Brush Your Dog's Teeth, Please

by Liz Heather in ,

Whoever is in charge of reading my eulogy, please include a nod to my impeccable oral hygiene. It's one of the few things I'm most proud of, thus far. If there's one, easy thing you can be taking care of in your life, it's your oral care. I'll never shut up about it. You know this already. 

But what about your pets? Who's gonna take care of their teeth? You, bud. Please get on that already if you haven't. At least once a week is all they require it done, too. I'm pretty sure that's why dogs do things that piss owners off sometimes. They're acting out 'cause you're not brushing their teeth. We all love that minty after-breath! Don't deny them that right! And if you're thinking, "My dog hates it when I brush his/her teeth." Well, that's your fault, owner. Try this tip to start to get them into it.

Martha Stewart Living, April 2014 issue

Cat Climbable Furniture

by Liz Heather in

Me and all cats? Meh. We're on speaking terms, but it's not a loving relationship. I do, however, think they would agree with me that these pieces of furniture are amazing and ridiculously unique.

(Click on the images to see more examples.)

A German company designed all of these and I'm pretty sure they're for sale over here on their site (not completely sure because I don't speak German). Such a neat idea.

Two Actually Good Pinterest New Year's Ideas

by Liz Heather in

I could write an essay on the perils of being on Pinterest. I won't, but I could. I've sifted through an array of New Year's themed pins and these two were my favourites. I'm definitely going to attempt them and I think you should, too. 

1. A good way to clean out your closet and see what you're actually wearing throughout the year: Flip all your hangers around on New Year’s Day. After one year, donate any clothes that you haven’t worn, aka the hangers that are still flipped. This only works if you've already listened to my other piece of advice about having one item per one hanger.

2. (I hope you know that with any mention of Pinterest, there are going to be mason jars involved.) Anyway, starting on January 1st, write any good things that happen to you on little pieces of paper and plop them into this jar. Obviously, you can use a jar or a box or whatever to keep the notes in. What types of things would you write on the notes? Surprise gifts, accomplished goals, things that made you laugh, a memory you don't want to forget, lines from books you've loved, etc. And when December 31st arrives, go through the jar and recollect on the best moments of your year. Now, this idea might seem kind of silly to you - but there are so many good things that happen within the span of a year that go unremembered, especially as we age and tend to forget (or more specifically as I age and tend to forget). I just thought this is such a simple way to not let things pass by too quickly. And if I actually follow through with this activity throughout the year, I'll make sure to post what my notes were in a year's time. (UPDATE: I didn’t share them here because it ain’t your business!)

Twelve Gifts For The Seinfeld Fan

by Liz Heather in ,

Okay, I know this gift list is not relevant to 2013. But let's choose to ignore that fact because there are definitely people who still re-watch/love this show and would really be into some of these gifts. Like what, you ask?

1. A chocolate (or cinnamon) babka. Available online through Greens Bakery or by making it yourself by Googling the recipe. 

2. The black and white cookie. Available in any New York bakery and the recipe can be found here.

3. The Real Kramer Reality Tour (three hours). Tickets available online for $37.50.

4. Actual muffin tops. Not hard to get, either make or buy them and then pop the tops.

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5. The Original Soupman's retail soup. Available in grocery stores and online. 

6. Astonishing Tales Of The Sea book. Available online.

7. A book (or a book on tape) about Risk Management. Available online. 

8. Tropic of Capricorn or Tropic of Cancer books

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9. A book of French impressionist art to put in your bathroom.

10. A book of War & Peace but with a self-made cover of “War, What Is It Good For?”. There's a tutorial on how to make your own book cover here. 

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11. This photo in a frame. 

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12. Festivus In A Box. Available online. 

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BONUS PRINTOUT

Of course there are tons of more ideas, but let's not go overboard here. The show did end fifteen years ago.

Bayberry Candles on Christmas Eve & New Year's Eve

by Liz Heather in , ,

“Light a bayberry candle on Christmas Eve and allow it to burn completely until it goes out on its own, as shortly after midnight as possible. After midnight, the closer to midnight it burns out on its own, the more prosperous one will be in the new year. You can do this on New Year’s Eve, also.”

I don't usually write about upcoming posts for my Mom Says section, but this is the one exception. And I'm writing about it so early in December so that you have time to order these candles if for some strange reason you actually LISTEN to my advice. (I always buy them off Amazon since they seem to be the cheapest on there.) (And they're surprisingly hard to find in candle shops.)

Anyway, where does this tradition/superstition come from? Lots of places, apparently. Just Google "legend of the bayberry candle" and you'll see for yourself. Why do I do it? Well, because my mom is probably the luckiest person I know and if she tells me to burn a candle, then I'm gonna burn that candle. 

“This bayberry candle comes from a friend,

so on Christmas Eve burn it to the end.

For a bayberry candle burned to the socket,

will bring joy to the heart, and gold to the pocket.”
— Legend of the Bayberry Candle Poem