  I would LOVE it if you became a FRIEND of my blog, it'll make it easier for you to find the party.
2.  If you would like, you can link back to the party, I have a button for this too, but don't sweat it.

3.  Please link as much of anything you want, no limit.  Etsy shops and Give Aways too! 

Thanks for partying!