Julie and Julia Review

Being a young woman with a blog, I constantly hear, "Oh, like in that movie!" when I run into people who have maybe glanced at this webpage, but not really looked into it. "That movie" being Julie and Julia. Like many other fairly new movies, I thought about seeing it when it was in theaters but never got to go due to our erratic schedule. Thus, it ended up on the abysmal list I like to call "Movies I Will See Eventually." Thanks to a new Netflix account and having a huge list of films at my beckon call, I finally watched it...

I have to say, it was not exactly an epically moving piece. It was cute, but not really anything to write home about. I completely back the concept of a young woman without any real purpose gaining structure by setting a goal and taking everyone along for the ride. She creates some small problems for herself along the way, but she involves her readers and feels validation in her life, which most anyone could agree is a good feeling. No one wants to wander aimlessly through life. Sure, at first glimpse of freedom we all rush out and do anything and everything or nothing if we want to; but eventually we all come to a mature realization that at some point we will no longer be around. Most individuals have children at this point. I would say that children are a the biggest legacy we leave behind us. But if children aren't an option, due to choice or circumstance, any goal that helps to better the achiever is certainly not a bad idea.

You're probably now thinking, "Wow, for a person who says this movie wasn't that great, she certainly is going into deep thought because of it," and even I have to admit that any commentary that draws its audience into contemplation cannot be a failure. I just don't think this movie accomplished all that it wanted and attempted to. I could go on and on, but I doubt you would want to hear my existential rant. I tend to overdo those a bit

Suffice it to say, I'm not running out to purchase the Bluray, but I may try to make a little boeuf bourguignon on my day off :)

Revolutionary Products - The Quest To Cover Up

I would have never guessed how many people read/enjoyed my vacuum reviews. Friends come up to me at random events and send me messages saying how they are so glad I posted my opinion of the Shark Navigator. So, I have decided to run with this success. I've been compiling a small list of products that have recently changed my life and I would love to let everyone know why :)

To get things rolling properly, I will begin with what is literally my favorite product of the week: Curvana

For almost 2 years now, I have experienced frustration, as many twenty-something LDS women do, with finding appropriately cut clothes. Before I got married, I was a big fan of deep v-neck tops. Once I got married in the temple, I no longer want to wear clothes that are so revealing, and I made a large effort to pass most of my clothing I could/would no longer wear to various charitable institutions. Just because I can't enjoy them does not mean that no one else should. Even with my new found modest zeal, I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of my favorite shirts of days gone by.

I have seen advertisements for various products to solve this problem i.e. Cami Secret. I almost broke down and purchased it, but when I went online there were several websites for the same product that all looked different - can you say scam? At that point I decided to make one myself. It can't be that hard - it's just a napkin that clips to your bra. On Labor Day, I drug Justin to Joann fabric to purchase the fabric. I found the stretch knits and even had my choices in my cart when I turned around and hit the jack pot.

Joann has a section amongst the sewing supplies devoted to things like shoulder pads and foam rubber breast inserts. Mixed in with them is a line of products by Curvana.

Curvana makes such products as bra straps, gel breast inserts, pasties, etc; but the cream of the crop as far as I was concerned was the Reversible Mini Cami.

This product is basically a tube top designed to just cover your chest. It has lace on one side and just a hemmed edge on the other. They had three colors: Black, White, and Natural.
Another cool feature is that it can be worn with straps, and there are tabs for the hooks on both sides, so you don't have to worry about it sliding down at awkward moments.
One side note I have to say is, though I don't exactly have gigantic boobs (not even close really), I took the cami out of the box and held it up for a size comparison. I'm glad I did because I doubt the medium would have been very comfy. I purchased the large, and it has worked out great. So, if you wear larger than a 36B I suggest you get at least a Large or Extra Large.

So, I have to show you the results :)
I have to confess, I only bought this blue shirt a week ago, but it was on sale and I like it :)
I had to try it with this shirt because it has the deepest V of them all. I never wore this without a tank top underneath (sheesh, I'm not that much of a hussy), but it gets very uncomfortable to wear multiple layers in Florida. I'm warm natured as it is without piling on more insulation, so I was so glad that this cami worked with it.

This last shirt was given to me by my mother in law because she didn't like how the wrap part would occasionally cause over exposure. I had the same problem the first few times I wore it and I was pinning it together with a safety pin after that. I like the lace detail for some of my more work appropriate shirts.

This product changed my life because:

It's comfortable and lightweight. It's stretchy so it moves well, and you can pull it up or down to adjust the height. Also, because it's a tube top, it will never pop out of the neckline of your shirt because it's too low cut, unlike some of the reviews I've read about the Cami Secret. And now I can wear all of my old low cut favorite shirts!

So anyway, if your boobs are hanging out and you want a way to cover them up, this is a fantastic option.

***Also, wait for their next big sale to buy this at Joann. Normal price was $16.99, but they were half-off on Labor Day.

The Shark Review - Continued

So, I have had the Shark Navigator vacuum for one month, and so far, I love it. I find myself vacuuming more frequently than I ever have in my life just because this piece of machinery makes it so easy to do. I know that I sound like a bit like an infomercial when people ask me about it, but I guess I will just have to accept it. I tried out the pet hair attachment today after discovering that the Gordo has started his biannual change of season shedding, which is more like a sheds-a-bit-more-than-normal. His fur was all over the couch after we brushed him, so I decided to test that baby out. I have to say, I was quite impressed.

