Friday, February 25, 2011

Beware

There are some really great tips here, especially towards the end with the wasp spray.

13 THINGS YOUR BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it..

5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house.. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom - and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door - understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)
10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Here's a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.

12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it athttp://www.faketv/.com/)

8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:


1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.

4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.

7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.

8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.
Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina , Oregon , California , and Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs http://www.crimedoctor.com/ and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.


Protection for you and your home:
If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone's evil plans for you.

WASP SPRAY

A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.

The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection.



FROM ANOTHER SOURCE:

On the heels of a break-in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self-defense experts have a tip that could save your life.

Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School . For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed.
Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them."
Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says, "spray the culprit in the eyes". It's a tip he's given to students for decades. It's also one he wants everyone to hear. If you're looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray.

"That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out." Maybe even save a life.

Put your car keys beside your bed at night.
Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents, your Dr.'s office, the check-out girl at the market, everyone you run across. Put your car keys beside your bed at night.

If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies. This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around. After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

We all need to be aware of our surroundings and know how to protect ourselves and our loved ones!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Heavenly

I can't ignore the beautiful weather we've been enjoying recently, it's heavenly. The skies have been this unbelievable shade of bright blue and the sun has been shinning bright! This picture was taken back at the end of January when Thomas and I decided on a whim to make a trip to Charleston. Weather like this puts a smile on my face and reminds me how thankful I am to live in such a wonderful place!

I hope the sun is shining bright where you are!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Unplanned

Sorry for my week long absence, it was completely unplanned and unexpected. Life is slightly chaotic at the moment, but mostly for good reasons, so I can't complain.

Thursday three of my favorite people arrived, my Dad, Mom, & Molly for a long weekend visit. We always have a blast together, but this weekend was lots of fun and the weather was spectacular; mid to upper 70's and sunny every day except for Sunday. We spent time in Columbia eating at our favorite restaurants and shopping, we took a day trip to Charleston on Friday--it's one of our favorite cities if you haven't figured that out by now, spent time in Columbia with Thomas and his parents, and Sunday afternoon my Mom and I spent lots of time in the kitchen cooking and baking. My freezer is packed with some delicious meals, thanks Mom!

This was Molly's first time on an airplane that we know of and thankfully she was very well behaved. I'm so happy my parents brought her along, she is so easy going and such a lovey, you couldn't ask for a better dog!

Monday brought the beginning of another work week, yikes, but the sunny blue skies and 78 degree weather made my manic Monday a whole lot better! So much better, I can't believe its already Tuesday.

What's new with you my friends? I hope you had a wonderful (long) weekend!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Sweets

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
I hope your day is extra sweet!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Will You Be Watching?


The Grammy's are by far my favorite award show! Tonight is the big night, the show begins at 8pm on CBS. Will you be tuning in? What I really enjoy about the Grammy's compared to say the Oscars and the Emmy's is that there are performances. It's basically one long concert of all your favorite artists, what more could you ask for? It's boring to me to watch three hour award shows of crying, drunk celebrities rambling on thanking people we've never even heard of! Not to mention, I'm not a huge movie or TV watcher. So are you ready? I am!!! I'm not wishing the weekend away, but if the weekend has to come to an end, there is nothing better on a Sunday night then the Grammy's to distract me from having a case of the Monday's a day early.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

You Guys Want Some Cookies?

So I learned something last week. Over dinner one night Thomas lights up and says guess what I ordered today?!

Me: No clue, WHAT?!

Thomas: Girl Scout COOKIES!!!!!!!!

Me: YUMMMM! What kind did you order?

Thomas: Thin Mints and the carmel kind with chocolate drizzled on top.

Me: What kind are those?

Thomas: You know the good ones, in the purple box

Me: The kind I like in the purple box are called Somoas.

Thomas: I ordered something called Carmel deLites, those aren't Somoas?

Me: I don't think so, I would ask to change your order tomorrow.

Thomas: Okay, will you remind me?


Being the good girlfriend that I am, ha, actually I just happened to remember to remind him, he went and changed his order, or so I thought until our phone conversation that night. Come to find out Girl Scout cookies have different names in different parts of the country? I had no idea!!!


Am I really that clueless? Someone please tell me I'm not the only one!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Getting Ahead

I can't believe I never shared this book I read with y'all. I can't remember when I first read it, but it definitely had to have been before I started this blog. Anyways, I apologize for holding out on y'all but if you haven't already read If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You by Kelly Cutrone and Meredith Bryan, don't jog, sprint to your nearest bookstore and pick it up. It is such a great book for any woman looking to get ahead in the corporate world. Yes Ms. Cutrone tells it like it is, but sometimes the truth hurts, agree?

For those of you who don't know, Kelly Cutrone is the founder of fashion public relations, branding, and marketing firm People's Revolution, which has represented clients such as Longchamp, Vivienne Westwood, Valentino, Jeremy Scott, Paco Rabanne, Thierry Mugler, Bulgari, Christie's, and more. She starred in Bravo's Kell on Earth and has appeared on MTV's The Hills and The City. Prior to founding People's Revolution, Cutrone cofounded Cutrone & Weinberg and was the director of PR for Spin magazine. Cutrone lives in Manhattan with her daughter, Ava (Amazon).

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, so much so, I had to keep myself from reading it cover to cover in one night!