I have another feature that I don't believe I mentioned very much in my previous posting: the size. This vacuum is incredibly compact for what it accomplishes. It is lightweight, and is so small it can fit into our teeny hall closet along with our steam mop, broom and dustpan, and ironing board that sit in front of all of our towels and such on shelves:
Here is a shot a little backed up so you can fully appreciate the dinky-ness that is the size of this closet:

The one downfall to this mini-vacuum is the size of the canister. I know a lot of it is my dog's hair combined with a wool carpet that sheds constantly, but I have to empty the canister in the middle of vacuuming my one carpet. For the rest of the tile, I can usually use if for most of the house before emptying, but the hair fills past the max fill line fast.

I also have to say, I love the dusting attachment. I cleaned our entire bedroom on Thursday, dusting all of our furniture, including candle holders and picture frames and even under the bed. I was even able to suck the dusty build up off of the air conditioning vent in the ceiling. It even got fur off of slightly fuzzy surfaces that have never looked this good since I bought them.

So, I'm still going to wait another few months before I make my final judgement, but I am enamored with the Shark Navigator thus far. :)

The Shark Review - This Vacuum Sucks

So, the time came for us to purchase a new vacuum. Our vacuum that we bought on the day after Thanksgiving last year for $35 at Walmart is complete and utter crap. Do Not Buy the Eureka Maxima unless you enjoy rolling a vacuum back and forth for no apparent reason.

Anyway, when I looked at Target to see what they offered, I decided to look up online reviews and see which one is best. What a waste of time. IT is a complete crap shoot choosing a vacuum. All of the good reviews are 1) written after using the item for 5 minutes or 2) written by people who are paid by the company to do so. They sound like infomercials, for real - normal people don't talk like that. A good portion of the reviews aren't even about the product but the store they purchased it from. Yeah.

So, I posted my woes on facebook and received a huge response. Friends were telling me what they had, how happy they were with it, and what surfaces they worked best on. After 3 days of combining online reviews with vacuum rating site (which also sound like they are tipped by the companies) and with my facebook friends opinions, I reached a decision: The Shark Navigator.
I know, I know. I'm cliché for buying something with an infomercial that keeps telling you, "It's amazing" à la Billy Mays, but I could not ignore the evidence in its favor, no matter how dumb the commercial is. I figured I could buy it and give it a try. If it sucks - or doesn't rather - I can return it.

Before I tell you the results of this new machine, I first must let you know the testing conditions:

1) Understand first that my apartment is completely tiled. The only carpet we have is an area rug, and the rug in question has changed several times over the last few months. The rug you see pictured here is just as new as the vacuum cleaner; well, new to us, that is. My dearest Angela is moving to NY next Friday and decided not to take this with her, so she gave it to me :) I just picked it up today and it's so much nicer than any of the other rugs I've had in this space. This one is wool and it is actually plushy, a new concept in this house. Also note: wool carpets shed. Angela informed me when I picked it up that it takes several years before they settle enough to not shed anymore. Anyway, the vacuum needs to be able to work well on tile as well as on carpet of various heights.

2) Also understand the nature of my "only sheds twice a year" dog who actually sheds constantly. He's 14 months old and I'm willing to bet that if I had saved all the hair I have swept and vacuumed up around my house in that time, I could have molded it into at least two Gordo sized corgi replicas. Even when I sweep and vacuum what I think is absolutely everywhere I still get tumbleweeds of hair rolling around. I have no clue where they come from, but they are a constant in my life. I love my Gordo, so I accept the tumbleweeds. So, the vacuum needs to be good at collecting hair, even when I can't see it; and it needs to pull hair off of plushy fabrics. I'm tired of lint rolling my carpet and couches when people are coming over. (Yes, that is what I have had to do.)

So, for this experiment, we will be using my living room with the new/used carpet that has been freshly shampooed:
The carpet needed a vacuuming, Angela even told me that when I picked it up, but just to look at it, it really wasn't that bad. After vacuuming the bare tile floor under where the carpet would go as well as giving the rug a good once over, this is what the tank looked like:

Yeah, it was really full. I unintentionally let it fill about 1/3 over the "max fill" line. This was a good sign. Apparently it can suck out a lot of crap when it doesn't look that bad to the naked eye. Score one for the Shark.

The Navigator also has some very handy features. There are two positions for the on switch: click it once for the bare floor or cleaning attachments, click it twice for carpets. The second click activates the roller brush. This is nice because you won't burn your carpet if the vacuum sits on it while you are using the hose to clean something else. Another perk is the button to remove the tank. This button is right next to the on switch and just makes the whole tank pop out = no clipping anything or lifting a thin plastic door that breaks easily. It came with a variety of attachments, including a dusting brush, a pet hair brush, and a crevice tube. Even emptying the canister was easy and you don't get dirty! You just hold the tank over a trash can and push a release button to make the bottom hatch drop out. I did kind of give it a shake and then I had to take a paper towel and grab some hair that was stuck to the top filter, but it wasn't a big deal.

So, remember, I only vacuumed a 5x7 area of tile and the area rug, and this is what came out of the tank: I felt like a very dirty person, but simultaneously felt the hope of being not so dirty anymore.

In conclusion: This vacuum sucks so far, which in a vacuum is a good thing. I like it. It's small and light with neat features that are easy to use. It sucked well on the tile, not blowing the dirt around but actually sucking it up, and dug deep down in the carpet to remove more dirt than I thought was there. The dusting brush (a personal favorite in any vacuum) worked nicely, and I went on to clean my storage ottomans and lamp shade to great satisfaction. Also, it's not very loud, despite what some of the reviews I found said.Happy as I am with it thus far, I still want to see how it lasts with regular use over several months. So, if you are curious, check back in a while and I will let you know how it holds up. Hopefully this posting helps all you potential vacuum buyers make your decision better than the online info I found on the subject did me. And for those friends of mine who follow my blog and just read through this whole thing only to realize it's not really about our little family much at all, I apologize and promise the next posting will be. :)