The good news is, if you read this book and enjoyed it like me or if you haven't read it yet and when you do, you realize you enjoyed it as much as me, Kelly Cutrone and Meredith Bryan have a new novel coming out on April 26, 2011 called Normal Gets You Nowhere. If you can't already tell, I'm looking forward to that day!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Quick Tip

I have several beautiful candles from Anthropologie that look like this:


And there is absolutely no way once the candle is finished burning that I am going through the jar away. If nothing else I will use the jars as a vase or decoration around my house, but I have always wondered how I can get the wax and wick out of the bottom of the jar without a huge struggle. I finally figured it out and I wanted to share this easy tip with y'all!

Place the glass candle holder in the freezer for at least an hour, I usually leave mine in there for a day or so. You want the wax to harden as much as possible so its easy to remove. Take the candle holder out of the freezer and gently break the wax off the glass with a knife. Try to get between the wax and glass, so you can break off large chunks of the wax at once. It works like a charm! No scraping off wax residue or making a mess, I can usually get the wax out in two large chunks and then a third time for the wick.

I have heard that if you leave the candle holder in the freezer for a week or so the wax will eventually fall out in one piece. If any of y'all try this, let me know if it's true. In the meantime, we know the few extra steps of breaking the hard wax with a knife does the trick!

I hope y'all find this tip helpful!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Weekend Recap

We had a very eventful weekend and we are of course sad to see it go. Friday's weather was cold and rainy, so Thomas and I went to a local favorite for some comfort food; cheese fries and pizza. Let's get one thing straight, these cheese fries aren't just any cheese fries. I'm sure you are thinking fries with runny cheese dip poured over the fries that then turn soggy before you even get your hands on them. Not these cheese fries! The Whig's cheese fries go a little something like this: a large bowl full of fries with a variety of shredded cheeses melted on top with a side of ketchup and ranch. Can we say comfort food heaven?

Saturday night we attended a couples stock the bar shower for our friends Christi & Jake who are tying the knot this May! We had a fun time celebrating with them as well as fabulous time at the party with several of our friends who came in from out of town. Saturday night brought back memories of being in college and all of us being in the same place!

My camera was MIA all weekend, which is unfortunate since I really meant to take a picture of the gift we gave Christi & Jake. Before Christmas I found a cozy faux fur wine/liquor bag from Pottery Barn that I knew would be perfect for their shower especially since it was during the cold winter months and these napkins at a local boutique back home in Baltimore.

We filled the faux fur bag with a bottle of liquor and I wrapped the napkins in clean cellophane with a ribbon and used the tie from the faux fur bag to attach the napkins to the bag. I love giving gifts and I think the best gifts to give are the ones you want to keep for yourself!

Thanks to Bess, Lindsey, Katie, & Kelley for hosting a wonderful shower!

An the icing on the cake was watching the Super Bowl with some close friends and seeing the Packers W-I-N!!!!!!!!

Happy Monday y'all!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Super Bowl Sunday!

Are you ready for some football? I sure am! Game time is set for 6:38pm. I'm sure y'all can guess who I'm rooting for since I'm from Baltimore. Let's go Packers!!!!!!! Besides all the football shenanigans, I'm really looking forward to the commercials! I haven't watched any of the previews of the commercials this week when they were trying to spoil the fun on the morning talk shows. All I have to say is, I hope Betty White makes another appearance, I absolutely loved the Doritos commercial she was in last year!

I'm sure many of y'all will be going to Super Bowl parties tonight, so I thought I would share one of my favorite, yet so simple and easy dip recipes. You can make this dip ahead of time and then when you arrive at the party all you need to do is stick it in the oven for a few minutes to warm it and melt the cheese topping.

Chili Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

(1) 16oz. plain cream cheese
(1) regular can Hormel chili without beans
(1) smaller can of Castleburys hot dog chili
(1) 16oz. package of shredded cheese, cheddar or Mexican mix
(1) bag Tostitos or Fritos

Directions:

1.In a 9x13 baking dish spread the 16 oz of plain cream cheese. In a separate dish mix the two cans of chili together. Top the cream cheese with the mixture of chili. Top the entire dish with shredded cheese. Before serving bake at 400 degree until cheese is bubbly and melted, about 15-20 minutes. Serve with Tostitos or Fritos.

ENJOY!
Thomas gave me this recipe last year when we were in need of an quick and easy appetizer to a Super Bowl party. The dip was very tasty and such a hit with all the guests!
What are you looking forward to most about the Super Bowl?

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Happy...

Birthday, Dad!!! I hope you have a wonderful birthday, I love you!

and Happy Groundhog's Day to the rest of you! The good news is Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow, come on Spring!!!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Dinner & A Movie

Friday was a long day and I was tired after the work week that staying in that night and eating leftovers and watching a movie sounded like the perfect way to spend Friday night. Thomas was on board too, so we spent the night in eating dinner and watching a movie together.

Have you seen this?

If you haven't, rent it ASAP! I didn't know anything about this movie before we watched it, but it was a great movie and I highly recommend it. Plus it's a great movie to watch with a guy and I promise you will enjoy it too!

What movies have you seen recently that you recommend? I'm always up for a good movie that someones recommended!

P.S.-Where did January go? Can you believe today is February 1st!